JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Real Country Music and the Grand Ole Opry

Howdy, y'all,
I don't usually ask for favors, but I think this is really important, especially to those of you who love country music.

There is new management at the Grand Ole Opry, and the plan is to change the show, and the venue, to a new, more modern format........as in "new" country and rock. Cracker Barrel Restaurant Corp. is a sponsor of the Grand Ole Opry, and is going along with this new format. HOWEVER......they said they will reconsider their position if enough people want it to remain as it always has been.......a showcase for REAL country music.
I'd really appreciate it if y'all could take a couple minutes to click on the link below and sign the petition to keep the Opry in it's original tradition.

http://www.petitiononline.com/0224/petition.html

Thank ya bunches!!!

You won't get any spam emails, or popup ads, or anything like that. This is a safe website, started by KOCR Radio - the home of traditional country music. If you have any doubts, you can find information at this link:
(http://www.originalcountryradio.com) or http://www.sweetsouthernsounds.com

Cool, signed up.

I signed. I actually would like to see the tradition retained, but still have the GOO be a showcase for newer artists as well. I think they can both happen.

Plus from a practical perspective, you need to bring new blood (performers) to the GOO to keep it viable.

I sort of like where it's at right now. They have been bringing in more current artists than they used to, but still the legends who I still like to listen to are there.

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John

http://www.johnkscott.com

That's right John, the legends are still there, but they won't be if they make this change. Where else would they play? This is one of the most disrespectful, distasteful things I have ever heard of. I signed the petition. Thank ya'll for the info.

Shea Cleveland

Hey y'all, just curious. Is there somewhere I can read more about this? So far I've seen a lot of blusering and no facts (not saying it ain't so, just that I haven't been that well informed yet) .

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John

http://www.johnkscott.com

Hey Blue,
I signed. My Daddy played on that stage.

Yeah, I signed up. The timing seems rather strange, since trad seems to be staging something of a comeback.
Wy

It is?? Where?

I guess I'll go and sign but if it's true I doubt it will do any good.
Considering this years events. CMA held in New York with rap being performed on stage.
Big and Rich, Tim Magraw with Nelly?
I think it's pretty obvious where the greed (or is it just good business sense)is going to take country music.

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www.soundclick.com/billrobinson

Bill
Live with a song in your heart

It is?? Where?
Well, might be a question of what a person calls "traditional" I may take a little broader view of it, but trad. even in the old days, (I've been around ' most forever <g> ) wasn't all the same thing. They had some pretty far out stuff back then too, tho' they were more restricted in their "language" then
To me at least, a lot of Gretchens stuff is trad. Redneck Woman sounds traditional to me, tho' she goes a bit farther than they did in the old days and look what she did.Her "Cheatin' song is nothing but tradional, it was way up there. I call Alison Krauss bluegrass and trad. "Restless" just went number one on CMT.. Might call Alison, "contemporary bluegrass" but bluegrass comes under trad to me. Long Black Train is even gospel type traditional. It went to number one on CMT. Whiskey Lullaby is very trad' looks to me like. It stayed at number one a while. I believe Loretta's collaboration of Portland went No 1.Hey Good Lookin" went to first and they didn't change it all that much. Alan Jackson and George Strait. Some might call George and Allan "New Tradionalists" continue to do well and "Monday Morning Church" was way up the on CMT last time I looked. Haven't followed Billboard for a while but when I followed both, CMT and Billboard seemed to track fairly close together Those are just
some I've caught recently and I don't even watch that much.
Some of the new artists breaking in are traditional. On the pitch lists I get, there's as much call for trad. as for pop country and most just call for country, where not long ago, most all called for pop country or new country. Course N ville wants it both ways too, they ask for new country with a traditional edge or "radio friendly trad. Whatever that is. Next to last cut I got, albeit Indie" like all my cuts, he called gospel trad.
I don't submit all that much but last thing I sent, they said, "We're going to pass on this", (story uh my life <G>, ) , but, if you've got some really honky tonkin' toe tappin country, send that in.
Just speaking from my point of view, but that's the way I see it.
Nickels worth,
Wy

I totally agree with Wy. Why many people think that new country music coming out today that IS traditional that doesn't sound traditional to them is beacause of the quaility of the recordings today for the most part and they are not used to that. I think there will always be the pop side of country, the traditional side, the artists who crossover both ways, and the ones who come along like Big and Rich and stretch the boundries even further. As Wy calls it, Trad is still around, still has the same good ol twang, fiddle and steel, and a great honky-tonk sound, just advanced modern recording. I'd love to hear what Hank Williams and Lefty Frizell would sound like in the studio if they were around today!!

www.soundclick.com/sheacleveland

A Big Howdy and Amen to that! In my work, the requests always lean to the Traditional
Country. Snappy or Ballad. The core of it is still Traditional Country.

