I've always had an eclectic mix of tastes in music but, currently, I'm really getting into country music. As a guitarist, I'm veering toward the modern rockier/poppier end of the genre and am really into the likes of Trace Adkins, Brad Paisley (what a guitar player that guy is), Travis Tritt, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert etc. (I really like the women who rock out). I've been a big fan of Steve Earle for longer than I care to remember now and I also like some of the more traditional stuff (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers etc).

So, basically, does anyone have any recommendations for me? No set criteria but any artists who like to crank the volume and the tempo up a little every now and again would be ideal.

I've always had an eclectic mix of tastes in music but, currently, I'm really getting into country music. As a guitarist, I'm veering toward the modern rockier/poppier end of the genre and am really into the likes of Trace Adkins, Brad Paisley (what a guitar player that guy is), Travis Tritt, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert etc. (I really like the women who rock out). I've been a big fan of Steve Earle for longer than I care to remember now and I also like some of the more traditional stuff (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers etc).

So, basically, does anyone have any recommendations for me? No set criteria but any artists who like to crank the volume and the tempo up a little every now and again would be ideal.

Gretchen Wilson is a woman who really rocks out, and she plays guitar. I also like Hank Williams, Jr. and Merle Haggard. Keith Urban is another great guitarist and singer. Kenny Chesney is another very popular one.

There are so many that I enjoy, it's hard to list them all, but hopefully this will get you started. :agree1: I'm sure that others will join in and add their favorites, as well.

Thanks GStough - that's great. I'll certainly check them out. And please list as many as you can - I can't get enough at the moment.
Thanks !

Ok, here are some more: Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen, Randy Houser (love his song "Boots On"!!), Alan Jackson, George Strait, Darius Rucker (formerly of Hootie and the Blowfish), Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Toby Keith, Rodney Adkins....

Gosh, the list goes on and on....

Definitely check out Dierks Bentley. I have two of his CDs and they're both great. Also saw him in concert at a little county fair here in PA and it was a great show.

Is country music popular or catching on in England or is it just your broad taste of music that is steering you towards it?

Thanks again GStough and thanks risavard.

I wouldn't say country music is that popular over here - certainly doesn't trouble the charts (singles & albums) too much, especially the artists who have been mentioned here so far, and we certainly don't see many artists of that ilk touring over here, which is a shame really. I'm sure it does have it's fans but certainly not to the same extent as the USA.

Yeah I thought that would be the case. When I was in highschool I went to England to do a "cultural exchange" with students from a school in Truro, Cornwall. They didn't much care for country music then, but not as many people did here, either.

On a similar note, what's the perception of the NFL playing games in London? Rumor has it they might start playing more than 1 a year there, or eventually even have a London-based teams. The London Bullocks does have a nice ring to it, don't you think?

When you talk to current music performers (the truly talented ones:D), they will always speak of those before them that they learned from. I saw an interview with Willie Nelson one time discussing how truly revolutionary and talented Mabelle Carter was. I also know that many performers discuss the brilliance of Robert Johnson.

If you want to go back, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had some excellent work. Bluegrass it is, but I also feel that bluegrass lays much of the foundation for much of the country music as of late (along with soul and blues).

One of my favorite songs of all times is the acoustic version of "Wanted: Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi. A really great piece of guitar work.

Suite Judy Blue Eyes is also a classic piece of music. Not only a great piece of guitar work, but such a great job of harmonizing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzF_MoXOU1E

If you want to hear a fantastic guitarist, Roy Clark is very hard to beat.

Yeah I thought that would be the case. When I was in highschool I went to England to do a "cultural exchange" with students from a school in Truro, Cornwall. They didn't much care for country music then, but not as many people did here, either.



Not to derail the thread - even though I don't like country music - what school in Truro? I went to 'high school' in Truro.....

If you want to hear a fantastic guitarist, Roy Clark is very hard to beat.

Indeed, and let's not forget the great Chet Atkins!

