What country music stars have stayed true to the art form?

[Wall2Boogie]

Could have saved everyone some time. Rip up pieces of paper write one of the following words/phrases on each piece: girl, tailgate, summer night, truck, tight jeans, dirt road, sweet thang, drinking good stuff, beer, by the river, girl (again). Proceed to pull each piece of paper out and arrange in any order. Boom, there you have it. The lyrics to every Luke Bryan song. Suprisingly you also have the lyrics to every Aldean and Brantley GilBert song too.

As this guy said, the lyrics some have mention aren't like this in almost every damn song. My question is more focused on today. A Bad group would Be fla/ga line. Brassow nailed it because every song he has includes all those words lol. I'm not saying anyone does it perfectly and there are some bad songs but they don't do it all the time. When I started this that's what I had in mind

 

[kyhusker2]

I was waiting for a Fla/Ga. line reference. Awful, awful music. All of it. Just rancid.

 

[TortElvisII]

Merle Haggard Don Williams. David Alan Coe

That is the sound that was true.

The op needs an education. My god Tim McGraw. Listen to outlaw country on Sirius.

 

[Anon1640710541]

country music over the years has been incredibly versatile and broad. to think there is only one small category to squeeze it into is absurd. go back and listen to bob wills, lester scruggs, roy acuff, or jimmie rodgers, and then try to name me an artist in the last half century who has been true to the original art form. i can't think of one.

personally, i either like the music or i don't, and give credit for "talent" where it is due.

 

[BlueKel_rivals210266]

I think today's bro-country and pop country (putting pretty people out there with mediocre material, like Disney does) is awful. But a suggestion of what is "real" country is stupid. Waylon and Willie and the whole outlaw movement was way outside country norms back in the day, and they were at first shunned for not being "real". However, the outlaw genre became part of the fabric of country.

Agree with PTI's point - I either like it or I don't. Like with most music/artists, it is a personal taste.

 

[cole854]

:facepalm:

You all need to look harder.

I know your definition consists of artists that might sell out a Drury Inn conference room, which is fine. To each his own and some may actually be good, but there are actually a limited selection of mainstream country artists that still stay true to their roots and didn't get pulled into the Nashville script of today. The majority of "new" stuff out there is interchangeable and you can't tell one artist from another....it has no soul and its all about the dollar.

 

[starchief]

For decades the motto in Nashville was "it's all about the song". There's obviously been a departure from that this last decade or so. You can be traditional country, pop country, Americana, whatever. As long as the songs are good, it doesn't matter to me. The garbage on the radio today is just absolutely terrible song writing, and everyone involved with producing it should be ashamed.

Lots of folks say Garth opened the door for all of this, and, in a way, he may have, but he damn sure had two or three great songs.

Comma

FIFY

 

[liveblue92]

The only song I like on country radio is that Burning House song, and it's not so much that the song itself is good, but I could picture Keith Whitley singing the hell out of it.

 

[Anon1640710541]

this notion that garth brooks destroyed "true" country music is also absurd. he had an incredible flair for showmanship, and wrote more songs on his first album than george strait has his entire career. he's considerably more talented than most give him credit for.

i would also add that john denver won a cma and kenny rogers and his sequined shirt recorded "islands in the stream" years before garth showed up in nashville. but yeah. it's all garths fault.

 

[bluelifer]

FIFY

:thumbsdown:

 

[liveblue92]

this notion that garth brooks destroyed "true" country music is also absurd. he had an incredible flair for showmanship, and wrote more songs on his first album than george strait has his entire career. he's considerably more talented than most give him credit for.

i would also add that john denver won a cma and kenny rogers and his sequined shirt recorded "islands in the stream" years before garth showed up in nashville. but yeah. it's all garths fault.

Sunshine on my GD shoulder John Denver?

 

[bigblue11_rivals177692]

Charlie Rich is on fire for John Denver

 

[kyboy1998_rivals34276]

That list was so awful that it would have made an excellent thread for a troll. For some reason I think you're legitimately that stupid though.

 

[TortElvisII]

Op pay no attention to these posters that think Patsy Cline is country. It ain' t country unless it talks about momma or prison or trains or trucks or getting drunk.

 

[It'saDoneDeal]

Joe Diffie has pretty much been the standard bearer for what true country music is throughout his entire legendary career.

 

[H. Lecter]

Op pay no attention to these posters that think Patsy Cline is country. It ain' t country unless it talks about momma or prison or trains or trucks or getting drunk.

If that ain't country I'll kiss your ***!

 

[DaBossIsBack]

Real country to me is anyone that told Nashville to suck it and did their own thing. Outside of contemporary Christian music, country music might be the most formulaic of any genre.

 

[Tskware]

What about Justin Bieber? Isn't he country? Young man has amazing talent. I listen to his stuff all the time.

 

[bluejohnson_rivals107240]

In your opinion who is a artist/group not named, still keeping it real today?

Alan Jackson

 

[kyhusker2]

I was waiting for a Fla/Ga. line reference. Awful, awful music. All of it. Just rancid.

The only song I like on country radio is that Burning House song, and it's not so much that the song itself is good, but I could picture Keith Whitley singing the hell out of it.

Love that song.

 

[B Rax_rivals210137]

Zac Brown Band isn't really country at all if you go by current radio country *or* alt-country, however they are far more musically talented than anyone listed in this thread. :fire:TMFS:fire:

 

[3 fan_rivals214492]

There are several posters who take pretentious to a whole new level
Who cares? Twenty five years ago people screamed that Randy Travis and Alan Jackson were destroying county. Chattahoochie anyone????
Brantley Gilbert is good music. So is Eric Church. Luke Bryan may not be your favorite but he is laughing to the bank
Brad Paisley has some of the dumbest songs ever. Don't like it? Turn it off!!!

