I do think some country stars could really cross over well into the UK. As mentioned above, Carrie Underwood is fantastic and I really hope the UK take to her.
It hurts that Before He Cheats was never attempted as an international hit. It screamed of it. Blown Away also have a decent opportunity to do well internationally.
I don't think it helps that there are so many mentions of the gospel in country music. Seriously, the number of references to Jesus and "the lord" in country music is enough to put me off. It's no surprise that country music is most popular in America's south, where they're more religious. In the UK we're much less so.
Depends what you mean by 'country'..it's a much abused term. Guys like Steve Earle are lumped in there...but there's a lot more to him ;-)
Johnny Cash is considered country as well.
I don't like the "big-hair country" music.. I much prefer the folk and bluegrass flavors.
The Allman Brothers are considered country, or at the very least "southern rock", and you brits hear them every time you watch Top Gear. Look! Cowboy hats!.
addendum to previous post: Swell Season (yet another irish folk band) reached #15 in the US on the top 200 with Strict Joy.
It's a culture thing. Western films anyone? 99.9% of them are American.
There's a lot of "country" in America, we don't really have anything that mirrors it. We have the countryside -- little Hamlets on the outskirts of big cities -- but that's it. There's nothing "country" about GB.
It's a culture thing. Western films anyone? 99.9% of them are American.
There's a lot of "country" in America, we don't really have anything that mirrors it. We have the countryside -- little Hamlets on the outskirts of big cities -- but that's it. There's nothing "country" about GB.
I like quite a bit of country and western music. Unfortunately, most of my favourites are long since deceased or retired. I especially like Hank Williams, Crystal Gayle, and Johnny Cash.
So you guys all walk around in sandy terrain with guitars?
My parents own a house in the lake district, I've been going all my life. To all different parts of it. I know what it's like.
You can't really compare the musical taste of the UK to the US because the US is so vast. The music in New York is quite different from the musical taste of Memphis which is quite different from the music taste of Miami. So it's not a good comparable question really.
So you guys all walk around in sandy terrain with guitars?
I certainly do
Actually, I did something like that once. I was driving between Phoenix and Tucson and my car broke down. So I was sitting on the back of my car, playing my guitar, in the middle of the desert.. waiting for a tow truck. I was out there for about an hour and a half, in 110F weather.
So you guys all walk around in sandy terrain with guitars?
My parents own a house in the lake district, I've been going all my life. To all different parts of it. I know what it's like.
You said nowt about "sandy terrain", only country. Even in the height of the tourist season there is parts of the fells where you can walk all day without seeing anyone other than the company you're with.
A far cry from "little Hamlets on the outskirts of big cities -- but that's it." Is it not ?
Depends what you mean by 'country'..it's a much abused term. Guys like Steve Earle are lumped in there...but there's a lot more to him ;-)
It's not that the term 'Country' is abised, it's just a wider category than people have generally described here. Why should artists like Steve Earle or Mary Chapin Carpenter fit into any particular category?
It's not that the term 'Country' is abised, it's just a wider category than people have generally described here. Why should artists like Steve Earle or Mary Chapin Carpenter fit into any particular category?
Like many other forms of non-Top 40 music, I would say that Country IS pretty popular in the UK. Maybe not as it is in the US of course but lots of people like and enjoy it still. There is a lot of great New Country artists around as well, not just doing the same old things but branching out.
Maverick magazine was re-launched last year and is proving very popular, there are a load of Country radio shows happening in the UK [ not just playing Kenny Rogers ], the bigger US acts can sell decent sized venues and even pub and club gigs do ok. The people that enjoy this music are just not necessarily downloading singles in large numbers for it to reach the Top 40 and this isn't a bad thing!
I wouldn't say it's unpopular, we just don't have charts and awards show etc dedicated just to country music. It's big enough for there to be a two-day festival at the 02 next month, which seems to be nearly sold out. My parents saw Brad Paisley at the 02 once and it was sold out. I saw Carrie Underwood at the Royal Albert Hall last year, and it was packed.
