Riders In The Sky Picks Up Cowboy Spirit Award
- Western music group Riders in the Sky and actor John Wayne are 2008’s recipients of the National Festival of the West Cowboy Spirit Award — recognizing those setting the example of Western heroes with the integrity, strength of spirit, and moral character depicted by the American cowboy.
- The Dixie Chicks will be the first country act to guest on The Simpsons in eight years. Country Universe takes a look at other country artists who have made an appearance on the popular TV show.
- Bill Wescott wonders whether country music has any influence on the rate of divorce in the United States — currently at 47%.
- Edward Morris finds some positive news in the wake of declining album sales and foreclosures of several labels that have left artists without a home. He says the remaining labels have not noticeably cut back the size of their roster, and posted a lineup of labels and their most recently reported rosters.
- Galleywinter has another entertaining edition of 20 Questions, this time with Ryan James in the hot seat.
- Amber Waves of Twang author Chip Frazier admits a mainstream bias, but praises George Strait as the perfect male country voice and asks anyone who may possess some big label biases to put them aside and give his new album a listen. Troubadour marks the third time in his career that a new album has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and the 11th time he’s debuted No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart.
- After ten years of touring, Randy Rogers has grown accustomed to the lifestyle and says it’s weird when he’s back at home.
- Trace Adkins is taping a segment for The Young and the Restless today.
- Vanderbilt University made a video available from one of their classes that explores the religious themes in mainstream country music.
Professors James Hudnut-Beumler and James Byrd, who specialize in American religious history in the Divinity School, analyze eight country music videos with special attention to religious content in the lyrics and religious imagery in video conception.
The video is a full-length class, so I’d advise you not to start it unless you’ve got some time on your hands.
- Talking about her new album, Emmylou Harris says, “you’ll get both Emmylou the interpreter and Emmylou the songwriter.”
- Sandy Brokaw likens the rising popularity of reissued country music television shows from years past to having gold nuggets locked away. He says a lot of the revenue stream today comes from repackaging things. Head of Time Life’s video department Joe Peisch says nostalgia is at the heart of all of their successful products, but Alan Stoker of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum says their releases serve the “mission of education and preserving the culture.” Whatever the reasoning, the “bottom line, according to Glen Campbell, is that the quality of these classic shows ensures sufficient demand to make the efforts worthwhile.”
- Clint Black was funny enough to advance to the next round on last night’s Secret Talent of the Stars, but Stars Trek country crooner George Takei didn’t fare so well in his bid for the second round.
- Charlie Daniels does not condone the perversion of his song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” for the popular video game Guitar Hero, and uses words like “disgusted” and “vehemently disagree” to describe his feelings for the end result. (via ggcolumn)
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- Jon: @Sam(Sam) No matter how heavy-handed, irony will always be mistaken for sincerity by someone reading it on the internet.
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April 9, 2008 at 9:40 am Permalink
Johnny Cash, as Homer’s coyote spirit guide, uttered the third best ‘Simpsons’ line ever: “This is just your memory. I can’t give you any new information.”
April 9, 2008 at 10:27 am Permalink
I enjoy listening to the Riders In The Sky on the Opry but they are a cowboy shtick vaudeville act at heart. Yes they love the music and heritage, but its still a vaudeville act that unfortunately is about the only cowboy music most country music fans ever hear these days. There are great current cowboy music artists around, like Dave Stamey, that are still creating fine new songs in the cowboy genre. Its too bad real cowboy artists like Dave don’t get more media exposure…..
Bill Wescott’s article about country music and divorce is a hoot. I’d say the divorce rate is lower among religious folks and the country music audience nationwide includes a lot of religious folks (especially in the South), so I’d guess the divorce rate among country fans may actually be lower than the average. That’s assuming both husband and wife love country music so music taste incompatibility is not as issue and drinkin’ and cheatin’ aren’t involved….
Last night “rising country star” Julianne Hough (pronounced Huff) got eliminated from “Dancing with the Stars” due to partner Adam Corolla. Now she can concentrate on promoting her current single on country radio which is moving up the charts.
April 9, 2008 at 3:01 pm Permalink
Anyone who sings cowboy music has to have a little vaudeville in them, going back to Gene Autry. The whole classic catalog was mostly written by Tin Pan Alley guys for Hollywood B-movies or musicals on stage and screen. Anyone writing in that tradition today builds on those great old melodies and images.
Riders in the Sky should be commended for doing it, for what, 30 years or so now. When they started, there wasn’t the western music circuit that existed today, slight as it may be. They did it wholly out of love for those old songs and that cowboy image and ideal. They helped keep that stuff alive through some real thin years, for them and the music. Besides, their work in “Toy Story” alone deserves more respect than calling them shtick.
But, yes, they’re funny and entertaining, and even call themselves comedy and western sometimes. But Doug Green is a helluva tenor and a good acoustic picker–they don’t feature him in the Time Jumpers for nothing–and his knowledge of the Western song catalog is twice as deep as anyone alive. Woody Paul is a fine fiddler, too. And Too Slim, well, he is really funny. Maybe it’s just my kind of shtick.
I wouldn’t say they get a whole lot of media exposure themselves, not any more. But just because someone else doesn’t get much, I wouldn’t begrudge Riders what attention they do get.
April 9, 2008 at 7:22 pm Permalink
Riders In The Sky – Love what they do. Saw them at the Opry, great family fun, they keep that HEEHAW spirited style alive.
Strait – Who even cares who reviews the album, anything the guy touches turns to gold… then platinum a week later.
Charlie Daniels – I don’t blame him, it has to be disheartening to lose the rights to any song you wrote.
April 9, 2008 at 8:39 pm Permalink
M.C. I apologize for coming off so harsh. Every April I attend the Santa Clarita Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival at Gene Autry’s old Melody Ranch studio and get to see performers like Don Edwards and The Sons of the San Joaquin, and this year The Hot Club of Cowtown. The cowboy and western music artists who perform there mostly take their music seriously although Sourdough Slim does a vaudeville act straight from the 1920’s intentionally. Cowboy music can be extremely moving and powerful when done by skilled artists, but The Riders just remind me too much of the kind of goofy acts I saw at Disneyland as a kid back in the 1960’s to take seriously.
Artists performing on the Opry this coming Saturday night include Jamey Johnson, The Wrights, and Joe Nichols and NONE of them will perform during the televised GAC broadcast segment! Instead we get Jewel, Jason Aldean, and Jason Michael Carroll (along with John Anderson who should be on). Is the Opry seeking to mirror Top 40 country radio these days? Heaven (and Hank) forbid! (lol)
April 10, 2008 at 7:11 am Permalink
I think Country music has less to do with the divorce rate and the rise of people deciding not to get married and just live together is more of it.
April 10, 2008 at 3:42 pm Permalink
Rick,
That makes sense, I can understand how the Riders could come off that way in that setting. They used to tailor shows for different audiences, maybe they don’t do it as much as they should.
The Opry Live portion gets heavily negotiated, as you would imagine. The network wants names that will draw viewers, and some bigger-name artists only come on for the broadcast and to promote something specific.
I agree with you, a lineup of Johnson, The Wrights, Nichols, etc., would be better than what they’re showing. Usually the lineup is influenced by artists who are promoting new albums, etc. In this case, it doesn’t look very appealing or make sense from any angle, other than Anderson, who they are smart to put on nationally. It’s too bad the Opry can’t slide in the Wrights, who most viewers would love and want to know more about.
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