I do れ care 0b00t being . ljust don't Want to be Unheard 0 , ,

Lanky Roy Cooper, calf roper par ex- cellence, shattered his wrist in mid 1979. For most, this injury would have ended any hopes for being a top rodeo athlete, but not for Roy Cooper. Six months after the inJury, he won the calfroping average at the NationaI FinaIs, and the next year was the WorId Champion calf roper. But adversity has never stopped the redhead from Durant, Oklahoma. He has been named rookie of the year, world cham- pion, and PRCA season champion in his short career, the while being afllicted with asthma. ln fact, in 1978 , he was chosen by the national foundation as spokesman, which is possibly the greatest honor ever for this arnazmg rodeo athlete. Lasso King 飛 oy Cooper ropes a calf. season record for winmngs ln one event: Bruce Ford holds the all-time, single- den as well as Bruce. ln tesümony ofthis cowboys, past or present, have ever rid- you can rest assured that very few 。 'WiId Horse' ' mounts a bareback horse, cowboy of the late 1800 ' s. But when Bruce looks every bit the part ofa rugged the western range. Tall, quiet, and blond, throwback to the days when cowboys rode riding, Bruce "Wild Horse ” Ford is a Twice WorId Champion in bareback Bareback Bronc Champ Bruce Ford busting 100SC ・ Clint Johnson, the Saddle Bronc Champ ・ Young Clint J0hnson, age twenty- four, has quite a future. ln a short rodeo career, Clint has so far won $ 80 000 in earmngs, and a world championship in saddle bronc riding tO bOOt. Known as a strong, quiet cowboy, he is a product 0f the modern rodeo generation, competmg almost solely in saddle bronc riding. But when your spurring lick is as good as Clint's, why do anything else? COUNTRY RHYTHMS 59

闡 00 N 0 0 The Cowboy 跏 ort n this era Of big-time, multi-million dollar professional sports, modern athletes seem tO be 1 ore concerned with large contracts than with loyal- ty. lt appears that the great traditions 0f our national sports are bemg lOSt in the face offree-agency, salary arbitration and corporate ownership. Yet, there IS one sport that remams much today as it was a hundred years ago: the rodeo. C ertainly , the rodeo of the 1980 ' s is a highly organized, million- dollar industry itself, yet it continues to carry on one Of the great American tradi- tions, that ofthe cowboy. lndeed, today's rodeo athletes are Of the same breed as the men WhO once rode the frontiers Of the These, are the six 一 or events in the rodeo. Like any athletes, professional cowboys have their specialities. Unlike most athletes , however, rodeo cowboys SaddIe Bronc Riding This is rodeo ' s olde st event , and possibly its most basic. Simply put, a con- testant must attempt tO ride a bucking horse for a full eight seconds, with only one hand allowed to hold the rein. Points are then awarded for the bucking of the mount, and the style, finesse, and ℃ ontrol the cowboy exhibits during the ride. 56 COUNTRY RHYTHMS by John Goff Amerlcan West. Descending from the early American cattle industry, modern rodeo is a well- organized circuit Ofover 600 tournaments stretched across the North Amerlcan con- tinent. Vying for more than eight million dollars in prizes, ten thousand rodeo athletes from the U. S. and Canada com- pete annually in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) shows. B ased entrant ' S ShOWin gs the se rodeos throughout the year, the 'PRCA annually awards world championships in each event, along with an all-around world champion. NeedIess to say, being a PRCA world champion is the highest go any rodeo athlete can attam. The Events SO have their favorite animals tO face. Certainly unique to the sport of rodeo is the fact that the rodeo animals are as well- known as the cowboys themselves , and as Bareback Riding Bareback riding is similar to saddle bronc riding, but with one big difference: there are no stirrups and no bronc rems for the rider to hold on to. Therefore, bareback riding appears much wilder than saddle riding. Again, the judging is based on style, spurring action (called 。 'licking' ' ) and control. Today's professional cowboy not only competes in front Of thousands Of spec- tators in the arena, but is Often seen by millions 1 第 ore on television. Because Of the accessibility Of rodeo, due to its visibility on television, and its grass-roots appeal in rura.l Amenca, rodeo now an- nu 記 ly attracts more than ten million spec- tators. Despite the advances made over the years ln prrze moneys, organizatlon Of tournaments, and equlpment used, the rodeo athlete is still a cowboy , and the legendary confrontation remalns the same: 170 pounds of man versus 1800 pounds 0f animal. valuable. A good animal tends to bring out the best in a cowboy, and therefore is worth a considerable amount of interest and money. BuII Riding Bull riding is king in today's rodeo. The event pits the cowboy against a huge bull, which will buck and spin in an ⅲ - credible display of power and agility. After the rider is thrown to the ground, the bull will usually attempt to trample or gore him, making the escape an lmpor- tant part of the event. Judging in bull riding IS similar tO Other riding events, with emphasis on the ability to survive.

