Johnny Cash and Alternative Radio

[EricStein]

How many alternative stations are occasionally playing music from Johnny Cash? The Edge in Phoenix has seemed to play a Cash song once a day for the past few months. I know the popularity of the movie "Walk the Line" was probably responsible for this phenomenon, but if they play Cash, why aren't they playing other "outlaw country" artists that have tried to appeal to listeners of alternative radio (Merle Haggard comes to mind)? Is it the same reason why some stations play Bob Marley, but no other reggae artists?

 

[jack]

> How many alternative stations are occasionally playing music
> from Johnny Cash? The Edge in Phoenix has seemed to play a
> Cash song once a day for the past few months. I know the
> popularity of the movie "Walk the Line" was probably
> responsible for this phenomenon, but if they play Cash, why
> aren't they playing other "outlaw country" artists that have
> tried to appeal to listeners of alternative radio (Merle
> Haggard comes to mind)? Is it the same reason why some
> stations play Bob Marley, but no other reggae artists?
>
Bob Marley's music crossed over to other formats, other reggae artists didn't.

While the movie certainly boosted Johnny Cash's profile to other formats, he did some wonderful covers before he died that fit! Listen to his excellent versions of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" and U2's "One" - he really made them his. You could play those and never even dip into his earlier stuff.

 

[sluggmunki]

> > How many alternative stations are occasionally playing
> music
> > from Johnny Cash? The Edge in Phoenix has seemed to play a
>
> > Cash song once a day for the past few months. I know the
> > popularity of the movie "Walk the Line" was probably
> > responsible for this phenomenon, but if they play Cash,
> why
> > aren't they playing other "outlaw country" artists that
> have
> > tried to appeal to listeners of alternative radio (Merle
> > Haggard comes to mind)? Is it the same reason why some
> > stations play Bob Marley, but no other reggae artists?
> >
> Bob Marley's music crossed over to other formats, other
> reggae artists didn't.
>
> While the movie certainly boosted Johnny Cash's profile to
> other formats, he did some wonderful covers before he died
> that fit! Listen to his excellent versions of Nine Inch
> Nails' "Hurt" and U2's "One" - he really made them his. You
> could play those and never even dip into his earlier stuff.
>

What surprises me is Johnny Cash was added as an alternative artist and played on alternative stations but not pop, hot AC, and not even Triple A or varitey hits stations. Okay, I would understand pop but why not the other two formats? I wonder if Lil Jon and the East Side Boys would remake a Rage Against the Machine track and get added on altenative too.<P ID="signature">______________
FCC=Freakin' Clear Channel. Also known as sluggmunki_tx on tv.com</P>

 

[Neil]

>
> I
> wonder if Lil Jon and the East Side Boys would remake a Rage
> Against the Machine track and get added on altenative too.

Yeah, reminds me of the remix of Bombs over Bagdad by Outkast with Rage that got on alternative stations a few years ago.

 

[StereoBrain]

Strange, And what was that deal with Outkast's "Hey Ya" getting airplay on alternative radio. I remember tuning my radio to my local alternative station and thinking they had flipped formats.

 

[jack]

> What surprises me is Johnny Cash was added as an alternative
> artist and played on alternative stations but not pop, hot
> AC, and not even Triple A or varitey hits stations. Okay, I
> would understand pop but why not the other two formats? I
> wonder if Lil Jon and the East Side Boys would remake a Rage
> Against the Machine track and get added on altenative too.

Well, as we've seen many CHR/POP & Hot AC stations won't touch anything unless it has a c-note attached to the CD case. The others are programmed by folks who don't take chances. As to AAA, I believe they did play Mr. Cash when the album came out.

 

[ticoSD]

> Strange, And what was that deal with Outkast's "Hey Ya"
> getting airplay on alternative radio. I remember tuning my
> radio to my local alternative station and thinking they had
> flipped formats.

The first time I heard "Hey Ya" was on 91X.
<P ID="signature">______________
"...and the countdown continues until the neanderthals that govern college football do something about their pathetic postseason."--Tim Brando, Sporting News Radio</P>

 

[ticoSD]

> How many alternative stations are occasionally playing music
> from Johnny Cash? The Edge in Phoenix has seemed to play a
> Cash song once a day for the past few months. I know the
> popularity of the movie "Walk the Line" was probably
> responsible for this phenomenon, but if they play Cash, why
> aren't they playing other "outlaw country" artists that have
> tried to appeal to listeners of alternative radio (Merle
> Haggard comes to mind)? Is it the same reason why some
> stations play Bob Marley, but no other reggae artists?
>

FM 94/9 in San Diego was playing Johnny Cash right after he passed away. I don't know if they still play him now.<P ID="signature">______________
"...and the countdown continues until the neanderthals that govern college football do something about their pathetic postseason."--Tim Brando, Sporting News Radio</P>

 

[Obtuse]

> > Strange, And what was that deal with Outkast's "Hey Ya"
> > getting airplay on alternative radio. I remember tuning my
>
> > radio to my local alternative station and thinking they
> had
> > flipped formats.
>
> The first time I heard "Hey Ya" was on 91X.
>
Heck..the first time I heard Prince or Public Enemy was on an alternative station (back when "alternative" crossed more genres than it does now). Was a time when Punk, Reggae, Ska, Electronica, New Wave, early Hip-Hop, and dance all co-existed. The only caveat is that it had to be quality stuff or groundbreaking in some way. Thes days, few stations stray very far form the angry white rock formula, save the occasional Gorillaz or Chemical Brothers track.

I do really like Johnny Cash, especially his American Recordings stuff (some of the best of his career IMHO). And I have heard the occasional spin of his takes on "Personal Jesus", "Rusty Cage", and "Hurt" , but mostly on Alt. non-comms.

 

[MarcR]

> Heck..the first time I heard Prince or Public Enemy was on
> an alternative station (back when "alternative" crossed more
> genres than it does now). Was a time when Punk, Reggae, Ska,
> Electronica, New Wave, early Hip-Hop, and dance all
> co-existed. The only caveat is that it had to be quality
> stuff or groundbreaking in some way. Thes days, few stations
> stray very far form the angry white rock formula, save the
> occasional Gorillaz or Chemical Brothers track.
>
The "New Music" format of WLIR back in the '80s was essentially a progressive CHR/Pop type format that embraced all of the genres you brought up. You could hear a Hip Hop trio like De La Soul or even an R&B artist like Terrence Trent Darby on 'LIR in those days. The format began to lean more heavily in a Rock direction with the advent of the Grunge movement back in the early '90s.

 

[waybackmike]

I remember watching MTV back in 1994, and I'd see the video for Johnny Cash's "Delia's Gone" being played on both "Alternative Nation" and "120 Minutes". I never thought I'd see the Man in Black cross over into alternative, but he's been that influential to so many, that it just seems right that he gets occaisional airplay. I remember working at Premium 92/1 here in San Diego, and we had him in our rotation from time to time, but we didn't limit it to his American Recordings material...we dug into his classic stuff as well. I also know that both 91X and 94/9 have dug into his archives on occaision. Think the last time I heard him on 91X, was "Tennessee Flat-Top Box". I know when I had my show on 92/1, I'd play some Johnny Cash...especially when he died in 2003...I played a mix of old/new stuff.