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@^@

I'd also nominate a host of faceless nonentities, some of whom have plagued the Opry stage in the last year or so - their names have mercifully slipped my memory.

I'll put Kenny C. at the top of my list because, while he's no better or worse than the others, he sounds (in his all-too-frequent interviews!) as though he's starting to believe all his publicity

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Roger Rettig

I'm not sure Brooks + Dunn belong on this list..Although I am not a huge fan I think Dunn is really a pretty good singer...

Put those other guys on a stage alone with an acoustic guitar and you would clearly have a candid camera episode.

Confederate Railroad.

I saw them at a Coloseum Show here in Portland, and the bandleader the "drummer" was about the worst I'd EVER heard. His whole band had evidently bailed and he used Chely Wright's players.

He SUCKED.

Most of the others mention have some redeeming qualities.

I'll have to think about it during work tomorrow.

I included Brooks & Dunn as I've yet to hear a sensitive song from them - until I hear them challenged in this way I can't really judge - that awful thing 'She Don't Know She's Beautiful' is one of the dumbest records ever, and they seem to revel in that three-chord mediocrity.

At the other end of the scale? Check out Joe Nichols' singing on his current CD - he articulates every note, his pitching is spot-on, he phrases everything beautifully and he has 'chops' to spare! There's not a poor track on the whole record.

I wonder if Kenny & co (see above) can even tell the difference - it'd be nice to think that some of the less-talented vocalists might listen to the 'great ones' rather like we all marvel at the best steel-players, but I fear that their egos might prevent it...

"that awful thing 'She Don't Know She's Beautiful' is one of the dumbest records ever, and they seem to revel in that three-chord mediocrity."

quote:

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'She Don't Know She's Beautiful'

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I've NEVER been a Sammy Kershaw fan,(or Doug either,for that matter) but that song title has to get an award for the "Dumbest Song Title Of The Year". Most "beautiful" girls not only know it,they make sure that everyone else does too!

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  ~ ~
  ©¿©  It don't mean a thang,   
  mm   if it ain't got that twang.
       www.ntsga.com

I apologize if I'm wrong about the identity of the musical miscreants responsible for the '....Beautiful' song - I was sure I'd heard it by Brooks and Dunn; anyway, I still haven't liked anything of theirs that I've heard.

I have been surprised before - Tim McGraw's 'One Of These Days' is lovely (mainly due to Paul Franklin and Matt Rollins, mind you); he sounds very acceptable on that.

And Donna - please give my best wishes to Tommy, and tell him my new D10 Zum is exquisite - I was a little unsure at first, but now I'm converted!

But not George Jones - maybe he could get a bit maudlin at times, but it's his technique and musical imagination that marks him as one of the best ever.

I'm sorry if this offends, but I fail to see what anyone ever saw (or heard) in Hank Snow, Little Jimmy Dickens, Grandpa Jones, Roy Acuff and many more - they seem to me to have been more like 'novelty acts' than serious musicians. They're the artists who gave country music its cornball image, and the reason why 'C&W' was largely disregarded by people who were serious about music.

Johnny Cash is an awful singer, with a severely limited technique, but he's a unique 'communicator' - the right song is in safe hands with him, although I can only listen to him for a short time.

I believe that the late-'50s and early-'60s saw a vast improvement, as producers like Chet Atkins sought to make the genre more widely acceptable. Much more ability was required of the studio player, and this has reached the point where Nashville is widely regarded as a world music capital where only the best players succeed - vocal standards have generally improved at the same time, but it's as well to remember that this is all only 'pop music', and 'curiosities' are inevitable!

For some, seeing these erstwhile performers on the Opry is a trip down memory lane, and that's fine - they're a part of the fabric of the culture - I fear, though, that many of them sound pretty poor to me.

I guess that the ratio of 'good vs. indifferent' doesn't change much through the years!

quote:

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Donna - I'll make every effort to listen to that track you mention, but I remain a little prejudiced as I dislike B&D's exaggerated nasal twang.

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James R.Hall
MSA S10 & MSA D12

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Derby D-10 3+4 Les Paul Custom.

My wife never misses an opportunity to tell me her opinion, and I just have to walk away.

Another one is for some jergoff front man to do a make-fun-of-type impression of him or hack up one of his songs. I've quit over it once.

I know his vocal articulation was limited, and I'm sure the band had it's moments of noticing imprefections.

This brings me to my point.

It doesn't seem that vocal ability is what makes these folks great.

It's the WHOLE PERSON.

If it were "vocal ability". acts like Gary Morris with his tennis shoes and wet hair, and Garth Brooks with his C/W Freddy Mercury Stage shows would have been declared two of the all time best.

Yes it's true Jimmy Dickens Tommy Collins, Hank Thompson, George Jones and a couple others WERE "novelty acts".

Problem is that at a certain point "the industry" became "afraid" to promote them.

One of George Strait's early songs was "I'm gonna kill you" about killing his wife and "burying her in a small box". I doubt if you'll even find it on a discography.

With Hank Snow, it was the whole show, uniforms, musicians, the whole shot, as well as Hank's Charity Work. With Hank T, it was the musical arrangements and musicians. He was the Frank Zappa of country in my estimation.

I"m not gonna say who I think the most over-rated act is, because they/he/she come from my hometown..

EJL

The most underrated, in my opinion, would be Vern Gosdin.

Eric, those that consider ET overrated would have to have a myopic focus on vocal range and they'd have to include Cash for the same reason. ET always entertained, sang within his range, found good songs and recorded and toured with great musicians. It all added up to quite a legacy.

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HagFan