Texas Country
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Texas Country | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins: | Country music |
| Cultural origins: | Mid to late 1990s Texas & Oklahoma |
| Typical instruments: | acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, bass, percussion, banjo, mandolin, dobro, violin, piano, harmonica |
| Mainstream popularity: | mainly situated in Texas |
| Derivative forms: | Neotraditional country, Outlaw country |
|
Texas Country Music, or more popularly known just as "Texas country" or "Texas music", is a fairly novel, but rapidly growing subgenre of country music. Texas country is known for fusing traditionalist root sounds from neotraditional country with the outspoken, carefree views from outlaw country. Texas country also consists of (but is not limited to) straightforward and truthful lyrics, a "take it or leave it" approach, intense live performances, and loyal fanbases. The "common working man" theme is usually the basis for many Texas country songs. A comical, yet witty undertone often brings the music together, giving the feeling of an intimate connection between a singer and his or her audience.
[edit] Characteristics
[edit] Instrumentation
The acoustic guitar is essential in Texas country music. While acoustic is the most often used, the electric guitar is not completely uncommon depending on the tone of the song. The steel or "lap" guitar is also quite prevalent. Bass and percussion usually round up the essential touring band, but appearances by a 12-string guitar, piano, baritone, banjo, violin and harmonica on studio recordings are not considered odd to the genre. Instrumentation often lies in the gray area when defining Texas country, but the music is centered and focused around the acoustic guitar.
[edit] Vocals
The line of delineation for vocals is also unclear. Artists considered Texas country, such as Pat Green, Kevin Fowler, Roger Creager, Robert Earl Keen, Randy Rogers, and Reckless Kelly, each have distinct voices of their own. Texas country anthem songs have been known to get loud and yelling vocals are characteristic of these tunes.
[edit] Live Performances
Enthusiasm is the best word to describe a Texas country performance. "It is not an uncommon site to see clubs all over Texas packed to the rafters; girls and boys in cowboy hats and wranglers two stepping next to the mosh pit, where college boys in khakis and college girls in Juicy Couture are pressed up against the stage" ("Biography"). It is definitely true that Texas country shows are rowdy and interactive.
[edit] Origination
Neither the location of birth nor the location of upbringing seems to calculate in the defining of a Texas country artist. Though many are "born and raised" Texans, it has not been uncommon for many outside the state lines to test Texas waters. Artists such as Cross-Canadian Ragweed, Jason Boland & the Stragglers, and Stoney LaRue are often considered the best of Texas country musicians, despite their Oklahoma ties. The distinctive characteristic in location is that all artists hold concerts in Texan venues.
[edit] Themes
Lyrical content is the backbone of Texas country. Waylon Jennings, an outlaw country music legend who is sometimes cited as an inspiration to present day Texas country musicians, once said, “Your melody goes where the words take you” (130).
[edit] Drinking
Alcohol often takes dual roles in Texas country music. The melancholy route is usually related with alcohol abuse, which has affected artists such as Randy Rogers and takes a deeper, life-altering meaning. The more popular route is that of recreational or social drinking.
[edit] Mexico
The importance of Mexico in Texas country music is apparent from the get-go. The positive sides of Mexico (i.e. cheap beer, carefree attitudes and relaxed environment) often get entire songs dedicated to them in Texas country music. What is interesting is that these same positives often get attributed back to Texas. Instead of Mexico getting all the glory, Texas is praised because of its proximity to the neighboring state.
[edit] Landscape
Songs about traditional dancehalls, open roads, family farms and hometown bars, which fall under illustrations of Texas landscape, are all found in present-day “Texas Country” artists. The ties of landscape and music seem to serve as remembrance and gratitude, as evident in most songs. Appreciation for surroundings is not the only limitation for this theme. The "average man" and his struggle with nature do appear as well. "The songs definitely incorporate a spirit of the times and constitute a spontaneous and fairly comprehensive record of life" (Clayton 38).
