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Hank3 Talks New Album "Brothers of the 4X4″ & More
The son of Hank Jr. and the grandson of Hank Williams known as Hank3 is poised to release two new albums next week, and embark on an extended tour of Texas, the West Coast, and upper Midwest. Brothers of the 4X4 and A Fiendish Threat come on the heels of an extended touring hiatus after Hank3′s drummer Shawn McWilliams required shoulder surgery. Hank3 was gracious enough to talk with us ahead of the tour and releases to let fans know what they can expect, and about other issues around the independent music world.
You can listen to the entire interview below. For those who prefer a written form, the meat of the interview is transcribed below as well.
Check Hank3′s Tour Dates
Pre-Order Brothers of the 4X4 & A Fiendish Threat
Trigger: On Octobers 1st you'll be releasing two new albums, Brothers of the 4X4 on the country side of things, and A Fiendish Threat on the punk side. These come out of an extended period when you were not touring because your drummer needed shoulder surgery. Was it your plan to put out new albums now, or did they come out of the tour void?
Hank3: Basically, I always record records in the winter time. So since Shawn was down for a while, I picked up the pen at the end of January and everything was written and recorded and done by April on both records. So they came pretty naturally. A couple of the songs that in my eyes are more of the traditional roots, songs like "Loners For Life" or "Deep Scars," we're getting a little more old school. "Possum In A Tree" was specifically written for Leroy Troy, a clawhammer banjo player. I had him in mind when I wrote that song, and went over to his place and had some fun and captured the sound we were going for. At least on Brothers of the 4X4, it gives you a a couple of the old roots ones, it gives you a couple of songs like "Lookey Yonder Commin'" that at least the first part of the song has some of the bluegrass feel on the drive of it. And then you have a couple of songs that are not necessarily country, like "Ain't Broken Down" is almost like your Spaghetti Western / Pink Floyd kind of sounding song. So there's quite a few different moods on it.
With your last country-ish album Ghost to a Ghost, you went out of your way to say that you really didn't think it was country. With Brothers of the 4X4 you're saying there's traditional country tracks on it. Can people expect to hear something more similar to what they heard on your earlier records as opposed to the more recent ones, or is that simplifying it?
I still think every record has its own different sound, and a different approach. The players change, I change. Even though it's different, it will have the roots on it. If you put it up against and pop country radio song, yeah, it has a lot more of a traditional feel in my eyes. I always make sure I have the banjo and the stand up bass, stand up steel guitar, the acoustic, and fiddle, and just have that foundation there.
As time has gone on, you have assumed more and more responsibilities in your album making process to the point where now you're doing most everything on the country record except for playing the lead instruments. You've talked before about how you hate producers. Do you feel like you're missing out on something by not engaging in the collaborative process of music, or do you feel like you work best by yourself?
I don't hate producers. I hate it when people are trying to tell you, "You need to do this to make your song better." I'm totally in to people who know a million things about sound and all that stuff. But I know my sound, I know my songs, I write songs for myself. Buzz from The Melvins is the exact same way. He totally agrees with that same philosophy. Some people don't want to have anything to do with the songwriting process, and want people to tell them, "Hey, do this." But when you're dealing with someone as creative as me or as creative as Buzz, we know our sound, we know our riffs, we know what we're going for. So that can be a problem. If I wake up at 5:30 in the morning and I'm ready to start playing drums, especially on the punk rock record where there's pretty intense moments, if I have to wait two hours for somebody to show up, then the spark is usually gone by the time they get there and get everything set up. I like being able to play when I'm ready to play. And sometimes I pull some pretty long days. That's pretty much the reason, for now, I'm taking on everything. Some producers are good to work with, and some aren't. It just depends the environment. But most of the time I'm into just going for it.
Speaking of collaborations, you recently had a song come out with David Allan Coe. It seemed like a long time coming, but it finally did. How did "The Outlaw Ways" come about?
I've known him since I was a child. I've always looked up to him on stage and touring, and he's been a good friend to me, and a hero. Basically we talked about it, and over time we were able to get some lyrics where we wanted them, he came by the house, and we got it sounding how he was envisioning the song. It was a fun process, and glad to be able to give back to one of my heroes.
Speaking of Outlaws, have you heard about the new Outlaw Country Music Hall of Fame set to open in Lynchburg, TN? And if so, what are your thoughts on it?
I've only heard a couple of people talk about it. It is what it is. Hopefully they'll get it up and running. I know opening up any kind of business is always tough to do. Good luck for them, and hope for the best for it.
Have you heard about Dale Watson's Ameripolitan movement, and have any thoughts on that?
I've been kind of out of the loop just trying to get all the new players and new drummers and trying to get the road crew, and everything lined up for the tours. That's been basically 24 / 7 so I'm kind of out of the loop on that right now.
Despite going on some pretty long tour hiatuses over the last few years, you still seem to be drawing pretty consistently live—still selling-out decent-sized venues. What do you attribute this to?
I would just say hard work, paying respects to the fans, and always keeping the hard working men and women in mind on the money. Trying to give them the longest show for the cheapest ticket price. I've always gone out of my way to fight for that. A lot of times when you show respect, you get respect back in return. I would just say a hard work ethic has paid off.
Along those same lines, Shooter Jennings recently started charging people $85 for meet and greets before his shows. Is that something you would ever do?
No. The old country way is you do your show and you say "hello." That's the way I've done it ever since I've been on the road. Why would I change it now? I think if I did that, my fans would definitely would be like, "What's this?" I've always done the show, and after I shake every hand, take every picture, and I make my fans feel connected to what we do.
You seem to be a guy who is really big into artifacts, whether it be your boots that you wore for a long time that you had duct taped, I know you had a hat that was important to you stolen a few years back, and you've been wearing the same pants and vests. Why do you think you have such a draw to artifacts of your life?
It's just like a frame of mind. A lot of different people and crews have worked on those. You got a lot of drifting kids, a lot of train kids. Basically it's just like art. You create, and then you destroy. So a lot of people over the years have helped me rebuild a lot of that stuff. So it has a lot of heart to it, and a lot of meaning to it. Those are my work clothes for right now.
I recall a recent comment of yours that there might be some upcoming activity on your attempt to get Hank Williams reinstated into the Grand Ole Opry. Do you have any updates for us?
All we can do is just talk about it. As long as we talk about it, you know, we're not asking for a $100,000 statue, we're just asking for one night, paying some respects, and that's basically it. As long as we talk about, sometimes people come and go in the business, and all it takes is one person to be re-hired in a position, and there you go, it could happen as simple as that.
Interview: Head of New Outlaw Country Hall of Fame Gary Sargeant
On August 15th, the plans for the upcoming Outlaw Country Music Hall of Fame and an accompanying Outlaw Music Association were made public. 5,000 sq. ft. of space has been allocated for the new Hall of Fame in Lynchburg, TN, and a Board of Directors has been formed that includes Jeremy Tepper of SiriusXM, Terry Jennings of Korban Music Group, author of Outlaws Still At Large Neil Hamilton, Joe Swank at Bloodshot Records, mayor of Lynchburg Sloane Stewart, Professor of Entertainment Law David Spangenburg, architect Thomas Bartoo, and CEO of Sol Records Brian DeBruler.
The announcement stimulated a lot of speculation about what direction the upcoming Hall of Fame would take, but not many serious answers. So Saving Country Music reached out to Gary "Sarge" Sargeant, the spearhead of the Outlaw Country Hall of Fame, to try and clear up many questions about what folks can expect from the upcoming institution.
Sarge is also putting on a charity event coming up October 25-27 for Troy Rector who suffered a debilitating medical accident. The event will be at Chopper Hill in Altamont, TN (More information). The inaugural class of inductees to the Outlaw Hall of Fame will be announced during the event.
You can listen to the entire interview below. For those who prefer a written form, the meat of the interview is transcribed below as well.
Trigger: Who is Gary Sargeant, and what motivated him to start an Outlaw Country Music Hall of Fame?
Gary Sargeant: I'm a lifelong fan, 55 years old, of Outlaw music, independent artists and labels, and just firmly believe in people who stay true to themselves and their music, and don't compromise. It all started at a David Allan Coe benefit that I attended back in June. He was in an accident and wasn't able to tour. I was kind of upset that David Allan Coe required a benefit. That at 73, he had to tour just to pay his bills because back in the day, things happened and he doesn't own his catalog. And I was trying to think of a way we could support legends, and recognize people like David, or any number of people that have contributed so much to this music, and have never compromised. I wanted to make sure we had a place to recognize those folks who will never get recognized by anybody else, and then also be able to support today's Outlaws—the Pete Berwick's, the Gurf Morlix's. Its time has come, and we're going to do this.
When you announced the Outlaw Country Music Hall of Fame, you included a Board of Directors. Why have a Board of Directors?
Well, again it goes back to me being just a fan. I'm a fan with an idea. But I knew if we were going to do this and be taken seriously, and if it was going to be successful, I needed to put together a group of industry professionals.
The term "Outlaw" has already been taken by Music Row and used for marketing purposes. It's safe to say that there's music consumers out there that think Outlaw means Justin Moore, Eric Church, and others. How do you distinguish yourself from Music Row's version of Outlaws when Music Row's reach is so vast?
Nashville can tell somebody to dress in black jeans, grow a five day stubble, put on these boots, act all bad boy. That doesn't make you Outlaw. Outlaw to me is not a genre of music. Outlaw is an attitude. Outlaw is a refusal to compromise your music or your beliefs in order to make a dollar. It is traveling up and down the roads, thousands of miles a year, traveling 500 miles to play a $150 show. True Outlaws are doing it for the love of the music only. I believe there's going to be a lot of defections from Nashville music once the Outlaw Music Association and Hall of Fame are established and up and running. The definition of Outlaw should be made by those that are truly Outlaw, not some publicist sitting in an ivory tower in Nashville thinking that this will sell records.
Some may say the term Outlaw is outmoded because Nashville is taking it and using it with very prominent artists like Justin Moore—that the term doesn't hold the same sway or meaning it once did. Are you saying that term needs to be fought for?
I'm saying it needs to be clearly defined. Of course Nashville is going to try and take anything successful and try to co-opt it. But them jumping on the bandwagon doesn't make them independent artists. They're playing to a formula. But the formula doesn't work. Listen to the stuff coming out of Nashville.
How do you feel about Dale Watson's Ameripolitan movement, and how does it fit in your plans for the Outlaw Music Association? Will there be overlap? Could there be potential conflict? Is it splitting the independent-minded or Outlaw populous of country music into two segments?
I wouldn't think so. My hope would be that people going in that direction, because that's very narrowly focused right now, I hope they would go, "Hold on a second, here's something that has come along, that is exactly what we're trying to do, but encompasses even more people, and hopefully is a very inviting and open Association." Because I believe if we start putting restrictions on who is going to be in it, then we're no better than the CMA or anybody else. Great music is great music, whether it be Texas Swing, or Southern rock country, or traditional country. If you're an artist and you believe in what you're doing, and you're good at what you do, we're going to give you all the support in the world, whether it be Dale Watson, or Shooter Jennings who can go off in different tangents and experiment with different music, or Hank3 who is so excellent. There's so many artist out there that don't have a place to call home, and that's what the Outlaw Music Association is gonna be. It's gonna be a place where independent labels and artists can receive support, promotion, and have a place they can call home and feel welcomed for who they are instead of something somebody else wants them to be.
We've seen in the past, for example with Shooter Jennings' "XXX" movement and Dale Watson's Ameripolitan movement, there's been a lot of conflict and dissension with these attempts to unify the music behind a common purpose. I think that may be what is at the root of some fear and concern of what the Outlaw Music Association and Outlaw Country Music Hall of Fame will become. There's a history of trying to find a uniting element apart from the CMA in the history of country music. Back in the 70′s there was "ACE" that was set up after Olivia Newton-John and John Denver had won CMA Awards. Traditional country artists met at the house of George Jones and Tammy Wynette and tried to form a new thing. The Academy of Country Music was set up because West Coast entertainers felt like the CMA was bias against California country artists. ACE never really took off, and the ACM just became a doppelganger of the CMA….
…and you forgot to mention the AMA, the Americana Music Association.
Sure, which I personally have said in the past is very narrow in focus, even though a lot of the artists they help promote are great artists.
