What are the different categories of Country Music?

[4_Legs_Good]

I find that I really hate what I guess I'd call Country Pop, the stuff that's really popular.

But I have a deep respect and appreciation (not to mention I greatly enjoy) the more perhaps "old school" country music of folks like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, maybe even Kenny Rogers and the Country Rock of folks like Neil Young and southern rock like the Indigo Girls (but not if it has a non-progressive message).

I also adore old style bluegrass music, and American folk music.

So are there distinct divisions here? "Country" music now seems to be nothing but anthems to hate and American superiority, but at its heart or in it's origins, it's some really good stuff.

Anyway, it confuses me.

david

[StopTheMorans]

1. Bad, Worse, and Horrible:)

just kidding, however, in all truth, I only like really old country music (Patsy Cline, Hank Williams "The First", Johnny Cash, etc...). And the ones that I just named are about as far as I can say that I appreciate it:)

on edit: Forgot to add Alt-Country too, I like a lot of alt-country.

[4_Legs_Good]

2. I certainly see where you're coming from

and I agree to some extent.

Ahhh, I left Patsy Cline off my list! Doh!

david

[Character Assassin]

3. Here you go!

Country Blues
Country Boogie
Country Comedy
Country-Folk
Country Gospel
Country-Pop
Country-Rock Outlaw Country
Country-Soul
Gay Country
Alternative Country
Progressive Country
Traditional Country
Contemporary Country
Instrumental Country
Alternative Country-Rock
Neo-Traditionalist Country
Prewar Country Blues
Electric Country Blues
Truck Driving Country

[NashVegas]

17. You Forgot Country & Westerberg

..

[TrogL]

4. We got both kinds of music

Country and Western - The Blues Brothers

[Drifter]

16. This is the line I use to ...

describe my fathers interest in music.

He likes both kinds of Music ... Country & Western


I am not a big fan of country music (it is too predictable, like pop), but there are some exceptions.

I like the old classics. I like a few "New country" songs.
I have always admired Johnny Cash.

Cheers
Drifter

[tridim]

5. I love the newgrass genre

Nickel Creek is my current favorite band. Along with String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band and even traditional bluegrass bands like Allison Krauss.

Country pop is horrible.

[ArkDem]

10. Ever listen to any Newgrass Revival albums?

They have been broken up for years but you would enjoy.

[Caution]

6. What do you get when you play country music backwards?

You get your dog back, your wife back, your truck back...

[Scurrilous]

7. LOL

...and you stop drinking.

[Badger1]

8. A Must

The first glidder country rocker, and who many consider the very first to blend these styles together was Gram Parsons. No collection is complete without the LP Return of the Grievous Angel. It's a collection of two, GP and Return of the GA. Alot of it was recorded with Emmy Lou Harris. Gram then formed The Flying Burrito Brothers and had a short stint with the Byrds. Unfortunatly he died in 1972 and was only in his early 20's. Lots of hits if you do a search. Enjoy it!

[sybylla]

9. I'm with you, David

I only like the old stuff, Bluegrass, Country Folk, etc. Old Ryman (sp?) Auditorium stuff, for sure. Only a very few country songs made since 1980 make my list.

I bet you loved the O Brother, Where Art Thou? CD.

[4_Legs_Good]

12. O Brother...

I really did love it. I had really liked American folk music for years, but it wasn't until I saw that film that I was really able to put a name on the type of music it. To be honest, though, I'm kinda ticked to see it do so well on the Country Music charts, because I don't really see it's connection to the current state of Country, and I don't like the country-poppers laying claim somehow to this great stuff, which really has a soul and an atmosphere which somehow captures or embodies the old frotier Americana feel somehow.

Hmmmm...

david

[sybylla]

14. Agreed, it is a bit disturbing to watch

the country poppers adopt the old timey stuff as if it were their own. It is nothing like the shallow pop country which seems to be fixated with cheap appeals to emotion while maintaining their commitment to lack of substance.

on edit: Whoa, listen to me sounding over-educated and snobish.

[NashVegas]

18. You SNOB!

j/k

Am I the only one who thinks Nickle Creek are soulless? I need to see them live, I guess, but am so not impressed with their recordings, which seem sterile.

[AntiCoup2K4]

11. Same two categories as any other music - Good music and total shit

Good - Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Sr.

Bad - Lee Greenwood, Toby Keith, and the rest of that Freeper bullshit.

[Superfly]

13. Johnny Cash...then everything else.

Actually old school: Willie, Crystal Gail, Johnny Cash, Patsy

And the new "shit"

[trof]

15. I like western swing

like Hot Club of Cowtown.

[mitchum]

19. white man's blues (honky-tonk and high and lonesome)

[bfusco]

20. The real country tradition still lives

Sad to see what Country has been perverted into by the freeper BS. There are still some who are true to the tradition, which is the music of the rebel and the downtroden. The music of Galen, Johnny, Willie, Bonnie and others is legendary. Check out Steve Earle, Joe Ely, Robbie Folks and Jimmy Dale Gilmore if you want to listen to some contempories who are pure to the tradition. As far as the Nashville, pop BS; it's nothing but corporate homoginized mass produced shlock to be sold to the tastless, ignorant masses.