Country Music and Workers
Date: Fri, 2 Feb 1996 07:24:39
From: Terence Finnegan
Subject: Workers and Country Music (from H-Labor)
This exchange is forwarded from H-Labor. H-South folks may be interested in this question from Bob Zeiger on country music and the following responses. I pass it along for your consideration.
Randy Patton
Kennesaw State College
From: Seth Wigderson
To: Multiple recipients of listH-LABOR
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 1996 12:18:08 EST
Subject: Workers and Country Music Can anyone help Bob Zieger with this interesting query? SW
From: Robert H. Zieger
Does anyone on the list know about the growing popularity of country and western music among northern and midwestern workers in the period ca. 1970-present? Bill Malone's "Country Music, USA" was pub. in 1969 and an article by Bruce Feiler in the current New Republic discusses the upscaling and suburbanization of country music over the past decade. But what about the adoption by non-southern workers of country, etc., over the past generation? Cites and reflections appreciated.
Here are a collection of wonderful responses to Bob Zieger's query, although I do not know if they will encourage him or get him to pick a new topic. I would suggest another work to look out is Goerge Lipsitz *Rainbow at Midnight* which is complete reworking of his earlier book. Meanwhile, much thanx to Drew E. VandeCreek, Jim Gregory, Rob Weir, Randy Patton and John Belchem. SW
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From: Drew Evan Vandecreek
Regarding Robert Zieger's question about workers and country music: I think that country music became popular among the non-southern working class at about the same time that the youth counterculture arrived. Country singers like Merle Haggard styled themselves as the antithesis of the emerging "cultural elite" and dug in to defend traditional values of family, home and individualism. I think that Haggard's classic "Okie from Muskogee" is the premier statement of this genre. I think that the song is from the late sixties, and its major thrust is captured in the chorus "I'm proud to be an Okie from Muskogee."
Other country singers began expanding the music's treatment of working class life in the 1970s. This had always been a sentimental theme of most country music, but in 1974 or so Johnny Paycheck recorded "Take This Job and Shove" it for a huge hit. I think that it succeeded because it became more confrontational, rather than sentimental.
These are just observations. I'm sorry that I don't have any cites for this.
Drew E. VandeCreek
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From: James Gregory
Bob: there is a chapter on the subject in my book *American Exodus: The Dustbowl Migration and Okie Culture in California*.
Jim Gregory
University of Washington
gregoryj@u.washington.edu
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From: Rob Weir
I suspect Robert Zieger's question re: Country music will best be answered by getting away from academic studies and into the trade publications. Check out NewCountry Magazine for a start. Also the American Folklore Society has worked on the popularity of C&W music for decades. Check out back issues of its Journal of Am. Follore, esp. starting in the 60s when John Greenway was editor.
One word of caution. The question may be wrongly framed. Zieger notes the *growing popularity* which assumes recent development.re In truth, Country music has been the nation's most popular music since the 1950s, and it outsold rock and roll even in the 60s. The reason it doesn't look this way is that separate charts were kept. I've forgotten when the charts were merged, but I think it was the late 70s. The other phenomenon that comes into play here is that Country music used to be separate from Westerndi music and they too were charted separately. Everything got muddled in the 30s and 40s as well. What do you call Woody Guthrie, for instance? Pete Seeger's father, the ethnomusicologistn Charles Seeger, tried to develop some new taxonomy. Folkloristsa like Greenway added to label confusion with works like *American Folksongs of Protest.* Ditto the Lomaxes with their studies of work songs.
All of this is by way of saying that it's probably a good idea to define one's terms before treading too heavily in this spongy turf. I'd also recommend back issues of the magazine for which I write, SingOut!. SO! has a good archive and you can contacti them at PO Box 5253 Bethlehem, PA 18015-0253 610/865-5366.
I have to tell you that I don't envy anyone trying to sort out the popularity question. Music labels are more for the convenience of reviewers than they are rigorous or descriptive. Is Garth Brooks really Country? Take the twang from his product and you're left with music that two decades ago would have been called pop. I've always ascribed to Big Bill Broonzy's definition when someone asked him if his music was *folk* music. Bill replied, "I guessj all songs is folk songs. Ain't neve heard no horse sing 'em." Best of luck to Professor Zieger!
Rob Weir
RWeir@smith.edu
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From: Randy Patton
In response to Bob Zeiger's query, I can only offer personal reflections. I teach at a suburban Atlanta-area college, and I live some 25 miles north in the small town of Cartersville. This small southern town is the home of a "new" (less than 10 years old) Anheuser Busch brewery. A large number of unionized northern workers moved into this community, and, as it happens, my wife and I bought a house in a new subdivision near the brewery dominated by these folks. I have gotten to know quite a few of them, attending community barbecues, etc. Country music seems to be the music of choice for these northern union workers at parties; whenever I pass them on the street and we each roll down our respective car windows, it is almost always a country music radio station I hear playing.
There is a strong working-class element in country music, old and new, of course: the exaltation of hard work and the value of labor. Recent examples include "Working Man's Ph.D." by Aaron Tippin: "there ain't no shame in a job well done, from drivin' a nail to drivin' a truck;" and a few years ago Alabama's "40-Hour Week;" all the way back to Tennessee Ernie Ford's "16 Tons," and even further back. There is also a healthy strain of skepticism about the American dream of upward mobility; a lot of country music artists seem today to be singing the praises of bygone era, especially about a sort of Mayberry-Andy Griffith "South" that probably never existed, longing for a simpler time, though without a hint of moonlight and magnolias. This new southern nostalgia is about yeomen and working class southerners.
The audience? An excellent question; certainly country music is immensely popular among southern workers. I suspect that the transplanted northern workers I encountered in Georgia are not unique. While I have not yet seen the New Republic article, I will definite;y take a look at it. There is a sense in which some of the new country music is aimed at an upper-middle class audience; many artists are trying to upscale their appeal. Though not directly related, I would suggest Numan Bartley's presidential address to the Southern Historical Association last year (published last year in the Journal of Southern History). He nicely summarizes much of the recent ballyhoo over southern identity and concludes that it may not be what it seems; i.e., "southern heritage" (as represented by country music, among other things) is a social cosntruct which may be of value to southern workers in one form, but may be of value to more upscale folks in another form as a way to argue against social programs of various forms. This is all a bit confused, but I'm just making a few observations off the cuff....
At any rate, I am interested in the topic and I would love to hear more from Bob about his views on this subject, and any plans he may have. It is intriguing....
Randy Patton
Kennesaw State College
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From: Dr. J.C.Belchem
Dear Seth, As regards Robert Zieger's query about country music, if he would like to extend his geographical frame he might be interested in a recent study of country music in Liverpool entitled `Nashville of the North'. The music was implanted by `Cunard Yanks', i.e. sailors on the Atlantic run -- it was the interaction of country with other imported and indigenous idioms which produced the Beatles and the Merseysound. Ringo, in particular,was a country man. For more information contact the Institute of Popular Music here at the University of Liverpool.
Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 07:15:25
Subject: Re: Workers and Country Music (from H-Labor)--two replies
Some of the issues the poster raises are directly addressed in an article in the most recent issue of the Journal of Country Music (or perhaps the one before that), although in my opinion the ways that both sub-genres of country music and of the listening audience are defined are questionable.
Dell Upton
UCBerkeley
I don't know if anyone can use this or not, but it seems like john shelton reed's "my tears spoiled my aim" might have something to say on the country music in the north phenomenon. particularly of note is the map which plots the birthplaces of major country artists across the country. I *think* that map is in reed, but i can't find my copy to verify it.
Gregory L. McDonald
Univ. of Sou. Mississippi
mcdonal3@whale.st.usm.edu
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