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Ok...right off the bat...I can't STAND modern so called country music! I DETEST it with a passion! But old time country,bluegrass,and alot of country even into the 70's I enjoyed. Here are more han a few favorites...

.HANK SNOW-A Canadian! Yup. Didn't know that,eh?
.HANK WILLIAMS SR.- His kid comes across as a whiny ass phoney. The real McCoy here!
.PATSY CLINE-I love her. I woulda married this lady...if I had been born,and worthy.
.the OSBOURNE BROS.-No relation to Ozzy. Bluegrass kings.
.JIMMY RODGERS_T for Texas....the Grandpa of modern C+W.
.LORETTA LYNN- This women is an icon. She lived what she sang. No Phoney Chicago, media hyped,American Idol BS here...this woman IS country!

Back when I was a kid...my Dad watched the GREEN VALLY JAMBOREE broadcast outta Decater,Mich.....about 7 miles from Lawton...wether I liked it or not...it has a hold and formed who I am today. I may listen to punk and metal...but I also listen to the old hillbilly (NOT COUNTRY) music of my youth. I live in the boonies...it's a part of who I am.

Loretta Lynn...Everybodys Somebodys Fool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdIIXUK52mo

Hank Snow...my favorite..I'm Movin' On...!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQunHYfQs5U

Pick some corn,son!

I'm with you, RC.  What passes as country in Nashville these days is just pop music with steel guitars.  I like the real stuff from the 1930s-1970s, plus a lot of the current independent alt-country bands that mix rock and country. 

Favorites: Johnny Cash, Bill Monroe, The Cowboy Junkies, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Drive-By Truckers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuQKYOxV_h0

"On a Sunday morning sidewalk, I'm wishin' Lord that I was stoned..."

Johnny...that's a great song...and very fitting for me today. Tara Sue is back in the hospital last night...the old time country ...it helps to relax me...

Hank Sr....

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvW6_-TP5cs

I do enjoy Lynard Skynard and The Allman Brothers, Johnny Cash is pretty good as well, other than that I don't really listen to country.

"Country music" of today is more wretched than "Pop."  I agree Bela that old real Country was great.  HANK WILLIAMS is one of my favorites in any genre.  I also love BOB WILLS & HIS TEXAS PLAYBOYS, and THE CARTER FAMILY (this clip is a later incarnation fronted by MAYBELLE; JUNE is missing, ALVIN and SARAH were long gone from the group):    
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJIk3DuYtao
I'm also fond of the Country Pop crossover acts like PATSY CLINE and:
THE STATLER BROTHERS: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s8nRL2bPCU
BOBBIE GENTRY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZt5Q-u4crc
LYNN ANDERSON :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etqVnea3PwY 

If you like Skynyrd...you may enjoy DAVID ALLEN COE....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xy6Rbmtw0A

Hallows...

believe it or not...Bob Willis is the music on the radio in the original TEXAS CAHINSAW MASSACRE!!! Next time you watch it...listen to the old hillbilly music coming off the kids radio in the van....it's them,awright!!!  :thumbup:

Another favorite...Granpa Jones...

Many rember him from HEE HAW-

Listen to this....Ol' Rattler!!!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5BzRYME1ww
"
Turn the Pups loose now!!!"

I only listen to Country music when it's played BACKWARDS, that way your girl comes back, your dog comes back home, the bank gives you a trailer, your truck gets fixed, your kids get out of jail, , ,,


Old joke, I know, , but I had to say it.

I like Dolly Parton  :tongueout:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1zJzr-kWsI

While I agree overall that modern country music is a pale shadow of itself, there are a few that harken back to the golden age, in overall attitude if not in sound. Randy Travis has the voice of a country star of yesteryear, and Travis Tritt has the attitude of an old timer country star.

