Mixtapes Of Today
In this podcast I will talk about all types of music, different genres, different decades, themes, and soundtracks of our lives. Discussing personal experiences and cultural nostalgia. We will build a playlist every week and share it with the listeners.
Mixtapes Of Today
Episode 5: Classic Country
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Classic Country playlist on Spotify
This week is all about some of the country classics that I grew up with that still influences the music of today.
Welcome to Mixtapes of Today, Episode 5. I am your host, Suze Jones. Today's mixtape will be all about country music. Country music is the product of the working class of the Appalachians. It was first recorded in the early 1920s as a combination of folk songs and regional music of immigrants in the area. During the Great Depression, country music started to vary from its folk origins and adapt characteristics of blues and gospel music. This is the country music that quickly became popular. And it's what is often referred to as real country music. And throughout the years, it has been known as classic country. I am presenting 10 songs for this week's mixtape, all considered to be what I call classic country, that I listened to growing up. Each artist and song are enriched with history and talent that still influences country music artists today. Check out my classic country playlist on Spotify. Track 1, Mama Tried by Merle Haggard. Merle Ronald Haggard, born in 1937, was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in country music, he was a central pioneer of the Bakersfield sound. With a career spanning over five decades, Haggard has 38 number one hits on the U.S. country charts, several of which also made the Billboard all-genre singles chart. Haggard overcame Troubled Childhood, Criminal Convictions, and Time in Prison to launch a successful country music career. He gained popularity with his songs about the working class. Mama Tried was written and recorded by Merle Haggard and The Strangers. It was released in July 1968 as the first single and title track from the album of the same name. Haggard focuses on the pain and suffering he caused his own mother by being incarcerated in 1957 in San Quentin. Haggard never was sentenced to life without parole, as mentioned in the lyrics of the song. Still, the song was heavily influenced by Haggard's early life.
SPEAKER_10And leaves only me to blame because Mama tried.
SPEAKER_00Loretta Lynn, born Loretta Webb in 1932, was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. The 1980 musical film Coal Miner's Daughter was based on her life, in which actress Sissy Spacich portrayed Lynn. The song, also titled Coal Miner's Daughter, was considered to be Lynn's signature song, which was originally released as a single in 1970, and became a number one hit on the Billboard Country Chart. The song tells the story of Lynn's coal mining father in rural Kentucky during the Great Depression. Lynn, who was born there and experienced the Great Depression as a child, also describes her childhood and the circumstances she was raised in during those years. It would also be considered one of music's most significant recordings, according to polls from Time and the Recording Industry Association of America.
SPEAKER_05Just can't wait to get on the road again.
SPEAKER_00Known for his jazz-influenced phrasing and inventive guitar playing, Nelson's music transcends traditional country boundaries. The song about Life on Tour came about when the executive producer of the film, Honeysuckle Rose, approached Nelson about writing the song for the film's soundtrack. On the Road Again became Nelson's ninth country and Western number one hit overall in November 1980, and became one of Nelson's most recognizable tunes. In addition, the song reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 7 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was the biggest pop hit to that time and won him a Grammy Award for Best Country Song a year later.
SPEAKER_05And I can't wait to get on the road again.
