Country Music on the Radio! - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

dave walsh · 23rd Nov 2019, 7:36 pm

BBC4 are showing 'Country Music' by Ken Burns which started last night. The first episode covers the early roots and then moves into the thirties depression in the second. The whole process parallels and is driven by the development of Radio throughout the United States and it's punctuated with fascinating photos, sets/ records/mikes and archive film sections. Should be of interest whether you like the music or not! On I player.

It reminded me of a young Dylan, sitting in Duluth Minnesota, near the Canadian border [about as far as he could be from the music in the mid west and deep south]. He'd found an old Radiogram in the basement that had one C+W record. He then tuned in to those distant southern stations in search of something different.... nearly three decades later.

Dave W

dave walsh · 23rd Nov 2019, 9:05 pm

Discussed on Saturday Review Radio 4 [35 mins in].

Dave W

TowerRadio · 23rd Nov 2019, 9:41 pm

There was a few clips showing the manufacture of shellac records.Les

Brigham · 26th Nov 2019, 10:44 am

Oh! It's that US Hillbilly stuff.
I was expecting Adge Cutler...

dave walsh · 26th Nov 2019, 3:49 pm

A very oppressed and marginalised group of people Brigham, so essential to the history of music in general and the main driver to the popularisation of the Radio medium in the States. Based on hardship, there is a general depressed tone all the way from the Carter Family to the present day and it's what people identified with then-as shown so well in the documentary. It's ironic that the Radio boom was a commercial development based on things like selling Insurance and soap powder [ie Soap Operas-Hank Willliams] but then the BBC began as a private company.

Although The Wurzles and their Combined Harvester, had more in common with the Barron Knights [an upbeat comedy act with "zider"] there might be more similarity than is obvious at first. Most of the Kentucky area material is based on Irish, Scots and English imported tunes [not sure about Welsh

] so there might well be something Devonian in there as well

Dave W

Herald1360 · 26th Nov 2019, 6:57 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave walsh

Although The Wurzles and their Combined Harvester, had more in common with the Barron Knights [an upbeat comedy act with "zider"] there might be more similarity than is obvious at first. Most of the Kentucky area material is based on Irish, Scots and English imported tunes [not sure about Welsh

] so there might well be something Devonian in there as well

Dave W

Zummerzet oi rackun....

dave walsh · 26th Nov 2019, 9:10 pm

Yes your right Herald

. "Slip of the County"! Devon nice as it is, doesn't quite fit that song from the old TV Avert "Coates comes up from Somerset where the Cider Apples grow!" does it?
What did you think of the Ken Burns program and the vintage footage? Dylan broke the mould by recording in Nashville with all those "outdated" guys. He realised it was where it all came from and where the best musicians could be found. No-one else would have left New York Studios for the South at that time [1966].
Dave

Brigham · 28th Nov 2019, 12:14 pm

Flatt and Scruggs were great.
I lost interest when George Burns took over.

David G4EBT · 28th Nov 2019, 1:22 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brigham

Flatt and Scruggs were great.

Say no more squire!

"Foggy Mountain Breakdown" (Live) by Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs (1965):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuJ-wNQw42M

Originally recoded in 1949, later used as the sound-track of Bonnie & Clyde.

23rd Nov 2019, 7:36 pm	#1
dave walsh Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex. Posts: 5,817	Country Music on the Radio! BBC4 are showing 'Country Music' by Ken Burns which started last night. The first episode covers the early roots and then moves into the thirties depression in the second. The whole process parallels and is driven by the development of Radio throughout the United States and it's punctuated with fascinating photos, sets/ records/mikes and archive film sections. Should be of interest whether you like the music or not! On I player. It reminded me of a young Dylan, sitting in Duluth Minnesota, near the Canadian border [about as far as he could be from the music in the mid west and deep south]. He'd found an old Radiogram in the basement that had one C+W record. He then tuned in to those distant southern stations in search of something different.... nearly three decades later. Dave W

23rd Nov 2019, 9:05 pm	#2
dave walsh Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex. Posts: 5,817	Re: Country Music on the Radio! Discussed on Saturday Review Radio 4 [35 mins in]. Dave W

23rd Nov 2019, 9:41 pm	#3
TowerRadio Hexode Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bristol, UK. Posts: 388	Re: Country Music on the Radio! There was a few clips showing the manufacture of shellac records.Les

26th Nov 2019, 10:44 am	#4
Brigham Octode Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Co. Durham, UK. Posts: 1,117	Re: Country Music on the Radio! Oh! It's that US Hillbilly stuff. I was expecting Adge Cutler...

26th Nov 2019, 3:49 pm	#5
dave walsh Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex. Posts: 5,817	Re: Country Music on the Radio! A very oppressed and marginalised group of people Brigham, so essential to the history of music in general and the main driver to the popularisation of the Radio medium in the States. Based on hardship, there is a general depressed tone all the way from the Carter Family to the present day and it's what people identified with then-as shown so well in the documentary. It's ironic that the Radio boom was a commercial development based on things like selling Insurance and soap powder [ie Soap Operas-Hank Willliams] but then the BBC began as a private company. Although The Wurzles and their Combined Harvester, had more in common with the Barron Knights [an upbeat comedy act with "zider"] there might be more similarity than is obvious at first. Most of the Kentucky area material is based on Irish, Scots and English imported tunes [not sure about Welsh] so there might well be something Devonian in there as well Dave W

26th Nov 2019, 9:10 pm	#7
dave walsh Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex. Posts: 5,817	Re: Country Music on the Radio! Yes your right Herald. "Slip of the County"! Devon nice as it is, doesn't quite fit that song from the old TV Avert "Coates comes up from Somerset where the Cider Apples grow!" does it? What did you think of the Ken Burns program and the vintage footage? Dylan broke the mould by recording in Nashville with all those "outdated" guys. He realised it was where it all came from and where the best musicians could be found. No-one else would have left New York Studios for the South at that time [1966]. Dave Last edited by dave walsh; 26th Nov 2019 at 9:23 pm.

28th Nov 2019, 12:14 pm	#8
Brigham Octode Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Co. Durham, UK. Posts: 1,117	Re: Country Music on the Radio! Flatt and Scruggs were great. I lost interest when George Burns took over.