COUNTRY AND WESTERN MUSIC

A friend of mine said that he liked both kinds of music, country and western. I never much cared for either or that’s what I thought. Looking back I remember liking The Sons of the Pioneers and singing cowboys as a young lad. I was weaned on classical music since I could remember.  

The reason I mention this is because of Ken Burns. I watched his series about a month ago on PBS on country music. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical part but the actual music, not so much. I know that when I was in the school orchestra in grade school one of the song books that was used was The Music of Hank Williams. I really liked the music of Hank Williams but didn’t much care for old Hank’s singing. Too hillbilly for my taste.

I try to practice what I preach and one of the things that I preach is don’t knock it unless you have tried it. Back in the eighties when I was bitching to my son about Rap, he asked me if I ever listened to Rap Music. Of coursed I told him that I had, which I hadn’t, and that Rap shouldn’t even be called “music”. It isn’t melodic and there is nothing to like about it. I was a salesman on the road around LA and spent many hours in my company car so I found a rap station and did try listening to it. It became much like a trial by fire to me. I’d push the button on the car’s radio and see how long I could bear it. About four minutes was my record. I couldn’t figure out how my smart cello playing son could like anything about it. To this day, I still think he was pulling my leg as any respectable teenager would just to get a rise out of the old man.

But I digress. While watching the Ken Burns series I developed a taste for Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. I never really saw what all of the hoopla was about for Johnny Cash. Since the beginning of time I always liked Kris Kristofferson and I am in love with Emmy Lou Harris.

Come to think of it, my classical music pianist mother one day out of nowhere took a huge liking to Country music. Maybe this liking is an omen of old age but I would certainly not describe myself as elderly. As I write this, I am listening to The Highwaymen.

Maybe I don’t have to be all in for C & W.