SPEAKER_00Track four. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records and is well known for his distinctive voice and phrasing. He had more than 160 chart singles to his name from 1955 until his death in 2013. He heard country music for the first time when he was seven when his parents bought a radio. Jones recalled to Bill Board in 2006 that he would lie in bed with his parents on Saturday nights listening to the grand old Opry. He Stop Loving Her Today was released in April of 1980 as the lead single from the album I Am What I Am. The song was Jones' first solo number one single in six years, which was written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman. It tells a story of a man whose lover leaves him, vowing to love her until he dies. He keeps old letters and photos from their previous romance and hangs on to hope that she would come back again. Eventually, a day comes when the man dies, and ultimately that is when he is no longer in love with her, henceing the title of the song. I would say this is probably one of the saddest country songs ever written, and George Jones's voice gives it just the right sadness. Tammy Wynette, born in 1942, was an American country music singer and songwriter, considered among the genre's most influential and successful artist. She was born and raised in a small town in Mississippi and spent a lot of her childhood picking cotton, but aspired to become a singer. She performed music in her teen years and got married at 17. She then got divorced and moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1965 to pursue a country music career. Stand by Your Man was co-written by Wynette and Bill Sherrill. It was released on September 20, 1968, as the first single and title track from the album, Stand By Your Man. It proved to be the most successful record of Wynette's career and is one of the most familiar songs in country music. The song was placed at number one on CMT's list of the top 100 country music songs, and the song received some criticism during the late 1960s to early 1970s women's liberation movement as feminist groups deemed it to be too conservative. While for others, the song made Wynette a spokesperson for working-class housewives experiencing marital disappointments and changing gender roles in the late 1960s. Wynette herself said that she has not intended any social or political agenda. Whelan Arnold Jennings, born in 1937, was an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the outlaw movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at age 8 and performed at 14 on KVOW Radio, after which he performed his first band, the Texas Longhorns. Jennings left high school at age 16, determined to become a musician. He recorded the song in 1967, and Jennings released a version of it in July of 1974 on his acclaimed album titled The Rambling Man. Whalen's version became one of his signature anthems, hitting number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and peeking at number 75 on the Hot 100. It perfectly captured his rebellious outlaw country spirit and helped define the error. She is the fourth of twelve children born on the banks of the Little Pigeon River in Pittman Center, Tennessee. Parton began performing as a child, singing on local radio and television programming in the East Tennessee area. After achieving success as a songwriter for other artists, Parton's debut album, Hello I'm Dolly, was released in 1967, commencing a career spanning 60 years and 50 studio albums. Musician and country music entertainer Porter Wagner invited Parton to join the Porter Wagner show, offering her a regular spot on his weekly syndicated television program and in his roadshow. Jolene was recorded and released in 1973. It was nominated at the Grammy Awards for Best Female Country Vocal Performance twice in 1975 and then again in 1976 for its live recording. According to Parton, the song was inspired by a red-headed bank clerk who flirted with her husband Carl Dean at his local bank branch where they were newly married. John R. Cash, born in 1932, was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. Cash is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 90 million records worldwide. His genre spanning music embraced country, rock and roll, rockability, blues, folk, and gospel sounds. He actually grew up on gospel music and played on a local radio station in high school. The song's lyrics discuss resisting temptation, being accountable, and remaining faithful to his wife, Vivian Liberto, during his first marriage. However, Johnny and Vivian divorced and he married June Carter.
SPEAKER_01I keep a close watch on this heart of mine. I keep my eyes wide open all the time. I keep the ends out for the tie that binds.
SPEAKER_00Strait has sold over tens of millions of records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time as well. Strait began his musical career while attending Purse Hall High School, where he performed in a rock and roll garage band known as the Stoics, taking most of their influence and inspiration from the Beatles and other British invasion era rock groups. Strait's career in country music began performing with his band Ace in the Hole in Texas, Honky Tonks, in the 1970s, where he caught interest of a former MCA Records executive who became his long-term manager and helped him get signed. Amarillo by Morning was written by Terry Stafford and Paul Fraser, and originally recorded in a country pop style by Stafford as a single in 1973 with little success. Strait recorded the song for his 1982 album, Straight from the Heart, and released as a single in 1983. The single entered the Billboard Country Chart February 12th, 1983, peaking at number four. It has since become one of Strait's signature songs. The song is sung from the point of view of a rodeo cowboy driving at night from San Antonio to a county fair in Amarillo. Born Virginia Patterson Hensley in 1932, Patsy Klein was an American singer. One of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century, she was known as a pioneer to successfully cross over into pop music from country music. Klein's first professional performance began in 1948 at a local radio station, WINC, in Virginia when she was 15 and signed her first recording contract in 1954. Klein's further singles with Four Star Records were unsuccessful, although she continued performing and recording. In 1958, she relocated to Nashville, Tennessee to further her career. Klein became a member of the Grand O'Lopry and then moved to DECA Records in 1960. The 1961 single I Fall to Pieces became her first to top the Billboard Country chart, and then she was severely injured in an automobile accident, which caused her to spend a month in the hospital. After she recovered, her next single, Crazy, also became a major hit. Crazy was written by Willie Nelson, and Klein popularized it, and her version is considered a country music standard.
SPEAKER_02Crazy for trying, and crazy for crying, and I'm crazy for loving you. Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you.
SPEAKER_00This concludes this episode of Mixtapes of Today. Hope you enjoyed the list this week. 10 tracks of country classics that still hold strong today. Please check out the Spotify playlist link in the description. Thank you for listening to Mixtapes of Today. We will be back next week. Talk to you soon.