Men of Country Music

MEN MUSIC of

MEN MUSIC of

Country music is defined as a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and southeastern American folk music. Country music often consists of ballads and dance tunes with generally simple forms and harmonies accompanied by mostly string instruments such as banjoes, electric and acoustic guitars, fiddles such as violins, and harmonicas. Today, country music takes own its own sound with the use of Southernrock and rock itself.

Men of country music are a great way to portray the changed sound throughout the decades. It began with slow tempos and songs that were sang more like stories, with artists like Johnny Cash, to fast-paced melodies like Garth Brooks’ number ones, and now an edgy style is taking country music by storm with the help of artists like Jason Aldean and Brantley Gilbert and no one is complaining.

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JOH NNY CASH

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The Cash regularly performed dressed in all black, which was astray from the everyday country music singer who wore rhinestone suits and cowboy boots.

He wore black on behalf of the poor and hungry, on behalf of “the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,” on behalf of those 4 CASH

who have been betrayed by age or drugs. He and his band had initially worn black shirts because that was the only matching color they had among their various outfits. Either way, the name stuck and he will forever and always be “The Man in Black.”

“We’re doing mighty fine \ I do suppose \ In our streak of lightning cars and fancy clothes \ But just so we’re reminded of the ones who are held back \ Up front there ought to be a man in black.”

Man in BLACK CASH 5

OUTLAW

The

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As his career was taking off in the late 1950s, Cash started drinking heavily and became addicted to amphetamines and barbiturates. He used uppers to stay awake during tours and this caused him to later fall apart. Despite landing in jail seven times for misdemeanors, Cash never served a prison sentence, but just one-night stays. His most notorious run-in with the law occurred while on tour in 1965 when a narcotics squad in El Paso, Texas arrested him. His short times in prisons would sometimes spark song lyrics like the incident for trespassing onto private property to pick flowers. This gave the spark for the song “Starkville City Jail.” His most famous connection with the prison system, however, he was not even arrested. “Folsom Prison Blues” was a hit single after a short concert at San Quentin State Prison.

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His

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Many of his songs were written after life experiences through the drug abuse and drinking on tour. “Walk the Line” came from a short instance when June Carter expressed to Cash and his band that they couldn’t “walk the line” if they wanted to because they were all drunk while on drugs. Cash and his band couldn’t see the bigger picture and wasn’t handling their success in the most dignified way.

Ironically, Cash had fallen for June Carter and used her term “walk the line” to help express his feelings for her in the song.

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GARTH

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BRO OKS

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record breaking

ENTERTAINER

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Brooks enjoyed one of the most successful careers in popular music history, breaking records for both sales and concert attendance throughout the 1990s. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that Garth Brooks was the best-selling solo artist of the 20th century in America. This is due to his high-energy concerts and his own sound breaking the norm of country music. In his highly successful live shows, Brooks used a wireless headset microphone to free himself to run about the stage, adding energy and arena rock theatrics to spice up the normally staid country music approach to concerts. He was and is a natural born, great entertainer.

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His

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While Brooks’ musical style placed him squarely within the boundaries of country music, he was strongly influenced by the 1970s singer-songwriter movement of James Taylor, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, and Queen. Although he was solely traditional country, Brooks pushed the limits of country with an edge of the “pop sound.”

Like the majority of artists, Brooks sang about meaningful subjects such as death. His hit, “The Dance,” put him at number-one.

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This song’s theme of people dying while doing something they believe in resonated strongly and, together with a popular music video, gave Brooks his first push towards a broader audience.

Although he sang country, there was a song Brooks co-wrote and sang that reached the gospel trail. “We Shall Be Free” was written to express his desire for tolerance during the 1992 riots. The song often received standing ovations when performed in concert, went to number 22 in the Christian charts, and earned Brooks a 1993 GLAAD Media Award.

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JASON

ALD EAN

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Aldean’s parents divorced when he was three and during the summers he would spend his summer vacation with his dad in Homestead, Florida. Before going to work during the day, his dad would map out guitar chords on notebook paper to show Jason where to place his fingers to play the chords. Jason sat and practiced all day while his dad was at work. When he returned, his dad would get out his guitar and he and Jason would play together.

