Last Summer, I had a couple of relatives come visit me from my birthplace in Tennessee. As I drove them about town, blasting tunes from my phone, I asked what kind of music they liked. \u201cCountry music\u201d, came the reply. Of course. I asked them to name a few artists they especially liked and I didn\u2019t recognize a single one they cited.<\/p>\n
Inside, I cringed. I can remember Saturday nights being stuck in front of a TV watching Hee Haw while my grandparents played poker with their friends in the dining room. Minnie Pearl. The Grand Ole Opry. The Beverly Hillbillies. Compared to my contemporaries, I never had an especially thick accent, but when I finally escaped Tennessee, I made a concerted effort to strip the remaining drawl from my voice. So you can perhaps imagine the knee jerk reaction I had to the prospect of country music.<\/p>\n
Being a dutiful host, eager to please, I dug through my music library looking for what might work. I found that pair of country musicians that seemingly everyone likes; Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson. Oh, and a few of my Chet Atkins tracks have an awful lot of country in them. As I dug a little deeper, I was surprised by what I found. My relatives had never heard of \u201cThe Devil Makes Three\u201d, but there\u2019s no disputing that it is thoroughly country. Leftover Salmon. Lyle Lovett. There\u2019s a great (and thoroughly improbable!) album by Edie Brickell (former New Bohemian) and Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) that is straight-up country. Susan Werner. Asleep at the Wheel. Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys!<\/p>\n
And I recently rediscovered Jerry Reed. I had been looking at YouTube clips of Chet Atkins and stumbled across a duet with Chet and Reed. To the extent that I had remembered Jerry Reed at all, it was primarily as Burt Reynold\u2019s sidekick in a few movies; he was the truck driver in \u201cSmokey and the Bandit\u201d. I was astounded to discover\/recall that Reed was also a hell of a musician, a staggeringly talented guitarist and an enthusiastic and playful singer. I put an album of Reed\u2019s on my Amazon wishlist and was rewarded when my brother gave it to me for Christmas (thanks, Bill!).<\/p>\n
It turned out that my self perception needed a little updating. I like a fair bit of country; just not the sort of stuff they play on the radio. Which is about the same place I\u2019m at with pop music, rock, jazz, etc.<\/p>\n
A few links, for those who wanna hear more:<\/p>\n
Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins\u00a0– Jerry’s Breakdown<\/a><\/p>\n The Devil Makes Three – All Hail<\/a><\/p>\n Edie Brickell & Steve Martin –\u00a0Love Has Come For You<\/a><\/p>\n Susan Werner – City Kids<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"