They only used level 1 for Brad and closed off level 4. Last year I had a ticket for The Band Perry at Shepherds Bush in July. I then had notification that the tour had been postponed to November and the Shepherds Bush gig was moved to Koko ( a smaller venue). I subsequently found that they'd been signed up to open for Brad on his Scandanavian dates in October so their own tour was rescheduled to tie in with those. When I investigated further as to why Brad wasn't doing any UK dates this time the reason given was that they couldn't find any suitable venues!
I love Martina McBride and Keith Urban is pretty good too. Faith Hill, Alan Jackson and Shania Twain, all good stuff!
Martina McBride played at Shepherds Bush in 1995,she then didn't play here again until 2010 at the indigo2. They set up a few dates for 2011 which were then cancelled due to "scheduling and routeing issues".
It's strongly rumoured that Alan Jackson refuses to play the UK in response to the p*ss-take of the whole country/cowboy image that he was subjected to by the media on his visit here in the 1990's.
The plain fact is that many acts see it as not financially viable for them to play the UK. Occasionally you'll get someone coming over to 'test the water' and who will subsequently not be seen here again for years,even when they promise to return. There were eleven years between Reba McEntire's last two visits. Trisha Yearwood used to play the UK fairly regularly but hasn't been over here since before she married Garth. Big-name acts such as Alabama and Brooks and Dunn,to my knowledge,never played here at all.
Not big on country but I love Johnny Cash and George Jones. Doubt anyone here has even heard of the latter.
Elvis Costello tried to convert his fans to country by releasing the covers album Almost Blue, with Good Year For The Roses as the single. It didn't work.
Maybe that highlights one of the problems with country music in the UK: you have to listen to the words. We're not big on meaningful lyrics in the UK, are we?
Elvis Costello tried to convert his fans to country by releasing the covers album Almost Blue, with Good Year For The Roses as the single. It didn't work.
Maybe that highlights one of the problems with country music in the UK: you have to listen to the words. We're not big on meaningful lyrics in the UK, are we?
Yeah, cos basically, by and large the British people are very shallow minded and not very deep thinking or have any REAL spiritual psyche!!
Elvis Costello tried to convert his fans to country by releasing the covers album Almost Blue, with Good Year For The Roses as the single. It didn't work.
Maybe that highlights one of the problems with country music in the UK: you have to listen to the words. We're not big on meaningful lyrics in the UK, are we?
Adele is big on good lyrics and I believe she is something of a Country fan. I could see her doing the Elvis Costello 'Almost Blue' thing in future. And if the impact of Cheryl and Gary's version of Lady Antebellum's 'Need You Now' is anything to go by that could have a big impact on country music in the UK.
I'm afraid I'd have to go with this. I love most kinds of music but country has never done anything for me at all. Ive tried to pinpoint why this is - and all I can come up with is its too American and therefore gives me nothing to relate to as such. However, if others like it then that's great. It's all subjective at the end of the day
Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood (my second favourite song of all time by my second favourite artist of all time, so bear with if I'm stanning here) is getting a UK push, albeit 6/7 years too late :eek: It's on the Radio 2 playlist and is down for a 4th March release - doubt it will do anything but I'm just amazed and quite glad, anything to get this incredible song heard by as many people as possible!
Comments
It hurts that Before He Cheats was never attempted as an international hit. It screamed of it. Blown Away also have a decent opportunity to do well internationally.
Depends on what you mean by "popular" I suppose.
Guggenheim Grotto, an Irish folk band, reached #1 on the US iTunes Folk Charts with their second album.
Johnny Cash is considered country as well.
I don't like the "big-hair country" music.. I much prefer the folk and bluegrass flavors.
The Allman Brothers are considered country, or at the very least "southern rock", and you brits hear them every time you watch Top Gear. Look! Cowboy hats!.
addendum to previous post: Swell Season (yet another irish folk band) reached #15 in the US on the top 200 with Strict Joy.
There's a lot of "country" in America, we don't really have anything that mirrors it. We have the countryside -- little Hamlets on the outskirts of big cities -- but that's it. There's nothing "country" about GB.