I couldn't agree with you more. To me, there is an extreme hunger and thirst out there to have an alternative to what's being pushed down everybody's throats by Nashville, the record labels, and the conglomerate of radio stations that are out there. Our focus is not narrow. I don't care if it's Dale Watson, or Hellbound Glory, or Jamey Johnson, it doesn't matter. There's a whole group of artists out there that deserve to be supported. We are not going to impose conditions. If you're talented, and your music speaks for itself, and your music speaks to fans, our goal is to make sure that we support you. We're not guaranteeing success for anybody. But we're not going to say, "You're not worthy." Everybody's worthy if they're a musician, and they work hard, they write their own music and stay true to it, and they have some fans and are successful, we're going to make sure they have an opportunity to be even more successful. We are a non-profit. Our proceeds go to supporting the legends, and also supporting the independent artists of today.
The narrowing of perspective seems to be a really big challenge of independent music right now, whether it is with the Americana Music Association, or just these little scenes that have popped up in independent music. How do you insulate yourself from that trend?
Technology is changing by leaps and bounds every month, let alone every year. The money to be made in today's world is through touring…touring and merchandise. So we are going to support tours. As a non-profit—it's kind of being dubbed the Outlaw iTunes—where independent artists can upload their music, and we will turn around and allow it to be downloaded for 99 cents a download, and we give all of it back to the artists while not taking 63 cents. We will be asking for a small donation that will go back to the legends. Technology is changing so quickly, and we have some very good people who are up to speed on today's technology and the future of music distribution. Those are the areas we want to educate independent artists and labels on, and assist them in giving them an outlet to distribute their music, and use the Hall of Fame to support tours, and get [artists] out in front of the people. Are we going to be the savior? Hell no. But are we going to do everything that we can to help these folks who are working so hard and believe in what they're doing? Yes, we're going to do everything we can. Is it guaranteeing success? No. Is it guaranteeing effort? Yes.
There's a lot of people out there touring and writing their own songs, but that doesn't necessarily mean that their music is valuable enough to be heard by the masses. What's to keep people who may not embody the Outlaw spirit from just becoming part of this if there's no governor to keep anybody and everybody from applying?
The fans of Outlaw music are by far the most discerning fans in the world. Otherwise, these artists wouldn't have any success. An artist will make it if his fans want him to make it. The fans are going to decide if you make it or not, not the Association.
The assertion about Music Row is that they choose who is going to be the stars, and then they push that to the fans. What you're saying with the Outlaw Music Association is the fans would choose the stars, and the OMA just gives them the platform and the support so that the fans can make that choice.
Eloquently put. And shouldn't that be the way it is? Shouldn't the fans be able to say what they like and don't like? They shouldn't be told what's good and not good. With the focus being so narrow and money dictating who is going to be the next star, we're all robbed. The fans are robbed, the artists are robbed, everybody is robbed of the next potential star. It's not my job to decide who is good and who's not good.
Tompall Glaser recently passed away. Right after he died, I posted a quote that came from him back in the 70′s that goes, "Damn it, the fight isn't in Austin and it isn't in Los Angeles. It's right here in Nashville, right here two blocks from Music Row, and if we win–and if our winning is ever going to amount to anything in the long run–we've got to beat them on their own turf." And I've heard some similar criticisms about Dale Watson's Ameripolitan genre where it seems like, "Okay, were going to give up on Nashville and country music, and we're just going to call it what we want to call it." What would be your rebuttal to that as far as setting up something that's apart from Nashville and Music Row?
Lynchburg, TN is not but 55 miles south of Nashville. It's close enough to pull resources from the Nashville area, but still far enough away and separated enough to say, "Hey, this is separate. This is an alternative." The people, the demographics that are visiting Lynchburg on a daily basis are the same people that are going to visit our Hall of Fame. It's all about inclusion. This country is based on freedom, and I believe artists ought to have the freedom to practice their music the way they want without the almighty dollar driving their product.
In closing, I would just like to say to all the fans of Outlaw country music, thank you, and if you really want to make a difference, you have an opportunity. But you have to express your voice. You can't just sit in your truck or in your house and say, "This sucks," and expect it to change. If you want change, this is your opportunity. This is a grass roots movement. This is your Hall of Fame. This is your Association. If you want to support artists that made the music what it is today, and those that are continuing in that same vein, support the Hall of Fame, support the Association. Let your artists know that you support us, that you support them by supporting us. This is only going to work if the average fan stands up and says, "I've had enough. I want a hand in what I listen to."
The Time A Topless Neko Case Got Banned from the Opry
In 2013, there is only one music artist who can say they're officially banned for life from country music's most storied institution: the Grand Ole Opry. No, it's not David Allan Coe, Hank Williams III, or some other hothead, firebrand artist quick to call out the Opry and other mainstream country music institutions at any perceived slight. No, the offending party is none other than alt-country luminary Neko Case.
This may not be completely surprising seeing how Neko got her start in music as the drummer for a punk band, and has regularly collaborated with artists and bands outside of the country fold like The New Pornographers. But like many of the artists making up the alt-country movement in the mid 90′s, it can be argued that Neko had more respect for the roots of country music, and for country music institutions like the Grand Ole Opry, than many of country music's artists did at the time, and certainly do today.
In October of 1998 when Neko's first album The Virginian was blowing up in the alt-country realm, the Las Vegas Sun interviewed the young songstress, where she professed her philosophy behind country music, and her love for the Grand Ole Opry, in an article appropriately titled "Neko Case's Quest for the Grand Ole Opry."
I don't play "alternative country" music; I just play country music. I want to have the same outlets, the same goals that all my heroes in country/western music have had. I want to play the Grand Old Opry in my grandmother's lifetime, you know what I mean? I want to be played on mainstream radio. I'm not willing to change my music to get there faster, but I'll fight for it anyway. I don't think anyone gives a shit about country radio. It's bullshit. It just makes me mad that (country radio) is using the term "country music," when it doesn't belong to them.
I think now is the time for change in country music; hopefully it'll change for the better. It really burns that all the bands that inspired me were part of a national country music culture that was really admirable and fairly diverse at one time. I want to have the same avenues open to me. It's like having this beautiful old building in your neighborhood and coming back to find that they've torn it down and built a Wal-Mart in its place.
Neko Case would get close to having her Grand Ole Opry wish granted when she was invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry Plaza Party just outside the Grand Ole Opry House in the summer of 2001. Playing the Plaza Party was seen as a precursor to being able to play the Opry proper, and is the place where many Opry mainstays like Old Crow Medicine Show and Dale Watson got their Opry starts. With the respect Neko Case had for the Opry, she was excited for the opportunity.
"People who have gone to the Opry or are on their way to the Opry come by and check you out while they're coming and going," Neko explained to the Denver Westword that summer. "You get to go backstage at the Opry, which is the really cool part."
Everything seemed to be going well for Neko and her Opry dream until one afternoon performance in July at the Plaza Party that was especially sweltering. The stage the Opry had set up for their Plaza performers was black, and right beside it was a barbecue pit that was pouring heat out onto the performers. With dreams of making it onto the Opry's main stage, Neko Case persevered through the heat during her show, but it began to get unbearable and she started to wilt.
Neko Case started making requests for water from surrounding staff, but they went unfulfilled and she began to get dizzy. As Case began suffering from the effects odf heat stroke, she asked the staff if she could take a short break, and was told no. The situation became desperate for Neko, who was on the verge of passing out or suffering from some serious, long-term damage if she couldn't resolve her rising body temperature. So in a panic, Neko removed her shirt to help cool off. As you can imagine, the family-friendly Opry did not look favorably upon this.
Exacerbating the shirt removal was the weight of Neko Case's past in music and her statements about country, seeming to imply to the Opry and others that this wasn't just an instance of heat exhaustion, but that Neko was making some symbolic statement by bearing her womanhood in public (though she still had a bra on beneath). As the stories swirled about Neko's shirtless set, it was taken by some as an obscene gesture to cause a sensational outcry, or to stand against the direction of country music, or some other counterculture statement.
But that wasn't the case. I wasn't trying to be sexy or rebellious — I was just getting heatstroke up there," Neko later explained to Rolling Stone. "I didn't do anything obscene. I wouldn't want to see me with my shirt off, either." But the explanation didn't do much good, and the incident resulted in a lifetime ban from the Grand Ole Opry—the institution Neko cherished so.
Neko has since come to peace with her fate. "I was pretty depressed for a couple of months after that happened, but I got over it," Neko told The Guardian. Neko later memorialized the incident by naming her 2002 album Blacklisted.
She still hopes to return to the Opry some day and fulfill her dream. "They'll forgive me one day," she told Fairfax Digital. "I still love them."
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Neko Case just released a new album, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You.
The Raised Middle Finger: Why It Means More In Country
During Johnny Cash's legendary concert at San Quentin Prison in 1969, photographer Jim Marshall said to Johnny backstage, "John, let's do a shot for the warden." The result was the photograph above that mostly remained under wraps until 1998. That is when producer Rick Rubin decided to use the iconic photo in an ad in Billboard magazine decrying country radio's lack of love for Johnny's second album on Rubin's American label called Unchained. Despite no industry support, Unchained went on to win the 1998 Grammy for "Best Country Album."
Since then the image of the angry face and the raised middle finger has become an iconic symbol of defiance against the direction of country music. As indecent as a raised middle finger happens to be in the first place (and the propensity for some seedy country fans and artists to over-saturate its use in every single photo of them), it has come to mean much more than its vulgar connotation in the fight to save country music.
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Willie Nelson's middle finger photo was shot by a photographer named Sean Moorman on Willie Nelson's tour bus on July 26, 2002. The title of image is "Willie Nelson Sending Jim Marshall Regards." Both the Jim Marshall photo of Johnny Cash and the Sean Moorman photo of Willie stimulated litigation when Urban Outfitters printed up Johnny Cash middle finger T-shirts without permission, and Spencer Gifts did the same with Willie.
Dale Watson doing his best Johnny Cash impression:
Leroy Virgil of Hellbound Glory letting the bird fly for Dirty Impound's The Freebird Project (James R. Martin – Photographer):
Hank Williams III and David Allan Coe in younger days:
Jonny (Corndawg) Fritz telling a fan they're #1 (Kayley Luftig – Photographer):
Bob Wayne, adding the stink eye for extra emphasis:
Jeff Austin of the Yonder Mountain String Band doing the double bird (Chad Smith Photography):
Keith Richards' middle finger is insured for $1.6 million. Yes, that one he's point at you. And no, I'm not kidding.
The wet cigarette of country music, Kid Rock. And Saving Country Music friend "Pointer" from a downtown Nashville excursion in 2011 getting his picture with Kid Rock on the front of Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.
Townes Van Zandt, from the back cover of his 1972 album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt.
Kellie Pickler telling Kanye West "Fuck You!" for not liking country music (see video).
Lenny Kravitz giving the crowd at the 2013 CMA Fan Fest the double bird because they "couldn't get with love" during his elongated set that left the crowd underwhelmed.
A sign hanging up in the Johnny Cash themed bar and music venue in Austin, TX called the Mean Eyed Cat.
The ad Rick Rubin placed in Billboard Magazine after Johnny Cash won the 1998 Grammy for Best Country Album:
Country Music Rap Sheet – A Picture History of Mugshots & Arrests
Authenticity and dysfunction are regularly celebrated in country music, and what better way to celebrate that than to look back in time a some of the most notable mugshots and arrests of country music's most notable stars.
Johnny Cash
Cash was arrested twice. The first was after a trip to Mexico when he tried to hide 1,163 Dexedrine and Equanil tablets in his guitar case while crossing the border near El Paso, TX in 1965. Since the drugs were prescription instead of illegal narcotics, Cash received a suspended sentence. He was arrested again in 1966 in Starkville, Miss. for … get this … picking flowers late at night. The property owner pressed trespassing charges, and Johnny spent time in the Starkville County Jail, resulting in the song of the same name.
Though Cash was famous for his concerts at Folsom Prison and San Quentin, he never served time in anything bigger than a city jail (the bottom mug was just for show).
Willie Nelson
The trouble started for Willie Nelson way back in 1960 when he was arrested for speeding in Pasadena, TX (near Houston). And then came the pot busts:
- 1974 – For possession in Dallas, TX.
