Bibliography

Welcome to my second essay! First let me clue you into what I will be doing on this page. As I mentioned in a couple of my blog posts, I am researching the following question(s): How has country music historically adapted styles of other genres? Is further adaptation necessary for country music’s continued survival? Does country music need to evolve to survive or stay true to its roots? And what would the genre gain or lose by staying the same or changing? All of these questions pertain to how the identity of country music has changed/evolved over the years. However, I am able to find different resources using the various questions. Casting a broad net and all that.

I was drawn to the topic of country music and its fluid identity on a freak chance. That’s the simple truth. Long story short, I grew frustrated with the modern country and made an older country station on Pandora to suit my taste. And since this idea of how far country has come just in the 2000’s dealt in the realm of remix, I decided to give it a go. At the beginning I was worried that I would be unable to find enough resources and materials, but as I began to comb through databases, I felt my worries ease. Turns out, there are multiple music experts (those that hold doctorates in various areas of music) who are in on the conversation. Perhaps not specifically country, but they are knowledgeable of how one genre may borrow from other genres to recreate itself. I find this interesting because of how many social and economic factors go into the adaptations country music has taken. It truly is fascinating to me how and why a simple mans songs have become a busy mans gym workout. Looking at you strength and conditioning coaches.

So, how was that for an introduction? Yeah I thought it was good too. Now, the essay. Please take the time to look into these sources if they sound interesting to you – hopefully these fifteen summaries don’t go to waste.

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“‘Country Comes to Town’: Country Music’s Construction of a New Urban Identity in the 1960’s” by Jeremy Hill

In this academic article by Hill, he argues that country music tried to shift its perception from the hillbilly to the city-slicker with little success. Hill bases his research on the ideas of involving urbanity and country music, and how country music looked to capitalize and improve its reputation with the new association with urbanity. According to Hill, urbanity refers to the shift in population that occurred during this time. People were moving out of the country, he states, to find work and build lives in the bustling cities. Upon seeing how the urban populace was not listening to hillbilly music, Hill writes that some early country music groups began to tweak their sound. Such groups eventually formed the Country Music Association (CMA), he mentions, in order to keep country music from being pigeon-holed. By pulling quotes from letters to and from the CMA, Hill shows that what the CMA strove for was not always what was presented. He also took quotes from interviews with Eddy Arnold and Dave Dudley, both of whom were singer-songwriters during the 1970’s. Overall, Hills purpose is to show how country music in the 1960’s did not meet its desired image. All his research shows how country music could not escape its stereotypes and original imagery associated with it.

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“The Selling Sound: Country Music, Commercialism, and the Politics of Popular Culture, 1920-1974” by Diane Elisabeth Pecknold

In her dissertation titled, “The Selling Sound”, Diane Pecknold critically examines the institutional development of the country music business and the ways in which audiences respond to that development. Within her dissertation, Pecknold states it is common that there is shame in the connection between commercialism and country music, however, she states that not all listeners find the relationship shameful. Specifically speaking, she analyzes the meanings that listeners and cultural critics attach(ed) to the business of country music. Pecknold also includes, “though [country music’s] apparent realism, sincerity, and frank depictions of everyday life are its most obvious stylistic hallmarks, it has always been defined as a genre by its relationship to business” (2). Respectfully, in the advertising and public relations departments, Pecknold says, country music has had the most to prove. Branded early on for being hillbillies and poverty-stricken lower class, Pecknold cites, country music advertising empowered their listeners. In fact, the commercialism saved country music and made their consumers powerful (7-8). Pecknold proposes that perhaps “the history of country music suggests that the production of cultural meaning has often been used to structure the financial economy, rather than vice versa” (8). Simply put, the sales of country music have governed the sound and material of the music; the product is shaped by the consumers cultural values is one of Pecknolds arguments.