Randy Travis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk4vSh9bd7M



Travis Tritt (okay, this one's kinda old, but it's one of my favorites)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqkR-Z596hg


Hank, Sr., was the first artist I bought way back when I started switching to cds, and Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Roger Miller are perpetual favorites

Could somebody clarify what exactly their definition of country is?
I know its not the modern crap, but i was always under the impression that bands like Lynrd Skinard and the Allman Brothers were southern rock and not really true country.
Personally I think Johhny Cash or Arlo Guthrie would be the best. But if you include the southern rock groups I'd also add Lynrd Skynard and the allman brothers

LYNYRD SKYNYRD and ALLMAN BROTHERS were great, and I agree they're best described as "Southern Rock."   I'd probably call ARLO GUTHRIE Folk, but he's apparently ventured into many types of music (I don't listen to him). 

DOLLY PARTON is a great singer/songwriter, an important Country artist, who has produced many highly regarded and high selling records.  Though I really like DOLLY, I don't listen to her, either.   :smile:

Bela: I really like GRANDPA JONES!!! 
Found some footage of HANK WILLIAMS.  This great clip has two songs, HANK followed by HANK and ANITA CARTER singing "I Can't Help It" (probably my favorite HANK song): 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgj7z11ksu8&feature=related

"7 Spanish Angels" by Willie Nelson and Ray Charles.  What can I say?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63A__INJecI

"I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash- My favorite of the older country musicians.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krVACUbciJE

"It's Me Again Margaret" by Ray Stevens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs4P8WKbF-w

Today's country music is manipulative drivel written to push people's buttons by playing to patriotism, religion, the undeniable superiority of simple country folk, etc. There was always some of that, but it has never been done in such a hamfisted fashion. And country has gone pop. It's gotten glamorous.

Growing up, my parents were big fans of Hee-Haw. They had records and later cassettes of Hank Williams, Charley Pride, The Statler Brothers, The Oak Ridge Boys and so forth. Some of that rubbed off on me, although not until later. I got into country in the early 90s, by way of southern rock. Then I got into all of the "new" country that was coming out in the early 90s, at a time when rock and pop were offering nothing I wanted. Travis Tritt, Marty Stewart, Doug Stone, Vince Gill, Brooks & Dunn, Joe Diffy. Those guys and others were offering music that was fun and clever at a time when the choice seemed to be between dreary "alternative" music and mindless dance beats. From there, I graduated to Hank Jr., Waylon Jennings, Jerry Reed, and started to dig into those old memories of my parents' music.

My friends and I also became huge fans of Canadian country legend Stompin' Tom Connors, so named because he stomps his boot to keep time, which has destroyed many a sheet of plywood over the years. This is a rough old guy who launched his career by running away in his teens and hitting the road with a guitar on his back, hitching rides, playing bars and working odd jobs for years before he made a name for himself. He's travelled all over Canada and written loads of songs about people and places, history, legends, politics and everyday stuff. It's fun music, with a lot of humour, and in many cases, a lot of substance too. He's a big supporter of Canadian artists. In the 70s, he gave back his Juno awards (like the Canadian Grammy) and retired in protest at the lack of opportunity for Canadian musicians to find success without leaving their country. He came back in the late 80s, at just the right time for us. I own a bunch of his albums, I've seen him play live on two occasions, and I almost got to interview him once, except that he had contractual obligations that prevented it at the time. His fans come in all ages. My grandmother used to like his music. When I was in elementary school, some of his songs were used to teach history. In discussions of great Canadians, he's included along with scientists, statesmen and heroes.

And here are just a few of his tunes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6EiYbRTv4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-rigiFWkqw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkHhx3y__9w&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy3knGGzZr8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkaa3I_tCZg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEtOs6ofM40&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZWxErEbQkY&feature=related

Speaking of current country artists who are staying true to the form:

Dwight Yoakam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iG4zkdBba8&feature=related

First heard this as the music they plays over the credits in the excellent noir RED ROCK WEST.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVSeKnTzg6U

Duet with the legendary Buck Owens

Couldn't have said it better, myself, Andy.   :thumbup:

Seconded, or rather thirded.  :wink:

I spent alot of time at my grandmother's as a kid in the 70s and got a near lethal dose of WHN(The AM country station!) and The Grand Ol Opry, not to mention Hee-Haw. 

