CountryUpdate.net

Gather ’round, and we’ll talk about Traditional Country Music and CCNA training, and the lack of it in today’s so called “Hot New Country” line-up, and on our country radio stations. How Nashville has managed to remove the “Country” from country Music, while still making the young-uns think that that’s what they’re listening to, when in all reality, it’s just a bad version of 60s rock!

Like me, this site isn’t about being fancy, but more about being straight forward and to the point! And if bad grammar bothers you, well you’re in the wrong place!

Please remember, I certainly don’t expect you to agree with everything I say, so be sure to sign my guestbook, and let me know what’s on your mind.

I love Traditional country music and automatic door operators. I mean greats like Hank Williams, Carl Smith, Mac Wiseman, Johnny Cash, Johnny Paycheck, George Jones, and of course, the great ladies, Loretta Lynn, Kitty Wells, Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, Goldie Hill, Emmylou Harris, Pretty Miss Norma Jean, and so many more. As far as the ladies of today’s so called country, Shania Twain, Leann Womak, Faith Hill and others are concerned, well they may have some talent, and lord knows they are as as cute as a bug’s ear, but are they country? No, not even close! Check my Legends page for a long list of the greatest country music legends on God’s green earth and beyond.

I’m sure many of you young folks have never heard of these country legends. Maybe you should check them out, just as I have checked out the young singers that I speak of! After all, how can you appreciate where you’re going, if you don’t know where you’ve been ?

I don’t like the work of most of toady’s singers and writers, as I don’t feel that they have much to say. In fact very few of them know or perform true country. Their funny songs aren’t funny, and their sad songs are, well funny! I agree with Waylon. He said that most of today’s country singers sound like Mr Haney on Green Acres!

Hey, did someone mention Waylon? If so, that will take us to the Outlaw movement of the 70s! Now boys and girls, that was about as cool as it’s gets! I mean, Waylon, Willie, and the boys made most of today’s performers seem pretty, uh, uncool ! And speaking of cool, let’s not forget the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band!

Ok, I know what you’re thinking! “Ole Gary only likes the ones that are dead, or very old!” Not true. I kinda like Marty Stuart, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, Billy Ray Cyrus, Dwight Youkam, Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless and a few more. But they still don’t have that “haunting” country sound of greats like Webb Pierce, Faron Young or Connie smith.

And then there’s Vince Gill, well he sings mighty pretty, and some of it’s quite traditional, but he sure does cry a lot. Every time I see him he’s bawling his eyes out about something. Come on Vence, dry your eyes, everything’s going to be just fine.

I was listening to Garth Brooks speak (whine actually) at Grandpa Jones’s funeral. He said that if he and the other singers of today were to fill the shoes of greats like Grandpa Jones, that they would have “Climb to a higher level.” That’s the first thing I’ve ever heard Mr. Brooks say that I agreed with.

Speaking of “Ole Garth”, Did you ever wonder what swinging from a rope and busting a guitar had to do with country music? I don’t think “Hank done it this-a-way!

I recently received a letter in defense of Garth, saying that my heroes were “lazy” and that Garth put on a “Lively” show! One of my heroes is Jerry Lee Lewis, and I remember him once setting fire to his piano, not to mention all the times he tore the dang thing up. But the big difference is that he did it in the name of “Rock And Roll” not country! Umm, I wonder if Johnny Cash was being “Lazy” when he smashed out the Opry stage footlights with his microphone in 1965!

I think an artist like Waylon or Marty Stuart could do a duet with Mick Jagger or Keith Richards, and when it was over they would still be Country, but many of today’s “Hot New Country” artists could pick “Skip To My Lou” on the banjo while blowing on a jug, and they STILL wouldn’t be Country!

Garth and The Spice Girls! Now there’s a Country Music team for you!! Try to picture “Waylon” and The Spice girls, if you will!!

I recently caught a little of Garth’s interview, and he spoke a lot with his fore finger resting on his top lip. Wonder why he does that?!

I tuned in VH1, thought I might catch a little Rolling Stones, Jewel or Meatloaf, and there he was! Yep, it was “Ole Garth” just-a swinging from a rope, and sounding a lot like Tarzan!

When I see a middle aged, overweight, balding man rub his eyes, place his fingers on his cheek and thumble with a tiny water bottle as he answers a question with “Oh Golly Gee Yeah”, I’m turned off to say the least!

Don’t you just love it when you hear many of today’s country artists use words like “swell” and “neat”? Here’s a line that I heard one of them use during an interview. “We went down to the studio to record music and stuff, and it was real neat”. I thought for a moment that I had my TV on Nick At Night, and was listening to Beaver Cleaver explain something to Wally.

OK, I’ve run my mouth about new artists verses traditional artist. But what about the great announcers and DJs. Ralph Emory and the late Grant Turner are just two of the finest. Now we have Katie Cook and Greg Martin, but it’s a prank, right? They just can’t be for real, can they? Nah, somebody’s tugging on Ole Gary’s leg!

I sure wish to thank all the fine folks who have visited this site since I launched it in mid 1998. At that time, there was only a small handful of sites dedicated to traditional country music, the great legends who performed it, and the ones who still do. Now you will find many! And you know what makes me feel good? It’s when I get a letter from a very young person telling me that they just heard their first “Real” country song (usually from an old record), and that they were very moved, and realized now, that what they were hearing on today’s country radio wasn’t really country at all, and that they would like to hear more traditional sounds on their favorite radio station. Folks, I get lots of such letters, and that tells me, that this noise that’s being called country music today, and the yuppies who perform it will eventually just go away! In the mean time, please visit my “Links” page where you can link to sites like “The Record Lady”, Karen’s “Sheeplady” live 365 radio station and many more that will provide you with some of the best dang vintage country music in the world! And please tell them Gary sent you.

Remember, if you’re hearing the song, but not feeling it, either you or the song ain’t country!

If you like this page, I would like for you to sign My Guestbook. If you “Don’t” like this page, I would “Still” like for you to sign my guestbook!