I would recommend David Allen Coe's, "The Ride"

"Mr can you make folks cry when you play and sing?"
- Yes, Yes I can. I can also make my dog cry.

"Have you paid your dues, can you moan the blues, can you bend them guitar strings?"

-All but the guitar part....

"Dressed like nineteen-fifty, half drunk and hollow-eyed."
- describes most of the contributors of this forum.

So, basically, does anyone have any recommendations for me? No set criteria but any artists who like to crank the volume and the tempo up a little every now and again would be ideal.

Hank III, Grandson of Hank Williams, son of Hank Jr.

He goes from traditional old style country to thrash (with a different band).
Be aware - he is not children friendly. He's Rebel Country with very salty language and subject matter. I like his "Hellbilly" stuff - fast but with Fiddle and Steel Guitar.

I saw him in concert opening for Reverend Horton Heat and he was awesome... and I'm not a country fan at all.

for the country sound it's "Hank III and the Damn Band". "Assjack" is the thrash band he fronts.

Not to derail the thread - even though I don't like country music - what school in Truro? I went to 'high school' in Truro.....

It was the Richard Lander School and the family I stayed with lived in Threemilestone

It was the Richard Lander School and the family I stayed with lived in Threemilestone

Waaaaa! That was my old school! When I was there it was called 'Penwethers' and it was renamed when it became a 'comprehensive school', instead of a 'secondary modern'. That is awesome! I lived 13 houses up from the school, towards Threemilestone and had a bunch of friends who lived in the village!

What a very small world we live in!

Waaaaa! That was my old school! When I was there it was called 'Penwethers' and it was renamed when it became a 'comprehensive school', instead of a 'secondary modern'. That is awesome! I lived 13 houses up from the school, towards Threemilestone and had a bunch of friends who lived in the village!

What a very small world we live in!


Wow, that's pretty crazy! Who would have imagined? I was there in June of 2001. Went all over the area--Newquay is the one place that really stands out. I remember the others, but forget the names! I also remember crossing a bridge over a dried river that had a huge boat sitting in the mud. Great area. The father of the family I stayed with worked for the mead making company over there. That's some delicious stuff!

Best Bluegrass---Bill Monroe

I just came accross a great album the other day. I had the vinyl years ago, but just recently finally found it on CD. It was about $30 on Amazon, but is worth it IMHO.

Roy Clark and Gatemouth Brown, "Makin' Music". I would be surprised if anyone else here has heard of it. Roy, of course, is country, and Gatemouth is a blues man. The session was in Nashville, so there is a coutry influence, but it drips of the blues as well. This album cooks. I don't think it was intended for the mass market because the production is a little rough in spots, but that is part of its charm.

I just came accross a great album the other day. I had the vinyl years ago, but just recently finally found it on CD. It was about $30 on Amazon, but is worth it IMHO.

Roy Clark and Gatemouth Brown, "Makin' Music". I would be surprised if anyone else here has heard of it. Roy, of course, is country, and Gatemouth is a blues man. The session was in Nashville, so there is a coutry influence, but it drips of the blues as well. This album cooks. I don't think it was intended for the mass market because the production is a little rough in spots, but that is part of its charm.

Craig,

Thanks for the tip! It's cookin' indeed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KflvR2UrQ4

Stijloor.

Craig,

Thanks for the tip! It's cookin' indeed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KflvR2UrQ4

Stijloor.

My vinyl had "promotion copy" on the sleeve, too. I have to think that this album was given to radio stations but never released? Maybe the country radio stations didn't know what to think, and there are not enough blues stations to matter?

Anyhow, Caledonia is, IMO, one of the lessor offerings on this piece of work. "The Drifter" is one of the best blues recordings I have ever heard. And I happen to very much like the blues.

