Mike cites tonight's televised Opry portion and Opry special (65th
anniversary) says:
>>It all seems to me someone has decided trad is back big time so lets get
with it. More trad material coming to radio too. Percentage wise up a lot
from 2-3 years ago.
Killin time but I'd like to know if it's just me or does anyone else see
this and why aren't more folks writing about it.<<
I caught the very tail end of the rebroadcast of the rebroadcast special,
which definitely looked cool; it was a kick to catch even a glimpse of Roy
Acuff, Bill Monroe and some of the others who have passed on. As far as I'm
concerned, though Kelly Willis did a good performance and gave a good
interview to Anderson on the pre-game show, Tracy Byrd really rocked the
house. I caught both shows - the later, radio-only one first, as I was
driving from Yellow Springs to Franklin to drop in at the Mountain
Heart/Karl Shiflett & Big Country show Joe Mullins put on (Melvin Goins &
Windy Mountain were there, too, but I arrived just as they finished their
second show). On that one, hosted by Porter Wagoner, he did "She's All I
Got" and the Bob Wills number "Old Fashioned Love." The Price-Bush medley
was some hot stuff - though the fiddlers need to get their bowing together;
when the bows are going in different directions when they're playing twin,
something just ain't right <g> - and "Keeper Of The Stars" is a perfectly
fine ballad in my book. My wife taped the pre-game show for me, but got a
late start, so the tape cranks up right where Byrd was telling Bill "I Get
The Fever" Anderson that "we" are going to "make some country records" for
RCA, a line he pretty much repeated a couple of times, and he certainly had
a sympathetic audience in Anderson, whose "You Lied To Me" Byrd cut on his
third album, and did a hell of a job with. (BTW, Jeannie Seely really
nailed her opening shuffle number; she's someone that I think has really
gotten better with time.)
I think things are definitely looking up. As for why it's not being written
about more, I don't think many folks are paying a lot of attention; the
embarrassing errors of fact in many critics' swipes at mainstream country
show that they're not.
The next test is to see if someone picks up Daryle Singletary <g>.
Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