are gained, whether it be concerts, or records, or a combmation Of the tWO, whatever, and put our energles rntO that area. CR: How do you relax when you have the time 0 Ⅱ ? What do you like to do? KENNY: I play a lot oftennis, and I real- ly enJOY that. l've only been playmgabout five years. C R : H ave you become proficient ? KENNY: Well, I sponsor a couple ofkids on a tenms tour, SO when they're not play- ing they really sharpen their game by workrng with me , and anyone whO can play with me is OK. I create some rnter- esung demands on them. I hit shots that are unheard ofin the game oftennis. But I think I 'm a pretty good tennis player. l'm good enough to play almost any social game, that's really all—l think that's - ways been one of my drawbacks, that it's never been lmponant tO me, even muSlC- ally, to be れ . I don't care about being # 1 , I just don't want to unheard of, and when it comes tO sports and things like that, I don't want tO 」 ust compete. I don't really care who wins. I hke getung out and playmg—lt's more social than competl- uve. CR: One of the problems about bemg a star is the traveling. Has that gotten tO be a hassle ? KENNY: Of course l'm very fortunate because I have my own transponauon ln g tO become somethin g , tO become the KENNY: Well, I can't say I don't like it, that I travel in so I have the benefit ofthe best lawyer in town , the best plumber in but I think there are lnconvemences, and pnvacy ofthat, and l'm also cutung down town, the best carpenter ln town, you ve I think the lnconvemence iS the lack my workload tO a point that it IS not a got tO devote time tO that, and I think of privacy. I have to tell you the funny problem anymore. I travel when I want to story about when I shaved my beard one that's where the stram comes—as Ⅵ′ lt - travel. I cut it down this year considerably nessed by the fact that I had three prevrous ume, while I was searching, searchrng, from what it has been in the past. I think searching for this privacy, this anonymity, marriages, and I really believe their fail- the hotel situauon is the one real draw- that I knew existed somewhere, and that I ure was the result Ofthis pressure that was back, because lt seems lmpossible tO get relished so much. Why couldn't I go back on me , subconsciously, tO become a suc- into a hotel and able to walk in and stay to the old days? I shaved my beard, and there without someone knockmg on the cess. CR: Why do you work so hard? the first lady I ran into thought I was a door or calling me on the telephone, and KENNY: Well, having been with the brick mason, so I immediately grew my that's where you'll see the wrong side of First Edition and having been successful beard back. I didn't want any part of this me, I'II tell you, because I think that is my and enJoyed the fruits ofsuccess—the ap- anonymity. I wanted her t0 know wh0 1 pnvate time. 、 Mhen l'm on the street, l'm plause and the accolades and all—and was, but leave me alone. fair game, that's part of the business, but of a sudden to have lost it .. . I think CR: Are there any demands on yourmar- once I close that door I really want to be there ' s an lnsecurity that goe s with star- riage because Of being a star that you left alone. I have things that I need to do. dom. Anyone who tells you that people don't like? ls it a greater straln on mar- You know, I have times when I like to be- WhO are in thiS business dO not suffer from riage being a star? come rntrospecuve and think for myself insatiable egos is lymg to you or lying to KENNY: I don't think so, I think ifany- and sort out my problems and my busi- themselves, because I think it's a must, thing it S a greater strain trymg tO ろ % om ど a ness relationships, and I need that time. it's part of the drive in this thing. This CR: Another singer told me that about star than it is g a star. Because agam, two days before he goes on the road, he business is based on the principle that if being a star—for lack of a better term—l starts getting in a bad mood, knowingthat you don't at least attempt tO get hotter, thmk gives you the financial capabilities he has to go 伝 om Point A to P0int B. At you will definitely get colder, and the fear and the mobility with which to make your Point A he's fine and at Point B he's fine, of getung colder keeps me going. But marrrage what you want tO make Of it. I but it's the getting from A to B that de- what you try and learn tO dO is structure can afford to take Marianne with me ifshe presses him. wants tO go. Then it's a question Of what yourlife SO that you rmmmrze youroutput KE NNY : lt doesn ' t bother me. I think she wants. lfshe wants t0 go she goes, and and ma.xrrmze your lncome, not necessar- that one of the things that l—l'm full of ily ⅲ dollars but in results, and that's what ifshe doesn't want tO, she doesn't. Where these little profundities—but one of the we're trying tO dO now. We're trying tO you run intO problems is where you don't things that l've learned is that every per- figure out exactly where the most things son in this business who performs has his have an option. But when you're struggl- 62 COUNTRY RHYTHMS ' I had three prevlous marriages , and I really believe their failure was a result of this pressure that was 0 Ⅱ me tO become a success.