 

[bluelifer]

Brantley Gilbert is good music.

No.

http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/?s=brantley+gilbert

http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/...f/2014/05/concert_review_brantley_gilber.html

http://www.chron.com/entertainment/...bert-left-us-scratching-our-heads-6129251.php

http://archive.dmjuice.com/review-brantley-gilberts-definition-of-country-must-be-country-wide/

Perhaps my favorite quote:

Such a gift from heaven it has been to not have Brantley terrorizing us with new music for a good long while. But apparently Brantley was just resting up, refining his putrid exploration into the very innermost reaches of human vanity and self-ingratiation to then unleash his new diarrhetic single “Bottoms Up,” and it’s accompanying video

 

[3 fan_rivals214492]

You made my point. You don't like it, turn it off! What one hates, another one likes. I don't like Carrie Underwood, but according to her bank account, she is t worried about me.

 

[bluelifer]

I agree that if you don't like something, you shouldn't listen to it, and trust me, I don't. I never said the dude wasn't selling records and tickets. I'm saying that his music is undeniably terrible to everyone with even a modicum of musical taste or intelligence.

 

[Stonewall12]

That is a terrible list of people who "stayed true." Jamey Johnson and George Strait are the only two on that list who I consider country. If they are played on "country radio" they most likely aren't really country.

Sturgill Simpson. He's an example of what country music should be.

This. Did not even read anymore replies.


What a horrible list.OP does NOT know country.

 

[It'saDoneDeal]

There are several posters who take pretentious to a whole new level
Who cares? Twenty five years ago people screamed that Randy Travis and Alan Jackson were destroying county. Chattahoochie anyone????
Brantley Gilbert is good music. So is Eric Church. Luke Bryan may not be your favorite but he is laughing to the bank
Brad Paisley has some of the dumbest songs ever. Don't like it? Turn it off!!!

You can't make me!!!!!!!!1!!!!(!

 

[3 fan_rivals214492]

I agree that if you don't like something, you shouldn't listen to it, and trust me, I don't. I never said the dude wasn't selling records and tickets. I'm saying that his music is undeniably terrible to everyone with even a modicum of musical taste or intelligence.

Pretentious much?

 

[bluelifer]

Christ man, saying Brantley Gilbert's music is terrible doesn't mean I'm pretentious, it means I have two functioning ears.

Brantley Gilbert is the gas station hot dog of music. There are a lot of them sold, and some misguided souls may enjoy them, but by no definition are they quality food.

Edit: That may be a disservice to gas stations hot dogs now that I think about it.

 

[TortElvisII]

Zac Brown Band isn't really country at all if you go by current radio country *or* alt-country, however they are far more musically talented than anyone listed in this thread. :fire:TMFS:fire:

A hippy praying he will get out of here alive.

 

[MegaBlue05]

Am I pretentious from hating the whole damn genre after the mid-90s?

Now, if I wanted to listen to bad rapping over hip hop drum tracks, I'd bust out my old No Limit CDs from the 90s.

I don't want to hear about your stupid truck, how awesome your mundane life is, or how your ***** *** will never be able to function without a former lover in your life. Sack up and move on, man.

Love, trucks, love, drankin', love, being a redneck, love <-------- That's the entire list of modern country subject matter.

The drumming is boring. The guitar licks are the same 6 stock country riffs that get used over and over. The vocals are too high in the mix and the instrumentation is too vanilla. But 15- to 50-year-old girls eat it up, so it sells.

And, finally, write your own songs. That's my biggest knock on Nashville. Very few artists, mostly performers.

EDIT: Hank Williams III is the best thing going in country today. Sound like his grandfather, attitude of his father with elements of old country, punk and metal thrown in to make it interesting.

 

[DaBossIsBack]

Pretentious is the new racist.

 

[Wall2Boogie]

Brantley Gilbert I can live with. I'm not saying he's great but he's not to the extreme of cliche. He wrote/co wrote a few songs for Aldean. A lot of these artists stay true with a song wvry now and then we can all agree is bad, but they don't go out and do the same song 50 times like some "country singers" today. There is a few as mentioned that haven't tried the cross over route which is good. Songs that include,boots honeys, the size of a dudes truck, etc are bad

 

[DaBossIsBack]

If Louisville were a country music singer it would be Brantley Gilbert.

 

[Get Buckets]

John mother effin Brennan, true stooooory.

 

[bluelifer]

[QUOTE="Wall2Boogie, post: 2434016, member: 9584 He wrote/co wrote a few songs for Aldean.QUOTE]

I'd say that pretty much settles the debate.

 

[Wall2Boogie]

Lol very true blue

 

[Wall2Boogie]

If Louisville were a country music singer it would be Brantley Gilbert.

Actually, I'd go with Gretchen Wilson lol or the guy who wrote louisvilles theme song, upper middle class white trash lol

 

[Wall2Boogie]

Lee Brice wrote upper middle class white trash. I think he had louisville fans in mind lol

 

[Wall2Boogie]

If you're turning to FM country radio for your music fix, you're part of the problem. That's lowest common denominator stuff.

OP's list is terrible.

Do yourself a favor:
1. Visit www.pandora.com
2. Type in Jason Isbell
3. Press enter and prop your feet up.
4. I think you know what happens here.

Thanks bluelifer for contributing nothing except your pathetic take on some bands I rattled off. I didn't sit around 5 hours thinking of true artists. I have no idea nor do I care is who Jason is hell is. I'm glad you stopped by Phil Spector to voice your opinion. I just threw a few out sure not all are great but I have yet to see your wonderful list