Cultural Ties in the Arts

I apologize for not writing as much this year, as my Sunday School lessons and grad school studies have taken up a lot of my time.  However, a few weeks back I was reflecting on something in my journal that I needed to share, and it is going to give a different perspective on something that is part of my own cultural roots.

Anyone who knows me will know that my music library plays a big part in my personal tastes and interests, and the reason is that I have of course been collecting vintage big band recordings since I was about 11 years old.  This stuff is my music, and it is a big part of my identity as a person now.  However, long before I was interested in big band music, many in my own family listened to another genre of music that I never carried too much interest in myself, but its pervasive influence on the rural West Virginia culture I grew up in cannot be dismissed either, and whether I like it or not, some aspects of it define me as well.  What I am talking about is country music - not necessarily the Garth Brooks/Blake Shelton stuff of today (uggh! Classic country people call that crap "rock music with a twang.") but rather recordings from what was known as the "Golden Age of Country," a period lasting roughly from the early 1950's to around 1975. If any of you get satellite reception, on the RFD-TV channel there is a program called Larry's Country Diner which showcases that sort of country music prominently, as its host, Larry Black, is a virtual encyclopedia of the stuff - Larry did a similar project to Gaither's "Homecoming" videos featuring a lot of these classic country stars he calls "Country's Family Reunion," and although many of the people he featured on those programs are now gone on to their eternal reward, Larry Black's efforts will preserve some historical footage for people who are into the classic country genre and its legacy.  So, why am I talking about this?   Mainly, it is because it was ironically some of the first music I was exposed to at a young age, and I learned a lot about it although I never really cared to listen to it much.  And, that is what I want to talk about here.

My later childhood years were a time of extreme poverty growing up in a little town called Kirby, WV, and oftentimes poverty didn't offer a lot of options for recreation or entertainment, and therefore we had to "make do" with simple ways of entertaining ourselves.  During those years, my mother tended to drink a lot, and often she'd sit around the house for hours lounging in her sock feet drinking beer while listening to records by people such as Ray Price, Jim Reeves, Marty Robbins, Sonny James, and others of that brand of traditional country music.  On occasion, these people did produce some good songs - "The Three Bells" by an early country trio called the Browns was actually a very nice tune with a good message about what changes life brings for instance, and for a very short time when I was about 11 I actually got into Johnny Cash's San Quentin album (Lord knows why, but I did!).  Despite the occasional good song though, much of the stuff Mom listened to was downright depressing, which may explain why she drank more then!  One song in particular which to this day I still despise was an Eddy Arnold tune called "Make the World Go Away," and ughhh - just thinking about that awful song with its bad tune and quasi-suicidal lyrics gives me nausea even today!  A lot of  Mom's records made me feel like that actually, because they were just, well, not that tasteful to me.  That being said, I want to also go on record and say that not all country music is bad, and there's nothing wrong with you liking or listening to it if you happen to - it just doesn't do a whole lot for me.  Also, over the years I have myself fancied a few country recordings, which I will talk about now a little.

My stepgrandfather Lonnie Lipscomb was probably more of a serious collector of traditional classic country records, and unlike Mom, he had a little more finesse with his particular collection.  One song that I remember he liked was an old 1941 Ernest Tubb tune called "Walkin' The Floor Over You."  That song was actually quite good, and to be honest I have felt for years it would make a great big band arrangement.  Another, from around 1968 or so if memory serves me right, was Lynn Anderson's "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden," which to be honest was an uncharacteristic sophisticated arrangement for a country song (Of course, Lynn Anderson started her career as a regular on Lawrence Welk's show, so that may have had something to do with it).  Like "Walkin' The Floor Over You," "Rose Garden" could play well as a big band chart too, and it has been done.  And, although the one Eddy Arnold song was a sucky one, he actually had a really good vintage recording (from 1942 I believe) of a song entitled "I'm Sending You a Big Bouquet of Roses."  Another surprising addition to this list is the legendary Hank Williams Sr., who was actually a gifted songwriter - many of his songs did end up on big band records!  It also helps that ol' Hank was from the same town as my paternal grandfather - Greenville, AL.  These are a few good examples, but there is more.

Western Swing goes without saying honestly - Western Swing is big band, and it is one of my favorite styles of music.  Also, there was the late Tennessee Ernie Ford - I mean, seriously, who doesn't love his 1950 recording of "Sixteen Tons!"  Plus, in later years, Ford produced some very beautiful albums of religious music.   Then there are the classic country comedians - I practically grew up with Homer and Jethro, and still enjoy listening to them today.  These are just a few limited examples I wanted to note.

Bottom line is this - I am actually not anti-country music as well, but I am also not what you'd call a fan of it either, although I can appreciate good talent and musicianship where I see it, and some country artists have shined brightly over the years.  One thing I also wanted to note too that is of interest is this - does anyone reading this often feel that some country artists are better actors than they are singers?  I know I feel that way.  Take for instance Reba McIntyre - I cannot really listen to her records in good conscience personally, but I love her sit-com Reba, as it is one of the best shows on TV in my opinion and I think now I have watched every episode of it at least 3 times over the years.  Then there is Dolly Parton - Dolly is cute, and she is the type of person you'd love to have for a neighbor or a church member, and she has yet to have a bad movie she has starred in.  But, as far as listening to Dolly's records, that is a big fat NO!  Not only country legends in movies, but movies about country music legends tend to get my interest.  Two of the best movies in the past several decades that I have seen are Coal Miner's Daughter (about Loretta Lynn) and Walk the Line (about Johnny Cash).   I don't listen to any of these people's music, but something about those movies strikes a chord with me for some reason - perhaps in the case of Loretta Lynn's story, it relates to me as I had a similar childhood, and in the case of Johnny Cash, there is little I have in common with the character he portrayed, but his life was a fascinating story.  So, the question is then why I like movies about country legends but not recordings by them?  Time to explain that.

Despite the paradox this presents, it is actually totally logical for me - although I don't listen to country music, I know the culture it represents because that culture is the same one I was born and raised in myself.  My situation is similar to a Black person who may not like jazz but can appreciate Duke Ellington - it reflects the culture of that person.  Like it or "lump" it, one cannot necessarily choose or change one's culture (although some self-hating people have tried), but one can honestly appreciate it and in doing so it enriches one's own perspective of his or her roots.  That being said, I still don't particularly like the majority of country music out there today - I will take Ernie Heckscher over Ernest Tubb, and Glenn Miller over Glen Campbell, anyday.   But, at the same time, I understand and identify with the culture that shaped it, because a lot of the same culture shaped me as well.  Therefore, I will defend any of my family's right to listen to it, and I will not ever belittle it as mere "hick music" just because it is not my taste.  Even my mother's listening to depressingly bad representations of that music is at least honestly embracing the culture it represents, and on that level I can appreciate that.  I hope this discourse didn't bore you, and I hope you will be back to pay a visit again soon.  Good night and God bless each of my readers.