Well, Terry, the outlaw thing was somewhat complicated, in part because it
was in part the creation of a gifted publicist, Hazel Smith, who now writes
a regular news/gossip column for Country Music magazine (as well as the
occasional song, usually with one or both of her talented sons, Billy and
Terry). In any event, if Bare was looked at as a model by Jennings or
others, that's news to me. I'd say that he got put in the outlaw category,
to the extent that he did, more because of, er, lifestyle choices, an
interest in doing material by some left-of-center writers like Guy Clark and
the cultivation of a good-time Charlie, drinkin'n'druggin' persona than
because he was unhappy with Chet Atkins' production.
With regard to the interplay of commercial and artistic consideration, I
think Joe Gracey and David Cantwell have covered that ground pretty well
already. "Let's make a hit" isn't the same as saying "let's make some sucky
music." Yes, thinking about how to sell records shapes the making of them,
but it generally does so in a more imprecise way; when you get in the
studio, you want to make the best record you can given existing constraints,
whether that's the lack of a piece of equipment you'd like to use, or the
recognition that if you don't come up with something that's going to sell,
you're not going to get another chance. Such factors shape, but don't
control, what gets made.
Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
