Lecture Notes

Lecture Notes from 2001 Country Music Concert.

REMARKS OF DR. JEROME KLEINSASSER ACADEMIC DECATHLON OCTOBER 24, 2001 BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA

(In its original presentation there were visual slides and audio examples presented with the information given below.)

I trust that each of your teams has carefully explored and studied the resources that have been provided for you, namely the study guide and Music Resource Guide. Both of those documents, - one a study outline, the other an in-depth source of information on music fundamentals, as well as the background and present state of Country Music - are very informative and authoritative. What I will be doing during our minutes together is to amplify and enlarge upon selected portions of those materials, through visual slides and some recorded examples which exemplify the basic elements of music, and the historical development of country music. If time permits, I have a practice quiz for you at the close.

As you know, our theme is “UNDERSTANDING OTHERS,” and in a way, when it comes to the subject of Country Music, that might just as well be re-stated as “Understanding Ourselves,” because there are few styles of music I can think of that are as thoroughly, and as unabashedly, American as Country Music. It is an important part of the American identity, born in this land of the confluence of folk styles drawn from parts of Europe and Africa, and shaped by the social and historical experiences that make up our American character.

“Cousin” Minnie Pearl, of Grand Ol’ Opry fame, put it well when she said about Country Music: “When people hear that music, they get a feeling that they belong to the music and the music belongs to them.”

Before we begin, a word of advice. We all know playing a musical instrument takes many, many hours of diligent practice, but few people consider the fact that listening to music also requires practice. With regard to the fourteen listening examples you have on your compact disk recording, I suggest that you listen to each example carefully, no more than two or three of them at a sitting, with your printed CD companion before you, but be sure to listen attentively to the selections in depth. And try to discern the various features mentioned in the printed companion.

We’re going to begin with some musical fundamentals as exemplified in Country Music, in this order, melody, rhythm, harmony, texture, form, and tone color. We’ll start with perhaps the most obvious of all musical elements: melody.

Melody - Except for certain instrumental pieces, most Country Western music is dominated by melody, “a series of consecutive pitches or tones our minds tend to group together.” Melody is usually in the forefront of the musical mix, likely to be the part of the music you whistle or hum.

Melodies are divided into phrases, melodic portions usually of equal length. And phrases usually come in blocks of four, a grouping we tend to take for granted. Here is an example of some phrases of even length, four phrases to a batch. (from “Excuse Me, I Think I’ve Got a Heartache.”)

They just don’t know how lost I feel without you

My teardrops never see the light of day

I laugh and joke each time they talk about you

But if they heard my heart they’d hear it say

One rule of thumb, and not a perfect one, is that a phrase is the length of melody a singer will take in one breath.

Rhythm - Music exists in specific units of time which constitute its rhythm. The most basic rhythmic unit is called the “beat.” (What you tap your foot to.) Beats are grouped into repeated patterns called “meter.”

Duple meter groups the beats into one strong and one weak beat. Example “Bluegrass Breakdown”: notice that if you tap your foot to this music you are likely to tap on the strong beat with the weak beat occurring while your foot is in the air.

Triple meter is somewhat rare in Country Music, but here’s an example from Waylon Jennings’ “Amanda”. Note how there is one strong beat followed by two weaker beats in each pattern, giving the music a lilting feeling.

And finally we have quadruple meter where the beats are grouped into patterns of four; one strong beat, three weaker beats (although the third beat may be emphasized, it is usually not as strong as one). This is quite common in Country Music - example Gram Parsons.

Next we move to the basic element of Harmony. Harmony is generally what lies in the background, behind and/or below the melody, acting in support of, and enhancing the tune. Harmony usually consists of chords (chords are groups of pitches that are either sung or played simultaneously). If one thinks of melody as being the horizontal aspect of music, harmony is its vertical counterpart.

Your music guide speaks of “primary harmony,” namely the chords that are built on the first, fourth and fifth degrees of the scale. The harmony of most songs begins on the I chord, and then swings back and forth between that chord and others, and returns to and ends on the I chord.