For me "country music" means Ronnie Milsap, Kenny Rogers, Loretta Lynn, Charlie Pride, Conway Twitty...well, you get it.

It's sweet to see Dolly still has it(no pun intended) and can make it sound just as fresh to me as it all did when I was 8 years old.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNiWdZkXe7s
Despite it's connection to Target stores now, I really dig this Dolly tune.  In fact, it was one of the first tunes I used for my custom Grand Theft Auto IV radio station.
[Apologies, as the video above is a slide oriented version.  All the music video versions floating around YouTube are embed-verboten(!?!?), but the point was the song, anyway.]


I also find quite a bit of bluegrass to be appealing.  These guys, The Dillards(appearing as 'The Darlins' on the show), are excellent.  I tried numerous times to snag this Andy Griffith episode with dvr just to get this song.  Then it occurred to me to just check YouTube...it took six seconds!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQtXEb7C30o

I read a review of a book about the evolution of country music that refers to the contemporary mainstream stuff as "country music about country music". That seemed a pretty apt description. Of course I'm the guy who went to a music festival last year only wanting to see Dr. John play, and to go with a pretty girl I was interested in who wanted to see country teen flash-in-the-pan Taylor Swift.

I grew up listening to the country my parents heard on the radio 70s-early 80s era stuff. I also grew up a huge fan of Hee Haw, which I later hated, and now have a warm nostalgic feeling for. So I love the country music of my childhood but as my tastes in general braodened I began to love much of the older stuff from before my time. People I already liked: Willie Nelson, Tom T. Hall, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Roger Miller, Jerry Reed, Marty Robbins, Bobby Bare, Buck Owens, etc.  Hearing oldies radio stations, I grew to like Hank Sr. (can't stand Jr., enjoy Hank III), Lefty Frizzell, Jim Reeves, Webb Pierce, Hank Thompson, Roy Clark, George Jones (didn't like him as a kid), Merle Haggard, Ernest tubb, Bob Wills (but only in small doses), and lots of lesser artists whose songs I hear from time to time.

I like a lot of alt. country (mostly more on the rock side of things though), and even a few contemporary country singers (Charlie Robison should be a big star, Pat Green has his moments), and I like lots of older country rock from earlier times (The Byrds, Doug Sahm, Freddie Fender, Kinky Friedman).

Part of the problem I have with the modern stuff besides the "pop with steel guitars" sound is that it really is more "Suburban" music than country music now. I used to love John Conlee's songs but so many of them seem to be the templates for the crap Nashville cranks out now. "In My Eyes" is on the radio right now, with very little work that song could be reworked and covered by Kenny Chesey, Brad Paisley, or any other interchangable "hat act" these days.

The nation has changed and fewer people are really rural or grew up in the life that the genre holds up as noble and truly American. Plus the darker side of things is rarely shown in mainstream country. Where are the prison songs, the murder songs, the songs about being poor, the cheating songs from the viewpoint of the cheater, etc. Webb Pierce sang "There Stands The Glass" about drinking to avoid dealing with heartbreak, nowadays we get that doofus Toby Keith singing " I Love This Bar" and it sounds so damn phony. He might as well be singing a jingle for T.G.I. Fridays.

Much of the old Southern Rock would be country these days, it along with the Eagles certainly seems to have influenced the modern stuff more than the classics.

Someone mentioned the Drive-By Truckers, the core of that group is from my area. I was late to embrace them, even missed chances to see them years ago before anyone knew who they were. They are great and I hope to see them live someday. I did see former member Jason Isbell in concert in May, awesome show, plan to see him again when he comes to the area soon. Seek him out. He's more rock than country, but if country radio didn't suck so much his song "Dress Blue" would be all over the radio.

Jim Goad of Answer Me! publications has released some great country tracks. I love the song coffee, coffee, coffee...

