"What Goes Around...."

Three days left.

2009 is about to become history.

And while I've made no secret of the fact that I'm not the "make resolutions" type, I've decided, in the spirit of the season, to make a vow, of sorts.

Come midnight, December 31, I'm all through picking on George Jones.

Although it really didn't get a lot of mainstream buzz this past year, I think one of the more interesting stories to come out of the country music world was the interview George gave in which he pretty much told "new" country singers like Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift and Keith Urban that they were interlopers, not "real" country singers and they needed to put Nashville in their rear view mirrors.

I thought it interesting for a couple of reasons.

First, George is just an interesting guy.

Second, that "cranky" stuff reminds me of my paternal grandfather.

But, third, and most telling, I think George was really putting a face and a voice on an attitude that sort of bubbles under with a lot of country music fans and/or performers.

In other words, he ain't alone in feeling that way.

I wrote an earlier piece here about the amusing irony of George Jones dissing "pop" music in the year 2009 when one of his first, now iconic, hits, "White Lightnin" was written by J.P. Richardson, the "Big Bopper" of "Chantilly Lace" fame.

I haven't changed my mind about what I said then. What I have come across, though, while doing some research for something else was this "moment in history" thing about the evolution of country music.

The "Nashville Sound," defined by its string arrangements and grand ballads, reached its heyday in the 1950s and 60s. The RCA and Columbia Records staffs, which included Chet Atkins, is credited with its creation. Country stars like Jim Reeves, Ray Price and Eddy Arnold were icons of the genre.

Jim Reeves is credited with recording the first song recognized for having the Nashville Sound. "Four Walls" was a number-one hit for the Galloway, Texas star in 1957.

Perryville, Texas native Ray Price hit Nashville in the early 1950s, scoring his first number-one in 1956 with "Crazy Arms." His Cherokee Cowboys band boasted such members as Willie Nelson, Johnny Paycheck and Roger Miller at different times. His biggest hit to date is the Kris Kristofferson tune "For the Good Times."

Eddy Arnold was successful before becoming part of the Nashville Sound, but with the release of the 1965 string-filled hit "Make the World Go Away," the country crooner's career experienced a second surge.

I was too young to hear whatever pissing and moaning probably came from the purists back in those days, but I do remember the cycle, and appropriate p'n and m'n, coming back around in the 70's and early 80's with the "countrypolitan" sound of folks like Kenny Rogers, Lee Greenwood, Barbara Mandrell, et al.

And I believed then what I believe, and have shared on the air, now.

That, at the very least, the upside to widening the demo on country music is that it only benefits it.

The young people who listen to Taylor Swift might never have had the pleasure of discovering the pioneers of country music like Hank, Sr and Patsy, Conway and Loretta, Jim Reeves and Eddy Arnold and, yes, even George Jones if they weren't tuning into, and discovering, country music.

That, I would offer you, goes a long way towards taking the light of country music out from under the bushel.

And, truth be told and faced, we live in high tech world of Mp3, Ipod and downloadable music, Internet access and satellite/cable TV, all of which are making the "lines" between styles/formats of popular music thinner with each passing logged on day.

In the very best sense of bringing us all a little closer in our appreciation of those styles, it's can't be anything but a good thing that...

"The Times They Are-A Changin".

Words and music by Bob Dylan.

One of those "pop" fellers.

I'm done pickin' on you now, George.

Happy New Year.

"After All, They Never Wrote...'I Want To Hold Your Other Hand'...."

George Jones is right.

Sort of.

A while back, I wrote a piece about George's unhappiness with the state of contemporary country music.

In a nutshell, he thinks that country ain't all that country these days.

While he singled out folks like Alan Jackson and George Strait and gave them props for doing their part to keep "traditional" country music alive and on the air, it was pretty obvious that, without naming names, he didn't have much use for the likes of Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, et al, the current crop of country superstars who are, and lets just be honest like mama and papa would want us to be, about as "country" as Madonna.

My take on it has, for a long time, been that a lot of what constitutes "country music" in this period of music history is really just pop music with fiddles and/or steel added to the mix to "authenticate" it.

And my personal opinion has been, and remains, that pop singers have wandered into Nashville to make their music because they simply have nowhere else to go.

The top 40 is largely dominated by predominantly black, urban, hip hop, dance, etc...

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

...and pop...simple, infectious but not overly baked pop songs and singers dont have a "genre" they can call their own.

George actually alluded to that himself in the infamous interview.

Not to put words in his mouth, but, in so many words, what he basically was telling the wandering popsters was "God bless ya, but ya'll don't belong here, now, ya'll move along and find yourself another place to hang out..."