pop acts would bring new fans intO coun- watered down black music for rock & try. mu sic and that this was good for the roll in the 1950 ' s , and now it's water- country industry as a whole. He added, ing down country music for the " The th ing that has m ade country mu sic 1980 ' s. I get suspicious ofpanic when successful is its ability to bend and expand I notice that musical styles that and accept new facets. seemed radical 20 or 30 years ago are Today, head Nashville Music Associa- now accepted as mmnstream. tion executive Dale Cornelius makes much the same ()bservatlon : PaniC does seem tO be premature, for A music that moves people emotion- every maJ0r record label has established ally has nothing whatever to do with country artists as well as young up-and- Johnny Paycheck: where they come from or how they comers WhO are hard country outlook. grew up. Change is healthy and RCA Records still has CharIey Pride and ' 'Country artists inevitable, and does not have tO Tom T. Hall, and is heavily promoting mean a lack Of respect for tradition. SOlid country Leon Everette. Warner don't have a There iS always r00n1 for expanslon Brothers has a great young honky-tonker chance ! and the classics ofcountry music will in JOhn Anderson, as well as stallwart not be overlooked or forgotten. Buck Owens. At Capitol/Liberty, MeI Country muSlC IS meant tO move McDaniel represents young country. you , catch your feelin gs, and color most solidly country singer in the business Mercury mmntains the StatIer Brothers your thoughts—if a song speaks to today; and a man who has frequently and has recently introduced Wayne you, 、 categones ' and spoken up for the preservation 0f the Kemp. Hard cÖuntryJeanne Pruett con- are meaningless. tinues tO have hits, despite being on a tiny music he loves. And don't forget, last year's CMA independent label (IBC/P. A. I. D. ). Co り沢り襯ゞ poll 0fNashville exec- show was more "country' ' than ever. NOt The CBS roster is crowded with classic utives drew a Wide variety ofresponses tO only did Bill Monroe perform, but nearly country stars likeJone s & Wynette , C ash , the overall situation. Perhaps the most all the or awards were won by artists Paycheck, and Bandy; but the company comprehensive analysis was by Bill lvey, following strmght country paths: George has also signed Ricky Skaggs , a m an with Executive Director Ofthe Country Music a bluegrass/acoustic music background. Jones, The Statler Brothers, Emmylou Foundation, the organization that man- MCA has veterans like Merle Haggard, Harris, Moe & Joe. ages the Hall 0f Fame & Museum and Conway and Loretta, and is bringing There's still plenty ofthat good ol' coun- country music ' s large st library : Gene Watson to stardom. Over at Elektra try mt.lSlC around. Yes, there may be some I think there are lots of pressures truth to fans' letters that charge, "lfHank are Mel Tillis, Hank WiIIiams, Jr. , and within big business country muSIC Williams auditioned for the Opry today Jerry Lee Lewis, who've been joined by that work against traditional country he would be turned down. ' ' But, country one Of the finest new country women sounds. But country music has been music has always honored its ' as Leona Williams. Ovation is introducing slowly joining the pop mainstream well its "new. ' ' Patsy Stoneman, ofthe il- stone country songwnters Jim Rushing for 50 years. And I don't think it's lu striou s S toneman Fam ily ( and people and Max D. Barnes to JOin a roster that useful to label that whole process like her) keeps the country community includes country hitmakers The Kendalls 00d or bad. Pop music keeps draw- honest by reminding us that tree can and Vern Gosdin. Rounder Records on ethnic for inspiration. live for very long without its roots. gives us outspoken Vernon Oxford, the Hard Country Lives ! A Gallery Of Hard Country Newcomers Leon Everette Mel McDaniel - ' John Anderson Gene tson Jim Rushing COUNTRY RHYTHMS 27

“ ln DelMar, CaIifornia, I had my first bra-thrown-on-stage ・ lt Just went flying by me. I didn't know what it was! When you get on the stage and hear all the screammg, you don't think about being a sex symbol. You think about how nice it is that so many people go wild. stays completely out 0f the public eye. His method of breaking into the Nashville country scene as well. After servmg ume in New Jersey nightclubs, Rabbitt packed his bags and headed for. . . New York! He recorded his "New York country songs' ' there. "When I was up in New York, 20th Century Fox was gomg into the country business. And I had one record there that didn't do anything. I was one of the few country wrlters up there.... the record was like a songwriter's demo [demonstra- tion tape] made into plastic, ' ' he laughs. "This was in the mid -1960 ' s. Then there was another one-shot deal on a la 1 called Date. NO contract to do singles-and-an- album or anything like that. Just a song ・ 。 