- 1994 – For possession in Hewitt (near Waco) when Willie pulled his Mercedes off the side of the highway for a siesta and an officer found a joint in the ashtray and eventually a bag of marijuana. The judge ruled the evidence inadmissible and the charges were dropped.
- 2006 – For possession in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana for one-and-a-half pounds of marijuana and 3 oz. of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Willie, his sister Bobbi, and Willie's manager were all arrested, eventually receiving 6 months probation.
- 2010 – For possession of 6 ounces of marijuana at the Sierra Blanca, Texas border checkpoint. Willie eventually only had to pay a fine.
Jerry Lee Lewis
In the dead of night in November of 1976, a drunken and armed Jerry Lee Lewis showed up to the gates of Graceland demanding to see his fellow Sun Studios alum Elvis right then and there. The guard rang Elvis who refused "The Killer's" request, and then rang Memphis police when Lewis began waving a gun around.
Hank Williams Jr.
You may think because Hank Jr. was the last of his rowdy friends to settle down that at some point he would wind up in the pokey, but it turns out his mugshot was for a bunk charge from a 19-year-old in March of 2006 that said Jr. put her in a choke hold after she refused to kiss him. Jr. turned himself in, and after finding out the girl was looking to cash in big on the accusation and that there was no real evidence of the altercation, the charges were dropped.
Glen Campbell
In November of 2003, Glen Campbell was arrested at his home near Phoenix, AZ after hitting and running while drunk in his BMW. Then while Campbell was being processed, he kneed an officer in the leg, which added an aggravated assault of a police officer charge. Campbell pleaded down some of the counts, and eventually spent 10 days in jail.
Rodney Atkins
Domestic abuse charges landed Rodney Atkins in front of the police camera in February of 2012, but the news about the charges didn't come out until his wife filed for divorce a few weeks later. The news also came on the heels of Rodney re-signing with Curb Records. The charges were later dropped as part of the divorce settlement.
Hank Williams
An indelible image of country music's first superstar in this midst of his downfall in 1952, leaving the jailhouse in Alexander City, Alabama.
Billy Joe Shaver
Notable country music songwriter Billy Joe Shaver sits on the witness stand stemming from an altercation behind Papa Joe's bar near Waco, TX in 2007 when Shaver shot a man non lethally in the face with a .22 pistol. The incident became a piece of country music lore when Dale Watson wrote a song titled "Where Do You Want It?" allegedly for the question Shaver asked his victim before he pulled the trigger. The high-profile trial incuded Willie Nelson showing up as a Shaver character witness, and eventually all charges were dropped against when it was ruled Shaver was acting in self defense.
Wynonna Judd
In 2003, daughter Judd was pulled over for speeding and subsequently blew a .175, lading her in jail before she posted a $500 bail. It all happened right down the street from Music Row, so maybe it's true what they say about the country music industry driving artists to drink.
Kid Rock
Just like the "Wet Cigarette of Country Music" to get arrested at a Waffle House. In October of 2007, Kid Rock and his crew stopped into the DeKalb County, Georgia eatery where they proceeded to brawl with gawking patrons. Other members of Kid Rocks posse were also arrested. Rock was found guilty of simple battery. It was his 4th chance to strike the perp pose over the years for various charges.
David Allan Coe
You better believe DAC would be here, but unfortunately this is the biggest photo we can drum up of David from his time in the Ohio State Penal System.
Coe was also arrested in 2008 after an altercation in a casino when a misunderstanding about a jackpot resulted in security officers and police wrestling Coe to the ground. Coe countersued in 2010 for false arrest and assault. The entire altercation was caught on tape.
Billy Currington
Yes, we know that some of the younger generation of country performers don't want to pander to the "old farts and jackasses," but maybe Billy Currington took it a little too far when he threatened a 70-year-old boat captain for coming too close to his waterfront property in Tybee Island, Ga. Currington was cited in April of 2013 for making "terroristic threats" and "abuse of an elder." Case is still pending.
Johnny Paycheck
Johnny Paycheck spent 4 years battling an aggravated assault charge after shooting a man in a Hillsboro, OH bar during a brawl. Though multiple appeals kept Paycheck out of prison for a while, he was finally sentenced to the Chillicothe Correctional Institute in 1989 where he served two years before being paroled.
Chris Cagle
In May of 2008, Louisiana country star Chris Cagle got in a tussle with his girlfriend Jennifer Tant at the Player's Bar in Nashville before the couple took the bout home. Cagle wielded Jennifer's purse. Jennifer weilded an umbrella, and they both ended up in the big house. Police said they were both too drunk and disorderly to press any serious charges.
The Boomswagglers
When the underground country band from Austin, TX went to release their first album, they chose their mutual mugshots from the same Williamson County roundup to make up the CD art.
George Jones
No mugshots of George Jones's numerous run ins with the law during his drinking days have ever surfaced, but video did a few years ago from a George Jones documentary.
Randy Travis
Get well Randy! …. but we couldn't make this list without you. Travis was forced to pose for police camera twice in 2012; once after a drunken fight at a church, and the other after driving drunk….and naked.
Mickey Newbury's "An American Trilogy" is an Indelible Musical Work
"In America, one of the great things to do is listen to Mickey Newbury sing." –Waylon Jennings
It always seems like the most creative among us are never fit for the masses. Their gifts are too blinding, too rich for the wide palette, and so it takes an interpretation of their genius through others to find the broader audience their artistic expression deserves. These creative originators may not be fit for everyone, but for those tragic musical junkies who have built up such a tolerance to the interpretations and derivatives peddled on repeat radio for these very many years, seeking out and discovering the musical headwaters of a movement is like the discovery of untold wealth; a second chance to enjoy music like you're listening to it for the very first time.
Mickey Newbury would certainly qualify as one of these musical specimens, if not the ideal case study. Mickey was nothing short of a legend amongst his songwriting brethren, but was an artist whose own performance career was never graced with significant attention like many of the artists he lent his song material and inspiration to. A somewhat reclusive character who lived on a houseboat just outside of Nashville before moving away to Oregon to purposely get as far away from the music industry as possible, the case could be made that Mickey Newbury was one of the very first, if not the first true American country music "Outlaw." Mickey was the first to be released from his contract with the intrusive RCA label and win the stipulation to be able to produce his own albums or choose his own producer—years before Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings would accomplish the same from the Nashville recording establishment, partly inspired by Newbury's story.
Just like Willie, Waylon, and Kris Kristofferson, Mickey Newbury was originally from Texas. Famous country DJ Ralph Emery calls Mickey the first "hippie cowboy." And though Willie Nelson's Phases and Stages from 1974 is usually given the credit of being one of country music's very first concept albums, Newbury's 1969 Looks Like Rain might be the more worthy candidate.
Looks Like Rain was the first installment in what would become an album trilogy from the gifted songwriter between 1969 and 1973, later to be christened An American Trilogy after arguably Newbury's most memorable song of the same name. Though Newbury was best known as an original songwriter, "An American Trilogy" was a medley that included parts of the Confederate Anthem "Dixie," the Bahamian lullaby "All My Trials," and the Union army's "Battle Hymn of the Republic." It became Newbury's signature performance piece, showcasing his incredibly powerful voice, and ability to conjure moments in music that haunt you well after the last refrain.
In 2011, the three albums of Looks Like Rain, 'Frisco Mabel Joy, and Heaven Help The Child, along with 15 demo songs, rarities, and unreleased recordings were assembled together in hopes of presenting Newbury's music to a new generation, and reminding an older generation of Newbury's contributions. When you think of "Outlaw" songwriters, you think of rough and tumble characters like Billy Joe Shaver or David Allan Coe, but Newbury and his American Trilogy has a sparse, almost genteel approach, leaning more on organ and strings than steel guitar, giving it a reverence and a lifting action like nothing else heard in country music, then or now.
The first album Looks Like Rain works like one continuous track, spelling out a very personal narrative, with wind chimes seamlessly creating a bed in between songs, pulling you into the album's depths; into the little proprietary world Mickey creates, and enhancing the entire experience beyond the allure of the individual songs themselves.
'Frisco Mabel Joy may be the most complete and accessible album of the collection, with the "An American Trilogy" opening song setting the mood. It loosely follows a young Southern man on a journey to find a lost love that traverses the American continent, and seems to tell the country's story along the way. "An American Trilogy" captures such an inspired performance, it deserves to be considered right beside the greatest American compositions of all time like "Ode To The Common Man" and "This Land Is Your Land." The album ends with the plaintive, but very enjoyable "How I Love Them Old Songs," marking one of the trilogy's most country compositions.
Heaven Help The Child illustrates the ever-present evolution, transformation, and insistence on growth and understanding that Mickey Newbury's life was an exemplar of, while once again highlighting his propensity to create a seamless album experience and memorable moments. All three albums were recorded at Cinderella Sound in Madison, Tennessee, so the albums all work seamlessly between each other as well. You don't skip around to select tracks on An American Trilogy. You push play and allow yourself to get lost in the music.
The American Trilogy era from Mickey Newbury's body of work has become an absolute wellspring of musical material for other artists, and one that helped lay the groundwork for country music's Outlaw era. Penning First Edition's (Kenny Rogers' first band) "Just Dropped In" is what made the world aware of Newbury, but after he released the first trilogy album Looks Like Rain, both David Allan Coe and Waylon Jennings covered the songs "San Francisco Maybel Joy" and "The 33rd of August." Johnny Cash and Bobby Bare both covered "I Don't Think Much About Her No More," from the trilogy's 2nd installment, and all of a sudden a who's who of performers in Nashville were listening to Newbury and trying to figure out how they could give their own unique take on his landmark recordings.
Tompall Glaser, and the venerable Bill Monroe would go on to cover Mickey's "How I Love Them Old Songs," Elvis Presley did his own version of "An American Trilogy," and the seemingly never-ending list of songwriting accolades for Newbury continues from there, including 8 cover and tribute albums released to him over the years.
Songwriters like to say that their songs are like children. If that is the case, Mickey Newbury is a father, grandfather, and great-grandfather many times over. His An American Trilogy is an indelible, essential work of the American songbook, from which many branches of American music sprout from.
Two guns up.
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Mickey Newbury's An American Trilogy is available in a 4 CD box set, a 4 CD fold out with 24-page companion booklet, or in MP3 form. All tracks have been remastered from their original tapes. It includes a total of 41 songs.
Purchase An American Trilogy from Mickey Newbury
Preview & Purchase Tracks on Amazon
David Allan Coe Back Performing After Bad Accident / Thanks Fans
Outlaw country icon David Allan Coe went to war with a semi-truck, and lived to tell the tale. The 73-year-old performer suffered broken ribs, bruised kidneys, and head trauma on March 19th when his 2011 Suburban was broadsided by a semi at the intersection of Silver Springs Boulevard and Pine Ave. in Ocala, FL. The incident landed Coe in the Ocala Regional Medical Center for 4 days, but from the pictures of the wreck, the country singer was fortunate to be alive at all.
Now David Allan Coe is back performing, and on the 4th of July made the trek to Billy Bob's Texas in Ft. Worth to participate in Willie Nelson's 40th Annual 4th of July Picnic—an event that Coe has been a mainstay at for years. It was one of his first shows since the accident.
"They had come on the news and said that I'd died," Coe explained to a packed Billy Bob's. "A lot of people were calling my wife and saying that they'd heard that I'd died."
When Coe told the crowd he'd been out of the hospital now for a month and a half, Billy Bob's erupted in applause.
"I've got to tell you that everybody quit me, except my wife." Coe went on. "She's the only one that didn't quit. My road manager of 35 years, he quit me. My band quit me. This is a brand new band, this is a brand new me."
David's wife, Kimberly Hastings Coe, said right after David left the hospital, ""David being David, said to me before leaving the hospital; 'Well, now I have an opportunity to write another great song. A lot of fans tell me that my songs have given them strength to get through difficult times. This accident has given me another subject in my life to write about that will hopefully help others.' "
Coe's new band lineup is a rather avant-garde approach for country, with two keyboards and lots of percussion. "I'm going to play you some old songs, and I'm going to play you some new songs," Coe told the 4th of July crowd. "And I'm glad I can play you any songs at all." At the end of the Picnic, Willie Nelson invited Coe, along with Jamey Johnson, Gary Allan, and other performers onto the stage to close the night out singing gospel songs.
