The Great Texas Music Compromise

[Adidas410s]

So I have determined that there is middle ground for us to all reach on the "Texas Music" debate. Gobbla touched on it a few days ago. Long and short, there are two styles of music within the Texas/Red Dirt Music genre. Below is a list of which group some artists fall under. List A, a traditional, "old school Texas" style of music is the list that Russ provided...with some revisions. Group B is the more "contemporary Texas" and, to an extent, mainstream group of artists that get lumped in as Texas artists. Group C is for those artists that really don't fall under either of the groups...or they have a blend of both styles in their music.

Group A
Max Stalling
Owen Temple
Aaron Watson
Jerry Jeff Walker
Lyle Lovett
Billy Joe Shaver
Guy Clark
Adam Carroll
Asleep at the Wheel
Mike McClure
Mike Graham
Gary P. Nunn
Joe Ely

Group B
Pat Green
Randy Rogers Band
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Jack Ingram
Wade Bowen
Eli Young Band
Hayes Carll
The Lost Trailers
Bleu Edmondson
Reckless Kelly
Django Walker
Dierks Bentley
Drew Womack
Honeybrowne
Shooter Jennings
Stoney LaRue
Matt Powell

Group C
Charlie Robison
Bruce Robison
Kevin Fowler
Cory Morrow
Roger Creager
Robert Earl Keen
Jason Boland
Jarod Birmingham
Cooder Graw
Peter Dawson
Walt Wilkins

So if you think that this is a fair assessment of the overall situation of the Texas Music scene...then our previous debate was a lot of "apples and oranges" because we were debating which style "is Texas Music" when both of them are...but just in different ways.

here is Group D...aka the senior citizen group! ;)

Group D
Willie Nelson
Waylon Jennings
Jerry Jeff Walker (also in Group A)
Kris Kristopherson
Tommy Alverson
and to really show your age...Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys

[SWMustang]

To me group C is the epitome of Texas Music, but I should do a little more resaerch and give more of a listen to groups a and b

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by SWMustang
To me group C is the epitome of Texas Music, but I should do a little more resaerch and give more of a listen to groups a and b

See that's the beauty of it...I would pick group B...with 1 or 2 guys from A and C. Russ would likely pick A with a few guys from B and C. Texas Music let's us listen to a broad range of music and it all still be a part of the same genre. I love how on any given night you can find a show with an Aaron Watson (group A) and Peter Dawson (group C) playing a show with Pat Green (group B). This was a show lineup in Abilene sometime in 2004 or 2005...it's greatness! :thumbsup:

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by SWMustang
but I should do a little more resaerch and give more of a listen to groups a and b

Oh and for a few group B guys to check out...I would recommend Randy Rogers, Wade Bowen, and Eli Young Band. Wade just put out a new album (Lost Hotel) that I bought 3 days ago and it has yet to leave my iPod, computer, and/or CD player. It's a HUGE step up from his first couple albums and I (along with many others) are really enjoying the new album.

[LH Panther Mom]

I would have to vote Group A because that's who I'm more familiar with. But, as far as I'm concerned, Texas music is Texas music. :thumbsup:

[kepdawg]

I guess I'm out of the loop on the whole Texas music thing. I have heard of only 3 from group A, 6 from group B, and 4 from group C.

[sinton66]

And, there's no Willie and Waylon.

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by sinton66
And, there's no Willie and Waylon.

k I made a Group D just for you...and Ranger Mom!!!:p

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by Adidas410s
k I made a Group D just for you...and Ranger Mom!!!:p
You stick some more of the A's into the D's and that's my final answer. :)

[Gobbla2001]

Not a bad job, Adidas... some folks may disagree, but I see where you were going with it...

Wade Bowen is good... haven't had a chance to hear his latest CD, but have heard the first single, "God Bless This Town", not bad... I like his song "Boston"...

The Eli Young band is really good, will get to see them with Reckless Kelly at Schroeder Hall my birthday weekend...