I put ou t another thing called 。 The Bed. ' ' ' (This tune was later recorded by Tom Jones on his 〃どなゲ album). 'l'rn not afraid to mention these records, ' ' Eddie offers, "but I don't con- sider them legltimate recording deals. ' He sums hiS unusual career as 、・ e 、 York City country act by saying, "You know, Nashville is 6 million miles away from New York. The Partnership However unusual, it ) な「 a begmmng; so when Rabbitt hit Music City he did have some expenence under his belt. .. er some success a country 、 rriter , he formed a partnership with two other "left-field heroes, ' ' Even Stevens and David Malloy. The former was a little songwnter from Ohio; and the latter was an apprentice recording studiO engmeer barely out 0f his teens. Together, the three created the unique Eddie Rabbitt sound. They have created records that sound like no others in coun- try music, and certainly like no Others produced by the usual Nashville assembly-line method. Even early Rabbitt hits 1 e "Rocky Mountain Music,' "Two DoIlars in the Jukebox, ' ' and "Drinkin' My Baby Offa My Mind' ' had rhythm and drive combined with the airy Rabbitt harmonies that made them distinctive. With such smashes as "Hearts on Fire, ' ' "You Don't Love Me Anymore, "I Can't Help Myself," ' Pour Me Another Tequila, ' ' “Ⅵ Can't GO On Just Want TO Living Like This, ' Love You, ” and "Gone Too Far, ' ' the rene gade trio catapulted Eddie t0 country stardom. Then "Suspicrons, ' Every Which Way But Loose , ' ' " Drivin ' My Life Away, ' and "I Love a Rainy 36 COUNTRYRHYTHMS Night' ' brought their unique country sound t0 the pop muSIC world as well. Rabbitt believes this was possible because Of an unusual clause in hiS recording con- tract : “ NO record company executive has picked out our singles. That decision never leaves our hands. lt'S in our con- tract: Nobody else will pick out the singles. ' ' The three were SO sure that what they were dOing was "right' ' that even as beglnners they insisted on control. Now that he is a superstar, Eddie Rab- bitt has continued to break the molds: To put it simply , he does not act the least bit like a man who has the world by the tail. ln conversation, he repeatedly praises his partners and draws attentlon away 伝 0n1 himself toward them. "I don't think any of this would have happened for me if it hadn ' t of been for the mag1C of this creative friendship , he says. Even Stevens adds that Eddie displays no star's temperament when they're working together: "We've never had a major fight. Any ofus. ' Let's face it. Eddie Rabbitt is a national sex symbol ; and you ' d think that , alone , would give him at least a ん bit of a swelled head. But here, again, he's not a typical star. On stage he has none of the vulgarity or swagger ofan Elvis or a Tom Jones, much less the excess Of rock stars like Mick Jagger or Rod Stewart. He j u st looks happy. If he's a sex symbol, it's not because of any bumps and grinds, it's because of the twinkle in his eyes and his lrish charm. "I read and hear about me being a sex symbol just like you do, ' ' he "I never thought l'd have to comments. worry about that. ln DelMar, California, I had my first bra-thrown-on-stage. ltjust went flying by me. I didn't know what it was! When you get out on the stage and hear that screammg, you don't think about being a sex symbol. You think about hOW nice it is that SO many people go wild. lt's like walking into a party where everybody knows ya. I t feels good ; the music pumps; there's energy. What's Next? What's the next logical step for a country-pop superstar? Movies and television, right? Wrong. Our left-field hero has SO far resisted the temptations Of Hollywood glamor. " I have been offered ⅳ parts and movie parts and things like that, ” he admits, "and I don't want tO sound big-headed or anything like that, but theypst weren't 〃 g ん . I was offered a p 田ⅲ "CharliesAngel's," the male guest- starring lead , and I didn ' t want to do it. I was also offered to appear in Clint Eastwood'sAny ル Can and I passed on that t00. He did put together a highly-praised television special last year that featured Jerry Lee Lewis, Emmylou Harris, and his fine road band Hare Trigger. "On the whole I was real happy with my television special. I tried to cut through a lot ofwhat you see on Other tV ShO 、・ the bad writing, the canned laughter, and all that kinda stuff. We had a meeting and I told the producers and directors Look, a 10t ofyou don't know me well, and t0 be honest with you I don ' t know you. But we're here to do this thing and l'm here t0 do it well. lt's a Special and I want it to special. I don't want it to be sketch-song- sketch-canned laughter-song-sketch-can- ned this 'n' that. lfit's an hourofthat kind ofstuff, then we ain't gonna dO it. ' ' ' Pret- ty gutsy for a Nashville country singer t0 talk to the Powers of H ollywood ! Rabbitt Just comments matter-of-factly. "That was my bottom line. I said I ' m gonna compromise a bit tO your ideas, but you re gonna have tO compromise t00 tO what I think is right. ' lt's hard, ' ' he sighs, 'You know you're dealing with an awful lot of money and awful 10t of people and studios in H ollywood and a certarn way things are done, and a certain kind of wnting commumty out there. But on the whole I liked it. B ecause it a little dif- ferent. ' ' 妬〃 0 田 0 沢孕 , and the ム . 