Posted by Rick Denney on February 21, 2001 at 11:55:00:
In Reply to: What's REALLY in you CD player? posted by Carl L on February 21, 2001 at 10:52:17:
Now that I live on the slopes of Appalachia, and my wife has roots in these hills about ten miles deep, I've had to redevelop an appreciation for bluegrass. I like it fine as long as it stays instrumental. I've never been that big a fan of the vocals.
And I grew up in Texas, reaching adulthood about the same time John Travolta did in Urban Cowboy. The scenes in and near Mickey Gilleys were not unknown to me. I attended Texas A&M, which is not a hot-bed of classical music activity (though there's more than you'd expect), during the popularity of Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Willie Nelson. I worked some years for the Texas Highway Department, where they play both kinds of music (sing along...), Country AND Western, and I heard my fill of Eddie Rabbit, John Connoly, Conway Twitty, Reba McIntyre, and on and on.
Plus, I was Chief Roadie and Sound Dude for a country band in Brenham (halfway between somewhere and somewhere else) called Texas Unlimited. I lived across the street from Johnny Gimble's kids in Austin, and he and my roomate became good friends.
I've paid my C&W dues.
But I gotta tell that except to maintain marital bliss I feel like I've listened to all the country music I need to, however much I might respect the skills of the practitioners.
When the orchestral and brass music isn't in the CD player, then it might be Emerson, Lake and Palmer, the Beach Boys, Yes, or even Kansas. Perhaps some occasional Cat Stevens or Crosby, Stills and Nash. On some cloudy days I might even pop in Dan Fogelberg. And sunny days will often bring out Maynard Ferguson or Wynton Marsalis. Phillip Glass and Steve Reich have both been there, too, though maybe I have to include them in the classical stuff.
Rick "whose horizon stretches as far as he can see through smudged glasses" Denney