Coe also penned a personal letter to all of his fans who supported him through the incident, made available through his wife.
(11-9-13): David Allan Coe's son and former guitar player Tyler Mahan Coe has responded to David Allan Coe's take that his band "quit on him" and other issues.
Here is the entire post, originally posted on his Baby Black Windows blog.
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My father told me I was a member of his band when I was 15 years old. We were in the back of a stretch limo on the way back from his picking me up at the Orlando airport. I'd been visiting my mother in Tennessee, not having seen her in the year since I left home after finding brochures to military schools in our mail.
"You been practicing your guitar chords?"
'Yeah.' <— LIE
"Good. I'm recording a live album in three days. You're on it."
Little family chats like that are how you lose a decade of your life.
I was now the "rhythm" guitar player for the David Allan Coe band. "Rhythm" because that's the label that stuck despite the wild permutations of its reality. Initially I played a six-string acoustic, seated, cheat sheets of the chord progressions to every song taped to the floor beneath me. With a full band, my contributions to the show were insignificant, to be sure.
I was, however, determined to get good at my instrument. I eventually did, only to discover that it didn't matter how well I performed any given night. If my father decided the show wasn't going to go well then it wasn't going to go well. Thanks to his practice of introducing me as his son at the end of nearly every show and then leaving while I stayed behind to help load out, I became the unofficial Complaints Dept…
- "Your/his guitar is too loud!" You're right. It is. My father has hearing loss and refuses to hire (or heed advice given by) professional audio technicians because that would make it much more difficult to pretend there is a problem with the sound, which he would do, without fail, every night, for reasons ultimately known only to himself. His guitar amp is the loudest thing I've ever heard. Some people will tell you that my guitar amp is the loudest thing they've ever heard. That would be because they were standing directly in front of my amp, which was at a volume sufficient to allow myself to be able to hear it beneath my father's.
- "Everything sounds distorted!" That'd be the volume again. The man you saw running around the stage putting his head in front of various speakers was doing his best to make things sound okay but he was not a professional sound tech. Even if he was, he was being asked to perform an impossible task. A "band" comprised of three electric guitars and a drummer is just not going to sound like anything you're used to, especially in "country" music. I developed a technique of playing bass notes with my thumb and cranked the lows on my EQ but there's only so much that can be done.
- "He didn't play his own songs!" This is and isn't a valid complaint. I don't want to spend a lot of time on it. Briefly: I loved playing all the Waylon Jennings songs that we played. They are great songs and Waylon isn't around to do them anymore. Conversely, I hated playing songs by, say, Toby Keith, because there was no reason for us to be doing that. It was frustrating but ultimately a life lesson on what you can and can't control.
- "He only played pieces of his songs!" Same as the last. The medleys were a lot of fun when the transitions felt organic. Other times, they felt like a deliberate attempt to keep the show from going well. I know this could seem to you as if I'm bitterly saying these outlandish things but ask anyone who's ever played for David Allan Coe and they'll confirm what I'm saying. Too, I am so emotionally detached from everything being discussed on this list. They weren't my decisions.
- "He didn't play any songs!" While an obvious exaggeration, yes, there were nights it seemed he took the stage only to rant and complain about never having received his just rewards from critics, etc. I probably found this more annoying than anyone else because as it happened I was standing on stage, in front of everyone, doing nothing, like an asshole, with a heavy Gibson SG hanging from my neck.
- "It's hot!" I know. My father's skin and vocal chords are sensitive to the sudden changes in temperature found in air conditioned environments. I seem to have inherited this from him so I can say it is a valid requirement for him to perform.
- "He only played an hour and they said it was a two hour show!" They lied.
- "He's late!" I know.
- "That vocal effect he's using sounds terrible!" I know.
- "That woman sounds terrible!" I know.
So, okay, you deal with all of that for years because it's your father and family is family. And I would have kept dealing with all of it. I would have fought uphill until my father said, "Enough."
To be fair, I don't like her. So I've told you that up front…
There is a photocopy of a letter being posted throughout cyberspace. A letter written in my father's hand. The implication is that every person in his life, except his wife, abandoned him after his recent auto accident. Certainly, it doesn't make sense to me that every person in someone's life would take a hike because that person had a little accident. Must be something else going on there…
A Lesson in Subterfuge – The first thing you want to do is get in close with the target. Then you do everything you can to erode the stability of every standing relationship the target had previous to your arrival. First, lower employees, pawns. They're easy. A small maneuver and they're history. Then, you're chipping away at the back row. Anyone who has decision making capabilities has to go. Anyone who controls money has to go. Friends who may take it upon themselves to offer advice to the target have to go. Family? This may prove difficult, as some family will no doubt see what you're doing, but family absolutely must go. The target has to believe that you are the only person who has their interest at heart. Never relent and you will succeed in your task.
Back to that weird letter then…
Bruce and Linda Smith are good people. They did NOT steal anything from my father. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar or was lied to by a liar. Bruce Smith dedicated more of the time and energy of his life to my father than did any other living person, with no exception, including myself. That's a fact. Bruce did quit his position as management for my father. In my opinion, he made a respectable decision to withdraw himself from a situation where his honor had been called in to question one too many times by a person whose own sense of honor seems non-existent.
The members of the David Allan Coe band did NOT quit their positions or abandon anyone. Steve Wood and Jake Stringer did not "abandon" their employer in a difficult time. They weren't even contacted about continuing in their positions as touring band members. Let no person call into question their professional integrity.
I did NOT quit my job working for my father. The last contact I received from David Allan Coe was a text from him telling me that he was going to play some shows by himself, without a band, to get back into the swing of things and then we'd figure things out from there. That was in response to a text that I had sent him, telling him that I would do everything that I could to keep him touring with a good band. After he told me that he was going to do some solo shows, I contacted him with some information about a record label in Europe who is hoping to reissue some of his older material. I received no response about that and shortly thereafter found out that he was performing shows with an entirely new band. My feelings were deeply hurt when I learned that he was announcing onstage that his entire band had quit him and everyone had "abandoned" him when this was not the case. It became clear that my attempts to contact him were being deliberately ignored and I have no idea why.
So that's what happened.
Make no mistake. This is not a tirade or reproach. I'm simply getting rid of the weight of keeping this shit a secret. I'm moving ahead. I'm going back to Nashville to be around the rest of my family. I have zero desire to be in another touring band at this time. I want to make the next SoC album. I want to spend time with my wonderful girlfriend. I want to put distance between myself and those who would piss on the legacy of my surname.
Today is my birthday. I've been breathing for 29 years.
-Tyler Mahan Coe – See more at: http://babyblackwidows.blogspot.com/2013/11/so-this-is-what-happened-or-becoming.html?spref=fb#sthash.a1X6A8WF.dpuf
No Playboy, We Did Not "Claim" Luke Bryan Has A Vagina
So this weekend we were reading the June edition of Playboy Magazine. You know, for the articles. And lo and behold, Saving Country Music is cited in a feature on Eric Church entitled "The Badass" that proclaims the performer from North Carolina the "new face of country music."
You know, I could almost like Eric Church if he would quit so doggedly pursuing his persona as product, and Playboy helps perpetuate this persona by writing a puff piece that portrays Church as the edifice of badassery, and plays to the well-worn and indolent stereotype about how country music's "traditionalists" don't want country music to change.
"I don't believe country singers should make the same fucking music over and over." Eric Church is quoted as saying in the piece.
Well who in the hell is proposing or promoting that? Is Saving Country Music? You can comb through the 2,500+ article archive of this site and not find a single place where this theory is forwarded or implied. There may be a few traditional country fans who feel that way, but I don't see this "make the same music over and over" theory commonly cited in "traditional" country circles or anywhere else. So why are "traditionalists" perpetually having to fight this assumption every time they say they don't prefer a certain artist, song, or sonic direction?
Saying that people don't want country music to evolve is a preconceived argument to a position that doesn't exist to attempt to couch "traditionalists" as hard-headed, out-of-touch, non-evolving old farts and jackasses. Yes, this is the same argument Blake Shelton has made; Church's mainstream nemesis after Eric called Shelton out for his involvement in reality TV shows. Saving Country Music has gone out of its way over the years to champion the causes of artists who are specifically attempting to evolve country music in a way that respects the roots of the genre, many of which who are regularly ignored by the mainstream country music industry.
But what exactly is Eric Church doing that is so new? "We're further into rock and roll than anyone else, and that's why a lot of traditionalists have a major problem with me…. [It's] not even close." Oh Jesus Eric, you only wish. Hell, I've said many times myself that Eric Church is the last male in the mainstream country music hierarchy that has any sort of creativity to his sound. The problem is he keeps letting his persona get in the way of allowing intelligent listeners enjoy his music, like when he swore off calling himself an "Outlaw," while at the same time selling Outlaw-branded merch online. But is there some appreciable rock difference between Eric Church, and other country rock acts like Keith Urban or Florida Georgia Line?
And what is so new about mixing country and rock and roll anyway? The Maddox Brothers & Rose were doing it in 1940′s, half a century before Eric Church was even born. Country and rock and roll evolved parallel to each other, and were bred out of the same sound. Ever heard of rockabilly? Elvis was playing it before he was playing rock. Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers were mixing country and rock back in the 70′s. Hank Williams Jr., Travis Tritt, and Marty Stuart were doing it in the 80′s and 90′s with just as much of an edge as anything Eric Church is doing right now. That's not a knock on Church's music, but to act like mixing rock and country is something Eric Church innovated, and that he's the only artist taking it to the edge is just another example of his self-aggrandizing pap that tarnishes the appeal of his material.
But if Church is so enamored with rock and so dismissive of country, why is he even be pushed on country radio and winning country awards? "I didn't grow up listening to Hank Williams Sr. or Earnest Tubb," Church told Playboy. "I grew up with rock and roll." If this is the case and his sound is so rock, why is he surprised when country fans come out and say he doesn't belong?
Something else interesting in the Playboy article is how it references the rampant outbreak of fights at Eric Church concerts in a positive light. Performer Kip Moore cites a show in Battle Creek, MI where he opened for Church and says that "half of the crowd was fighting." I've been to some of the craziest punk and heavy metal shows, and never seen anything like this. Despite entire venues descending into mosh pits, if someone crosses the line and starts fighting, they tend to be ostracized from the crowd immediately. A concert where half the crowd is fighting is the outcome of this type of shallow, surface machismo that the current new Outlaw country artists attempt to brand into their music.
And make no mistake, this Playboy article and the Eric Church persona are not at odds with the country music establishment as they would like you to believe. It is a purposeful marketing campaign to attempt to re-integrate disenfranchised country fans who left the genre when the likes of Taylor Swift became the country norm.
The Playboy article goes on to specifically cite Saving Country Music (but without using our name), saying:
In the old days, the photo of the 10 top country singers would look like a convict lineup. These days it might look like an Ambercrombie & Fitch catalog shot. Among hardcore traditionalists, this change hasn't been popular. One highly trafficked country website routinely erupts in insults aimed at handsome singer Luke Bryan who's apparently perceived as too feminine. The blogger who runs the site referred to Bryan as a woman, claimed the singer has a vagina and alluded to Bryan as gay.
Oh man, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. The above quote is citing a year-old article clearly marked as "fake news," both in the tags, and in the sarcastic tone of the content. Hopefully Playboy understood this, and was simply using it as an example in the stylistic change country has endured over the last dozen years, and the vehement opposition it has stimulated from certain sects of fans. But Saving Country Music would never accuse someone of being gay or transgender if it wasn't in a clearly sarcastic light, and wouldn't in any way characterize the frequency of our off-color commentary on Luke Bryan "routine."
But as for Eric Church, if he wants to be considered a badass in the same breath of true country badasses like Waylon Jennings, Johnny Paycheck, and David Allan Coe, then he should take a que from them and not participate in self-aggrandizing cult-of-personality building in glossy magazines. Instead, he should do like they did—let the music speak for itself.