襯ぉ agreed with good reuews of Rabbitt's fißt 910 ouung. He's still cautlous about the tv indus- try, though. "Some people have talked about a tv senes, and l've nixed 肪厩 idea com.勲ななケ, ” he reports. "lfyou work on a senes every 、 veek, the first t 、 VO or three will be quality, and then the rest are 'Here-we-go-rolling-out-the-hamburg- er. ' There's a burn-out factor ⅲ a ⅳ senes... That set c 田 1 chew you up 田 spit you out ⅲ Las Vegas! ” Yet another thing that sets him apart from other country stars is his method of workmg. MOSt country records are made in three-hour recording session blocks of tlme where studio mu SlClans learn the songs, work out th&rangements, and record , With VOices and Other instruments being added to the basic tape later. A country album can easily be made in a week this way. Eddie's are made entirely differently. He takes five months 0 仕 each year to get together with Stevens and 、 1 oy to write songs and make recording trips. 'We go in all together as a team,

′ OST INTERVIEW CANDID With Harry Newmann And Far-Reaching lnterview Opens Up ln An Extraordinary The Most Successful Star Of AII t ルど研イ 2 , K 例リ沢 og な no 切〃ケル 0 立ゞ跖化ゞザ CO ワ襯カど 0 〃〃襯 図〃な , ろル信襯をじ厩 0 ワル雇 〃な Greatest Hits ん田例 0 ル / ど研ルし & 図 / 厖襯 訪 2 ホ D 筋ノ 980 , 側イ立肪ど側 t 勗 g ど厖例 . 〃ど”况 do 300m 卍あれ尾 co 豆れ化 797 乙側イな″ケ ね eam c あ勿ー 20 襯卍あ〃ノ 987. カ側ん a 、ル〃勲 0 / ル 2 をな田伽 , 側 d ル例 d な no 田んどゞ愈ん . 人例 og g 側豆襯 g 2 毎 g a ろ叫 〃 0 勿れ , 砒 , 田んどん t んん訪ん 20 襯 / - ケ , ル天な物 om ん . ルが d ゆ愈ん厖ゞ 召訪り D りな T ん 0 , ayazzgroup, 側石〃ノ 966K 例ノ膨 d t ん 0 ルル仙 C んり外石な .4 ルを側療ん砒 ル入石な m 昭イ a ル gro ール Ed 市伽 . 劔 t ん E 市〃み ro んゆノ 9 乃 , K 例 ' “確礰石ル こ勗厩襯ん厖な d 2 ん厩刀ー 79 〃田ん例んな 豆な " ん跖″な” ( 観イ例ケんな〃ん確な na 〃肥りを襯 m 卍あ I . & ど劔 , どアんんな跖ん記ん turned g 房 d ー力な襯 . K 劔な加田″辺 m 記んな u 田 M 〃〃〃偬 〃砒勧の a ん衂 Caro な 4 川ア 0 襯んをを立〃刀ど , 側 da K 例 . / を 0 襯んな t ん 田田 co れ d d. COUNTR Y 沢〃 Y S り 〃Ⅳど〃 , 田んん 0 ん ~ あケ田 K 例 . CR : You ow , Kenny , I' ve been thinking about your starting out in Texas as a kid with the B0bby DOYle Tri0 , and now here you are. At any time during your childhood and early teens and 20 ' s did you ever dream about being a superstar? KENNY: Oh, I think anybody that gets ⅲ this business dreams ofit. That's what gets you through the nights at the HoIiday lnns and the four-thirty ⅲ the mormng ShOWS, and dOing nine ShOWS with fifteen-rmnute breaks in between. But I think we have that dream, even though we ow we have to wake up sooner or later, and I think I honestly felt that somewhere along the way that I would do well. But yet , you have tO know that success for me has 60 COUNTRY RHYTHMS always been relevant. The day I came home with my first paycheck that was larger than my father's—as far I was concerned, I was a success. I had done what my father had done, and I think each generation kind 0f looks at it that way. SO, with the magnitude 0f what's happened, no, I don ' t think I ever knew anyone could do what ' s happened tO me. C ertainly not me. CR: ls superstardom you thought it would , though? KENNY: I don't like the word "superstardom. ” I don't even know what the terminology means. TO me, a star IS someone bigger than me. See, I don't think that l'm super, I don ' t consider myself. CR: Take my word for it, you are. OK? KENNY: Yeah, OK. CR: This lifestyle that you've been able to achieve—is it you thought it would ? KENNY: l'm one ofthose rare individuals—there are very few ofus—that can honestly say there's nothing ⅲ my life I would change, and I feel very happy to able to say that. I' m very thrilled to be able t0 say it , because it ' s something that you work for, but usually there's always a fly in the ointment. Success has allowed me something that scared me at one time , and that is a chance tO orchestrate my life SO that I can have trrne 0 圧 and take time 0 珥 and I can work when I want to work. I think that what usually happens is that most people become successful, become a slave tO that success , and I refu se t0 d0 that. If な magazine calls and says, "We want tO dO an article, ' ' and that's when you're up-and-cormng and struggling, and they say, "We can on- ly dO it at ten in the mormng, you can rest assured that at ten ⅲ the morning, l'll sitting there waiung on 印な magazine. But now at a point where—and usmg な as one of the rnaJ or publications—if they call and I have other things that I need t0 d0 or want to do, I can say, 'Well, I can only do it at six in the afternoon. ' ' success aIIO 、 me tO structure my own tlrne. CR: ls there anything about being a star you don't like?