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“Country Music” by Jocelyn R. Neal

In Jocelyn Neal’s article, “Country Music”, which appears in the Oxford Music Dictionary, Neal provides readers with an all-inclusive biography of country music. She includes the origin of the genre, as well as its evolution. As this is an article that appears in a dictionary, Neal has no argument or position, making her work a plentiful source for information. Speaking specifically on the evolution of the genre, Neal writes that “country music has evolved into a vibrant commercial genre that maintains allegiance to concepts of tradition and rusticity, even as the music continues to reflect the modernization and urbanization of its audience.” She does make a point to continually include how important the fans/audience members are to country music. Simply put, Neal states that “today is a far more diverse audience supports country music as a means of asserting their connections to the value system, traditional identity, and cultural themes that are represented in the genre.” Also, she mentions specifically how country music is no longer confined to the Southwest or “Deep South” anymore. Now, Neal writes, country music fans can be found around the nation. This is in part of how fans listen to their country music, she says. Many use country music as background music, she claims, which also may be because country lyrics tend to revolve around relationships and family gatherings.

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“O’er the Land of the Free and the Home of Country Music” by Don Cusic and Peter Szatmary

In the forum article titled “O’er the Land of the Free…” by Don Cusic and Peter Szatmary, they address the relationship between patriotism and country music. Specifically, the two men analyze how country music embraces some meanings of patriotism while the genre rejects others. To show their belief, the men write that “the patriotic country songs heard on country radio generally present the conservative view in a variety of ways but usually defend America against questions, criticism, or challenges and support whatever actions and/or policies [the United States] is engaged in” (19). However, this is not always the case, as the authors include the Dixie Chicks as an example of country musicians going against status quo. In March of 2003, the Dixie Chicks openly criticized the policies of President George W. Bush, while on stage in London. For this the band was boycotted by many country radio stations and their CD sales plummeted (22). Cusic and Szatmary state that country music favors conservatives, citing that “country music is the music that articulates the thoughts, feelings and lifestyles of the white working and middle class in America” (22). The authors feel this way because they include a brief examination of the country fans demographic. Citing that the listeners are “35 years old or older” and have had their “hotheadedness” settle, “unlike the younger, fiery generations that side with more liberal genres” (22).

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“When Country Music was Country” by Robert Lacy

Robert Lacy wrote his article, “When Country Music was Country”, to show how far modern country music is from its roots. Mr. Lacy is of the opinion that “the spirit of country music was irreparably damaged when singers such as Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and Dolly Parton gained nationwide popularity” (abstract). So saying, Lacy states that Williams’s song “Lovesick Blues”, was “all flash and gimmickry and verbal gymnastics…it was [unnecessarily long]…it wallowed in its own silliness…it seemed proud – proud! – of its lack of sincerity” (154). His largest problem with the newer country music was its clear lack of sincerity, or poetic nature. New songs, Lacy claimed, were devoid of real emotion and were instead based on shallow emotions. These new surface-level songs, he says, made it apparent that “something irretrievable was beginning to go out of country music…all those simple heartfelt melodies of love and loss and making do” were no more (154). Part of this transition was the influence of pop music, Lacy writes, on the newer singers and songwriters. However, with the populace listening to the nationwide country music radio stations, Lacy includes, there was not much that could be done to change the path of country music’s future. He closes his article with this statement: “The music of the underclass had finally arrived [on a national level], but in the process [country music] had disappeared, having been swallowed up by the great autonomic mulching machine that is American consumer culture” (155).

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“Gone Country” by Bruce Feiler

In the article, “Gone Country”, Bruce Feiler focuses on how country music has become, and influences, a major part of mainstream American culture. Within his research, Feiler talks of the demographic of country radio listeners, how radio has expanded said demographic, and the implications of country music’s presence in the social spheres of America.  Feiler says that country music today “with its suburban, middle-aged themes of family and renewal – may be the clearest reflection of many of the anxieties and aspirations that have just begun to bubble to the surface in American life.” Especially in the political and social spheres of public life, he argues, country music allows outsiders to gleam comprehensive looks at society. By emphasizing the family and portraying anxiety as personal matters, Feiler states, country music has spread across the nation, creating lasting bonds between people that they do not even realize. The rebellion towards older generations’ music has stalled – at least temporarily, Feiler claims – and has been replaced with “a new moral consensus, coalescing around certain shared values: sincerity, earnestness, a longing for raw emotion instead of ironic detachment.” He hints that society craves material that has more meaning, more presence than shallow words that reflect an even shallower society.

