Category Archives: Country Symbols

by | September 9, 2015 · 2:18 pm

We Are Home in Country Music

Home. Maybe it’s the place that built you, the place you run back to, or where your heart is. Wherever your home may be, in country music it can be a place that defines where you were, where you are, and where you’re going.

I grew up going from house to house every few years. For the longest time I considered my home to be the place I was born and lived for 8 years. Like Miranda Lambert’s song “The House That Built Me,” the house that built me was in a small town on a little street corner in the most peaceful neighborhood. It’s where I spent my time expanding my imagination and growing my innocence. It’s a house full of memories and pen stains of marked heights, similar to the handprints on the front steps that Lambert references in her song. Country acknowledges that, like a first love, you can’t forget your first home. But other songs dig a little deeper.

As I grew older, I don’t find myself yearning to go back to the house where I spent my childhood. “Home” took on a different meaning when I entered the college bubble. Now I relate this term to the way Blake Shelton describes it in his song “Home.” It’s a place I can always go back to whenever I’m lost and need to find myself again. “May be surrounded by a million people. I still feel all alone. I want to go home.” It’s the place my parents reside. It’s a place full of irrevocable love. Country’s description of home is the idea of safety and peace; a place that can’t be tarnished by outside forces. Country’s deeper meaning of home is really felt in this song. It describes home as more of a relationship than an object.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJXFakzZLXk

As I transition into adulthood, I know the meaning and feelings I have toward the term “home” will change again like it has before. “Home Is Where The Heart Is” by Lady Antebellum is the best way to describe an adult searching for her new home. Lady A describes packing up and leaving behind her small town to find her dreams elsewhere. I know someday in the near future I’ll be the one packing up once again and heading out of the great state of Texas to chase my dreams and find a home. At the end of this song, there is a realization that stresses the underlying meaning of establishing a home: love. Home is where the heart is and home is where the love is.

Whether it is your first home, where your parents are, or where you’re going to end up, you find your home through love. Country music interprets home differently through several songs, but it doesn’t escape this recurring theme in country music altogether. To me, country music in itself is home; it’s safe, peaceful, emotional. It’s my past, my present, and my future.

Elissa Killebrew

1 Comment

Filed under Blog Post 1, Country Pop, Country Symbols, New Country, Reflection

by | May 1, 2015 · 8:00 am

Walk the Line: The Music of June Carter Cash

imageGrowing up, I have many memories of listening to music in the car while on trips. While it was sometimes the radio, or Christmas music around the holidays, I specifically remember listening to the Walk the Line soundtrack with my mom after she watched the movie. We would alternate between Johnny Cash’s deep, booming voice and Joaquin Phoenix’s well-executed covers of the Cash originals. This weekend, I watched Walk the Line for the first time and while I was impressed with the story of Johnny Cash, I was particularly struck by Reese Witherspoon and her portrayal of June Carter. June was a popular female singer, having gained fame from her early performances with the Carter Family. Her portrayal in the film is more focused on her relationship with Cash, but her talent as a singer is also notable. I decided to put together a list of my favorite June Carter songs, including some performed by Witherspoon in the movie.

5. “Juke Box Blues”

This song was one of the first I heard in the movie that really sparked my interest in June Carter. The song’s instrumentation is really simple, featuring drums, slide guitar, and brief moments of piano. However, June’s swing with her voice and lively personality drew my attention in a song with repetitive melodic lines.

4. “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”

June Carter first recorded her cover of this song in 1999 at age 70 on her album Press On. The song is just as simple in instrumentation as “Juke Box Blues”. Her version of this song is unique in her subtle vibrato, use of dynamic contrast at the end of each line, and her hints of swing between notes.

3. “Ring of Fire”

This song is most famously known as one of Johnny Cash’s greatest hits, but it was interesting to learn that June Carter actually wrote the song and recorded her own version. Her version changes the rhythms and uses more stereotypically “country” instruments, like fiddle and percussion instruments.

2. “Wildwood Flower”

This song reminds me a lot of “Juke Box Blues” in its repetition of the melodic line. Her pronunciation of the lyrics in the song helps to make it unique, like “flor” instead of “flower”. While the song is sad and could get monotonous, June Carter’s voice is upbeat and positive, implying that she has emotional strength to get through depressing times.

1. “Jackson”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzhzCF77GDo

This song is definitely my favorite of June Carter’s, largely because it features Johnny Cash in a duet. Their chemistry is evident in this song, with hollers at each other during their individual features. In addition, the song is fun and upbeat, and the harmony between Cash’s deep sultry voice and Carter’s fun scooping soprano make the sound unique.

4 Comments

Filed under Country Symbols, Movies and TV, Women

by | April 27, 2015 · 9:23 am

Katie’s Country Music Reflection

For my project the four things that I focused on was going to Billy Bob’s and attending a concert, going to Nutty Brown and attending a concert, taking a picture at the Willie Nelson statue, and then watching some of the American Country Music Awards. It was great getting to explore some of the most iconic country music places in Texas, while being able to keep up with country music on a more national level. Through this project I was able to explore new places, listen to great music, learn about country music history, and watch artists make history.

Billy Bob’s and the whole Fort Worth experience

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/cowtown

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/exploring-a-new-city-while-exploring-new-things

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/sara-evans

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/doing-austin-y-things

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/willie-nelson-live-on-jimmy-kimmel

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/nutty-brown-and-josh-abbott

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/check-out-this-live-preformance-from-nutty-brown

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/prediction-of-acm-s

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/winners

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/recap-just-in-case-you-missed-out

https://storify.com/Katieoneil/worst-and-best

Nutty Brown is a local Austin treasure. On top of it being a famous venue, I also got to see one of Texas Country’s most famous bands. At Nutty Brown, I got to see the Josh Abbott Band perform. This was probably one of the most fun concerts I have been too. The venue creates this wonderful atmosphere that just makes you want to dance. It is an out door venue where people can stand close to the stage or sit back and relax at some picnic tables. In addition to the venue, the band was fantastic. They played all of my favorite songs and they put on an amazing live show. Another iconic Texas place that I went to was Billy Bob’s. This was quite the experience for me. Not being from Texas I had not clue that dance halls like Billy Bob’s existed. The place was huge and had everything, even containing a bull-riding arena. The performer that night was Sara Evans. She was fantastic and the place was packed for her. I wrote about my experience going to Billy Bob’s for one of my blog posts. In addition, one of my favorite things about going to both these concerts was being able to see a band that embodies Texas Country while the other one has made her success in Nashville. I was able to experience two country concerts through this project that have two totally different backgrounds. Moving on, I went and took a picture with the Willie Nelson Statue. I never realized how famous this statue was until this class. I went this past weekend to take a picture and had to wait in a line, granted it wasn’t a long line, but still there were other people wanting to get their picture with Willie. It is very neat to see how the Austin community honors Willie, with not only the statue but also naming a street after him and building the new Willie Nelson exhibit in football stadium. Since I stayed mostly local doing this project I decided to watch the ACMs. I had already written a blog post about the major performances that would be happening so I wanted to watch the show to see how those turned out. My favorite part of award shows is watching the performances anyways so it was a win win for me. According the article written by Billboard the two worst performances of the night were the cross genre duets. This is surprising and funny because this was the main focus of my blog article due to the amount of hype that was being created for these performances. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this project because I don’t believe I would have actually experienced these things, which would have been a shame.

3 Comments

Filed under Austin, Awards, Class work, Country Symbols, Dancing, Live Music, Movies and TV, Music Videos, Reflection, Reviews, Storify, Texas, USA

by | April 12, 2015 · 8:00 am

I Want a Love like Johnny and June

FullSizeRenderRecently I visited Waterloo Records in Austin where I purchased Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison vinyl. For starters if you have never listened to this record it is a must! It was recorded at Folsom Prison so you can hear the prisoner’s reactions to Cash’s songs. It is truly an amazing record. On the back of the record was a copy of a letter Cash had written about prison and his experiences in prison.