Complicating things still further, the prestigious Country Music Founda- several Nashville acts began imitating the tlOn states: pop- country mixers , and in no tlrne it was The argument is not so much against practically impossible t0 hear the dif- country-pop as a country music sub- ference between Larry Gatlin, Barbara category. lt's more against the MandreIl, The 0 Ridge Boys, Tanya tendency of this industry, especially Tucker, CharIy McCIain, or Dolly Par- radiO and network T 、ア , to ton singles and those ofthe L. A. and New constantly bombard the public with York pop acts. Then along came a bunch な particular sound , tO the extent Of ' country performers that Other impoftant country musrc 、 music takes country muSlC rntO sub-genres, such as bluegrass, are Bill Anderson: previously unexplored territory. Some of completely ignored.... How many these, like Rosanne Cash, Carlene country stations will play Bill Mon- “ These people want Carter, E 1 Scruggs' sons, David Allan roe's latest bluegrass release, in spite Coe, and Joe Sun, have established of the fact that bluegrass music festi- to come 1n and take Nashville reputations or bloodlines. vals are popular all across the country Others, like Gail Davies, LacyJ. DaIton, and... on the college campus circuit! our muslc away. Alabama, and The Amazing Rhythm Aces, come 伝 0n1 outside the country WesIey Rose, who nms Acuff-Rose Publishing, one of the biggest and most numbers. Entertainer Billy Walker is par- mamstream. There iS association formed in reac- ticularly vocal about these “ outsiders. respected music publishers ⅲ M usic C ity , tion to of this called ACE (Association "This used to be a very simple, trust- agreed with Pinson ⅲ a 沢んれ 0 沢 0 of C ountry Entenainers). A book has interview last April : worthy town, ' ' he told a Memphis been wntten on the topic already , Everett newspaper. " Then these people came in I can ' t believe that when someone J. Corbin's Stom 仇ルのん″な C ど pushed the country music button and prostituted our business and watered ス ga 豆外イ oden ~ CO り外イな . The Nash- they do so NOT to hear country down our music. This was done by big ville Mu sic Association (NMA) en- money on the East and West Coast. ' music. I think they push it because courages the recording of pop, Jazz, and Singer/songwriter Bill Anderson said, that's what they want to hear. lfthey black music ⅲ Nashville now , as well as " These people want to come rn and take wanted to hear pop , they would push the city's traditional country. Prominent the pop button. . if they are going our muSlC away. muSIC industry figures have issued Most observers put the responsibility tO call themselves a country station statements on opposite sides Of the pop- for the country-pop trend on the shoulders they should play country music. versus- country controversy. The b attle Of the artists, themselves. The late singer lines are being drawn ⅲ Nashville; and Radio is seen as the mam culprit by George Morgan once tOld a pre ss con- some of the opening shots have already Nashville ' s most outspoken AC E mem- ference, "What we're against is people been fired. On one side are the tradi- bers. Vic Willis has even suggested to having a hit in the country field and then tionalist fans and artists whO grew up with イ耘 City ルどゞ that "As a last resort, we denying on a network TV show that the old country music way oflife. On the would file a complaint with the FCC to see they're country. ' ' Outspoken singerJean Other side are the sophisticated musrc if we are being discriminated agalnst. Shepard was astounded to hear the likes of business people with pop or rock musrc Others lay the blame at the feet of the Donny and Marie Osmond on country backgrounds. One wants country muSlC outsiders WhO have been C01 lng tO radio ⅲ 1977. "Now they're beautiful tO stay as it has been; the Other either ac- Nashville record labels in mcreasing children, and they're very talented, ' ' she tively dislikes the nasal whine of old-style country, simply doesn't care about it one A Gallery Of "New Wave ” Country Stars way or the Other, or is actively pursuing big-money crossover success. 、 'Some of the trends that are gomg on now could be the death knell of country music, ' ' Opry star Vic Willis told ルのんル / magazine in 1977. To the N ashville newspapers he elaborated , "There's no varlety ofmusrc anymore. lt sounds the same. Turn the dial and radio stations sound alike. ' ' Hall of Fame member Hank Snow believes, 'Crossover muSlC, POP muSlC, middle- of- the-road or whatever you call it has come ln and drowned the b asic country aftist. ' ' He further to 旧 newspaperman BiII Hance that, "The country music fans want country muSlC and dammit we're gomg t0 see that they get it! ' ' These folks are hopping mad about the small number of records that are played on the radio, and about the country-pop flavor of nearly all the ones that are. B0b Pinson, of David AIIan Coe LacyJ. Dalton Rosanne C ash C arlene Carter Rodney C roweli COUNTRYRHYTHMS 25 Gail Davies 翁 00

