WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?

The Doobie Brothers are one of the latest acts to jump into the country music pool.  From some of the reactions I've heard, you'd think it was the end of the world.  Really though, what's the big deal?

It's not like the Doobie Brothers are the first crossover from another genre into country music.  Off the top of my head, I can think of several bands/artists who've come over to country, either permanently, or for a brief stay.  Conway Twitty; Marty Robbins; Kenny Rogers; Vince Gill, (with Pure Prairie League); Jimmy Buffett; Van Zant; Olivia Newton-John; John Denver; Charlie Daniels, (his first commercial hit was "Uneasy Rider" in the late 70's); the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; and probably the band closest to being like the Doobie Brothers, the Eagles; to name a few.

In 2011 alone we've seen Darius Rucker; Uncle Kracker; Kid Rock; Sheryl Crow; and Aaron Lewis make strides up the country music charts.  With the exception of Lewis, all these artists made the country charts before this year as well.

The pendulum can swing both ways.  Carrie Underwood; Faith Hill; LeAnn Rimes; Taylor Swift; Shania Twain; and others who started their careers in country have, on occasion, made the climb up the adult contemporary, or other music charts.

On a slightly different track, I can think of at least two tribute CD's featuring country artists; "Come Together...America Salutes the Beatles", and "Common Thread:  Songs of the Eagles".  Neither the Beatles, or the Eagles are considered "country"; though the Eagles come close, I think.

Back to Shania...I know I'll tick a lot of people off with my opinion, though I'll state it here anyway.  To me, Shania Twain is "created" country.  What I mean by this is, before her success, Shania was married to Robert "Mutt" Lange, a huge name in the pop and rock worlds.  A large part of Mutt Lange's success was getting artists noticed.  For example, Adam Ant and Huey Lewis & the News both interacted with Lange early in their careers.

While there's no denying Shania has talent, I think Mutt knew she'd be just another voice up against Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand.  Instead, he reinvented Shania, branding her as "new country", pushed her through the "back door" so to speak, and promoted the heck out of her.  And it worked; who doesn't know the name Shania Twain?  I honestly don't feel Shania would have been a superstar, had she not been promoted the way she was.  A star, yes.  A superstar, no.

Then there's Garth Brooks.  While Garth is definitely more country than Shania, he did try his hand in the pop world as well; under his alter ego, "Chris Gaines".  Garth also has never denied his admiration for the band Kiss. Why should he?  Why should anyone have to pretend not to like something if it doesn't fit their image?

If you really think about it, it seems as though it's the media and fans who "pigeonhole" artists into certain categories.  One example is a person I know who is a major Bon Jovi fan.  Loves everything Jon does, except anything that even hints of country.  I don't understand why this person, or anyone, feels that way.

Musicians are artists, they're creative by nature.  Look at the influences of almost any musical artist in any genre; what you'll find is, most of them have a wide array of musical input they draw from.  Just because an artist or band plays a certain type of music doesn't mean that's all there is to them.  Everyone has different facets to them; nobody is one dimensional.

Not totally convinced?  Consider this:  Let's say no musician, (it could be anyone, musicians are the example I'm using), ever decided to look, or reach beyond what they'd learned naturally.  All of them stayed content just playing the music they were raised on.  Where would the world be musically in the 21st century?  A good guess is we'd still be beating rocks with sticks, or whatever.  There wouldn't be classical music, opera, jazz, big band, soul, r&b, country, rock, pop, techno, rap, hip hop, or any other genre of music; all because someone didn't branch out.

That's not to say that everyone has to like every genre of music; that's not possible.  In fact, it's a pretty good bet that's why there *are* so many types of music; because someone wanted to play and/or sing something new and different.  Or they didn't like what they heard and wanted something better.  There are any number of theories I could list here; the point is, somewhere way back in history, someone *did* try to be different.  Music has steadily evolved over the centuries from that point.

Another facet of all this is the Grand Ole Opry.  It's no secret that in the past the opry has had some very ridged rules performers had to follow, or they wouldn't be allowed onto the opry stage.  One rule was there were to be no drums or horn instruments allowed during the performances.  Yet, artists such as Pee Wee King, and Bill Monroe bucked the system and did it anyway.  Slowly, over time, the opry has made changes in it's rules, while still maintaining it's dignity and reverence.

As I stated earlier, this doesn't mean everything runs smoothly all the time; it doesn't.  Again, not everyone will be happy about all situations every time.  I think what people running the Grand Ole Opry have learned is, keep up with the changing times, without compromising themselves, or the opry's heritage.

There are so many facets and levels of this subject that can and should be explored.  My thoughts, ideas and opinions have barely scratched the surface of this topic. With this blog getting on the long side though, let's get back to the subject of the Doobie Brothers going country.

I still don't understand what the big deal is about the Doobie Brothers doing a country song.  In my opinion, any of their early hits could easily be considered a form of country music; just like the Eagles early songs.

To be honest, I really liked the raw, gritty sound the Doobies had before they were "Michael McDonaldized". Not that Michael McDonald isn't a good artist; he is.  He's also done his fair share in the country music realm.  I just think he took a really cool band with an edgy sound, and polished them way too much.  I liked the Doobie Brothers much more when they weren't so polished.

It's that raw, gritty sound the Doobie Brothers have come back to with their latest single, "World Gone Crazy".  The first time I heard the song, I knew immediately it was the Doobie Brothers.  It was like that sound had never left; just took a break, and now it's back and ready to do business.  If people would just give them a chance, I think they'd do country music proud.  They already have a leg up on a lot of the newer country artists emerging lately.

Over all, in the long run, I think what's important, is that the history of country music, (or any genre for that matter),  never be forgotten, or pushed aside; yet still be allowed to flourish and grow in different directions, rather than sit and stagnate.