Wyman's post is correct: there is certainly an element of traditional country on the radio these days. But that is not the point. For years and YEARS, there has been an element of traditional country music on the radio, fighting against the more "pop" element. Wyman said earlier that "trad seems to be staging a bit of a comeback." His suggestion is that somenow NOW it is different, but it is not.

Remember when "Blue" was supposed to be ushering in a trad comeback? Didn't happen. Remember the splash David Ball made with "Thinkin' Problem"? We kept hearing that record was the signal for a rebirth of trad. Didn't happen. The "O, Brother" soundtrack. That was to be the BIG one...the herald of the rebirth. Didn't happen.

Sure Gretchen is country. So is Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson. LeeAnn Womack is country now...er...again...er...until her next album...whatever. There are always some who do COUNTRY music and they have fans. But I don't remember a time in the last 15 years when somebody was not using SOME new record to offer as proof that traditioal country is making a comeback. It can't come back. It has never gone away. It has just diminished in market share and that will continue.

The reason for all this, of course, is that there is a niche of people who love that trad sound; and that niche will keep a few artists afloat at any given time. But the BIG market is not "going country."

So the question is not "is there a healthy market for trad country?" Certainly there is. The question is "is this market growing? Are the tables turning?" I don't think so, and this is where I respectfully disagree with Wyman. The proof is right there before our eyes anytime we care to look. The proof is named Shania Twain, who will probably sell more copies of "The Woman in Me" than LeeAnn Womack will sell with all her CD's combined. The proof is named Kenny Chesney and Toby Keith and Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill, and Rascal Flatts, and Big and Rich.

Go figure.

Wy,
Can you tell me what Tip Sheet you are refering to that lists quite a bit of country requests. If you have a link I would appreciate it. Thanks.

cool I signed

http://www.soundclick.com/pro/?BandID=189269

Dang, Truman, I was kinda' disappointed. Was beginning to think you weren't going to come back at me <G>.
Well, we're not in complete disagreement. Maybe a better way of my stating it would be "One of it's periodic comebacks". You're right on the comebacks thst seemed to fizzle. One reason they're hard to sustain is that the big , so called country stations , won't hardly play "real" country.
The reasons I have more hopes for "this" comeback is Gretchen selling 4 million copies of her debut album and being the biggest selling new artist in country music history. (I think that's right) plus all the new artists getting play on CMT who are what I'd call traditional country. I had CMT on a bit one evening untill Lee Ann Rimes came on. Can't stand her anymore. Anyway, caught 3 new ones I'd call "real" country, Blake Shelton, (not real new), then a girl name of Lambert and then the Wrights. Next morning had it on till Shania came on, (never could stsnd her) Country my butt.
Besides which, she and Mutt moved to Switzerland so they wouldn't have to pay U S taxes but still wants to sell her records over here. Let 'er sell 'em in Switzerland.
Jessi Alexander is another sounded "real" I think all the "real" country artists getting a shot, are already due a lot to Gretchen and a few others. N ville's great at copycatting.
Whattayabet' Kenny and Toby and Tim , etc. come out with at least "some" real country on their next albums too?
Ray, I'll answer you in a bit. My typing finger is plumb worn out and need more coffee
Wy

OK Ray. My typing finger's all rested up.
That's "The Leads Sheet" That'll bring it up on search. It's also Allegheny Music Works, Same thing.Johnston Pa. ,up in Kaley territory. Where is Kaley anyway? How does she 'spect me to pick on her if she's not even here? Think Kaley has problems--'puter problems, electrical prob, You name a prob. KK prob'ly has is. But, I digress.
Leads sheet is $48 a year, $30 ,6 months.
I even counted up the listings for Feb, Misplaced the March issue. 34 listings, 20 called for country. Out of those , 9 were for traditional country, 4 for new or pop country.. That'll vary of course. I think the March issue was kinda short on all listings but believe it might be a slack time of year now. I'd ask my mentor but she's gone again. Bobbie prob'ly knows tho'. She's right down there amongst', Bobbie, Bobbie, where art thou Bobbie?
Yeah , Leads Sheet'l even put your name in there if you get a cut. Had my name right up there on the front page in bold type yet. Bless his Pa. heart. Naah, that's not why I like him and I ain't gettin no cut on subscriptions, <G>
(Scuse me for intruding on your thread Blue, but it keeps it up to the top anyway)
Wy

I realy hope they don't change the Opry, it change naturaly as current acts retire or passaway. It's bad enough that major labels determine who is promoted & played on the radio. If an artist starts having an a life outsie of their career, the label drops them and looks for a fresher face (not more talent) that has les bagage. The only want artists that'll hit the road for long tours and appearances.

The Opry gives artists a chance to be in "semi-retirement."GAC's broadcast portin of the Opry is realy sad, they'll show the 'guest visitors', but when the traditional members are playing, they cutaway for interviews, etc..

[This message has been edited by Dennis Harbour (edited 03-27-2005).]