COUNTRY The Battle ls On ave you looked at the Pop Music charts lately? There are country acts all over the place on them these days! On weeks when the likes of Dolly Parton and Eddie Rabbitt aren't in the Top Ten, someone like Kenny Rogers or Anne Murray cooking up another country- pop smash hit. Ronnie Milsap, Don Wil- liams, T. G. Sheppard, Terri Gibbs, The Bellamy Brothers, Crystal GayIe, and WaylonJennings are no strangers to that kind of success either. And if Barbara Mandrell and Larry Gatlin haven't had a big pop music hit yet, it isn't for lack of trying. Why, with this big-money pop muSlC crossover success, fOlkS down ln Nashville mu st be j ust about dancing ln the streets with JOY, right? by Robert K. Oermann ⅥⅡ , not exactly. There is a large seg- ment Of the Music City community that regards thiS country-to-pop crossover suc- cess With considerable suspicion, if not downright hostility. These people con- tend that the mentality geared toward making country records acceptable to pop music buyers IS country muSlC. "Real' ' country music, they say, is being pu shed aside by the country-pop sounds. Little skirmishes have been fought on this issue for several years. Nashville put itself on the as a muSlC center in the 1960 ' s with an aggressive CMA cam- paign tO get radiO staUons tO switch tO country music. At the same tlme, croon- ers 1 慊 e Eddy Arnold , J im Reeves , and Ray Price smoothed over the rough edges Of country honky-tonk music tO make it A Gallery Of Country Crossovers Don Williams 24 COUNTRY RHYTHMS Ronnie Milsap Bellamy Brothers Terr* Gibbs T. G. Sheppard Ann Murray easier for pop music listeners tO take. NOt everybody 山 ou ght this was a great idea, however; and by the 1970 ' s people like WiIIie NeIson and WayIonJenningswere saymg, in effect, “ Screw this. Let's get back to basics. Next, 慊 s without country muSlC backgrounds g turning up regularly on the country 田 a れ s. Anne Murray, Kenny Rogers, Don Williams, Linda Ronstadt , Debby Boone , and others displaced many of the Op favorites. Country fans and D.J. 's welcomed them because they felt that this made country music something to proud of. The hunger for pop music respectability reached its peak in 1974 when Olivia Newton-J0hn andJohn Dever won maJor CMA Awards on natiofial television. DoIly Parton 第第第はま義イ

☆由ⅷ 0 ⅷ 0 Ⅷ☆ by John Lomax III NASHVILLE: The battle of "new ” versus "Old' ' country rages on elsewhere in thiS magazine. Since thiS column Will concerned with regular reportage of the Nashville music spectacle, I don't plan tO use it as a forum for my own feelings viz-a-viz this epic philo sophical struggle ・ I'II passing along interesting tidbits 伝 om acts and artists regarded as “ 01d , new or even " in-between ' country As far as this column concemed, if the Country MusiC Associauon says it's country and if country radio is playing the records, then it's CO レワ . ZealOts Of argu- mentation may endlessly debate the mat- ter ifthey so choose—this writer prefers to enJOY country songs however they are presented. That said, let us proceed tO business : ☆ Radio Luxembourg, a 1 , 300 , 000- watt European station said tO be the world's largest and most successful radiO outlet, kicked 0 仼 a series of live country musrc shows 伝 0n1 Nashville in December. Bobby Bare, Billie Jo Spears, Charlie McCoy, Jimmy C. Newman and Dobie Gray were featured 0 れ the first ShOW, broadcast tO an esti- mated 4 million listeners ⅲ Europe, Africa and behind the ' 'lron Curtain" ⅲ Western Russia. The second show pre- sented Crystal Gayle, Johnny Pay- check , Porter Wagoner and Ronnie Prophet. Don King, Charly McLain, Terri Gibbs and Bill Anderson enter- tained for the third broadcast while Tom- pall & The