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“Swamp Pop/Country Music Culture/Ernest Tubb (Book Review)” by Ronald D. Cohen

In his book review titled, “Swamp Pop/Country Music Culture/Ernest Tubb (Book Review)”, Ronald D. Cohen analyzes three books that deal with country music and its impact on various parts of the nation. The three books Cohen critics are: “Swamp Pop: Cajun and Creole Rhythm & Blues” by Shane K. Bernard, “Country Music Culture: From Hard Times to Heaven” by Curtis W. Ellison, and “Ernest Tubb: The Texas Troubadour” by Ronnie Pugh. Before he begins to delve into the books, Cohen comments that “country music has held a long, complicated lineage, with commercial as well as artistic ups and downs, until today’s tidal wave of popularity.” Further he states that “country music’s current and apparently growing national popularity might seem puzzling, but probably connects with the generally conservative political mood, nostalgia for a lost past and fascination with personal relationships.” Shortly after those sentences, Cohen notes that while “the three books under review offer little critical appraisal [of country music]…they do open doors into a fuller understanding of country music.” A further understanding, Cohen decides, revolves around the longing for simpler times and “fascination with personal relationships.” Whether the music began in the Creole south, or the Lone Star State, he writes, country music is now a product of the entire country. His last remarks, in regards to the three books, are these words: “While the three books under review do not add much to the available literature, they do offer a further understanding of country’s central themes, allure, performers and regional styles.”

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“Duellin’ Values: Tension, Conflict and Contradiction in Country Music” by George H. Lewis

In a periodical article titled, “Duellin’ Values” by George H. Lewis, he discusses the “impact of urbanization and modernization” on country music, as well as how the “conflicts, contradictions, and changes in interpersonal relations of attraction and appropriate sex role behavior” play out in the genre (116). Mr. Lewis is of the opinion that country songs are often “walking contradictions,” and certainly problematic for social analysts whom seek to find consistent value patterns. So saying, Lewis developed three “very general axes of cultural variation: connection between individual and society, social relations of freedom or restraint, and, orientation toward past (usually defined as rural) as opposed to present (usually defined as urban).” To show the connection between the individuals and the state, he uses country music’s relation to the state. Specifically, Lewis points out country music’s strong trend of being conservative and traditionalists. Further, he writes about the gender roles that can be found in the lyrics of country songs. He spends time talking about the “buddy phenomenon” which he characterized by “competition, conflict and even betrayal” more than it is to be full of “mutual support and respect” (112). Similarly, he scrutinized the female portrayal in country music. Lewis found that “the contradiction contained in the female role in this culture…is between acting like the ‘honky tonk angel’, or like ‘momma’” (113). His last words are only to say that “[country music] more resembles a battle field of cultural conflict and contradiction” than anything else (115).

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“Music as a Weapon: Reactions and Response to RAF Terrorism in the Music of Ton Steine Scherben and their Successors in Post 9/11 Music” by Michael T. Putnam

Michael T. Putnam’s periodical article, “Music as a Weapon,” compares and contrasts the German music scenes reaction to RAF terrorism with the American music scenes reaction to 9/11. His argument in this article is “that in both American and German society a left-oriented bastion of musicians show sympathy, and in some rare instances support, for these terrorist movements” (595). However, he is quick to point out a key difference between the cultures; stating that “the biggest difference between these two cultures is the existence of a pro-government, right-oriented country music scene in America” (595). Similarly, he mentions how country music is “overtly patriotic and supportive of the government’s actions even when [their actions] are extremely controversial and heavily debated by the majority of Americans” (602). Putnam compares hip-hop and country music, specifically, how hip-hop is a more liberal genre than country music is. He ends this comparison with the simple observation of how more country music artists are asked to play for the troops, but he includes, that hip-hop holds its own appeal within the troops. Putman seems to insinuate that the government approves of the more pro-war or more conservative views of country music and so rewards the genre. In his conclusion, Putman states that “music can indeed be used as a weapon, as a psychological tool used to direct the attention of its listeners to perceived dangers and evils…as with any media source, it can shape and distort situations and facts based on the doctrines and ideology supported by its creators” (604).

