I saw a thread for rap / hip hop so I thought I'd start an American folk - Country, Gospel & the Blues.

I'm not pro-American but I do see most modern musics descending from the country, gospel & the blues. Whether it be rock 'n' roll or rhythm 'n' blues etc it all roots from these musics. The only other influence is classical and brass band music which played its hand in Jazz music.

Personally I love Johnny Cash & Waylon Jennings the best. That or a bit of BB King

I also don't mind a bit of blue grass or mountain music.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qck-s79efuw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzae_SqbmDE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ny5ajCn0xw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXniM9Ml8R0

On a more serious note. I think nowadays too much racial rubbish has gotten into the music scene. Especially in musics like rap. The truth is the poorer whites brought their Irish, Jewish and Russian folk musics across on the ocean which got mashed together to make the hillbilly sound and the black slaves picked up the instruments and reinvented the sound to make the blues. It wasn't about white and black but rather rich against poor. Slavery was just a horrific crime of the time. Nowadays it is the drug dealers and the pimps that are the one making slave.

The Man In Black will always be one of my favorite musicians of all time.

Like.

Love Todd Snider. An amazing story teller with great wit and that great folk voice.

D.B. Cooper - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIU_0DG_xAU

I'm going to see him in May. Can't wait.

:foodndrink: I drink to this, lol

Elvis was the king to many but to me it was the Man in Black :thumbsup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihtZtUpn7sQ

There are so many blues songs that I absolutely love, it′s actually my favorite kind of music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ZFg5-oaS0

I grew up with hillbilly music because I basically am one. heh heh.
My parents moved to Michigan from the Mississippi Delta region in the late 50's where many of the great early blues men originated. The http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_Delta region is 80-100+ miles south of Tennessee, not further down south around Biloxi (which is sometimes a mistake in people's mind). The Delta region is a wonderful place to visit...cotton as far as the eye can see sometimes...and the Mississippi river is pretty awesome. "When the Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin speaks of this region.
We grew up with Country AM radio and records. I have loved country music all my life, but I don't like a lot of the contemporary stuff. Some of it's really good, (Trace Adkins & others) but I can only take so much of a steady diet of it. I prefer Johnny Cash in any era, Hank Williams Sr., George Jones, Willie Nelson, and many of the great country songs of the 50's, 60's & 70's.

I like any Bluegrass music done well, especially Ralph Stanley.

I love all the Delta Blues artists: Son House, John Lee hoker, Robert Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson, Lead Belly, & others.

Nice selection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgEH8Xjxpw4

I like Dolly. Is a guilty pleasure.

Or...
If you like fiddle music...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6p8WE6ZemY

I'll shut up now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW4XgQvcDsQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwSZvHqf9qM&feature=channel_video_title
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9v421lq_xU

Dylan would probably be my favourite of all artists among the genres of this thread, Amazing artist.

Holy Smokes! William Elliot Whitmore sounds great! Never heard of him before. Thanks for the heads up.

My brother used to mock Dylan's music endearingly with the line:
"Son, you sound like a hillbilly! We want folk singers in here!"

You forgot Tin Pan Alley, Skiffle and Jazz. All forbearers to American Folk.

Signature American Song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBfjU3_XOaA

Don't listen to much Gospel, but Christian Rock= :rock:

OH YES BRUTHA! :rock:

I listen to some Gospel, though. I like the music people have on this thread

There's another influence derived from the variety acts and music hall players in England. Stuff like the Beatles or Freddy and the Dreamers, are a progression of that culture.

I <3 folk.

I don't think there's a single day that goes by that I don't chill out to some Sam Beam or similar.

*lights cigar*
*pulls out bottle 'o' whiskey*
*grabs old record*

you wanna talk 'bout blues boy?

(1950s-1960s)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOyj4ciJk34

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQzZhkn0h98

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiGpv-UeiDI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELLV-qzSgIo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj293l5w2MU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2GiCKKO390


(1920-1930s)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qo9R5kDZWY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ochN-6Yr8lM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI7cpAfsHUU

There's a man who wrote GREAT blues during the 1980s and 1990s, he comes from the same generation as Muddy Waters and John Lee hoker, but he was a true visionary when it came to modernizing blues. This guy was RL Burnside, seriously, give him a chance, it'll sound like cheesy rap at first but listen to the lyrics and how he actually does it. if you like blues you'll definitely like this guy.

(him in the 1990s)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzC_rGX-XyM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gALi97_vqkU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0ulSeGpuZI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhDNi6uRr6U&feature=related


(him in the 1980s, he's a bit more traditional)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk_XIPWtjzk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpdhGifeQEU&feature=related

I'm not huge into country, but I do like a little Tom T. Hall:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLh-Y6GBiIA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs2YJmwlRA4

So well written.

I wouldn't say country was our roots. It was more western music. big difference. Country music came off of western music IMO. My grandpa is in a western band, and thats the music I believe was our roots. Country is just... eh

I hope you knew about that before Black Ops.

So do I. Finding out about that song like that should be illegal.

Also, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i4dDHYpkN4.

Maybe since Battlefield Vietnam?

Ok...I'll say it.
The "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack.
All of the music we're talking about here....encapsulated...condensed and fit for the consumption of the masses.
Great movie too !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBQ01X-1AlI

and of course the achingly beautiful http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuNIsY6JdUw. Her music doesn't speak to me but with her that's not the point

Of course. Years before.