Glaser Brothers, Bandera, Deborah Allen and Pure Prairie League were featured ⅲ the fourth show. At pressume it had already been - nounced that the CharIie Daniels B and would headline the fifth show, held May 16. The shows are so being videotaped 田】 d edited a twelve-part series for European and Australian television. ☆ Kenny Rogers' next dramatic appearance WiII the tV mOV1e made from his "Coward of the County hit single. Filming began in March down in Cartersville, Georg1a, under the direc- tion 0fDick Lowry, who was at the helm for the very successful tv version of " The GambIer. ' ' Rogers' concert appearances are t00 lucrative at present tO set aside the trme tO dO a movre or Broadway prqect on Kenny ' s 0 伽 album. Annie McGowan the NMA has enrolled over 400 members and variety Of the city ' s mu sical talent , ' tract mternational attention tO the quality prehensive muSIC community tO ⅲ !he development 0f Nashville as a com- non-profit corporation "designed tO aid celebrated its 1 st Anniversary ⅲ June. A ☆ The Nashville Music Association Clothes make the man. ban cowboy' ' look popular today. Robertson, a Texan, opted for the "ur- in complete Confederate regalia while RCA). GiIIiIand dressed for the occasion ing Machine Company (later bought by ty on June 30 , 1922 , by the Victor Talk- . They were made in New York Ci- by music historians as the / 耘立 CO なワ and "Arkansas Traveler' ' are recognized Gilliland ' s recordings of " Sally Goodin ' Yes folks, Eck Robertson and Henry anmversary ofcountry muSlC recordings. learn that June 30 市 marked the 60 市 ☆ l'm sure that you will be delighted to Muffins. "Echo Beach, ' ' by Martha & The Ho Ⅱ & Wayland Holyfield and Have This Dance, ' ' written by Bob best song went tO tWO tunes: "Could I year. Up in Canada the Juno Award. for P atti Ryan as their country son g of the Bob Morrison, Wanda MalIett and recently chose "Lookin' For Love, ' ' by National Music Publishers Association The Music City News Fans Award. The Nashville Songwrlter's Association and The Academy of C ountry Mu sic , the best by the Country Music Association, Curly Putnam. The song was tabbed Her Today, ' ' by Bobby Braddock and the year last year is “ H e Stopped Loving ☆ Consensus wrnner for best song of from parts of the Music City Music community. The N MA is developing a computerized data base OffactS relating tO aspects of the 10C music industry and iS SO planning several れ or muSlC events for 1982 presentation. Further in- formation may be obtained from the N 、 4 Å at 2020 2 lst Avenue south, Nash- ville, TN. , 37212. ☆ According to Cunniff of 0 ル , Don Williams' music 1S now being programmed aboard Air Force One. Who said Ronald Reagan wasn ' t a coun- try music fan? ☆ If you want to win $ 50 , 000 , a one- year recording contract with Dimensron Records, a booking associauon with Shorty Lavender's talent agency and a guest spot on a Ray Price tv special , then amble on down to your local country radio station, plunk down $ 100 and you'll be a contestant for the above pnzes, 0 fered by Ray Price's Country Star-Search ' 81. This national country music talent contest wi.ll conclude in October SO bnash up on your country licks, 応 lks. ☆ If you read E 岬な , 沢ど・なの , ル砒あれを G 印 gn ん耘 or ル厩をなワ magazrnes you may have noticed an ad for "The Greatest Country Music Recordings of AII Time, ' ' a subscription offer 伝 om the prestiglous FrankIin Mint Record Society. These recordings were produced ⅲ concert with the C ountry Music Foundation Library and Media C enter from a collection which includes well over 75 , 000 discs. The 100 records in the 50-volume set will be issued monthly and will cover the history and highlights of country musrc's recorded history, 伝 0n1 1922 to the present. ☆ lfyou get down Texas way be sure to head your wagon over to the 01d stock- yards area of downtown FO 、蹴 h , site ofBiIIy Bob's Texas, a new establishment said to be, (gasp!) "bigger than Gilley's. ' Set on a measly Ⅲ ' million square-foot plot of land, the club boasts a capacity of 6 , 000 , a 30 , 000 square-foot dance floor, nine acres 0f parking, 42 bar stations, a barbershop , a d1Y goods store , a photo studio, a greasy spoon, ' ' four sound systems, 300 employees, 30 bouncers, a team of off-duty cops and, れ 0 steel "Toros" here, a ″を bull-riding com- pound , itself complete with grandstand COUNTRY RHYT MS 、 73