Let’s return for a moment to the Buck Owens example we heard a few moments ago, and notice how these primary chords change with each phrase. Most of the first phrase stays on the one chord before moving to the four chord, and in the second phrase continues to the five chord before returning to the first chord. Then the same progression is repeated for the third and fourth phrases.

(primary harmony)

They just don’t know how lost I feel without you

 I - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - IV - - - - 

My teardrops never see the light of day

- - - V - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I -

I laugh and joke each time they talk about you

 I - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - IV - - -

But if they heard my heart they’d hear it say

 - - V - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I -

Primary chords, along with other related harmonies, can be used in a nearly infinite variety of progressions. For example, one of the familiar characteristics of harmony in Bluegrass style is the frequent use of a chord built on the flatted seventh degree of the scale which substitutes for the chord on the fourth scale degree. It makes for an effect that is characteristically unique to Bluegrass. Listen to the way the harmony slides downward to the seventh degree of the scale.

Harmony in a particular song tends to center about a specific pattern of notes called a scale, which gives us all the notes in a particular key. We speak of the key of C, or the key of D, or E-flat, etc. Each has its unique selection of pitches. Keys generally come in two flavors, -major and minor. Country Music has relatively little use for minor keys when compared, for example, to rock music, but occasionally one hears a Country song in a minor key. Here’s an example by Hank Williams from a tune called “Ramblin’ Man,” which is in the key of a-minor. I will juxtapose it with another HW tune called “Honky Tonk Blues” which is in A-Major. So here’s HW in the key of a-minor and then A-Major.

Note the difference in character between the two keys, how much more somber and mournful the minor key is compared to the contented, or even joyful, mood of the major key. Songs don’t always stay in the same key from beginning to end. One way to lend variety to music is to change the key, a process known as “modulation.” In the Bob Wills recording of “New San Antonio Rose,” the first type of modulation gets us from the key of D in which we began, to the key of A for the portion using the singer. We come in on the last chorus in the first key, D-major, which is then interrupted by a series of chords that vaults us into the new key, A-major, the singing voice then enters and we stay in A-major fore the remainder of the tune.

The second kind of modulation can be found in Hank Williams’ “Lovesick Blues” where he cadences, or concludes the opening section in F major, then suddenly switches from the key of F to that of d-minor.

Texture is the overall pattern of musical sound heard simultaneously. Whether you are aware of it or not, when you listen to music you usually are hearing multiple sound sources at once, rather like hearing several conversations at the same time. Some of these sources may be providing melody, some harmony, some rhythm only. Some, like keyboards or guitars, can provide all three at once. There are four different kinds of musical texture I offer for your consideration.

First, the simplest of all musical textures, monophony - one musical line (no harmony, no accompaniment, no frills). Whether it’s one person singing or playing, or thousands of individuals singing the same melody simultaneously, the texture is monophonic. (Ex. “The House Carpenter”)

One occasionally hears various versions of the same melody performed simultaneously, in a texture known as heterophony - it may be improvised by voices and/or instruments. Here is a moment from Jimmie Rodgers’ tune, “Waiting for a Train,” in which the background instruments introduce a moment of heterophony, each playing giving us his or her version of the melody.

The most commonly confronted musical texture is homophony - simply one melody plus its accompaniment. Listen to a moment from Bob Wills’ “New San Antonio Rose” where the texture of sound is rather full, but the string melody clearly rides on top of the surface of the harmony.

Now we come to polyphony, and here is where I beg to differ with the authors of your fine study guide. On page four of the introduction it states that polyphony “is the predominant musical texture of the vast majority of folk and popular music today, including country music.” In point of fact, nothing could be further from the truth. One rarely encounters true polyphony in popular or country music, where more than one distinct melody is heard simultaneously (countermelody), or one melody is restarted in staggered fashion among various voices or instruments (imitation), or as in a canon or round. That would be true polyphony. All is not lost, however. Let me redirect your attention back to that series of phrases from Buck Owen’s tune “Excuse Me, I Think I’ve Got a Heartache.” I want you to listen to it once more, and this time direct your attention away from Buck’s lovely tenor voice toward the fiddle in the background, which is providing us with a very nice countermelody to the tune Buck is singing. This could be considered a polyphonic texture.

