"Classic Country???"
Everybody is saying let's go back to Classic Country,
even those who don't know what it is.
I'll give you an example of classic country:
Us: Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan.
Thirty-five years ago,
we had our first Billboard charted country record:
"Bethlehem Steel".
Is that far enough back?
And, we've had lots of Billboard Picks
and charted country records since.
And add Country Duet of the Year.
Unless you want to go back to Jimmy Rodgers, in 1928,
our credentials should be enough.
The reason I'm bringing all this up is this:
Some people think you have to be acoustic,
and know only three or four chords to qualify.
You have to be retarded musicians.
We don't play country because of musical limitations.
We are able to play any kind of music we want.
We play Country by choice,
and I think that's a good thing.
The Nashville studio pickers can play ANYTHING.
We should be proud of them.
They're a collection of rare geniuses.
We sang on the Ernest Tubb Record Shop radio show,
and just before we went on the air,
his band was jamming a Count Basie tune.
I remember when drums weren't allowed on the Opry.
The times that Misty and I were on the Opry
we weren't allowed to use our electronic piano.
Listen to all the pianos in Nashvile for the past 20 years or so.
They are either electronic,
or they are filtered through limiters and other electronics.
I am not in favor of most of the commercially generated,
semi-pop stuff being called New Country.
But, to be honest, some of it's not bad.
As I said once before:
The guys who can only play three chords,
don't like the guys who play four chords.
If it's good, and it has the feeling,
that should be enough.
I hope the amateurs don't take over Country Music.
I care too much about it.
©November 19, 2002, Jack Blanchard. All rights reserved.