Also, everyone check out Jarrod Birmingham... more of your honky-tonkin' southern-rocker type dude I guess... worked with him for a couple of years, he's now touring full-time and at a town near you...

[big daddy russ]

I could agree with that... and quite a few of those guys are hanging right on the edge of their group.

Personally, I think Adam Carroll's more Group B than A, and Owen Temple's straddling that line, too. I also think Kevin Fowler's a little more A than C, as A seems more like a cross between old school rock/country (Waylon Jennings, Hank Jr, DAC, etc) and Texas, but vise versa for Port A favorite Mike Graham.... but it's all up to interpretation and it's a very fine line between the three groups. Graham, Temple, Fowler and several others straddle that line pretty well.

Believe it or not, I think Group C is the best representation of Texas Music... at least in my mind. Jerry Jeff, Guy Clark, Billy Joe, et. al. may have been doing it longer, but I consider REK the true godfather of the actual "Texas Music" genre.

[smustangs]

im not sure which one is "the" texas country but i like group b best but i listen to ppl from all of those to be honest and have u ever been to texas were bob wills is still the king

[sinton66]

Originally posted by Adidas410s
k I made a Group D just for you...and Ranger Mom!!!:p

That was nice of you, but it's Wills, not Willis.;)

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by sinton66
That was nice of you, but it's Wills, not Willis.;)

oops...I knew that too but misspelled it.

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
I could agree with that... and quite a few of those guys are hanging right on the edge of their group.

Personally, I think Adam Carroll's more Group B than A, and Owen Temple's straddling that line, too. I also think Kevin Fowler's a little more A than C, as A seems more like a cross between old school rock/country (Waylon Jennings, Hank Jr, DAC, etc) and Texas, but vise versa for Port A favorite Mike Graham.... but it's all up to interpretation and it's a very fine line between the three groups. Graham, Temple, Fowler and several others straddle that line pretty well.

Believe it or not, I think Group C is the best representation of Texas Music... at least in my mind. Jerry Jeff, Guy Clark, Billy Joe, et. al. may have been doing it longer, but I consider REK the true godfather of the actual "Texas Music" genre.

Yeah there were a few guys on your list that I just left in Group A because I'm not TOO familiar with their music (i.e. Adam Carroll) and didn't have a chance to listen to any because I was at work. Fowler was a tough choice because his music is "more redneck" than anybody else out there. Of the Owen Temple I had heard...I felt they are a pretty strong A relative to those that still delve in the Western style of music.

[LHMom]

Aaron Watson (group A) is not as well known as some of the others but you all should check him out. He's awesome. He sings this one song I just love called "Off the Record."

[kepdawg]

Now that Group D has been added it is obviously the best! Any group with Willie and Waylon is head and shoulders above the other groups!

[Adidas410s]

Originally posted by LHMom
Aaron Watson (group A) is not as well known as some of the others but you all should check him out. He's awesome. He sings this one song I just love called "Off the Record."

and he attended ACU and lived around the corner from me last year.

[3ABirdMan]

"It don't matter who's in Austin..........
Bob Wills is still the King"

Jacky Jeff is great - I grew up on his 8-tracks (at one time, I had 7 of them that stayed in my truck's tape-holder, which I made in Ag Shop:D ). Guy Clark wrote a lot of those early songs, and if you really want to hear "the music" and not a pretty voice, he's the MAN! David Alan Coe had a lot of good stuff back then, but I don't know if you could really call it TEXAS music.

But to me, it all came from one source, and that would be Bob Wills. Texas Swing was his baby, and it is still alive and well! Asleep at the Wheel has a made a good living with swing music, and rightfully so.

I guess I missed alot of this discussion recently, it being softball season and all. But there is long list that could and should be added to the "D" group, like Red Stegall and Hank Thompson, to name 2. Brings back a lot of memories from college at A&M, dancing 5-6 nights a week with Dennis Ivey and the Waymen at the Lakeview Club and the Hall of Fame! (and no, we didn't drink when we danced :D !)