The fifth element of music is Form , or the structure and design of a musical selection. Like sculpture, or literature, drama or film, music has a plan for telling its story, and that plan is its form. It is based on repetition and contrast; unity and variety. The musician usually states something, repeats it, and then, for variety or contrast, often departs from it. A form frequently encountered in Country Music is the simple ternary form , as found in Hand Williams’ “Lovesick Blues.” The opening and concluding sections are essentially the same, but the mid-section (sometimes referred to as the “bridge”) here goes into the minor key and contrasts each of its neighbors. Here is a quick scan of the musical connections in this form. We will hear the opening (statement), then switch to the move from the statement to the bridge, and then exit from the bridge to the restatement of the opening section.

One of the sturdiest and most enduring of all musical forms in American traditions is the 12-bar blues which utilizes the primary harmony we have discussed. The blues form is found in numerous folk styles, country music and jazz. It was the most essential form for early rock and roll in the 1950s, heard in music by Fats Domino, Little Richard, and countless others. The 12-bar blues consists of three phrases, each four measures in length (a measure is the length of time for one metric pattern; here it has four beats). As you can see, the first phrase stays on the one-chord for four measures, although many blues musicians change briefly to the four-chord in the second measure. The second phrase begins on the four-chord for two measures before returning to the one-chord, and the third phrase begins on the five-chord, slips downward to the four-chord and then returns to the one-chord to finish. Then the whole process begins again and repeats as long as the selection lasts.

Now here is that same blues form in Country Music style, heard in a couple verses of Merle Haggard’s “Workin’ Man Blues.”

Our final musical element is tone color (some call it timbre). Tone color is what describes the unique tonal qualities of a voice or instrument, what differentiates the sound of a guitar from that of a fiddle. They’re both string instruments, but one is plucked and one is bowed, and in addition their shapes and sizes differ. So the resulting tone colors are different. Here is a little listening drill for you. I have the sounds of four string instruments important to our topic lined up here, excerpts drawn from the CD that came with your materials. Listen to them and then tell me what order are they in.

Let’s begin with the fiddle, the most basic instrument to early country music and its Irish and British ancestors. Its Medieval ancestor was called any number of things, from vielle to fidel. The modern fiddle took its shape along side its violin relatives during the 17th century in Italy. In folk music traditions, the fiddle was a handy, portable instrument that could be kept around the house and brought out at social occasions.

The Banjo is noted for its long, fretted neck and circular drum-head body. It has four or five strings (5th used as drone). The banjo may be single-picked, strummed, or picked with the thumb and two fingers. Its earliest forms were brought to U. S. by African slaves, and it became a popular instrument in 19th-century entertainments, especially minstrel shows. Well-known players have included Pete Steele, and Earl Scruggs. Bela Fleck today continues the tradition by playing everything from Bach to Bluegrass on the banjo.

The Mandolin is one of a number of lute-like instruments dating from the Middle Ages. It was originally pear-shaped and originated in Italy in the 17th century along side the violin. They are tuned the same, but the mandolin has double course strings and eventually developed a flat back. Mandolines come in progressively larger sizes. “An ensemble of mandolins combined with guitars was popularly known as a Neapolitan orchestra.” Classical composers who have written music for the mandolin include Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven, Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern. The Guitar needs no introduction, except to say Country Music lost one of its most inventive and artistic guitarists last June with the death of Chet Atkins. In addition to Atkins, three leading guitarists in the style of country music have been Merle Travis, who is credited with having originated the “walking-the-strings” technique perfected by Chet Atkins, Hank Garland (who also had a career as a jazz guitarist) and Scotty Moore, who rose to prominence on the early recordings of Elvis Presley.

Previous to the advent of electric guitars, there were experiments in guitar design to produce a larger, more vibrant sound that could be used in noisy honky tonks and clubs. The most famous and lasting result was the Dobro Guitar. The Dobro was developed by a couple of Slovakian immigrant craftsmen, the Dopyera Bros., who settled in Los Angeles during the1920s. (As a matter of fact, the country of Slovakia was so proud of the two it issued a postage stamp in their honor a few years back.) The Dopyeras implanted in guitars a metal resonator for bigger sound. Even after the appearance of electric guitars, the Dobro held a special place in country music, for its unique sound continues in use down to the present day. The rebirth of interest in Bluegrass music, as well as the various “unplugged” efforts of groups gave the Dobro a new lease on life. You may hear it in the introduction to Iris DeMent’s tune “Our Town.”