Review – Hank3 & David Allan Coe "The Outlaw Ways"
The long-rumored, long-anticipated Hank Williams III and David Allan Coe collaboration was a long time in the making and even longer coming. But it's here, and though some may have been wishing for a few songs or even an entire album, clocking in at over 7 minutes, "The Outlaw Ways" will satiate your Hank3/David Allan Coe collaboration jones just fine.
It is easy to get over-hyped about a pairing such as this. History shows that these collaborations don't always match the sum of their celebrity parts. Sometimes they fall flat, and sometimes they become part of country music lore, like the legendary pairing of Waylon Jennings and Hank Jr. in "The Conversation." "The Outlaw Ways" is loosely based around this same lyrical structure, with the two country music Outlaws trading lines and coming together for the chorus. Both Hank Jr. and Waylon are also mentioned in the song. But instead of conversing about Hank Sr., Hank3 and David Allan Coe converse about each other and their friendship over the years, and about the authentic "Outlaw" identity that flies in the face of the faux Outlaw movement on Music Row these days.
"The Outlaw Ways" is no world beater, but it is a fun song with some cool moments in the verses that will be a treasure for the artists' respective fans. With the most obvious focus being the pairing of the two men and the words, the music of "The Outlaw Ways" could have become an afterthought, but instead it is one of the songs strengths, starting off with a country fiddle riff, falling to half time in the ol' Waylon style in the versus, and featuring a tasteful steel guitar solo in the middle.
When David Allan Coe was hospitalized after an accident in Florida, and with the recent passing of George Jones, it makes collaborations like this that much more prized and valuable. We let our country music heroes into our hearts and homes because we can connect with them so closely. It's even more cool when they connect with each other.
1 1/2 of 2 guns up.
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Preview & Purchase "The Outlaw Ways" on Amazon
(6-10-13) UPDATE: "The Outlaw Ways" has just been made available on Red 10″ Vinyl at Hank3′s web store.
Also available on iTunes and Google Play.
DAC: You know your grandpa was one of my heroes Hank Hank3: David you were always one of mine DAC: You know I loved them old Luke the Drifter songs Hank3: Man, how I loved "The Ride." That song got me all balled up real deep inside. DAC: That's the same way that I felt, the day that I heard Waylon died. Hank3: Ol' Jr. once said it best. A country boy can survive. DAC: Yeah I don't even think you've started man. To hit your hellbilly stride. CHORUS Together: It's The Outlaw Ways, living day by day, it's in the songs that we play, it's in the things that we say. Hank3: Might smoke a little, might drink a lot. DAC: Brothers of the road with broken hearts Hank3: If you think you might understand our crazy ways DAC: You might be living The Outlaw Ways Hank3: The ol' Louisiana Hayride always respected Hank It's a shame the Opry don't do the same DAC: With all of them wannabe impersonators at the door Hank3: And they still won't reinstate the King of Country Music's name I've got my kin folks they can't take that away from me DAC: 3, you've been doing your own thing. Hank3: You know that's how it ought to be DAC: Yeah you know you could've took the easy way out and just rode on ol' Hank Sr.'s name CHORUS DAC: You put the cunt back in country and the dick back in Dixie too Hank3: Hell you know I was being a rebel, doing what I had to do. Sometimes you gotta do a little more than just kick down their door DAC: You mean like Johnny Cash and "A Boy Named Sue" Hank3: Remember back when you told them to kiss your ass. Then you hit them with that "Longhaired Redneck" too. CHORUS19
UPDATED – David Allan Coe Hospitalized After Auto Accident
Legendary country Outlaw singer and songwriter David Allan Coe is recovering at the Ocala Regional Medical Center after being broadsided by a semi-truck early Tuesday morning in his 2011 black Chevrolet suburban. Coe's son, guitar player Tyler Mahan Coe has released a statement to Saving Country Music about the incident.
My father is heavily sedated right now. I understand he has bruises and cuts all over his body but hasn't shown any signs of serious injuries, which is miraculous if you've seen the photos of his vehicle. It's going to take some time for him to recuperate. Nobody can say how quickly he will heal. Whenever he is able, as I'm sure he will be, we will resume touring. Until then, our family and management would appreciate the privacy to handle affairs demanding immediate attention. When we know more, everyone will know.
I wish [the other people involved in the crash] a swift recovery.
Coe's wife is with him in the hospital and also says the entertainer is "doing OK."
The wreck happened at the intersection of Silver Springs Boulevard and Pine Ave. in Ocala, FL. According to police, David Allan Coe ran a red light, and then was hit on the passenger side by a Peterbilt semi driven by 59-year-old Robert Johnson, who also was carrying a passenger, 49-year-old Lisa Meade. They were from California, hauling crates of radishes and corn to St. Louis. Johnson was initially listed in serious condition, but was transferred to Ocala Regional and upgraded to "stable." Passenger Lisa Meade was treated and discharged.
According to witnesses, Coe was traveling eastbound on Silver Springs when he ran a red light at the Pine intersection where the semi truck was traveling north. The truck hit the side of Coe's Suburban, pushing it all the way into a nearby court annex parking lot. The impact sent the semi on its side and it ended up wrapped around a cement pole, spilling its contents. Coe was wearing his seat belt and had to be extricated from the vehicle by Ocala Fire Rescue.
See Photo Gallery of the Accident
Coe's tour manager Bruce Smith says his next two concerts in St. Louis and Louisville, KY have been canceled due to the accident.
UPDATE 3-21-13 4:30 PM CDT - David Allan Coe remains in the hospital. According to his son Tyler Mahan Coe, he suffered cracked ribs and a bruised kidneys in the accident from the seat belt, but was able to sit up on the edge of the bed yesterday and is improving.
Police have also offered more information on the accident, saying that neither speed nor alcohol were involved, and that there was nothing impairing Coe's vision when he entered the intersection. Coe has said he can't remember anything just prior to the accident.
As Coe continues to recover, and additional concert at Billy Bob's Texas in Ft. Worth has been canceled from his schedule this Friday the 29th.
UPDATE 3-24-13 1:15 PM CDT – David Allan Coe's wife Kimberly shared the photo below yesterday, with the note, "David Allan Coe suffered broke ribs from the seat belt, bruised kidneys and head trauma nothing life threatening, he got up and walked around a little yesterday hes coming back a little at a time."
UPDATE: 3-27-13 7:00 PM CDT – David Allan Coe was discharged from the hospital on March 23rd shortly after the above photo was taken, though he is still recovering from his injuries, and additional appearance dates have been canceled. According to Coe's wife, Kimberly Hastings Coe:
"David being David, said to me before leaving the hospital; 'Well, now I have an opportunity to write another great song. A lot of fans tell me that my songs have given them strength to get through difficult times. This accident has given me another subject in my life to write about that will hopefully help others.' Again, I want to thank you all for the many thoughts and prayers for David. It means the world to us."
"There were angels with David during the accident keeping him safe and while he was in the hospital making him well again. If anyone has seen the photos from the accident, you can understand what I mean. The staff at the Ocala Regional Hospital & Trauma Unit in the E.R. are the most phenomenal, dedicated and compassionate angels on earth. I was with him by his side from the time I arrived at the hospital until we left. They continuously took care of David around the clock. Words will never express our gratitude and thankfulness to them and for them."
They have also set up a place where fans can send get well cards if they wish.
David Allan & Kimberly Coe
P.O. Box 1357
Ormond Beach, FL 32175
More information on David Allan Coe's condition will be posted here when it becomes available.
Heartworn Highways Revisited – Answers from the Filmmakers
On Sunday (2-10-13) the original filmmakers of the legendary Outlaw country documentary Heartworn Highways participated in an online chat where they answered questions from fans of the cult film originally released in 1981. After being out-of-print since a short run of DVD's with bonus footage were sold in 2005, the film was finally made available for download and on-demand viewing on Christmas Day, 2012. Heartworn Highways editor Phillip Schopper and producer Graham Leader answered fan's questions and let some interesting tidbits fly, including that a sequel of the film is currently in the works.
Will There Be a Heartworn Highways Sequel?
There is a new film that's been made that's inspired by Heartworn Highways called Heartworn Highways Revisited. It's about a community of musicians inspired by the musicians in the original film. Three musicians will be in the sequel: David Allan Coe, Guy Clark and Steve Young.
Most of the film is in the can and is currently being assembled. We'd like to keep the musicians as a surprise. The film should be completed sometime this summer. –Graham Leader
What about the extra scenes that were on the 2005 DVD?
We are trying to figure an appropriate way and format to get the extras to you. I agree they are pretty incredible and make a movie almost all by themselves. However, we've always believed the film has to work as a film, which is to say it has to have a rhythm and be of a reasonable length. It was originally fairly heartbreaking to drop some of that material in order to make a film that would be commercially viable. We were very pleased to be able to make the DVD which allowed us to include some of our favorite moments.
Any plans for a new DVD or Blu-Ray release? Netflix?
We've only just released the film online and we'll release the remastered DVD along with the bonus material when I find the right distributor. The reason it hasn't been released online until now is because the system of distribution is still going through growing pains and does not necessarily make sense financially for the filmmakers. -Graham Leader
There are lots of reasons to have Netflix! Lots, I love it. But, alas, Heartworn is no longer available there. We hope it will be in the relatively near future in Blu-ray, with the extras –Phillip Schopper
What was the inspiration behind the film?
Jim's (James Szalapski, director and photographer) friend from Minneapolis, Skinny Dennis Sanchez, who was a bass player who moved to LA and had become good friends with fellow musicians, including Guy Clark who was living there. Skinny turned Jim onto this music. And Jim loved the music and met with Guy and subsequently Townes and the rest of the people in the film. –Phillip Schopper
It grew out of the music of Guy, Townes and David. Everything else happened on the fly after we got there. -Graham Leader
How was it to work with Townes Van Zandt?
To be around Townes was to be seduced by him. Jim had to stay on his toes to capture Townes mercurial whit and genius. Filming was difficult because it was always so crazy around him. To know him was to love him. I saw him several times after the film in New York and London, but I never saw him back in Texas. There were times when Townes was utterly on top of his game and other times when it wasn't so. – Graham Leader
Where is director James Szalapski now? And when did the film become popular?
Jim tragically passed away before Heartworn Highways was really discovered and before the notion of a DVD or before a DVD market existed. Nobody had any interest in the film until the DVD was released – it was completely underground until the release of the DVD.
How long did it take to film Heartworn Highways?
Once we decided to make the film, filming started the next month. Total of 5 weeks production and a little over a year in post-production.
Was it a difficult choice to allow footage from Heartworn Highways to be used in the Townes Van Zandt documentary Be Here To Love Me?
The footage Margret Brown (Be Here To Love Me director) used far exceeded and abused the understanding we had with her. To add insult to injury, neither Jim (Heartworn director) nor Heartworn Highways were properly credited. -Graham Leader
Where did the title "Heartworn Highways" come from?
Actually, while we were shooting the film the working title was New Country. But then when we were editing a yogurt came out that was called New Country. So we needed a new title. I actually invented the word "heartworn." We felt the highways, trucks, etc were a real leitmotif and part of the heart of the film. The word just kind of sprang into my head as a combination of careworn and shopworn, a heart that has been well used or even over-used. A few years ago I heard from the Oxford English Dictionary that they were intending to include it in an upcoming edition. –Phillip Schopper
2013 Country Music Hall of Fame Picks & Prognostications
2012 was a high profile year for Halls of Fame. From the kilted screecher Axl Rose pulling like a Sex Pistol and telling the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to kiss off, to the Baseball Hall of Fame not inducting a single member as the steroid era falls like a shadow on the eligibility timeline. Similarly to baseball's Hall of Fame, and in polar opposite of its rock & roll counterpart, the Country Music Hall of Fame has kept its legitimacy and honor over the years by being an exclusive get.
The Country Music Hall of Fame inductees are selected through a committee process appointed by the CMA. Since 2010, the selection process has been split up into three categories. 1) Modern Era (eligible for induction 20 years after they first achieve "national prominence"). 2) Veterans Era (eligible for induction 45 years after they first achieve "national prominence"). 3) Non-Performer, Songwriter, and Recording and/or Touring Musician active prior to 1980 (rotates every 3 years). With a musician, Hargus "Pig" Robbins selected in 2012, and songwriter Bobby Braddock selected in 2011, it will be a non performer (ie producer, record executive, journalist, etc.) that will be eligible for induction in 2013.