This letter peaked my interest as I realized how little I actually knew about Johnny Cash. I love this letter for many reasons but mostly because he shared his experiences in a way that made me see how much he understood these men at Folsom Prison. Having been in prison a few times, he voiced his opinion on the “rehabilitation” of prisoners and their reemergence’s into a society that was to welcome them with open arms. Through this descriptive letter you can almost hear the frustration in Cash’s deep bass voice. It is a moving letter and does its job in exposing some of the flaws of the prison system. Moving away from his bad boy image I want to focus in on my primary interest, Johnny and June.

JohnnyCashJuneCarterCash1969June appears twice in Cash’s At Folsom Prison and wow do they make a great team. From what I have read they had a relationship that was incomparable. It took a couple of times but when Cash proposed in 1968 at a live performance in London, Ontario June finally said yes. She was a great supporting force in his life as she helped him overcome his drug addiction. She was completely devoted to him and he the same. Cash’s letter to her on her birthday is one for the records according to Taste of Country, Rolling Stones, Huffington Post and more.

o-HOUSE-OF-CASH-2-570Can you feel his emotion in this letter? His deep unwavering love for June is heart stopping and admirable. Even after her death Cash was completely devoted to her. In his last public appearance he said, “The spirit of June Carter overshadows me tonight with the love she had for me and the love I have for her. We connect somewhere between here and heaven. She came down for a short visit, I guess, from heaven to visit with me tonight to give me courage and inspiration like she always has.” You can’t tell me that you don’t want a love like Johnny and June’s.

Heidi Newfield’s song “Johnny and June” about sums it up for me. What about you?

7 Comments

Filed under Country Symbols, Outlaw, Reflection

by | April 9, 2015 · 8:00 am

A George Song for Everyone

While I was home for Easter, we ate at one of my all time favorite restaurants – Babe’s Chicken Dinner. Who doesn’t love good fried chicken? Babe’s entertained diners with classic George Strait songs, which started a lively discussion about my family’s favorites.

“The Chair”

“The Chair” is my mom’s favorite George Strait song and is the first Strait song she remembers hearing. The song eavesdrops on a conversation between two strangers. The man approaches the woman and tells her “I think you’ve got my chair.” The song progresses along with their conversation. At the end, the man throws listeners for a loop, confessing “that wasn’t my chair after all.” My mom enjoys how “The Chair” plays with the conventions of conversation.

“Marina Del Rey”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTHztKRHfVQ

Apparently, George Strait makes a great first impression because my dad’s favorite song is “Marina Del Rey,” the first song he heard on his first George Strait CD. This song about a vacation love affair ends with the couple’s goodbye. My dad says this song is timeless, catchy and “vintage George Strait.” Critics say that Strait didn’t have the vocals to pull off the performance, but after watching his performance from The Cowboy Rides Away Tour, it is obvious his vocals are well suited for the song.

“Amarillo by Morning”

My grandma was born in Amarillo, Texas, so she feels a personal connection to “Amarillo By Morning”. It reminds her of driving to Colorado and stopping in Amarillo, the halfway point. Terry Strafford originally recorded “Amarillo By Morning” and George Strait covered it in 1982. “Amarillo By Morning” is very recognizable as George Strait’s because he paints a picture with the lyrics and instrumentals.

“You Look So Good in Love” 

“You Look So Good in Love” is my favorite Strait song. It is a unique break-up song. The narrator watches his ex-lover fall in love with someone else. However, instead of wanting to steal her back he realizes that he is not the guy to make her happy. He knows they weren’t meant to be. The sappy side of me loves that he lets his ex-lover have her happiness. The musical side of me recognizes that this is a very well written, catchy song.

There is no denying that the “King of Country Music” will forever be legendary. The ability of country music fans to immediately name a favorite George Strait song reflects the personal nature of his songs and his status as “King of Country Music.” Strait is a symbol of talent and consistency, a symbol that has propelled to the top. However, now that he is not touring and is taking a lower profile, new fans might not discover their favorite George Strait song – and they’ll be missing out.

1 Comment

Filed under Country Symbols, Lists, Live Music, Music Videos, New Traditionalism, Reflection, Texas