The Steel Guitar was derived from the “Hawaiian Guitar,” popular after the 1915 Panama-Pacific-International-Exposition in San Francisco. Early models consisted simply of acoustic guitars with raised strings that were played lying horizontally on player’s lap. The instrument became extremely popular during the 1920s and 30s when numerous methods for its playing were published, and it quickly found its way into the sound of Country Music.

In the mid-1950s the pedal steel quitar evolved with a mechanism somewhat like that of a harp which allowed pitch changes without moving the steel.

The crying sound of the steel guitar lent itself very easily to the sentimental character found in a lot of country music. Here is a comparative sample of two moments drawn from your CD, juxtaposing the sound of an earlier steel guitar from the 1940s or early ‘50s, with the later pedal steel guitar. As you listen, note the differing character of the two instruments. The second one, the pedal steel, has the capability of changing notes within a chord while the melody note on top remains unchanged.

Now we will turn our attention to the historical development of Country Music.

“The Sources of Country Music” by Thomas Hart Benton The Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville is home to a wonderful mural painting by the noted American artist Thomas Hart Benton which embodies much that is important about the origins and spirit of country music. In these colorful and vitally active figures Benton blends the American South with the American West. In our minds ear we hear the sounds of a barn dance, the wail of a train whistle and horn of a river steamboat, the gentle, intimacies of a dulcimer in the lap of a mountain woman, we hear a southern church choir, and a Black American gentleman playing a banjo. So much that is important to our nation and this music is captured by Benton in this one space.

(Much of the information that follows is drawn from the New Grove Dictionary of American Music, which I recommend very highly for your research.)

The origins of country music in the U. S. lie in the rural South where traditions date from the folk music brought to the back country by British settlers of the 17th & 18th centuries. This evolved in relationship to Afro-American blues and gospel traditions, Cajun, as well as Latin American ethnic music, and eventually merged with commercial popular music. Contemporary religious revivals, such as the Great Awakening, also brought a wealth of hymn tunes to the repertoire.

Early on this music was largely restricted to private gatherings, church socials and county fairs. Gradually the movement gathered momentum as these groups honed their skills, branched out, and some turned professional.

Common early instruments were the fiddle, the 5-string banjo and the guitar in the 19th century. To these were eventually added in the 20th century the mandolin, string bass and Hawaiian steel guitar. Drums, piano and electric instruments were added in the 1940s and thereafter in the Western Swing movement. In the 1950s the solid-body guitar became standard for lead instrument and accompaniment, and it was joined by the pedal steel guitar.

The first stage of exploitation was through the medium of radio in the 1920s, when barn dance shows sprung up in Atlanta, Fort Worth and Nashville. The most famous of these was the “WSM Barn Dance” which became the Grand Old Opry (borrowing its name from a program of grand opera which preceded it on the radio schedule).

Nationally, country music was first known as “Hillbilly” music, and early recordings were made in the 1920s. The catalyst in this explosion was one Ralph Sylvester Peer. Peer was born in 1892 in Independence, Missouri. He literally grew up in the record business, working in the shop where his father sold phonographs and recordings for the Columbia Graphophone Company. Early on Peer scoured the country side with a portable recording machine, looking for raw talent. As a talent scout for the Okeh record label during the early 1920s, Peer made landmark recordings of, among many others, Fiddlin' John Carson. In 1927, shortly after he joined the Victor Talking Machine Company, he discovered and recorded the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers in Bristol, Tennessee.

Peer formed the first major country publishing firm, Southern Music Publishing Company, in 1928; eventually, it made him a multimillionaire in a time when the country was in the depths of the Great Depression. Peer died in 1960 and was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1984.

