Taylor Swift - done at country?

[firepoint525]

Don't recall Mandrell ever getting any "pop" airplay, this despite the fact that the height of her career was during the previous crossover wave back in the '70s and early '80s.

I once heard "I Don't Want to Be Right" on a soft AC.

Correct...I remember hearing "(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Wanna Be Right" on my local Top 40 Station in the late 70s. According to Wikipedia, the song peaked at #31 on Billboard's Hot 100 and at the top of the country charts in 1978. I do believe that was Barbara's only crossover hit. Dolly was also mentioned earlier in this thread as "crossover" though I believe she only had two songs to achieve that among her vast number of strictly-country hits: "Here You Come Again", and "9 to 5". Also, "Islands in the Stream" crossed-over, but that was a duet with Kenny Rogers.

Hitting #31 once (and with a cover of an old R&B song at that) does not a crossover "success" make. :

 

[bigrobmjca]

Yes, I know that I'm in a grumpy mood, but I would be happy if Country music stopped evolving. (just rambling here) I wish there was a way where radio would just put it's foot down and say, enough is enough. We're not going to play this poppish sounding racket, to hell with the record companies, and to hell with the 18-25 demo. If a 50s'-80s' oldies station works, why can't a 50s'-90s' country station work?

 

[TheBigA]

If a 50s'-80s' oldies station works, why can't a 50s'-90s' country station work?

It sounds like you want a classic country station. Tune around on the AM dial, and you'll probably find one.

 

[radioman1969]

Taylor is far from over in Country!

 

[nmoore6676]

She's the biggest star in the world.

Who would walk away from the biggest star in the world?

A fool.

Who cares if she's country?

She's the biggest star in the world, and she thanks country radio every time she wins an award. She doesn't than Pandora. She doesn't thank pop radio. She thanks country radio.

Yes, pop radio plays a song ot two, and they burn quickly there too. But the place people can hear Taylor Swift is country radio. She fills stadiums. That's a lot of people. Keep that in mind. If programmers think radio is about them, they're in the wrong business.

Biggest star in the world? I want to swear here!

If you think Taylor Swift is so great then you have never heard Patsy Cline whose voice could reach to the very deepest regions of you soul. Yet she has a definite pop quality and yes she did cross over.

How about Loretta Lynn who had a twang but still that deep reaching quality of Patsy. And she also wrote many of her songs, none of which had the sameness typical of Ms. Swift. Also she carried the gospel of Women's independence and self worth to audiences who might otherwise not have heard with songs like "The Pill".

Then there are the lessor remembered but still important voices like K. T. Oslin, KD Lang, Becky Hobbs, Gretchen Wilson. I could go on and on here, my point being to sample some others and then if you can come back and say that Taylor Swift is "the biggest star" then we will have to agree to disagree. That and I will believe that you have a tin ear.

 

[James Otto Sweet Heart]

^^^ Taylor isn't the best singer, no, but to me, other things about her are what make her great and in my opinion, her attitude and class are the first of them things.

God bless you and her always!!!

Holly

 

[TheBigA]

If you think Taylor Swift is so great then you have never heard Patsy Cline wh

I didn't say she's great. I said she's the biggest star in the world. Right now, that's a fact, regardless of what other people may have done in the past.

 

[nmoore6676]

If you think Taylor Swift is so great then you have never heard Patsy Cline wh

I didn't say she's great. I said she's the biggest star in the world. Right now, that's a fact, regardless of what other people may have done in the past.

And I didn't say she wasn't the biggest, only that I can not imagine why.

Here is a young lady with more talent in her little toe than Taylor has shown overall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngPU8gpv9CY

Star De Azlan, one of many relatively unknowns from Texas where real music is happening as we speak.

 

[scott salvatori]

And I didn't say she wasn't the biggest, only that I can not imagine why.