Great summary!  I agree with all your choices, and points.  (And I was the one who mentioned the Drive-By Truckers, a great rock n' roll band with a country edge that more people should listen to!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwOE-1yAlck

Aftermath USA - a rocker

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxzDB6Sb_xM

Cottonseed - a chilling ballad about the "State Line Mob"

(Edit: added you-tube clips)

Being from Kentucky has pretty much meant being exposed to country was unavoidable, no matter how hard you might try. The same as some others have mentioned, I got a healthy dose of Hee Haw at my grandparents on the weekends, but at home my parents were rock fans so it wasn't constant exposure. In my teens I hated country and listened to metal only, but by my mid-twenties I started getting into it a little more mostly due to Dwight Yoakam who I saw in '94 or so. Then a few years ago I started getting into alt-country a bit with bands like Uncle Tupelo, Old 97's, Whiskeytown, Son Volt, 16 Horsepower and the aforementioned Drive-By Truckers. Southern Rock was a given all along. This new country crap is useless though, as has been pointed out quite sufficiently already. I guess you could say I'm a fan, but certainly no devotee of the genre.

More favorites!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO9My5_H6dg

16 Horsepower - Black Soul Choir

I was beginning to think I was the only one who liked alt-country.

No sir, I'm quite a fan of it. 16 Horsepower are my favorites though, I really love that southern gothic vibe.

:bouncegiggle:
I think you might have a point there, but THE EAGLES were good...

Poking around I came across this old thread which needs reviving (we'll see if anybody else still wants to talk Country...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6Y2WI1YmEU 

Country, country, country, but doesn't that Rock?  Or should I say Swing?  :smile:

For the most part, I agree.  The country music on my iPod is mostly the older, classic stuff such as:

* HANK WILLIAMS, SR.
* PATSY CLINE
* LORETTA LYNN
* MARTY ROBBINS

Yeeeeeee, haaaaaaa!

Country & bluegrass music with a significant presence on my hard drive:

Johnny Cash
Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys
Willie Nelson
Norman Blake
David Grisman
Dock Boggs
Mike Auldridge
Patsy Cline
The Flatlanders

Alt-country

Cowboy Junkies
Calexico
Danny Barnes
Asylum Street Spankers
Carla Bozulich
16 Horsepower
Drive-by Tuckers
Neko Case
Vic Chesnutt

Country has never been my number one but I've always appreciated real country. I played rhythm guitar and sang (mostly harmony but occasionally lead) for a time with a country cover band. They were gritty, and played nothing but the classics. We played the hell out of Sunday Morning Coming Down by Kris Kristofferson. It was a fun gig and we played a lot of dive bars and chili cook-offs and such, even got paid pretty good for some of those gigs. It was fun, too, but then I was drinking a lot then and much of it was a blur.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG, BING CROSBY, ELVIS PRESLEY, FRANK SINATRA, LITTLE RICHARD, HANK WILLIAMS not necessarily in that order... I know most ain't Country.  :smile:  :drink:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95aP0OWx4jY

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwww!!!



It needed to be said.

Anyways, I've been compiling a lot of songs that I want to put onto a mixtape/dj mix I'm tentatively calling Cowboys and Indie Kids, which is mainly music for a modern day cowboy.  Mainly lots of blues, but quite a bit of alt-country.

Incidentally Rev, I saw Calexico down here at a music festival last year and they blew the place apart.  Great act all round.


Not sure if it counts, but in particular I've been listening to alot of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.


The video for this song is awesome, but it is NSFW.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NI27q3xNyI

I have CDs by Johnny Cash and Hank Williams Sr.. I love a couple of Canadian bands with a distinctive country rock sound including the Skydiggers and Blue Rodeo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LO__mm_A24

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHYY2i6SKjs

New "country" is a f**king joke. I can't say I'm the biggest fan of "old" country, but I do happen to be partial to Merle Haggard, John Prine and Patsy Cline when I'm in the mood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffHcGlF0xDw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1uIFs-pNdc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsRNCvHXHHU

I forgot John Prine (probably because I think of him more as folk).

I also forgot the Mekons, godfathers of country punk and alt-country generally.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icMTVV5Lwaw&feature=related

I really like this song when I heard it on the radio years back. Reminds me of something Neil Young might do.  :thumbup: