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Charlie Worsham: Country Music’s Most Underrated Man

They say that timing and luck is the key to succeeding in the music business. Some of most talented artists go undiscovered while the money and the power of record labels can’t even guarantee an artist a successful debut. This is a concept that Warner Music recording artist, Charlie Worsham, knows all to well.

In and around the Nashville scene, Charlie Worsham is a common name. He released his debut album, Rubberband, in 2013 but before that, he was in a popular unsigned Nashville band named KingBilly. Courtney Allen, a new member representative at the Nashville Songwriter’s Association International, once told me about when she used to watch KingBilly at Whiskey Row, a local music row bar. Worsham wasn’t the singer, or even the lead guitar player but she said everyone could tell his was a star. He played various instruments from rhythm and lead guitar, background harmonies, mandolin, banjo, piano, etc… He first got his start in country music when he played the Grand Ole Opry at twelve years old as a banjo player. He then built on his incredible musical talents by studying at the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston. After KingBilly broke up in 2012, Worsham decided to pursue a solo career. He has since opened for the likes of Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Sam Hunt, Kip Moore and Wade Bowen. He has even sold out the Grand Ole Opry multiple times. His debut album featured a song called “Tools of the Trade ” that included Nashville legends Vince Gill and Marty Stuart. The fact that these two icons agreed to be on his album just vindicated the fact that Worsham is special.

I remember first hearing Worsham’s debut single, “Could It Be,” on the radio and absolutely loving it. It was a brilliantly crafted song that captured the feeling of best friends turning into lovers. Although it peaked at twenty-eight on the US Country Chart, that doesn’t fully represent how good the song actually is! At the time, Worsham was Country Aircheck’s most-added male artist in a debut week, a record that Sam Hunt went on to break. This proves that even radio programmers across the country had faith in Worsham and his music. Perhaps it was just bad timing. Things got worse for Worsham after his second single, “Want Me Too,” only reached number forty-six on the Country Chart. He hasn’t had another single since.

Worsham is the kind of artist that every musician strives to be. He has lead guitar skills that can hang with Keith Urban, he has a live show that can match any professional touring act, he can produce like any well-known producer in Nashville, and to top it all off, he is a prolific songwriter as seen in his appearances in Bob DiPiero’s CMA Songwriters Series. In an age of country music that is tarnished with ear candy and non meaningful lyrics, Charlie Worsham should be a bigger symbol of hope for music lovers. All we can hope for is that country radio gives this underdog more chances to show the world what he’s capable of.

Other must-listen-to songs include:
“Love Don’t Die Easy”

“Young to See”

“Trouble Is”

“How I Learned to Pray”

“Break What’s Broken”

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Filed under Blog Post 2, Live Music, Uncategorized

Shannon’s Country Music Experience

I have loved getting to know the city of Austin and all it has to offer. For my country music experience project I am reflecting on:

Dancing at Midnight Rodeo
San Antonio Rodeo with Brad Paisley
Watching the CMA Awards with my mom
Watching the movie Cars with my friends.

I hope you enjoy!

https://storify.com/shannonsmithtx/shannon-s-country-music-experience

 

This has been a wonderful semester because I have had the opportunity to learn more about country music. Country music has always been my favorite type of music. My mom would constantly have a country music CD playing in our house. I was not originally familiar with older country music sub-genres, or how country music has changed over the years, but after taking this class I feel more knowledgeable and cultured on the subject.

My first country music experience happened last November with my mother. Each and every year we take the time to sit down and watch the Country Music Awards. We both love country music and enjoy watching Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley host. We don’t typically have time to watch the ACM awards together only because it comes on during the middle of all of my school projects. This year Brad Paisley leaked out the sex of Carrie Underwood’s baby. My mother absolutely loves Blake Shelton and I am a big Miranda Lambert fan, so it was great seeing them take home Male and Female Vocalist of the Year. This is a tradition we will continue to honor in the future and I always look forward to my mother’s candid reactions.

The second country music experience occurred in San Antonio with my ex-boyfriend. For our anniversary we decided to take a trip the San Antonio Rodeo to see one of our favorite artists, Brad Paisley. We always love watching all of the rodeo events, but we mainly go for the concert. Unlike most concerts, the rodeo demand that the artists stay on schedule and limits the interaction with the audience. Our seats were almost are far back as you can get in section 224, but we still had a blast.

The next thing I did was have a fun movie night with my friends. We all love the movie Cars, so it was perfect that we choose a movie that was on the country music list. I love Rascal Flatt’s song “Life is a Highway” so the fact that this movie features that song makes it a great movie in my book. This movie also includes Brad Paisley’s “Behinf the Clouds,” Sheryl Crows “Real Gone,” and James Taylor’s “Our Town.” Say that this movie has an amazing soundtrack is an understatement. The playful storyline was just icing on the cake.