Peer was a pioneer in recording figures such as Eck Robertson and Fiddlin’ John Carson. One of Peer’s most significant discoveries was a trio of mountain folk whose music he found irresistible in its sincerity and authenticity. The Carter Family has been called “the most influential and widely popular country-music singing group in the USA,” which was probably true in the late ‘20s and during much of the 1930s. The Original Carter Family consisted of A. P. (Alvin Pleasant) Carter, his wife Sara, and a sister-in-law Maybelle Carter, who later in her career was billed as “Mother Maybelle” and (her three daughters) the Carter Sisters, Helen, June, Anita. The original Carter recordings from August of 1927, captured in audition by Ralph Peer in Bristol, Tennessee for Victor Records (the most important recording label in the nation), signal the dawn of country music as a mass-disseminated musical style, and laid the groundwork for what we know today as country music.

In the recording of “Single Girl, Married Girl”, the singing voice you hear is Sara Carter, while the accompanying guitar is played by Maybelle. Let’s listen to a moment from that recording, and note how Maybelle’s flat-pick guitar style incorporates elements of the melody that is sung. The relation is even clearer when the voice enters. (Listen particularly closely to the very bottom of the guitar sound as it shadows the melody.)

One of the first influential early stars of country music was a former railway worker from Mississippi named Jimmie Rodgers who billed himself as the “singing brakeman.” Rodgers (1897-1933), who retired from the railroad in 1925 because of failing health, was the first country music star whose personal circumstances changed as a result of his commercial success. He made over 100 recordings which influenced later musicians such as Hank Williams, Bob Dylan and Merle Haggard. Significantly, in 1961 Rodgers became the first performer to be elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

His songs ranged from cowboy ballads to folk songs, railroad ballads and blues, and rowdy or risque songs. His vocal style was distinctly rural and set the tone for many singers who came later. He often incorporated yodels in his tunes. Here is a moment from a tune called “Rock All Our Babies to Sleep” which not only incorporates the yodel, but also the eternal Country Western theme of the dysfunctional family.

An important vehicle for the transmission of country music during the 1930s was the moving picture. In Hollywood, with the advent of sound film around 1930, the Western silent film genre fell on hard times. The solution, as in dramatic film, was to produce movies containing musical numbers, hence the vogue of the singing cowboy. Names such as Ken Maynard, Tex Ritter, Johnny Mack Brown, Gene Autry, and later, Roy Rogers, became well known to the man on the street who may not have yet acquired a taste for country music. These screen heroes were not just rough and tough defenders of law and order, they also liked to sing.

The incongruity of the singing cowboy in dramatic film is probably best presented in a probably apocryphal quotation from one of Gene Autry’s films, where he supposedly was heard to say: “Them bandits have beat up mah mother, ravished mah girl, burned down mah house, killed mah best friend and stolen mah prize cattle. Ah’m gonna git ‘em if’n it’s the last thing ah do - but first, folks, ah’m gonna sing ya a little song.”

In addition to his role as a singing cowboy, Autry’s other musical credits include the radio show Melody Ranch, with its theme song “I’m Back in the Saddle Again,” and he also made the first recording of the Christmas classic “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer.”

World War II was the catalyst that converted country music from a regional phenomenon to a national one; the war economy prompted population shifts that brought people of diverse backgrounds into closer contact in the military both at home and abroad, but also brought throngs of people from the south to work in defense plants in major cities in the North and the West Coast. In each instance these groups brought with them both their musical tastes and instruments.

Following the Second World War, the term “hillbilly” was shunned in favor of the more polite “country” or “country-western” handle. After the War figures such as Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb were household names among military personnel who had returned home. By 1950, when Hank Williams reached the peak of his career, country music had become an institution in American entertainment; the “Grand Old Opry” in particular served as the focus of national attention, and Nashville was the acknowledged center of the country-music industry.

In 1943 the Grand Ol’ Opry found a home in Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. It was a building originally constructed as an evangelical church in 1892 (one can see that clearly from its architectural features), but for over thirty years Ryman Auditorium served as the Mecca of Country Music. Anyone in the business had to make a pilgrimage there, not just once, but probably on a regular basis.