I wasn't big on country until a couple years ago, so my familiarity with the older artists is sketchy at best. (My dad would shoot me if he read that, he was a DJ at a country station when I was growing up.) I've been getting into it over the last year or two. Some of my favorites are Sugarland (Jennifer Nettles has a great voice), Deirks Bentley, Rascal Flatts. There are others but I'm drawing a blank right now. Have fun!!

Country Music Recommendations? Here's mine. Put it away and get AC/DC's High Voltage and TURN IT UP, WAY UP. Loud, crude and explicit. Just what I like!

Country Music Recommendations? Here's mine. Put it away and get AC/DC's High Voltage and TURN IT UP, WAY UP. Loud, crude and explicit. Just what I like!

That's what I'm thinking......:notme:

Country Music Recommendations? Here's mine. Put it away and get AC/DC's High Voltage and TURN IT UP, WAY UP. Loud, crude and explicit. Just what I like!

Oh, I've been into all that since my early teens - wouldn't listen to anything but hard rock in those days! It's just that my tastes have broadened over recent years.

:agree1:

I've always had an eclectic mix of tastes in music but, currently, I'm really getting into country music. As a guitarist, I'm veering toward the modern rockier/poppier end of the genre and am really into the likes of Trace Adkins, Brad Paisley (what a guitar player that guy is), Travis Tritt, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert etc. (I really like the women who rock out). I've been a big fan of Steve Earle for longer than I care to remember now and I also like some of the more traditional stuff (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers etc).

So, basically, does anyone have any recommendations for me? No set criteria but any artists who like to crank the volume and the tempo up a little every now and again would be ideal.

Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins were two artists best known for country that were colleagues of Elvis in the early days of Sun Records. In other words, they were also rockers.

You might also check some Eddie Rabbit stuff. He actually also had a country rap song in the 1980s.

Also, here are three that are absolute must haves: Hank, Jr.; CDB (Charlie Daniels Band); and Alabama. Each brings something different to the table.

If you are going way traditional, then you also need Hank, Sr., and some Jimmy Rogers.

Newer, and hence, semi-traditional includes Toby Kieth, Trace Atkins, and a few others.

Hope this helps.

Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins were two artists best known for country that were colleagues of Elvis in the early days of Sun Records. In other words, they were also rockers.

You might also check some Eddie Rabbit stuff. He actually also had a country rap song in the 1980s.

Also, here are three that are absolute must haves: Hank, Jr.; CDB (Charlie Daniels Band); and Alabama. Each brings something different to the table.

If you are going way traditional, then you also need Hank, Sr., and some Jimmy Rogers.

Newer, and hence, semi-traditional includes Toby Kieth, Trace Atkins, and a few others.

Hope this helps.


Johnny Cash was one of the greatest, in any genre. Although he is classed as country, I think he is one of the few who defy categorization.

Strictly for the Brits.

There are few good reasons for shopping at Tesco (I hate the place) but right now they've got a "Classic Country" pack of 4 CDs for just two quid. It's all old stuff, Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, Chet Atkins, Bill Munro and the like but pleasant to listen to in the car on the daily commute. They've got similar stuff covering rock, classical and musicals too.

Thanks to everyone for the recommendations so far - I've checked a few out and like what I've heard. I'll listen to every suggestion over the next week or two but I have a slightly new query.

I'm finding it difficult to assign a genre to the type of music I really like at the moment ('dirty country'? 'grungy country'? 'swamp music'?) but I'm talking of songs like the Tito & Tarantula tune from 'Dusk 'til Dawn' ('Only After Dark' - perhaps it will jog a few memories if I mention it's the song that's playing when Salma Hayek does her snake dance...!), the Jace Everett theme tune from True Blood ('Bad Things') and the Chris Isaak song 'Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing' (title?) (from 'Eyes Wide Shut'). You know - that dirty, sleazy, bluesy country bayou vibe? Apologies if that description is ridiculous but that's the only way I can describe it at the moment! Anyway - if you do understand what I'm saying, is there anything similar that you're aware of?

Thanks!

Mick