(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)
On yesterday's "Simon in the Morning" show they had a bit about songs that should never be redone. The discussion came about because LeAnn Rimes has done a cover of George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today". Scott felt this song is a true country classic, and should never be done by anyone else.
Scott, Jolynn and Jake also took calls from listeners about what songs they thought shouldn't be remade. In the process they also had people calling in with songs they thought should be. All of it got me to thinking what songs I thought shouldn't be redone, and ones that I thought were as good, or better than the original.
The only song I could think of that I thought should never have been redone isn't a country song; it's "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby. I know others have done the song, however, I have yet to hear one better than Bing.
The song "Drift Away" was originally written and sung by Dobie Gray. The first time I'd ever heard of Uncle Kracker, it was this song that he was doing. I've always loved this song, and I honestly like Uncle Kracker's version as much as the original.
As for songs I thought were better than the original, two stood out in my mind, "Walkin' In Memphis", and "Life Is A Highway". These songs were originally done by Marc Cohn, and Tom Cochrane, respectively. These are two of my favorite songs, but not by the original artists.
"Walkin' In Memphis" has been recorded by a lot of people, in all genres of music. For country, my favorite version is by Lonestar.
"Life Is A Highway" has been covered by both Chris LeDoux and Rascal Flatts. The Flatts' version is the most well known, having been in the movie "Cars". For me though, Chris LeDoux has always had the best version of this song.
Everyone has their opinion of things, this is just a sample of mine when it comes to song COVERS.
The first time I’d ever heard of Uncle KRACKER, I was watching a “Dick Clark’s New Year Rockin’ Eve” special. Uncle Kracker came on and began singing one of my favorite songs, “Drift Away”. During the song, the original artist to perform it, Dobie Gray, came out and sang with Uncle Kracker.
Fast forward to Saturday, July 23, 2011. Later in the evening Uncle Kracker would be performing in front of thousands of Kenny Chesney fans, as part of Kenny’s “Goin’ Coastal” tour. At the moment though, it was noon, and Uncle Kracker, along with his guitar and keyboard players, was set to perform a short set for a capacity crowd in the Bing Lounge. I was thrilled to hear “Drift Away” as the first song done that day.
In addition to singing his hits, Uncle Kracker also answered several questions from the KUPL DJ’s and others in the audience. He also took a dare from TicTak that he wouldn’t perform a certain song for the crowd.
TicTak offered up a pizza if Uncle Kracker would do Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler”. Uncle Kracker said that was one of his favorite songs, and of course he’d do it; and he did.
When the show was done, those wanting to stay for autographs and photos with Uncle Kracker did; and everyone was also treated to Hot Lips pizza.
My friend Patty, (who’d gone with me to the Bing Lounge), and I got our autographs and pictures; then had some pizza, before deciding to head to the Rose Garden and KUPL’s Kenny Chesney pre-show party. We didn't have tickets for Kenny's concert; we just decided to go check out the party anyway.
Once we were there, we signed up for drawings, and just kind of hung out waiting to see if we’d win…we didn’t…but we had a great day anyway.
We both agreed, even if we didn’t go to Kenny’s concert, we’d had a great time seeing Uncle Kracker in the Bing Lounge. He really did a great show at what’s fast becoming my favorite place to see performances.
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.