Hank Williams first came to prominence in radio shows such as the Louisiana Hayride and the Grand Ole Opry which he dominated from 1949-1952. In 1946 he signed a songwriting contract with Acuff-Rose Publications, the leading publisher of country music, which subsequently managed his career. Most of his life Williams was addicted to drugs and alcohol, and experienced a troubled marriage, all of which contributed to his strained, wiry vocal style. He drew heavily on aspects of Black American music (it was a Black street musician who first taught him those primary chords on the guitar).

Williams could be called the Hillbilly Schubert. He wrote more songs sung by other artists than any other major figure in Country Western music, artists outside the style of Country Music. Figures such as Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, and Rosemary Clooney, have recorded his tunes, as have some symphony orchestras. You may know that recently a new Hank Williams tribute CD has appeared, including artists such as Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Keb’ Mo’, Back, Mark Knopfler, Tom Petty, Keith Richards, Emmylou Harris, HW III, Lucinda Wms, and Johnny Cash. Williams composed dozens of tunes that to this day are country classics, and many of them have transcended country venues. Here is a moment from a remake of Williams’ tune “Cold, Cold Heart” as recorded a third time by Tony Bennett.

Or Ray Charles’ recording from 1962 of Williams’ “You Win Again.” His tunes range from the sentimental to the maudlin to novelty. “Move It On Over” shows the novelty aspect, as a philandering husband finds himself in the dog house.

Perhaps his best-known tune was “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” written as a message to his former wife. It captures the soulful, sobbing vocal style for which country music has long been notorious.

The popularity of country music reached its zenith in the 1960s and ‘70s, and newer centers such as Bakersfield and Austin, TX challenged the preeminence of Nashville, though the term “Nashville Sound” became virtually synonymous with country music. While the Grand Ole Opry remained its focal point, some stars such as Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Charley Pride, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson sought an identification apart from it.

Outlaws: In a 1966 film “The Nashville Rebel,” Waylon Jennings first attracted attention as a rebel country music figure. Jennings hailed from Littlefield, TX. Born in 1937, he spent a number of years as a wandering musician and disk jockey in Texas. Jennings played electric bass in Buddy Holly’s band in the late 1950s, so his background also included rock and roll. In the 1970s he became associated with Willie Nelson, and the two played the role as a rebel foil to the Nashville Country Music establishment. Jennings’ music blends the heavy rhythm and guitar work of lighter rock styles.

Ignoring fiddles, and de-emphasizing steel guitar participation, the rocking momentum is clear. Here’s a moment from “(I’m a) Ramblin’ Man.”

Hank Williams Jr. became one of the foremost proponents of the outlaw style. As the early generations of country musicians aged or died out, the outlaw movement ultimately attracted a much younger audience to country music. Hank Williams III has appeared and is working to find his own place in the Williams legacy. (Ronald) Merle Haggard: His parents came to California as Okie immigrants in 1934. Haggard was born in Bakersfield in 1937. His father was a fiddle player, and as a child Haggard was drawn to that instrument, but was later influenced by the likes of Jimmy Rodgers, Bob Wills, and particularly Lefty Frizzell (from whom he adopted the honky-tonk vocal inflections). Haggard’s tune “Mama Tried” (1968) documents his rebellious youth; he spent several years in reform school and in San Quentin Prison. Following Haggard’s release from prison in 1960, Buck Owens helped him find musical work in Bakersfield clubs, and in 1962 Haggard made his first recordings. In 1964 he musically teamed up with Bonnie Owens, Buck’s former wife, they were later married.

In 1965 Haggard formed his own band, The Strangers, and he signed a contract with Capitol Records. His greatest early success came with the tune “Okie From Muskogee,” which was originally intended as a half-comic attack on hippies and political dissenters, but which identified Haggard with a politically conservative viewpoint. Later his image changed to that of a working class poet.

Haggard’s music is marked by strophic songs with phrases that often emphasize the fifth or seventh degree of the scale and move downward. The lyrics are laconic, to the point, and often contain an element of irony.

 A tune of his that may find new resonance today in some circles is one called “The Fightin’ Side of Me.”

Musical parallels between “Okie...” and “Fightin’...” are very clear.