Aldean was a fast learner. After hearing a song only a few times, he could play it mistake free.

None of what he does comes out quite like anyone else.

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Aldean joined the “house band” at Georgia nightspot, Nashville South, at age 15. After high school, Aldean and his band performed in college towns in Florida, Alabama and Georgia. After being offered several recording contracts by different recording agencies, Jason signed with Broken Bow Records in Nashville.

Finally, Aldean’s dreams were coming true. His first single, “Hicktown,” was released in early 2005 and reached a peak of #10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. From there on out, Jason’s career was set. Four albums later, Aldean has numerous #1s and is selling out concerts across the country.

small town

BIG

lights ALDEAN 21

The blues-tinged licks at the end of his phrases–there’s a ring of familiarity about them, but you can’t really link them to another artist. The small-town themes that pervade many of his songs–that’s all been done before, but not quite with the unwavering honesty that Aldean applies to the subject. He addresses his Georgia-born brand of country music with a singular vision, and he intends to keep it that way.

“I’m not like a pro-backwoods, flag-wavin’ kinda guy. I mean, I grew up in the South, in the country, and I love that lifestyle. But I’m not one of those guys that insists that’s the only thing there is. Being from a small town, you can be a little misunderstood, and there are plenty of people tryin’ to get out of there because you’re put in a box a lot of times when you’re in a small town.”

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simple

life ALDEAN 23

STAND out 24 ALDEAN

Songs

Aldean gets around musically. “I grew up listenin’ to all kinds of music–rock and Southern rock and country and blues and rap stuff, too.” As a result, his hit album, My Kinda Party, is stocked with inviting melodies and intriguing storylines, many of them tugging on the small-town themes that have become the backbone of his persona. “Fly Over States,” “Church Pew” and “Tattoos On This Town” exemplify Aldean’s affection for the topic, though it’s often misunderstood.

Aldean’s ultra-Southern voicings give him an immediately identifiable sound. There’s no cockiness and no forcefulness in his stance. The name of the game is individuality, and Aldean is protecting it. He’s not part of some musical wave. He is his own movement.

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BRAN TLEY GILBERT 26 GILBERT

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Brantley Gilbert is like no other country music artist there is to date. His image is different from all the others in that he dresses more like a “biker rock star” than a typical country musician. Don’t let that fool you.

His sound has a slight rock-feel due to his raspy voice, but story lines of his music are true country.

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UP &

COMING GILBERT 29

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WHO HE

IS

Although it’s tempting to call Brantley Gilbert a country artist -- he certainly embraces the outlaw country side of things -- in many ways, his music is closer to the heartland sentiments of artists like John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, and perhaps most apt, Steve Earle.

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Gilbert was born in the small town of Jefferson, GA just outside of Athens. He grew up hearing country music, but he also heard a lot of Athens rock bands like R.E.M. and the B-52s and the swaggered Southern rock of bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd -- at his best, Gilbert blends all of these various strains together in his music.

It was a near-fatal car accident when he was 19 years old that spurred Gilbert to give music his all, and he started writing songs in earnest, playing mostly solo acoustic gigs before forming a band that could bring his vision of a hard-stomping country/rock/ soul show to fruition. Moving to Nashville,

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he signed with Warner Chappell Publishing (his songs have been recorded by the likes of Jason Aldean and Colt Ford) and began working toward completing an album.

“Modern Day Prodigal Son” was originally slated for release in 2006 and finally appeared three years later in 2009 from “Average Joe’s,” which also released the follow-up, “Halfway to Heaven,” in 2010.

As tour dates multiply throughout the South, Brantley’s fan base continues to expand, and like most artists these days, fans can stay updated about tour dates and news via MySpace. His page garners more than 25,000 listeners daily— a number that has brought him to the #1 spot on MySpace Music Charts for both country and southern rock.

What he’s

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For decades, country music has changed tremendously. Going from songs that could be called stories to music that makes you want to run around and dance, to songs and themes that have more of an edge but with a simple meaning. Even though there are many styles of country music that have been presented to us throughout the years, these four very different country artists have never seized to amaze their fans even from the grave, retirement, and the nose bleed section.

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