Errr ! Perhaps you should try a couple of weeks rough camping in the Lake District http://www.stridingedge.net/lake%20district%20features/striding%20edge.htm Then come back and tell me there's no "country":)
So you guys all walk around in sandy terrain with guitars?
My parents own a house in the lake district, I've been going all my life. To all different parts of it. I know what it's like.
I certainly do
Actually, I did something like that once. I was driving between Phoenix and Tucson and my car broke down. So I was sitting on the back of my car, playing my guitar, in the middle of the desert.. waiting for a tow truck. I was out there for about an hour and a half, in 110F weather.
Here's the view from roughly where I was.
You said nowt about "sandy terrain", only country. Even in the height of the tourist season there is parts of the fells where you can walk all day without seeing anyone other than the company you're with.
A far cry from "little Hamlets on the outskirts of big cities -- but that's it." Is it not ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb-j5ZbIeGM&feature=related
All that talent on one stage (and then Minnie Pearl arrives, but.......).
It's not that the term 'Country' is abised, it's just a wider category than people have generally described here. Why should artists like Steve Earle or Mary Chapin Carpenter fit into any particular category?
Absolutely agree
Maverick magazine was re-launched last year and is proving very popular, there are a load of Country radio shows happening in the UK [ not just playing Kenny Rogers ], the bigger US acts can sell decent sized venues and even pub and club gigs do ok. The people that enjoy this music are just not necessarily downloading singles in large numbers for it to reach the Top 40 and this isn't a bad thing!
They only used level 1 for Brad and closed off level 4. Last year I had a ticket for The Band Perry at Shepherds Bush in July. I then had notification that the tour had been postponed to November and the Shepherds Bush gig was moved to Koko ( a smaller venue). I subsequently found that they'd been signed up to open for Brad on his Scandanavian dates in October so their own tour was rescheduled to tie in with those. When I investigated further as to why Brad wasn't doing any UK dates this time the reason given was that they couldn't find any suitable venues!
Martina McBride played at Shepherds Bush in 1995,she then didn't play here again until 2010 at the indigo2. They set up a few dates for 2011 which were then cancelled due to "scheduling and routeing issues".
It's strongly rumoured that Alan Jackson refuses to play the UK in response to the p*ss-take of the whole country/cowboy image that he was subjected to by the media on his visit here in the 1990's.
The plain fact is that many acts see it as not financially viable for them to play the UK. Occasionally you'll get someone coming over to 'test the water' and who will subsequently not be seen here again for years,even when they promise to return. There were eleven years between Reba McEntire's last two visits. Trisha Yearwood used to play the UK fairly regularly but hasn't been over here since before she married Garth. Big-name acts such as Alabama and Brooks and Dunn,to my knowledge,never played here at all.
Country is particular to a only some people.
Same with Jazz, Black Metal, Avant Garde, Blues, etc. You have to move away from the plastic crap if you want something else.
Although it is funny reading it as "why is pop(ular) music so popular?! they should have unpopular music on national radio stations"
I certainly have.
'He Stopped Loving Her Today' is one of the finest country songs ever recorded IMHO.
Elvis Costello tried to convert his fans to country by releasing the covers album Almost Blue, with Good Year For The Roses as the single. It didn't work.
Maybe that highlights one of the problems with country music in the UK: you have to listen to the words. We're not big on meaningful lyrics in the UK, are we?
Yeah, cos basically, by and large the British people are very shallow minded and not very deep thinking or have any REAL spiritual psyche!!
Adele is big on good lyrics and I believe she is something of a Country fan. I could see her doing the Elvis Costello 'Almost Blue' thing in future. And if the impact of Cheryl and Gary's version of Lady Antebellum's 'Need You Now' is anything to go by that could have a big impact on country music in the UK.
I'm afraid I'd have to go with this. I love most kinds of music but country has never done anything for me at all. Ive tried to pinpoint why this is - and all I can come up with is its too American and therefore gives me nothing to relate to as such. However, if others like it then that's great. It's all subjective at the end of the day