[Closed] Is there such a thing as good country music?

Johnny Dowd - songs that can tie your entrails in knots - if you like that kind of thing. Never laugh at one of his gigs, he doesn't like it.

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Check out Hank Williams, he is incredibly influential despite being dead a very long while.

[i]BillMC - Member
Check out Hank Williams, he is incredibly influential despite being dead a very long while.[/i]

How very true, he brought Matt Johnson's career to an early end, but I guess the signs were already there 😆

GJP, that is a pretty old 'Best Of' as the pic of Emmylou shows, she looks a bit different these days:
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Back then most of what she recorded was done in Nashville, as that was the Market that had adopted her, as a result of her working with Gram Parsons of The Byrds. She was a folk singer in Greenwich Village in New York when she was spotted and suggested as a singer who would work well with Gram. However, because she was never a 'big hair' act like Dolly, Nashville lost interest and Emmylou struggled to find an audience until Daniel Lanois recorded Wrecking Ball with her, which brought her to the attention of a new rock orientated audience like me, the title track being a Neil Young song. Her recent music is much more diverse. My favourite album, if you can find it, is Cowgirl's Prayer, which is stunning, in particular 'Prayer In Open D' which is hauntingly beautiful, and the song I want played at my funeral.
I didn't say her earlier stuff wasn't country, it's not Country & Western, a distinct difference; country is really just American folk music without all the glitter and gloss layered on top by Nashville.

Well emmyLou is good but what about iris dement? Especially Our Town

CountZero - Thanks for taking the time to explain that to me. I am on the lookout for Wrecking Ball, if I can see it for a decent price.

I would prefer to stick to my earlier mental images of Emmylou, if you don't mind!, but even from that later pic you can see from her facial features, say her jawline and nose, that she was a fine looking woman in her day

Albert Lee and Hogan's Heroes.
Not "pure" country I know, he's British, he's played with them all and he's now on tour near you. Terrific live.
If you ask Eric Clapton who the best guitarist in the world is, he'll say Albert Lee.
In addition Jerry Hogan is brilliant on the steel guitar and, oh they are all terrific, go see.

I know nothing about country but Chuck Ragan got my attention a while back

Much of the above plus Lyle Lovett. Try Joshua Judges Ruth or I Love Everybody

I quite like Learning to Ride by Caitlin Rose at the mo. Mainly because with all the ice at the mo, it's music to crash too 🙂

Well emmyLou is good but what about iris dement? Especially Our Town

I think it's worth pointing out that Emmylou is 63, and is still beautiful. That pic I took in Bristol around seven years ago. I'd forgotten Iris DeMent, you're right, she doesn't appear to have done much lately.
[edit] around 1996, and with John Prine in '99:

One of the most celebrated country-folk performers of her day, singer/songwriter Iris Dement was born on January 5, 1961, in rural Paragould, AR, the youngest of 14 children. At the age of three, her devoutly religious family moved to California, where she grew up singing gospel music; during her teenaged years, however, she was first exposed to country, folk, and R&B, drawing influence from Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell. Upon graduating high school, she relocated to Kansas City to attend college.

After a series of jobs waitressing and typing, Dement first began composing songs at the age of 25. Honing her skills at open-mic nights, in 1988 she moved to Nashville, where she contacted producer Jim Rooney, who helped her land a record contract. Dement did not make her recording debut until 1992, when her independent label offering, Infamous Angel, won almost universal acclaim thanks to her pure, evocative vocal style and spare, heartfelt songcraft. Despite a complete lack of support from country radio, the record's word-of-mouth praise earned her a deal with Warner Bros., which reissued Infamous Angel in 1993 as well as its follow-up, 1994's stunning My Life. Her third LP, 1996's eclectic The Way I Should, marked a dramatic change not only in its more rock-influenced sound but also in its subject matter; where Dement's prior work was introspective and deeply personal, The Way I Should was fiercely political, tackling topics like sexual abuse, religion, government policy, and Vietnam. In 1999, she collaborated with country man John Prine on his album, In Spite of Ourselves. Dement recorded four duets with Prine that earned her a Grammy nod the following year.

Try some Rodney Crowell or Beth Neillsen Chapman. (The houston Kid by Mr Crowell has some excellent stuff on it or Fates right hand)

IanMunro - Member
I quite like Learning to Ride by Caitlin Rose at the mo. Mainly because with all the ice at the mo, it's music to crash too

Tour just announced. Got tickets for her Glasgow gig last night 8)

I quite like this...