Here is a young lady with more talent in her little toe than Taylor has shown overall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngPU8gpv9CY

Star De Azlan, one of many relatively unknowns from Texas where real music is happening as we speak.

cant imagine why? cause she was force fed, and geared like a drug via country radio as a delivery device to a tweeny urban crowd of listeners whos only past listening experience was hillary duff. its one big infomercial that repeats over and over on your major market metro FM daily..

speakin of young ladys from Texas. i recently acquired a new CD from amber digby. several of the tracks are as good as the greats! by the way, a good number of them Texas artists would score some serious hits if it got the national rotation. but when only a few goons have a grip on the major market rotations, and trends, well........ then again we'd rather keep them a secret for our own listening pleasure, than to see their songs be made a mockery of via the superficial radio speed up/loud up game. just think, if a few of these guys or gals started hitting it big, then you'd see every other fraudster out there trying to copycat that more real texas country sound!

 

[TheBigA]

cause she was force fed, and geared like a drug via country radio as a delivery device to a tweeny urban crowd of listeners whos only past listening experience was hillary duff.

Actually, Star has a national record deal with Curb, the same label that "force fed" another unknown teen Texas singer named LeAnn Rimes. In fact, Star has been compared a lot to LeAnn, which is why she probably hasn't caught on. As one who's heard her, I think she's a fine karaoke singer. There are thousands of them all over the country.

Texas artists would score some serious hits if it got the national rotation. but when only a few goons have a grip on the major market rotations, and trends, well.....

Bla bla bla. There's a singer in every bar in every town in this country. What makes the difference is when that singer leaves the safe local bar and attempts to win over people outside their native area. And that's often where these Texas folks fail. There's a lot of money to be made playing the Texas club circuit, and lets face it, people aren't buying CDs any more. So why leave the Texas money to make a major label CD, when the real money is just playing the regional clubs? Even when a few Texas guys make the attempt, like Jack Ingram and Pat Green, sooner or later the economics take over and they stay home in Texas.

 

[nmoore6676]

And I didn't say she wasn't the biggest, only that I can not imagine why.

Here is a young lady with more talent in her little toe than Taylor has shown overall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngPU8gpv9CY

Star De Azlan, one of many relatively unknowns from Texas where real music is happening as we speak.

cant imagine why? cause she was force fed, and geared like a drug via country radio as a delivery device to a tweeny urban crowd of listeners whos only past listening experience was hillary duff. its one big infomercial that repeats over and over on your major market metro FM daily..

speakin of young ladys from Texas. i recently acquired a new CD from amber digby. several of the tracks are as good as the greats! by the way, a good number of them Texas artists would score some serious hits if it got the national rotation. but when only a few goons have a grip on the major market rotations, and trends, well........ then again we'd rather keep them a secret for our own listening pleasure, than to see their songs be made a mockery of via the superficial radio speed up/loud up game. just think, if a few of these guys or gals started hitting it big, then you'd see every other fraudster out there trying to copycat that more real texas country sound!

Sir you have nailed it dead center. Force fed is it, or it is. Yet at the same time the big record companies want the radio station to pay more for the privilege of feeding us their tripe. There was once a time and a scandal about record companies bribing DJs and programmers to play their star artists.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Yes, I know that I'm in a grumpy mood, but I would be happy if Country music stopped evolving. (just rambling here) I wish there was a way where radio would just put it's foot down and say, enough is enough. We're not going to play this poppish sounding racket, to hell with the record companies, and to hell with the 18-25 demo. If a 50s'-80s' oldies station works, why can't a 50s'-90s' country station work?

Right!

 

[nmoore6676]

cause she was force fed, and geared like a drug via country radio as a delivery device to a tweeny urban crowd of listeners whos only past listening experience was hillary duff.

Actually, Star has a national record deal with Curb, the same label that "force fed" another unknown teen Texas singer named LeAnn Rimes. In fact, Star has been compared a lot to LeAnn, which is why she probably hasn't caught on. As one who's heard her, I think she's a fine karaoke singer. There are thousands of them all over the country.