Since 2001 when there was a whopping 12 inductees, anywhere from 2 to 4 names have been added to country music's most prestigious list each year. Usually one name from the above mentioned categories makes it per year, but if no name gets enough of a majority vote, a category may not be represented in a given year. Or, if two names get enough votes for a single category, then both may come from that category.
See The Complete Hall of Fame Induction Process
Modern Era Possibilities
Modern era inductees are usually big, high-profile names in the first few years of their eligibility. In 2012 it was Garth Brooks. In 2011 it was Reba McEntire. These are performers who would have risen to prominence between 1968 and 1993.
Alan Jackson – This is the big name this year that could be inducted in his first year of eligibility like Reba and Garth. Jackson would be a solid pick as a pretty strict traditionalist who experienced lots of commercial success and still remains relevant in country today.
Ricky Skaggs – Along with Kenny Rogers, Ricky Skaggs was one of the names that felt right on the bubble of being inducted last year. Skaggs has bookened his career as a mandolin maestro, studying under Bill Monroe and now firmly ensconcing himself as a country music elder. In between then, he had tremendous commercial success in the 80′s when country was searching for its next superstar. This would be another pick that few could argue with.
Kenny Rogers – He must have been only a few votes from induction last year, and it only seems like a matter of time before The Gambler gets in. The month after the 2012 inductees were named, Rogers was named the Hall of Fame's "Artist in Residence," possibly signaling that Kenny was close, but not quite there. Some purists may complain that Kenny started in rock and also helped usher in a more pop-influenced era in country, but you will find few who can argue that eventually Rogers doesn't belong in The Hall.
Hank Williams Jr. – Could also be considered a veteran candidate depending on where you start your timeline, and another man who will be a hall of famer at some point (with 2 CMA Entertainer of the Year awards under his belt). The question is, is this the year? Last year Jr. seemed like a strong possibility, and then a political brushup that cost him his long-standing gig as the singer for Monday Night Football seemed to sour Hank Jr. sentiment with some. With so many eligible names and so few slots, if there's any little reason to leave a name out until next year, it's likely to be passed over. Hank Jr. has become a polarizing figure, and the selection committee may look for someone who can build more consensus.
Brooks & Dunn – Brooks & Dunn was a commercial powerhouse whose career is somewhat shadowed by the success of Garth and their strange place as a non-familial country duo. Their first album Brand New Man sold 6 million copies, and they won the CMA for Vocal Duo of the Year every year between 1992 and 2006, except 2000. They'll be in eventually, but is the list of names in their field still too strong for this to be the year? Their success is not debatable, but did they have the type of influence it takes to be Hall of Famers this early in their eligibility window?
Toby Keith – Officially eligible because his "Should've Been A Cowboy" was released in 1993, but it wasn't until the 2000′s when Keith really became a dominant force in country music, both commercially and influentially. He's a long shot, but a possibility.
Other possibilities: Ronnie Milsap (saddled by his "crossover" status), The Judds, Randy Travis (bad news year for him), Clint Black (and his disappearing act for the last few years), Tanya Tucker, The Oak Ridge Boys, Crystal Gayle, and Mickey Gilley.
Veterans Era Possibilities
It is much harder to compile a field of candidates in this category because the time period is so wide, and the possibilities are so endless. So instead of trying to name off every possibility, here are some serious contenders, and some interesting names.
Gram Parsons – The push to put Gram into the Hall of Fame has been going on for years, but with a wet finger sticking up in the air, I think this year may be the one that if he's not fully inducted, there will at least be enough votes for him through the induction process that he will really have to be looked at in coming years as a serious candidate. Influential country writer Chet Flippo featured Gram's influence in August. What once looked like a ridiculous notion, now seems like a real possibility, and that is a victory for the Gram Parson camp in itself.
Jerry Lee Lewis – Jerry Lee has received a big push this year, and is a definite possibility for induction. He may be held back some since he came from rock & roll, and his antics on The Grand Ole Opry and other places over the years. But his contributions as one of country music's preeminent piano players cannot be denied. If Elvis is in the Country Hall (and he is), his old Sun Studio's buddy can't be that far behind.
Jerry Reed – Such a great ambassador over the years for country music from his work with Smokey & The Bandit to Scooby-Doo, but Jerry Reed should be inducted for his stellar and influential work as both a performer and a musician. There weren't many better guitar pickers back in the day than Jerry Reed.
Lynn Anderson & Dottie West – Lynn and Dottie are the two ladies that probably lead the field for female veteran inductees. The question with Dottie is if she's known more as a duet performer. The question with Lynn Anderson is a few DUI arrests over the years. Still, both of these ladies are right on the bubble, and would not be surprising as the 2013 veteran pick.
John Hartford – I admit this is a long shot pick, but I believe he deserves induction. As I said in last year's prognostications, "The Country Music Hall of Fame works like a timeline as you walk through the displays that weave around the massive archive in the center of the building. As you start from the beginning, each artist and their impact is displayed on a plaque that includes their Hall of Fame induction date. When I came to the John Hartford display on my last visit to The Hall this summer, he was the first to have a display, but no Hall of Fame induction date."
The Maddox Brothers & Rose – The Maddox Brothers & Rose was a name I'm sure was not on anybody's radar, until this year. With their prominent place at the very beginning of the Hall of Fame's current Bakersfield Sound exhibit, it is hard not to see how important their influence was on country music, especially West Coast country, and the flashy dress of country performers that still influences the genre today. I agree it is a long shot, but if groups like The Jordanaires and The Sons of the Pioneers are in The Hall, certainly The Maddox Brothers & Rose should be.
Johnny Paycheck and David Allan Coe – These names come up every year from hard country fans, and are names regularly held up as evidence of the Hall of Fame's illegitimacy. The simple truth is that with these two performer's shady pasts, Hall of Fame induction is going to be difficult. Johnny Paycheck has a more distinct possibility than David Allan Coe, because Coe could create a public relations nightmare for the Hall of Fame from people (correct or not) who label Coe a racist, sexist, etc. etc. Patience mixed with persistence is what Coe and Paycheck fans need to see their heroes inducted, as time heals all wounds. Eventually I think both men should be in, but they may have to wait for a year with a weaker field. Seeing Hank Jr. go in may be the sign the Paycheck and Coe's time is coming.
Other possibilities: Johnny Horton, Bobby Bare, Jimmy Martin, Ralph Stanley, June Carter Cash, Tompall & The Glaser Brothers, and an endless list of other possibilities.
Non Performer Possibilities
Possibly the hardest category to prognosticate, I would put Fred Foster as a producer candidate, music publisher Bob Beckham as another candidate, and Chet Flippo as a candidate for a music writer. Chet Flippo wrote the introduction to Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger and Wanted: The Outlaws, and was seminal in spreading the influence of country in the 70′s with his writing in The Rolling Stone.
Really, Mike Curb's name should be in the discussion. He is the namesake of the conservatory that greets you when you walk into the Hall of Fame. But with his shenanigans the last few years battling both artists and other labels in the courts, Mike Curb may be waiting a lot longer for Hall of Fame induction, if not forever.
Saving Country Music's Picks
If I had a vote…
Modern Era: Ricky Skaggs
Veterans Era: Gram Parsons, Jerry Reed, John Hartford, Maddox Brothers & Rose, Johnny Paycheck. If I had only one? Give me Gram and we'll worry about the others next year.
Non Performer: Chet Flippo
Heartworn Highways Documentary Now Available Online
The legendary Outlaw country documentary Heartworn Highways, featuring Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, David Allan Coe, Rodney Crowell, Gamble Rogers, Steve Young, The Charlie Daniels Band, and many more, has finally been released completely remastered for digital on-demand viewing and download. Filmed in late 1975 and early 1976, but not released until 1981, Heartworn Highways captures the country music Outlaw movement and some of its most important contributors in the infancy of their careers. Some of the scenes and music have gone on to become some of the most memorable moments of country music lore.
The new remastered, online version of the film was released on December 25th, (2012), but because of the holidays, went virtually unnoticed. Original copies of Heartworn Highways, including copies of the 2005 DVD release regularly sell for $90 and over on eBay and Amazon, speaking to the wild demand for the movie. The DVD included additional scenes not in the original movie. The new remastered version is available on Amazon, iTunes, YouTube (see links below), and other online streaming services. The filmmakers released a statement on Christmas for the re-release.
As part of the small filmmaking team, this release is extremely special, one we've been cautiously anticipating a very long time. Despite the initial favorable reviews and enthusiastic response at festivals, our film did not make it at the theatrical box office when it was initially released over 30 years ago. Few people understood it back then. So, it has been deeply gratifying to watch the film, which somehow survived underground, until the DVD was released 10 years ago. There is now a burgeoning community of folks who love the film for its timeless pleasures, honest evocation of that moment in American history and of the lives & music of such extraordinary talent. Thanks to your awareness and support we have been able to digitally save and clean the original release negative so that today we can finally bring it to you fully remastered: here it is, Heartworn Highways, in HD and Stereo, enjoy & share it.
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from Graham Leader, Producer, and Phillip Schopper, Editor.
On Sunday February 10th at 2 PM EST, the filmmakers will be participating in an online chat on Facebook about the film. A brand new trailer for the film can be seen below, followed by one of the film's most iconic scenes.
Stay tuned for Saving Country Music's review of the remastered Heartworn Highways.
Download or On Demand Heartworn Highways on Amazon
UPDATED – Hank3 & David Allan Coe Collaboration "The Outlaw Ways"
***UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE*** (5-21-13) – "The Outlaw Ways" is now available on Amazon, and on iTunes. It clocks in at an epic 7 minutes and 16 seconds.
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The long-rumored, long-awaited Hank Williams III / David Allan Coe collaboration may finally be in the offing. The song called "The Outlaw Way" was recorded early last year at Hank3′s home studio in east Nashville when David Allan Coe was in town. Hank3 first spoke about the collaboration in a live chat last February, when a fan asked if he would ever participate in a remake of the famous Hank Williams Jr. / Waylon Jennings duet "The Conversation."
Well me and David Allan Coe have taken on that, and it will be coming out in about another two months or so. That's just one of those songs that no matter who did it, it will never be the same, it will never be as cool as it was. It was a really special song for Hank Jr. and Waylon. Who knows what will happen in the future, but what David Allan Coe and me did will be the closest thing to something like that.
Hank3 also mentioned the project a month later when talking to The Entertainment Nexus.
Yeah, we're getting ready to have that come out here soon. It's just making sure that everything is correct like it always has been… on a good relationship with him. The song will be coming out soon and it's an honor to be able to work with David again. He's like a grandfather to me as far as advice and saying hey and all that good stuff. We've got a song called 'The Outlaw Way" that'll be coming into play before we know it and I'm looking forward to that.
Since then there's been no word on "The Outlaw Way" but numerous bits of unconfirmed chatter over the last few days has the song being released in a limited-edition 2,000-run vinyl format, with the song also being made available for download.
This wouldn't be the first time David Allan Coe and Hank3 appeared in the same song. The pair traded off vocal duties in the song "Get Outta My Life" from the Pantera / David Allan Coe, metal / country fusion project Rebel Meets Rebel.
Photo from Southern Delight. Thanks to Brooklyn Hellbetty and Country Damn Music on Twitter for helping with this story.
The History of the Country Checklist / Laundry List Song
These days you can't go a few minutes listening to modern mainstream country radio without hearing a "Laundry List" song in the rotation. Usually with little or no plot or story, they simply spew out easily-identifyable elements of country culture (ice cold beer, pickup trucks, dirt roads, etc.) in an attempt to appeal to mostly non-country demographics that can live the country life vicariously through the shallow lyrics.
Another common thread through country checklist songs is how they are used to convey country pride, and help their listeners identify with their side of the urban vs. rural, liberal vs. conservative, religious vs. non-religious culture war. Nostalgia is also a big player.
Like most of the overused song formulas employed by Music Row songwriters, the laundry list likely started with some good, creative, innovative tunes. But once something works, it is called upon again and again by Music Row until all creativity is spent and it becomes cliche. Such is the evolution (or devolution) of the country checklist song.
What is the "first" country music laundry list song?