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Can't go without a mention.

Got to admit to really liking Goodbye Earl by the Dixie Chicks

Well emmyLou is good but what about iris dement? Especially Our Town

Good call.

From the same album "No time to cry".

I recently heard "Wasteland of the free" for the first time - lyrics are absolutely fantastic.

Love her.

Edit.

Quite a few on here like her - I've never actually met anyone who's even heard of her.

Caitlin Rose is great, nice girl too, spent awhile chatting to her at the Green Man festival in August after she did two sets, one on the Main Stage and another in the Rough Trade shop.

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William Elliot Whitmore is very good, don't know if you'd call it country, or not, saw him last year supporting Alela Diane (mentioned above), brilliant, spent loads of time chatting to the crowd.

Country Death Song by The Violent Femmes

Cant find it on youtube but Grand Drive are country..ish and pretty damned good. Check out Wheels its a great song.

+++for Emmylou Harris---not just music but everything in general. Had the good fortune (to put it mildly) after conniving a first class flight from my employer, to sit next to her from Los Angeles to New York back in about 1974/75--stunningly beautiful lady and still pretty damn fine at 63.

Having grown up with country/western music and lots of relative who play, I am still partial to Waylan Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, George Jones, etc----the original "outlaws" of the genre. IMO, country & western music has transitioned so far from the "rough around the edges" style to much more of a slick, commercial style.

Another tip for Lucinda Williams - though some of her lyrics would have her busted in this place within 5 minutes! Try 'World Without Tears'

Gillian Welch, also mentioned, has a nice album called 'Soul Journey' that I prefer to 'Time, The Revelator' She worked on the first Ryan Adam's album 'Heartbreaker' as well.

I also like Josh Rouse, got a couple of his albums as well as Jim White, Kurt Wagner, Whiskeytown, Lambchop. Also The Pernice Brothers, 'Massachusetts; is a really nice album.

Richard Kinky Big Dick Friedman anyone?

Mike Ness (from social distorion)
rev horton heat

Only a slighty bit country

Neil Young - Comes a Time.

Class record. Put it on, sit back and relax.

Also like Gillian Welch, but also (on the bluegrass theme) anything featuring Alison Krauss (or both together on the O Brother Where Art Thou sound track.

A country(ish) band I like, but maybe a bit more of a rock cross over is Cracker.

Merle Haggard was a great suggestion, " Sing me back home" is a classic.
Kris Kristofferson, won't truly be recognised for his genius until he's dead I fear, along with Willie Nelson.

Marty Robbins for me is king, " They're hanging me tonight" is one of the saddest songs ever, and Mr shorty is the best example of "Western" music you'll ever hear.

Check out this vid of Merle haggard impersonating marty robbins in front of him, amazing how two people can sound so alike!

Great thread.

Gillian Welch is excellent live, saw her several times in small venues, and she was supporting Emmylou at the Jazz Cafe when Nanci Griffith turned up, then she suddenly got popular and started playing Wembley at £40 a ticket.

Since posting I have picked up a couple of Gillian Welch albums from ebay. Loving Time the Revelator. Would have bought more country stuff, but got a bit side tracked by Sarah McLauchlan, so been collecting her full works for the last week or two. Keep them coming. Thanks Gary

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I'm drifting towards more bluegrass stuff these days. Went to see The Water Tower Bucket Boys last week, they are great live. These guys are fun too.

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Apart from an early dalliance with Joe Ely thanks to the Clash way back when, I really started with the Byrds, onto Gram Parsons, noting his influence on the Stones on the way and became utterly infatuated with Emmylou thanks to her contribution to the 2 solo albums and Wrecking Ball. After that it was a downward spiral with Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, the man in black of course, Lucinda Williams, Ryan Adams and a host of others. Mostly biased towards the rockier end of the spectum.
Try Joshua Judges Ruth by Lyle Lovett if you haven't already. Love Williams's Essence & World Without Tears. Latter is in my all time top-ten

I'm not the only one who remembers Blood on the saddle then Pigface. Used to have the first album on vinyl but can't find it digital anywhere.

Further votes for Lucinda Williams, Gillian W etc. nice to see Iris Dement mentioned although not enough John Prine fans out there.

There is tonnes of good country, and different types as well. In addition to the folk named already, try Sara Harmer for a bit of bluegrass:

quite often find myself enjoying a bit of bob harris country on radio2. not that I'm any great barometer of whats good or not. i also really like the soundtrack to 'oh brother where art thou'.