Texas artists would score some serious hits if it got the national rotation. but when only a few goons have a grip on the major market rotations, and trends, well.....

Bla bla bla. There's a singer in every bar in every town in this country. What makes the difference is when that singer leaves the safe local bar and attempts to win over people outside their native area. And that's often where these Texas folks fail. There's a lot of money to be made playing the Texas club circuit, and lets face it, people aren't buying CDs any more. So why leave the Texas money to make a major label CD, when the real money is just playing the regional clubs? Even when a few Texas guys make the attempt, like Jack Ingram and Pat Green, sooner or later the economics take over and they stay home in Texas.

Bla Bla Bla: I know all of that but again that doesn't mean that just because Taylor Swift is as big as she is that there couldn't be room enough for a Star De Azlan, Amber Digby or Heather Myles who aren't just any singer in any club. And maybe they are happy just making what they get in Texas, without the touring and other grind of being a nation star.

In my nearly 70 years I've heard all levels of local talent ranging from the band mentioned in the "Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo" song to the level of Ms's De Azlan and Digby. And I've also suffered the Swifts and Dixie Chicks who were promoted and force fed to us. So I look for stations which play what I like and tune out the ones I don't. I buy from "Heart of Texas" records and I salute the stations who play their artists (like WBZI in Xenia, Ohio) and I like that the Ernest Tubb Record shop show features them a lot now over WSM Saturday nights. Occasionally they get invited to the Opry as well.

I would expect Mr. Acuff to literally spring out of the ground if Taylor Swift is ever on the Opry.

 

[TheBigA]

In my nearly 70 years I've heard all levels of local talent ranging from the band mentioned in the "Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo" song to the level of Ms's De Azlan and Digby. And I've also suffered the Swifts and Dixie Chicks who were promoted and force fed to us.

Everyone gets promoted and "force fed." That's the system. That was the pattern for people you like and people you don't like. Not everyone gets to be a big star. What I've learned is you can't force people to like something. Music is subjective. No one is going to force you to like Taylor, and you can't force anyone else to like Amber.

Star got her shot. The people behind her hired a big Los Angeles PR firm to get her attention and a record deal. Hundreds of people were flown to Texas to hear her sing. Their conclusion was that she was a good karaoke singer with nothing distinctive.

By the way, Taylor HAS played the Opry many times, and always to a full house, just like new members Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. Anything that fills the Opry seats would warm the heart of Acuff, who was a lot more open minded about music than you'd think.

 

[scott salvatori]

Acuff, who was a lot more open minded about music than you'd think.

oh ya. well mr acuff wasnt too open minded when moe and joe had a money making plan to go "boy george" on the opry and wear female clothes. as i recall mr acuff took his cane and pulled them off the stage, right during the making of a video for the song "wheres the dress"! oh um, that was theatre? well okay then.....

 

[DToTheJ]

People whose first exposure to Swift via "I Knew You Were Trouble" would probably be surprised that she started out with country roots. My, how she has progressed.

 

[justpassingthough]

People whose first exposure to Swift via "I Knew You Were Trouble" would probably be surprised that she started out with country roots. My, how she has progressed.

Does anyone like that even exist? She's one of the biggest names on the planet. The Red album has just cemented her status as a pop mega star instead of just a regular old country crossover mega star.

 

[firepoint525]

Taylor just did what Faith and Shania before her have also done.

 

[TheBigA]

Taylor just did what Faith and Shania before her have also done.

And Elvis, Brenda Lee, and Patsy Cline.

 

[nmoore6676]

Taylor just did what Faith and Shania before her have also done.

And Elvis, Brenda Lee, and Patsy Cline.

But all of the three names and many others have done it so much better. Add Johnny Cash, Jim Reeves, Lynn Anderson, Skeeter Davis. There are more and all better than Taylor Swift. IMHO she is mediocre at best, not horrible just not worthy to be the "biggest" current artist.