(Alvis Edgar, Jr.) Buck Owens: Born in Sherman, Texas in 1929, as a teenager Owens played mandolin and guitar on a radio station in Mesa, AZ. He moved to Bakersfield in 1951 where he joined the Bill Woods band as a guitarist. He later played as a sideman in recording sessions in Hollywood, and in 1956 began recording as a soloist on the Pep label and later for Capitol records. His best years as a solo performer were 1963-9, when no less than 17 of his recordings reached number one on the country chart. “Love’s Gonna Live Here Again,” (1963) “I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail,” (1965) “Waitin’ in Your Welfare Line” (1966) were among them. Owens was important in establishing what later became known as the “Bakersfield Sound.”

Owens hosted a nationally syndicated television show first called the “Buck Owens Ranch Show.” He built a commercial empire including a music publishing house, recording studios, and radio stations in AZ & CA. His star as a soloist faded in the 1970s, but he remained in the public eye as host, with Roy Clark, of the popular “HEE-HAW” TV show, from 1969. The death of musical collaborator Don Rich was a blow to Owens and he retreated into semi-retirement until he was sought out by a member of the younger generation, Dwight Yoakam, and Owens was again thrust into national prominence.

“Act Naturally” (February, 1963) Compared to Haggard, Owens’ style has more varied melodic outlines, a more extroverted vocal style (tenor vs the bass/baritone of Haggard) that incorporates some wailing characteristics. The 1960s tunes feature some of the rockabilly guitar work associated with early rock and roll.

 * * * *

To prime you for the type of question you might expect in the future, here are some sample questions to sharpen your wits. The answers are given below.

1. Each of the following was a singing cowboy in the movies except one. Which one? Gene Autry; Roy Rogers; Ken Maynard; Tex Ritter; Johnny Cash.

2. The first female country solo artist to produce a million-selling record was: Patsy Montana; Patsy Cline; Cindy Walker; Kitty Wells; Mrs. Texas Gladden.

3. Which of the following is a descendant of an instrument first heard at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition? banjo, fiddle, guitar, pedal organ, steel guitar.

4. The most important instrument of Anglo-American folk music is the - guitar, banjo, fiddle, piano, flute.

5. The “lead” instrument of Western Swing style is likely to be fiddles, guitars, accordions, steel guitars, string basses.

6. The symbiosis of which two provided the corner stone for country music? radio & television; radio & recordings; television & recordings; film & radio; film & television.

7. His recordings first made the industry aware of the vast untapped potential market for southern Anglo-American folk music: Jimmie Rodgers; Eck Robertson; Hank Williams; A. P. Carter; John Carson.

8. Radio’s first surge of popularity came in 1890s; 1900s; 19-teens; 1920s; 1930s.

9. In the 1920s and ‘30s, which of the following provided the least expensive source of music? radio; piano; phonograph; television.

10. His connection to country music was distant, but interest in his music helped create an audience for country music: Johnny Cash; Lefty Frizell; Woody Guthrie; Gene Autry; Jimmie Rodgers.

11. Incorporating the yodel in his songs seems to have been an innovation of: Johhny Cash; Left Frizell; Woody Guthrie; Gene Autry; Jimmie Rodgers.

12. The first radio broadcast of country music originated in the city of - Atlanta; Memphis; Nashville; Louisville; Bakersfield.

13. The manner of playing the banjo with the thumb and first two fingers of the strumming hand, each having a pick, is attributed to Earl Scruggs, Merle Travis, Orville Gibson, Terry Christopherson, Leo Fender.

14. The station manager whose efforts led to the Grand Ol’ Opry was - a. Glen Rice; George Hay; Ralph Peer; Polk Brockman; David Sarnoff.

15. Whom among the following was responsible for the original Beverly Hillbillies? Glen Rice; George Hay; Ralph Peer; Polk Brockman; Buddy Ebsen.

Good Luck to All Decathletes!

Answers:

1. Johnny Cash 2. Patsy Montana 3. steel guitar 4. fiddle 5. fiddles 6. radio & recordings 7. John Carson 8. 1920s 9. radio 10. Woody Guthrie 11. Jimmie Rodgers 12. Atlanta 13. Earl Scruggs 14. George Hay 15. Glen Rice


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