The musical equivalent of "yankee, go home", as it were.

Personally, I don't have a problem with the flow of pop music into the country mainstream.

But, then, I was raised on a mixture that was about 20% George and Tammy and 80% John, Paul, George and Ringo.

And while I think it's a bit narrow minded of George to exhibit high society snobbery to protest the fact his new neighbors aren't small town enough, I'll give him this much.

As far as current country music is concerned, there's room for improvement.

But, for me, it ain't as much about the "what" as it is about the "what, again?"

To wit...

Here's a list from CMT of their take on the ten greatest songs in country music. And while I'd tweak the list here and there, as would you, I'm sure, it's close enough to make the point I'll make shortly.

1. Stand By Your Man
2. He Stopped Loving Her Today
3. Crazy
4. Ring Of Fire
5. Your Cheatin' Heart
6. Friends In Low Places
7. I Fall To Pieces
8. Galveston
9. Behind Closed Doors.
10. Blue Moon Of Kentucky

And, scattered throughout the next twenty or so, such classics as...Coal Miner's Daughter, The Chair, The Gambler, Harper Valley PTA and modern work like Independence Day.

Take another look at those song titles and see if you see the common thread that I see.

No?

Right.

Because, fact is, there isn't a common thread.

While all of those songs, in one way or another, touch on basic and shared human values and virtues like love and heartbreak and happiness and sadness, etc, they are all unique in their approach, their style and their "slant", as it were.

Each one an audio painting, if you will, quite unlike any of the others.

Fast forward to the current country charts.

In just the last twelve months or so, the following songs have all appeared on the air and the charts...

Big Green Tractor
Small Town USA
Small Town Southern Man
Ladies Love Country Boys
Country Boy
Bonfire
Little More Country Than That
Boots On

And the list, like the boots, goes on.

Don't think you have to be a musicologist to see the thread there.

Small town, down home, country-fied and country fried, each of those songs, to a song, is, give or take a lyric, pretty much the same song with a different melody.

And you don't have to be a financial analyst to see the motive here.

If at first you succeed... sequel, sequel, sequel.

I don't agree with George Jones, in so far as feeling like the pop folks should keep on driving as they pass through Nashville.

But I understand how he feels.

Country music doesn't sound like it used to.

Oh, the steel guitars and fiddles are still up front in the mix most of the time.

But there's this annoying sound in the background that, no matter how you try, you just can't tune out.

Ka-ching.

"...Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Pyre..."

Christmas is, obviously, about Christ.

But, it's not just a little bit about Nat King Cole, too.

Not only because he sang "The Christmas Song".

And sang...and sang...and sang...and...

But because he fathered Natalie Cole.

Who, years after her dad's death, pioneered the idea of being able to duet with the dearly departed and was "morphed into" both the song and video of the classic "Unforgettable."

Which brings us to Christmas.

Were it not for Nat King Cole, who sang "The Christmas Song" (and sang and sang and...) fathering Natalie Cole who was in a video with her dad years after her dad died, it's possible that we wouldn't have had the opportunity to experience the lovely and talented Martina McBride sharing a stage and song with...

...the lovely and talented Elvis Presley...

...who died when Martina was just shy of 11 years old.

Is the idea of singing "live" with deceased people just a scoche creepy?

Yeah.

Is it fun and totally cool?

Dead right.

"...It's A Mustache...Only Right That It Tickles Us..."

Brad Paisley owes Roger Miller.

And Heartland owes Brad Paisley.

Roger was the first real mainstream country star to bring an obvious sense of humor to his hits without crossing over the line into Homer and Jethro territory.

Dang Me. Chug A Lug. You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd.

And Brad has carried on the tradition by bringing an obvious sense of humor to his hits without crossing over the line into Cledus T. Judd territory.

I'm Gonna Miss Her. Online. I'm Still A Guy.

And now Heartland puts boot firmly to pedal, pedal firmly to the metal and tongue firmly in cheek.

My guess is that Roger is proud of all ya'll...

"...Tis' The Season For Surprises, Fa La La La La...."

Christmas is a time of surprises.

I do like surprises.

And here's one of this year's nicest...





Here's why I really like this song...

I'm usually skeptical about songs that nudge the line between tribute and pandering because Lord knows it's a wafer thin line.

And I don't usually expect touching and vocal performances to come from singers whose main gig isn't singing.

But this song took the gold on both counts.

Because it is a touching, but not overblown, salute to the folks who give so much to us all year, every year.

And the singer has an unsinging day job.

Country comic Rodney Carrington.

A very cool surprise.

And I do like surprises.