The last thing I did was go to Midnight Rodeo with my some of my friends. We drank and danced all night long. I really enjoy dancing with different people and learning different styles of two-stepping. We went on a night where there was a performer, so we got to see John Wolfe. This artist reminded me of George Straight because the song style and the tone in his voice was almost exactly the same.

This class had taught me a lot about country music and the city of Austin. Now, I find myself listening to the older country music songs by Loretta Lynn and even Bob Wills. This project was a lot of fun and really opened my eyes to everything Austin has to offer.

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Gaby’s Country Music Experiences

I knew that coming to school in Austin would be an experience. Coming from San Antonio, I was highly influenced by my hispanic background and the traditions of my own city. I always had the mindset that living in Austin would be an absolute culture shock. What I realized this semester is that these two cities, though very different, share one thing: country music.

Country music is has always held a high position in my life. I grew up listening to it and two-stepping was something you learned as a toddler. Seeing all the available country music opportunities in Austin made it a welcoming community. Unfortunately, my transition into college life has been rough, therefore I spent more time at home on the weekends rather than exploring all that Austin had to offer. That does not mean that I did not notice the country music influences around me. Though I did not go out and get to do as much around Austin as I had hoped, I used what free time I had to expand my country music experiences.

https://storify.com/GabrielleH/country-music-is-everywhere

I do think that being in this Rhetoric of Country Music class has made me more aware of the role country music plays in everyday life. For one of my friends’ birthdays we went to Midnight Rodeo. We donned our dresses and cowboy boots, which was a normal outfit for myself but not the particular friend who was from Florida. I instantly noticed that she was changing her normal preferences to fit in and go two-stepping. She would have never listened to it in her spare time, but when thinking of a good place to have fun, two-stepping was her first choice. Sam Riggs was performing that night and it was an absolutely amazing show. This just showed me that country music, though people stereotype it as sad, is also what people look at as fun. Boots are essential when you got to UT, and they symbolize the carefree fun time that comes with living in Texas.

Watching television now constantly has me relating everything to country music. I started watching Nashville, which is all about country music. However, before this class I had no desire to watch it except for the fact that I loved Connie Britton. I was hooked as soon as I started. It was an amazing view into a world I realized I knew nothing about. Of course it is fictional, but that does not mean everything that goes on in the show is completely invalid. Viewers get to see the backstage view that otherwise is a mystery. I understand the added drama draws in viewers, but I think of that as a good thing. Once again, people who have not otherwise been exposed to country music are avid watchers of the show. Sure they might enjoy the drama and spectacle of the show, but country music is influencing their lives whether or not they realize it.

My favorite time of the year in San Antonio was rodeo season. I have gone to the rodeo almost every year of my life. This year I went to go see Hunter Hayes. Even before the performance began I noticed all the country music influences in the events. They used clips from country songs to pump the crowd up and get them involved. When Hunter came on stage, I found myself analyzing the performance. I noticed the country influences of other artists, and also how he could be considered more country pop. I listen to country music differently after this class. The lyrics, instrumentation, and delivery are all components I find myself recognizing on songs that I have listened to for years. I see this as an advantage. I am a journalism major so this training to look deeper and find a message is a great quality to have developed.

Another thing I noticed was that I was much more excited for the Academy of Country Music Awards. They took place in Dallas which made me feel pride for my home state. I watched the performances intently. I listened to each song from the categories and compared how they were similar and different. I can’t help but feel nothing but pride when an event like this takes place somewhere so close to me. One of my friends got to go to the show and I was extremely jealous. However, I realized something. Watching the performances live would be amazing, but the song doesn’t change. The lyrics are the same whether you are in a giant arena or a small dorm room. Country music isn’t about where you hear it, but about what you hear.

This semester has flown by, but my time here in Austin is nowhere near over. I have a few more years to expand my country music experiences. Hopefully once I am more comfortable here I will stay on the weekends and explore museums or iconic country music spots. I do know that Austin’s country music audience is large. Sure people joke about it being awful and annoying. Little do they know that it influences their life too. Boots are essential when you got to UT, and they symbolize the carefree fun time that comes with living in Texas. These are country staples and they find their way on people who don’t even listen to the music. They play country songs at sporting events. Whether people realize it, country music is making it into their lives. Country music can not hurt anyone, if anything it only opens people’s eyes to different ideas about life.