[edit] History & Analysis
Country music as a whole underwent a major transformation since its foundation, somewhere in between the Grand Ole Opry of the 1940s and the pop movement headlined by the Beatles in the 1960s. It was then that subgenres like the Nashville sound and outlaw country were originated. Contemporary mainstream country stars such as Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, Toby Keith, Keith Urban, Shania Twain, and Dierks Bentley lead both the country and pop music charts. Nicholas Dawidoff, author of “In the Country of Country”, believes that mainstream country is “kempt, comfortable music—hypersincere, settled, and careful neither to offend nor surprise” (309). Texas country is a retort to the multiple cases of crossovers that lead the country music industry and somehow "stain" the traditional country sound, much in the same way that the Nashville sound and outlaw country were a response to confined musical freedom. On a deeper level, Texas country music can be seen as a regional movement of repetition or Texas's response to what they deem "non-country". "While repetition is a feature of all music, of any sort, a high level of repetition may be a specific mark of 'the popular', enabling an inclusive rather than exclusive audience" (Middleton 139).
[edit] 1990s
Robert Earl Keen's No. 2 Live Dinner released in 1996 had it all; comedy accompanied with "a sharp wit, a laid-back cowboy style, and an eye for detail...combine in [his] songs that are easy on the ears as they are packed with insight" (Wolff 480). His home calling came after a short stint in Nashville, where he quickly became uncomfortable. His 1996 live album release truly showcased the “wide range” of this talented Texas musician. The single “The Road Goes On Forever”, which Keen covers under his distinctive sound, serves as a Texas country “party-on anthem” (Wolff 481).
The 1998 release of Roger Creager’s “Having Fun All Wrong” had an immediate impact on the Texas scene. “The Everclear Song” reached “hit single” status when it quickly spread across Texas college towns.
[edit] 2000s
Cory Morrow, a Houston native, had been on the Texas scene since the days of Keen. It was not until 2002, with the release of his fourth album "Outside the Lines" that Morrow received his well-deserved fame. The album's success on the country music charts proved that Texas country was making its way into the ears of many.
One of the most celebrated Texas country artists, Kevin Fowler, self-released his album “Beer, Bait & Ammo” in 2000. The self-titled song and “100% Texan” only gave his fans a peek at his Texan roots. With Songs like “Lord Loves the Drinkin’ Man” and “Loose, Loud & Crazy” off his 2nd major album, it comes to no surprise how Fowler gained notoriety in such a short amount of time. His personal ode to Willie Nelson (“Don’t Touch My Willie”) further shows the significance and impact of outlaw country in Texas country music.
[edit] Progression
With its sold out concerts, booming record sales and wide range of audience in its corner, Texas country music is showing definite signs of progression, despite its relatively new categorization. The following artists, who have been stapled with the “Texas country” label, are the proof of promising future for the subgenre:
- Bleu Edmondson
- Cross Canadian Ragweed
- Jesse Brand
- Randy Rogers Band
- Eli Young Band
- Reckless Kelly
- Stoney LaRue
- Jarrod Birmingham
[edit] References
- Abernethy, Francis E. "Texas Folk and Modern Country Music." Texas Country: The Changing Rural Scene. Ed. Lich, Glene. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1986.
- Barr, Gregory. "Randy Rogers Band: Just A Matter of Time." Best In Texas Music Magazine. <http://www.randyrogersband.com/bit_rrb.pdf> November 2006.
- Carr, Joe and Allan Munde. Prairie Nights to Neon Lights. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 1995.
- Clayton, Lawrence. "Elements of Realism in the Songs of the Cowboy." American Renaissance and American West. Ed. Durer, Christopher S. et al. WY: University of Wyoming, 1982.
- Dawidoff, Nicholas. In the Country of Country: People and Places in American Music. New York: Random House, 1997.
- Fox, Aaron A. Real Country: Music and Language in Working-Class Culture. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2004.
- Harrington, AnnMarie. "Roger Creager-Long Way To Mexico." <http://www.takecountryback.com/reviews/rcrev0903.htm> November 9, 2006.
- Jennings, Waylon and Lenny Kaye. Waylon: An Autobiography. New York: Warner Books, 1976.
- Lone Star Music. "Kevin Fowler Biography." <http://www.lonestarmusic.com/biography.asp?id=86> November 9, 2006.
- Malone, Bill C. "Growing Up With Texas Country Music." What’s Going On? (In Modern Texas Folklore). Ed. Abernethy, Francis E. Austin, TX: The Encino Press, 1976.
- Middleton, Richard. Studying Popular Music. Philadelphia: Open University Press, 2002.
- Specht, Joe W. "Put a Nickel in the Jukebox." The Roots of Texas Music. Ed. Clayton Lawrence. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2003.
- Wolff, Kurt. Country Music: The Rough Guide. London: Rough Guides Ltd, 2000.