Though there were others before it, David Allan Coe's "If That Ain't Country" comes in as a strong candidate from the way Coe lists out the things from his past that make him "country" and the continued popularity of the song today.
What is the first MODERN country music laundry list song?
Though Rebel Son, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and some other artists may have something to say about it, Rhett Akins "Kiss My Country Ass" is a solid contender for where songs about country pride went from conveying stories to simply being vapid lists of country artifacts and behaviors.
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Below is a list of songs that likely contributed or played an important role in the formation of the modern country checklist song from the legacy era, and a list of songs in the modern era that could be called the "first" laundry list song. I don't pretend for this list to be complete, so if you feel there is an omission, please add your 2 cents in the comments.
Merle Haggard – "Okie From Muskogee" – 1969
Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear. Beads and Roman sandals won't be seen. Football's still the roughest thing on campus. And the kids here still respect the college dean.
Unlike the modern laundry list song, Merle spends most of the time in "Okie From Muskogee" spelling out what people from the country (or Muskogee) don't do, but the idea of country people using a song to delineate themselves from the other side of society in the culture war through lists of artifacts and behaviors was born. And so was the "Proud to be" lyric that is so prevalent in laundry list songs today.
Bob Seger – "Night Moves" – 1977
Out past the cornfields where the woods got heavy. Out in the backseat of my '60 Chevy.
Bob's first breakout song, and Rolling Stone Magazine's "Best Single of 1977″ (it was released in December of '76), it has had huge reverberations in modern country despite being released in rock. The laundry list lyrics are clear, and so is the nostalgia that is an essential element to many modern laundry list compositions. I've said before that the majority of modern country songs can be traced back to "Night Moves". Listen to the best-selling country song from 2011, the Brantley Gilbert/Colt Ford-penned "Dirt Road Anthem" and you will spy the nostalgia of "Night Moves" all throughout it.
David Allan Coe – "If That Ain't Country" – 1977
With 13 kids and a bunch of dogs, a house full of chickens and a yard full of hogs. Spent the summertime cutting up logs for the winter.
If you're looking for the first true laundry list country song that started the whole trend, this might be the most solid candidate. But unlike the modern laundry list song, this one actually has a story and theme to convey, and is truly autobiographical. "If That Ain't Country" was Coe attempting to prove his country cred to critics who said his music wasn't, which is what many modern male pop country stars must do because they aren't. It also features the lyric "Kiss my ass" that becomes a big player in the laundry list song's evolution.
Hank Williams Jr. "Country Boy Can Survive" – 1982
"I live back in the woods you see, the woman and the kids and the dogs and me. I got a shotgun, a rifle, and a 4 wheel drive, and a country boy can survive."
One of Hank Jr.'s seminal songs and all self-penned, it spells out the pride and resilience of people from the country like few others. But many elements of "Country Boy Can Survive" are misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misappropriated in the modern checklist song. Resilience is replaced by fear, self-reliance by materialism. Country and Southern pride are at the heart of many Hank Jr. compositions, but few resonate like this one still does today. "Country Boy Can Survive" and Hank Jr. are referenced specifically in many modern laundry list songs.
Marcus Hummon "God's Country USA" – 1995
Looking back at my one cop town, skinny dipping drinking Royal Crown. And thinking about year long days, and rowdy ways, and best friends lost and found. Remembering my half back moves, night games and backseat blues.
This song may be somewhat obscure, but may be the missing link between the old-school and modern-day laundry list country songs. Marcus Hummon is a big, behind-the-scenes songwriter in Nashville that has written #1 hits for Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, The Dixie Chicks, Sara Evans, and has numerous Top 40 hits to his name. Hummon was 14 years ahead of his time with this song that sounds just like the checklist songs of today.
Lynyrd Skynyrd – "That's How I Like It" – 2003
Like my women hot and my beer ice cold. A real fast car and my whiskey old. Like a slow drive down and old dirt road. That's how I like it.
Even more surprising than how similar the lyrics to "That's How I Like It" are to today's laundry list songs is how similar the sonic structure is. Lynyrd Skynyrd is a Southern rock band, meaning they could get away with rock beats and overdriven guitars in 2003 when this would have been crossing a line in country. Of course today in country, anything goes. From the unplugged intro, to the rhythmic power chords, to the almost rapping style of lyrics in the chorus, "That's How I Like It" is the sonic template many present-day laundry list songs are derived from.
Rebel Son – "Redneck Piece of White Trash" – May 2005
I like to dip, I like to spit. I like talking on the phone when I'm taking a shit. I'm proud to be a redneck piece of white trash. If you don't like that pucker up motherfucker you can kiss my ass.
This song from a relatively-obscure, but well-loved band with a very loyal fan base virtually writes, trumps, exposes, and lampoons all modern pop country laundry list songs all at once, even though it was written way before most of them. Aside from the "kiss my ass" lyric from David Allan Coe, if you want to find the truly "first" original modern checklist country song, look no further. Rebel Son relies on humor, while at the same time portraying cold-faced reality in songs meant to be hysterical and completely serious at the same time.
Rhett Akins – "Kiss My Country Ass" – October 2005
Tearing down a dirt road, Rebel flag flying, coon dog in the back. Truck bed loaded down with beer and a cold one in my lap.
Probably the more obvious and more-accepted advent of the modern laundry list country song (as opposed to Rebel Son), "Kiss My Country Ass" appeared on Rhett's 2007 album People Like Me, but was released as a single in October of 2005. The song mentions Hank Jr.'s "Country Boy Can Survive" directly, and was re-recorded by Blake Shelton for his 2010 Hillbilly Bone EP. If you're looking for the smoking gun, the primary culprit for the modern laundry list song's popularity and its move from telling stories to simply conveying lists of countryisms, "Kiss My Country Ass" is the probably strongest candidate.
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Thanks to frequent SCM commenter "tontoisdrunk" for asking about the evolution of the laundry list song.
Some Respect for Randy Travis at a Tough Time
Alright, so we've all now had our yucks over this story of a naked Randy Travis being arrested, and I am certainly not above guilt, but I am seeing some fairly alarming rhetoric surrounding this story that I feel is unhealthy to the country music environment. The details of the story may be funny, but the incident is not. Celebrity or no, Randy Travis is a human being who is clearly going through a moment of crisis in his life. And just because he engaged in some illegal behavior shouldn't give him some additional cred in country music, or somehow means he's now a country music "Outlaw."
We expect our celebrities to live larger than life, so that we can too, through them, vicariously. Forget that most artist and performer types are already predisposed to being more susceptible to things like substance abuse and self-destructive behavior, society also sells to them that as artists, they must suffer for their art to be inspired and authentic. It is true that much great art has come from suffering, but it is also true that great art comes from dedication, perseverance, and sweat. And as much as society likes to perch celebrities up on unrealistic pedestals, we also love to tear them down when they trip, in moments of empathetic vacuousness, clawing at them with our jealousy and spite to feel better about ourselves. This is the vicious pop cycle I like to allude to upon occasion, and just like Taylor Swift once said in a famous song, "The cycle ends right now." Or at least it does here for me.
Are we so diseased in country music that we actually think more of our stars when their lives become a wreck to the point where they're laying naked in the middle of the road and making death threats to law enforcement? Is this behavior cool? Is this a fate you would wish upon yourself or any of your friends or family? Getting drunk and doing stupid shit may sound like a country song, but facing felonies and a ruined career and loss of a sense of self-worth are very real issues. It is one of the reasons we have a 27 Club, and why suicides and overdoses are such a heavy burden on the celebrity population.
And us lay civilians love to sit back and say, "Oh yeah, you have it real tough with all that money and fame." But money and fame are broken promises, and many times don't help pad a celebrity's fall, they fuel it.
And for the folks saying Randy Travis's recent troubles make him an "Outlaw" are only fueling the misconceptions of what a country music Outlaw is. I conceded long ago that accurately defining the "Outlaw" term will be a battle of evermore, but trust me, Randy Travis is no more an Outlaw now than he was in 2011, before his drunken behavior was writing headlines.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, a country music Outlaw has nothing to do with legalities. The original Outlaws–Bobby Bare, Tompall Glaser, and Kris Kristofferson–were not lawbreakers, nor was Willie Nelson until later in life when he was hit with a few stupid and unnecessary pot arrests. Waylon Jennings positively hated the term "Outlaw" and blamed it for his legal woes when the federalies trailed a package of cocaine from New York to the studio where he was recording, later memorialized in the song "Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit Done Got Outta Hand?"
A country music Outlaw is one that bucks the traditional Music Row, old-guard way of music production by writing their own songs, recording with their own bands, and calling their own shots. Lyrical content and personal behavior are not completely autonomous to the "Outlaw" country image thanks to artists like Johnny Paycheck and David Allan Coe, but the foundation of a country music "Outlaw" has to do with the business of music, not behavior.
Furthermore, the ignorant assertion that personal behavior does influence a country artist's "Outlaw" status is what is partly fueling this ridiculous and slanderous use of the term by the crop of "new Outlaws" (Eric Church, Justin Moore, Brantley Gilbert, etc.) who think just because they drink too much, talk about fighting, and put women with big tits in their videos they're carrying on Willie and Waylon's legacy. Please. Willie Nelson is a pacifist, and probably respects women more than most women respect themselves these days. Being an Outlaw in country means being yourself, and bucking the trends instead of pandering to them. As Sturgill Simpson says, "The most Outlaw thing that a man today can do is give a woman a ring."
And through this incident, were seeing the rewriting of Randy Travis's music legacy. Some folks who come to country from the outside looking in are all of a sudden giving his music another look after laughing him off as pop before just because they recognized the name and it wasn't Johnny Cash, while judgmental types are saying they always knew there was a screw loose with him and they wouldn't bring themselves down to listening to him again.
This incident didn't change Randy's music one bit. Randy has never received enough credit for spearheading both the new push of neo-traditional country and the commercial resurgence of the genre in the late 80′s. One can make the case he set the table for Garth Brooks and country's return to the stadium and superstar status, without selling out himself.
Randy Travis has given a ton to the country music community, and now in his time of need, it is time for the country music community to give back in the form of support, forgiveness, and understanding.
Whatever is troubling Randy Travis, I hope he works through it to continue to provide the world great country music, and to grow as a person, and as an artist.
Thank you Randy Travis for your music and your service to country music. And even if you're called home tomorrow, rest assured your legacy is secured in country music, and that it is a positive one.
Singing What You Live: Hard Language in Country Music
There's never been a question in anyone's mind if Johnny Cash actually shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. But that lyric, and Johnny's song "Folsom Prison Blues" have gone on to become an iconic piece of country music history. This language was nothing new in 1955. Murder ballads and gunslinger tales trace back to the very roots of country music and America's Gothic, violent identity.
Stretching the boundaries of lyrical content was something at the very foundation of the early Outlaw movement in country music. As has been pointed out many times before about American culture, violence is perfectly acceptable, but sex can be taboo. Nobody batted an eyelash at "Folsom Prison Blues", but when the original Outlaw Bobby Bare recorded Tompall Glaser's "Streets of Baltimore" with it's fairly docile and veiled reference to a man leaving his wife, it caused a controversy.
Kris Kristofferson pushed the limit for drug references with his song "Sunday Morning Coming Down." Johnny Cash later cut the song himself, and despite the "stoned" lyric, the song went on to be the CMA's Song of the Year in 1970. The boundaries are continuously being pushed in country, until now in many respects country has lost most of its family friendly identity.
In underground country, racy lyrics have been at the very foundation of the movement, though in no way are they required. Hank Williams III's Straight to Hell album was the first to ever be released under the CMA with a Parental Advisory, but the salty content is many times misunderstood as being autobiographical, or condoning the behavior being sung about. Sometimes it is, but sometimes, just like with "Folsom Prison Blues" it is telling a story with the real language and themes people face in modern day life.
"There's just a little misconception…" Hank3 told IBWIP on their 5th Anniversary episode. "All the Williams' have had a rowdy crowd, whether its Hank Sr., Jr., or myself. Most of my songs have been, you know I've lived a lot of them. And once in a while I'll kind of put myself in other people's shoes. Like the song "#5″ was some friends of mine that have been hung up on some really hard stuff, you know with the heroin and stuff like that. I just put some hopeful songs out there. Once in a while I'll put out a little bit of a fantasy out there like the dedicated song to GG (Allin). Those kind of songs I haven't done anything like some of the topics that hit on that song. I can just project, or put myself in that mode for a little bit."
