I was never a big fan of country music. I bought the first couple of Outlaws albums (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessie Colter and Tompall Glaser) and one or two by Emmylou Harris, but I just couldn't and can't tolerate the kind of string-heavy glammed-up music Nashville was selling in the Fifties and Sixties. When Jennings and Nelson broke with the standard and took control of their studio time and song selection, writing and performing their own songs, country got a lot more interesting. There's a way-too-brief summary of that period here. AM radio started playing some of it (I'd argue that when Bob Dylan released Nashville Skyline it freed AM radio to play country; if Dylan played it it couldn't be all bad). Then The Band released their first album and roots music took off.
Anyway, more recently I've come to appreciate some of the earlier material. I followed a link to YouTube yesterday and found myself listening to Mary Chapin Carpenter's Quittin' Time, one of the best breakup songs I've ever heard. Then I looked to the sidebar on the right and found this marvelous video. Has there ever been any greater collection of country music talent, male or female, on stage at one time? It's from a CBS special called "Women of Country," available only on VHS if you can find it.
Don's favorite music!
Posted by: cassie-b at July 15, 2010 04:02 AM