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“Real Country: Music and Language in Working-Class Culture (Book Review)” by Wendi A. Haugh

In her review of the book, “Real Country: Music and Language in Working-Class Culture” by Aaron A. Fox, critic Wendi A. Haugh ‘sings’ the books praises. First, she states that the book is “an important contribution to the fields of linguistic anthropology and ethnomusicology, will interest scholars working on performance, self/person, emotion, and socioeconomic class” (1212). And Haugh continues to say that not only is the book for established adults, but also for students without and with prior exposure to country music. For if a student has not experienced country music culture, she states, this book “will provide them with a powerful corrective to stereotypes they may hold, enabling them to see working class Texan men and women in their full humanity and to appreciate the depth and complexity of country music” (1213). And to the students “from working class backgrounds,” Haugh adds that the book may “provide insights into – or interesting contrasts to – their own experiences” (1213). From her critic of the book, Ms. Haugh defines real country music as music that is “sung from the heart, music with beautiful lyrics that convey ‘lived social experience,’ music that listeners can relate to as it elicits meaningful memories” (1211). A definition that she derived from the book itself, as Haugh mentions the descriptions of tone and the comfort that often accompanies the lyrics and melodies.

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“Evolution of Country Music (1964-2014)” published by AquaPenguin100

This YouTube video, posted by the account AquaPenguin100, takes audio samples from several songs beginning in 1964 and ending in 2014. Most of these songs are chart-toppers or at the very least were sung by popular artists. The argument here is just to show how much country music has changed. If listeners pay attention, they can detect changes in the instrumentation, vocals and even lyric material. These clippings represent the social environment of the time and the personal struggles that were present in the lives of the country culture. Political issues can even be observed from these snippets of songs, since much of country music is shaped by the happenings of the nation.

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“Country Music” by Gary Hartman

In his article on the Texas State Historical Association website, Gary Hartman writes about Texas’ pivotal role in creating/contributing to country music. He titles his article, “Country Music”, but then goes on to tell how the genre really began as folk music. Referencing the cattle drives as helping to spread the folk tunes, Hartman writes that those cattle drives allowed for the genre to now be called “country and western”. Hartman states that there is no one source or origin of country music rather that the genre is a collection of various influences. The conclusion I drew as a reader was that country music is the melting-pot of music culture.

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“The Dismal ‘Evolution’ of Country is Forcing Fans to Look Outside Nashville” by Grady Smith

In his highly opinionated article, “The Dismal ‘Evolution’ of Country,” Grady Smith makes his disdain of current country music clear. He wastes no time in summarizing his entire article with three words: “Evolution, how dismal.” First, Smith criticizes the “bro-country” trend that has taken the genre over. Relief is visible when he states that “music can only get so homogeneous before it inevitably splinters, and country music is now doing just that.” His article represents the opinion of many long time country music fans. As Smith alludes to, many fans are turning away from country and looking elsewhere for their lost music.

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“The Hodgepodge: Tracking the Real Evolution of Country Music” by Derek Hudgin

Derek Hudgin’s opinionated blog post titled “The Hodgepodge: Tracking the Real Evolution of Country Music”, discusses how he believes country music needs to evolve. Eloquently, yet, bluntly stating that, in his opinion, “if I want music that sounds like Hank Williams, then I’ll play my Hank Williams’ Very Best Of two-disk collection.” He states that the problem is that the new songs “don’t evolve the country sound, they abandon it.” He refers to the works by Keith Urban, Jake Owen, Florida Georgia Line, and Luke Bryan to name a few. Hudgin specifically cites “Burnin’ It Down” by Jason Aldean and “John Cougar, John Deere, and John 3:16” by Keith Urban to showcase how country music ideals have been abandoned. He writes that “most of what’s ‘country’ nowadays are pop blends of rap, rock, and hip-hop with generic images of dirt roads and southern pride to make listeners believe its country.”

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“‘Hollywood With a Touch of Twang’ – The Death of Country Music” by Cameron Sullivan

In his blog post, Cameron Sullivan takes a break from his usual subject to discuss his thoughts on current country music. As he states, his opinion is that country music “is now all but in its death throes, disfigured by slowly changing opinions of increasingly careless people.” He belittles the seeming requirements to be a ‘country’ singer, while critiquing the songs that ‘country’ radio stations play. Sullivan knows that his opinions do not really matter, as he ends his post with the following statement: “The arts, of which music is of course one, have always changed and evolved, and old stick-in-the-muds like me are always around to complain bitterly at each stroke of the evolutionary brush.”

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One last note: most of the articles you may not be able to get access to if you are not in college. Rest assured, they are reliable articles, and you may be able to Google them if you are really interested.