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Filed under Austin, Awards, Live Music, Reflection, Texas, Uncategorized

Marissa Gallardo and Country Music

This semester I was able to take a deeper look at country music, not only through Rhetoric of Country Music but also from my own experiences. I saw Eric Church in concert, watched Nashville, saw Dierks Bentley perform at the Houston Rodeo, and saw the TX State Museum Country Music display.

This semester I was able to take a deeper look at country music, not only through Rhetoric of Country Music but also from my own experiences. I saw Eric Church in concert, watched Nashville, saw Dierks Bentley perform at the Houston Rodeo, and saw the TX State Museum Country Music display.

https://storify.com/marissagallardo/marissa-gallardo-and-country-music

Coming into Rhetoric of Country Music in the beginning of the semester, I expected the majority of the students would be interested in learning more about country music, like I did, but I soon found out that I certainly did not know as much about country music as I believed that I did.  I have been continuously impressed by the knowledge of country music and the vast opinions and tastes of everyone’s unique perspective on country music.

I was excited to begin the country music experience project and also continue enjoying country music as I begin to see it in a new light.  I began the project by brushing up on some country music history in San Marcos on the Texas State campus. I actually stumbled upon their country music display by accident.  Along with other important figures in Texas history, country music artists and live music in Austin specifically has played a very important role.

Both the Dierks Bentley and the Eric Church concerts were incredibly fun.  I had a very unique experience in each of the venues, the Frank Erwin Center and the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo.  A concert is one of the most personal ways you can interact with an artist, and many find that after they go to a concert they find a new appreciation for the artist and their genre; this is all very true for me.  Country music touches the lives of so many people, and a concert gives the audience a shared experience; you connect with the artist and the people around you.  Being able to see country music “in action” in the country music community was the best way to understand how and why country music affects people the way it does.

I have watched Nashville from the very beginning!  My mom and I love having shows that we watch together, and Nashville has been a great addition to the list.  Fusing country music and drama seems like a hard task to accomplish, and it can’t get better than Nashville.  I think it is important as someone who is studying country music on a deeper level that we understand how country music is represented in the general public, outside of die-hard country fans.

This course has certainly shaped the kind of music I have listened through during the semester but, perhaps, not in the way you would expect.  While we focus on country music in class, it has made me more and more interested in other genres, how they function in society and how they relate to country music.  I began listening to country music because of my parents; with that notion, I also reflected in all of the music that I enjoy as a reflection of my parents and siblings.  From Ska to Bakersfield Country to Reggae to Texas Country and back again, my taste of music has expanded, my appreciation of all music continues to grow.

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Darius Don’t Go

This past Monday morning I turned on my TV as an attempt to mentally escape my online government class, and to my surprise I saw Darius Rucker on the screen. He wasn’t on CMT or another program about country music, but he was on ESPN’s Mike and Mike, something I thought was out of the ordinary. I remember seeing Rucker perform at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in high school- and I know his cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel” was a huge hit- but since then I haven’t heard much about him, which left me to assume his popularity declined. Well, after watching him talk about sports, current events, and his own career, I gained some insight as to why Darius Rucker has been more popular in the media lately.

The following day after appearing on ESPN, Rucker released his fourth country album Southern Style, an album which he was excited to talk about with Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg. From this album, the single “Homegrown Honey” reached number one on the country music charts just last week. Originally, I thought his appearance was for him to self-promote his own album, as well as talking about his recent success, however as the interview went on I realized that this was not the case. The big announcement came when Rucker later stated that sometime in the near future Hootie and the Blowfish will reunite, and, in turn, the discussion of Southern Style faded away. While he admitted it may be a year before the band starts making music again, it seemed that the news of Hootie and the Blowfish’s comeback entirely trumped the release of his new country album and number one single. Hearing this raised the question, is Darius Rucker done with country music?

As much as I want him to continue making country music, it seems that he’s transitioning back to his rock roots. Darius Rucker has been the most prominent African-American figure in country music since Charley Pride, and it’s saddening to see him return back to rock. Although he has not has the success of people like Brad Paisley or Tim McGraw, Rucker has done well in transcending traditional boundaries of what is considered country, expanding the fan base of country music along the way. In a time of racial tension, Darius Rucker has been able to thrive as a black artist in a genre of music that primarily targets a white audience. Some of this success can be directly attributed to his likable personality, seen in his appearance on Mike and Mike. His quick-witted humor, cheerful disposition, and social nature were all exemplified throughout his interview, and I truly believe him going back to Hootie and the Blowfish is a loss for country music. Who knows, maybe with his recent success of Southern Style Rucker might change his mind about the move back to rock. I like Darius Rucker as a person and as an artist, so wherever he winds up I hope he does well. With that being said, I have my fingers crossed he doesn’t stop with country music altogether, as I think he has a potentially long career ahead of him.

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