"One of the reasons I sing about smoking and drinking and all that stuff so much is because I try to create a partyin', good time atmosphere when people come to see me. I'm not trying to bring them down, I'm trying to lift them up so they can forget about all their problems and all the stuff that's happening in the world. And for two or three hours, they can come out to a show and just have some fun. And I always try to tell folks to pace it out as much as possible."
When reviewing Bob Wayne's recent album, the topic came up in a heated debate Bob Wayne participated in personally. "…So you're telling me DAC (David Allan Coe) killed a women in TN then broke out of jail… I think a lot of his songs a true man… But I think he is also a storyteller," Bob replied to critics. Bob Wayne regularly sings about drinking and drugs while in real life remaining completely sober, just like many underground country artists with racy lyrics like Joe Buck Yourself and Lonesome Wyatt.
It is hard to fault country music fans who do not want to see foul language or hard themes in a genre so tied to traditional values. Just like any genre of music, this is the reason well-defined lines are important so people can steer clear of content they may find offensive. But it is also unfair to fault artists carrying on the same storytelling traditions Johnny Cash and Hank Williams did while modernizing the language no different than how it's being modernized in the mainstream of country. It's also unfair to say singing songs you haven't lived somehow makes them invalid. Street cred, dues, skin's on the wall, or however you want to phrase it will always be important in country music, but the should never be essential to telling a story.
Hard language presents a challenge to underground country and its aging demographic. Most underground country fans are now in their 30′s. When Hank3′s Straight to Hell came out they were in their 20′s, and could relate better to many of the racy themes. Now, like many of the artists themselves, the fans have grown up, taken real jobs, have kids and spouses, sobered up possibly, and sometimes the hard language songs can come across as immature or hard to relate to.
Barring something similar to the Middle East's Islamic Revolution, the trend will always arch towards the breaking down of moral barriers to artistic content in culture. With this freedom comes a responsibility to make sure people are only presented with questionable content when they want to be. Instead of looking at other people's tastes and judging them, maybe we should feel fortunate we live in a time when censorship is lax and people can enjoy the music they find appropriate and appealing without it being run through a filter of other people's opinions, tastes, or views.
And let's all hope that the country music themes of morality vs. sin, good vs. evil, sober vs. imbibing, and law vs. the outlaw remain eternal in country music until kingdom come, because this eternal struggle is what we all face every day, and the reason country music speaks to us like nothing else.
Album Review – Bob Wayne's "Till The Wheels Fall Off"
Over the years I've been a big Bob Wayne proponent, and to some folks he's been a very hard sell. I've always counseled to look beyond the persona to the songwriting. With his new album Till The Wheels Fall Off, Bob Wayne frankly makes that task much harder. At the same time, he's put out his most enjoyable album yet.
Since the beginning, there's been two sides to Bob Wayne: the introspective songwriter side, and the "Hellbilly" side. In between are his storytelling songs that tend to draw from both worlds. Despite the bandana and salty language, what Bob is doing is not much different than what Johnny Cash did. Johnny didn't shoot a man in Reno just to watch him die, or take a shot of cocaine before shooting his wife. It was a persona created to tell a story. Bob has maybe modernized some of the language and themes, but country music songs on the sinful life are a staple of the genre.
What he has done as his career has progressed is tip the scales from the more introspective material to the more hellraising material, and this is where he's left some listeners scratching their heads. With his first few albums, songs like "Blood To Dust," "27 Years," and "The Final Walk" made it easy for the music brain to understand Bob, and then enjoy the hellraising songs right along with the crowd who may see a song like "27 Years" as too artsy.
But with Till The Wheels Fall Off, there are very few of those guideposts. Bob's first album Blood to Dust was weighted in favor of the deep songwriting material. This album is skewed to the "hellbilly" side, giving detractors heavy ammunition to pass off the whole Bob Wayne presentation as a bad bit. Even some of the songs on Till The Wheels Fall Off that are presented to be deep, like the lead single "Get There When I Get There" is more ambiguous in nature than artistic. There's little of that stone cold hard reality that tears at your heart like many of his previous offerings.
Does that leave Till The Wheels Fall Off vacuous or non-entertaining? Not at all. Not whatsoever. "Devil's Son" may be the funnest song Bob Wayne has ever put out. And "Wives Of Three," though on the surface a shallow and silly song, may be one of his best attempts at songwriting.
Let's take "Wives of Three" as a case study. The first time I listened to this song, I hated it, saying to myself, "Come on Bob, you're killing me out here!" Then I understood the genius behind it. This song is more David Allan Coe than David Allan Coe. It evokes a whole range of emotions, from creepiness and weirdness, to humor, to sincerity and true love. Most importantly to the success or failure of a songwriter, Bob is able to transport you to a scene where he's standing in his childhood home with these three women, presenting them to his mother.
You can visualize the whole thing, his mother's sense of shock and dismay, yet a creepy sense of pride, Bob's sense of awkwardness and hope that this lifestyle will be accepted, and these three women that in a 3-minute song, Bob is able to present to where you can visualize them, their faces, their stories and motivations. It's all bullshit that is totally believable and makes your mind explore the inner depths of morality, family, and love.
The words and persona are what everyone seems to focus on when it comes to Bob, but let none of that distract you from the fact that the instrumentation on this album is par excellence. Andy Gibson, Hank3′s steel guitar player and the engineer on all of Bob's albums, along with an all-star cast of contributors put together an amazing album of music. From conjuring the spirit of Jerry Reed in "Ain't No Diesel Trucks In Heaven" to the lonesome teardrop steel sounds in "Hunger In My Soul", this album is a 10 out of 10 on how Bob's vision was fleshed out.
Your feelings on Till The Wheels Fall Off are going to be based on taste even more so than on most albums. It is my job as a reviewer to divest personal taste for a more true judgement on the work. Do I personally like the strictly hellraising songs like "All Those One Night Stands" and "Spread My Ashes On The Highway"? No, no I really don't. But I also recognize the appeal and the wit embedded in the songwriting, and won't let them repeal my love for a song like "Hunger In My Soul". But not all music is for everyone, and that's okay. It is not fair to strictly base taste on calling something bad, and it is not fair to call someone's tastes bad just because they are different from yours. Bob Wayne seems to drive home the importance of these points more than most.
Where I take some points away from Till The Wheels Fall Off is when measuring it against what I know Bob is capable of. He is capable of writing songs that can change people's lives. If he changes someone's life with this album, it may not be for the better. There are also issues with the continuity in his storyline. With some of his previous works, his sobriety is a theme, where in this album, it is the breaking of that sobriety. Is this true in Bob's real life, or an extension of the persona? Either way it is okay, it's the ambiguity in how you're supposed to approach these songs that may be the issue.
Instead of just writing on the road, I think Bob needs to get in better touch with his inner dialogue through solitude, so the guideposts leading listeners to the realization of his songwriting prowess are more present.
But this is not a bad album. It is fun as hell. At times you are laughing out loud at some of the lines. Are we so uptight we can't enjoy music for the visceral experience? Isn't it fun to go on a vicarious exploration of the id through music and character? This is what Bob Wayne delivers in Till The Wheels Fall Off; an escape, a good time. Sure maybe we, maybe underground country has grown up from most of this behavior, but isn't that the theme here, that Bob will never change, that he's going Till The Wheels Fall Off? And there's nothing wrong with siting back and watching his ride.
1 1/2 of 2 guns up.
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Purchase Till The Wheels Fall Off from Bob Wayne
Preview & Purchase Tracks on Amazon
Billy Joe Shaver to Release "Live at Billy Bob's Texas"
Country music songwriting legend and original Outlaw Billy Joe Shaver will be releasing a loaded 20-song CD package with companion DVD called Live at Billy Bob's Texas on July 17th, recorded in the "World's Largest Honky Tonk". This will be Shaver's first album in five years after winning a court battle for aggravated assault in April of 2010, and heart surgery in May of 2010, and after taking some time off from touring due to a shoulder issue.
From The Press Release:
The fully loaded special package includes 20 live renditions of some of his most notable compositions on an audio CD and DVD as well as two bonus tracks, and is the first set of new concert recordings since 1995 to be issued to the public. Included among Shaver classics and favorites are two new songs: "Wacko From Waco" (co-written with his longtime friend Willie Nelson) and "The Git Go," proving that his muse remains as fertile as ever.
A studio version of "Wacko from Waco" was originally released in February 2011 by Shaver independently, and then was released in October as precursor to this Live at Billy Bob's album.
As a songwriter, Shaver's songs have been recorded by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Kris Kristofferson, The Allman Brothers, Bobby Bare, BR549, Elvis Presley, John Anderson, George Jones, Tex Ritter, and Patty Loveless amongst others. Waylon's landmark album Honky Tonk Heroes included all Billy Joe Shaver songs except for one.
Billy Joe Shaver will be the 42nd artist to release a "Live at Billy Bob's" album, company that includes David Allan Coe, Willie Nelson, and Merle Haggard. He recorded the album with his young, rocking band guitarist Jeremy Woodall, drummer Jason Lynn McKenzie, and bassist Matt Davis. Even at 72, Shaver still delivers a very high energy set, punctuated by his punching and personality on stage.
Some of the Shaver songs to be included on Live at Billy Bob's are:
- Heart of Texas
- Georgia on a Fast Train
- Honky Tonk Heroes
- Old Chunk of Coal
- Live Forever
- Old Five and Dimers
- That's What She Said Last Night
- Black Rose
- Hottest Thing in Town
- Thunderbird
- Good Old USA
- I Couldn't Be Me Without You
- Star in My Heart (a Capella)
- You Can't Beat Jesus Christ
- Wacko From Waco (studio bonus)
- The Git Go (studio bonus)
Hank3 To Release Music w/ David Allan Coe, Tour Europe
Yesterday Hank Williams III whose preparing for an East Coast tour in March participated in a live chat on Yowie.com (watch full session at bottom) where he dropped some interesting tidbits about some upcoming plans and projects, including that he's planning to tour Europe again June 15th through July 15th playing clubs and some festivals, and will be releasing an unspecified collaboration with David Allan Coe in a couple of months. The project came up in connection with the legendary song "The Conversation" between Hank Williams Jr. and Waylon Jennings, and if him and Shooter Jennings would ever do a remake.
Well me and David Allan Coe have taken on that, and it will be coming out in about another two months or so. That's just one of those songs that no matter who did it, it will never be the same, it will never be as cool as it was. It was a really special song for Hank Jr. and Waylon. Who knows what will happen in the future, but what David Allan Coe and me did will be the closest thing to something like that.
When asked how fans should approach Curb Records' upcoming release of Long Gone Daddy, an album constructed of outtakes from Hank3′s early Curb albums, he told people to treat it like another disputed album, Hillbilly Joker, and bootleg it instead of buy it.
I would say do what you did with Hillbilly Joker. All they're trying to do is take away from my sales. That's why they keep putting out these records because they're trying to take me and my organization down. So of course I don't respect any of it. There might be a song on there that you like, but there's a lot of things that you won't like on there. You'll see in time how some people have taken sides with Curb Records, people that were nobody and I helped them back in the day, and now they're getting a little respect and they're sticking with the corporate world. So I don't have any respect for it. I would say get it, burn it, pass it out. I know I'll never be listening to it. That's what YouTube is for.
He also talked about his appearance on the new kids album Farmer Jason & Buddies Nature Jams put out by Jason Ringenberg of Jason & The Scorchers.
Jason & The Scorchers has been a big inspiration throughout the years. For him to have the guts to ask me to be on a kids record had a lot of respect. I think he respects my work ethic. He just called me up and said, "Man, would you be into it," and I said "Sure!" The song was fun, and to be on a track with one of The Ramones, he's got a lot of interesting people on that. Who knows what will be in the future but that was my first official kids record.
And as for the status of Reinstate Hank:
The sad part about it is they didn't do it while the Hank Williams exhibit was open at the Country Music Hall of Fame. That's really the biggest letdown. They should've had the ceremony while the Country Music Hall of Fame was showing respects. All we can do is keep ruffling their feathers.
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