Country Music: Evolving or Dead?

[Navarre]

I won't be the best person to comment on this topic because I can't stand country music. But I know it has its fans, such as Gaumer, so here goes...

There have been a lot of complaints over the past few years that "true" country music has been replaced by such artists as Taylor Swift, who is viewed (at best) as a crossover country/pop artist by some people. Names like Willie Nelson are brought us with nostalgia.

Is that nostalgia for a brand of music that no longer represents the current genre of country as much as a by-gone era of music? And, if so, has that form of country become a niche for country purists who remember the history while the term "country music" now refers to today's artists?

In other words, has country music simply changed in the same way that rock & roll has changed from Elvis to Van Halen to Nickelback?

[Gaumer]

Of course, its simply the evolution of music once it hits the mainstream.

It happens to all genres of music that become popular; hence the "POP" of pop music.

But I think the change of country music from acts like Alabama, The Oak Ridge Boys, Eddie Rabbit, Tanya Tucker, Reba McEntire, George Jones, has simply taken the natural evolution into the realm of Pop Music into acts like the Zack Brown Band, Kenny Chesney, and, yes, Taylor Swift.

This is actually a good thing. People harp all the time on people "selling out" and such, but without that money coming into the industry new acts have nowhere to go but to stay in the Broadway honky-tonks getting paid by mason jar donations. But its not only album sales, its studio employees, song writers, cover artists, tour workers, and more.

On a side note, the popularity of Taylor Swift, and her alone IMHO, sparked a revival of popular country music that is still going on today, and she alone is responsible for the current surge in the overall popularity of country music.

[Navarre]

I think back in the mid-90s that Shania Twain also had such an impact. She ably demonstrated that country could have a cross-over appeal.

For today's artists, I agree that Taylor Swift represents the culture of country music's evolution. Other than the Dixie Chicks, I wouldn't give two flips about "country music" if it wasn't for Taylor.

But she alone keeps me at a point where I can't say I never listen to country music or that I hate it. So, if she represents the profitability and vitality of country music she's doing a really good job.

I would buy that girl a boat.

[Gaumer]

There's been nips and dips of country music artists crossing over to one extent for decades, though.

If we want to get really historical, the "Nashville Sound" hit in the 60's, took away the fiddle and banjo, and was more pop sounding than country sounding. We get Chet Atkins and Patsy Cline from that.

The 70's saw Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers follow the same path and sound, with folks like Olivia Newton John hitting with country songs.

The 80's saw a sharp dip in country music popularity, but no part of the 80's made ANY sense or follow any previous mold for anything, music very much included.

And the 90's, as you've alluded to, saw the beginning of that pop sound moving back to the country sound. Understand that; IMHO pop music in the 80's moved so fast and in such different directions that, at that time, country music was closer to the traditional "pop" sound of contemporary and soft rock. Country was in a great place when the 90's sort of saw music going through a "reset" period of sorts.

Giving way to the explosion we saw in the 2000's, especially after the hijacking of patriotism we saw after 9/11 (which, ironically, led to the downfall of the Dixie Chicks in a way) and the placing of country music as an outright force in legitimate popular music we see in the 10's.

[Navarre]

...especially after the hijacking of patriotism we saw after 9/11 (which, ironically, led to the downfall of the Dixie Chicks in a way) ...

Not "in a way". It was their downfall. The band basically had to stop performing in the US because of it.

Freedom of Speech, my ass. 

If that hadn't happened, I think the Dixie Chicks would have been a strong force for delivering more traditional "country" sound to the non-country market in a cross-over format.

Taylor is more easily accepted because the girl is sweet as brown sugar pie with cotton candy topping.

[Slappy]

While Country music is not dead, it is also not evolving either.  There may be a lateral move as it adjusts to a "Pop" sound with the likes of Taylor Swift, but that is really nothing new.  Listen to many popular songs of crossover artists on different stations, and you will hear a version that is closer to the the principal audience of the station.
Greatest Example in recent memory is Bon Jovi / Jennifer Nettles "Who Says You Can't Go Home"
On the Country Station, there is more Fiddle
On the Rock Station, the Fiddle is almost non-existent and the distortion is played up.
On the Easy-Listening Station, both previous versions are toned down for a blend.

Lastly, Country like Rock and Pop has been devolving in musicianship and evolving in mixing and initially computer generated  music.  I say Initially computer generated largely because of Garage Band type programs are now allowing mediocre to poor musicians make interesting and fun mixes  for the general populace that can sometimes be covered with talented musicians.
Music has not really evolved in years outside of the Computer Generated genres.  New concepts and sounds have been relatively static for the past 30 years or so.

[Gaumer]

While Country music is not dead, it is also not evolving either.  There may be a lateral move as it adjusts to a "Pop" sound with the likes of Taylor Swift, but that is really nothing new.  Listen to many popular songs of crossover artists on different stations, and you will hear a version that is closer to the the principal audience of the station.
Greatest Example in recent memory is Bon Jovi / Jennifer Nettles "Who Says You Can't Go Home"
On the Country Station, there is more Fiddle
On the Rock Station, the Fiddle is almost non-existent and the distortion is played up.
On the Easy-Listening Station, both previous versions are toned down for a blend.

Lastly, Country like Rock and Pop has been devolving in musicianship and evolving in mixing and initially computer generated  music.  I say Initially computer generated largely because of Garage Band type programs are now allowing mediocre to poor musicians make interesting and fun mixes  for the general populace that can sometimes be covered with talented musicians.
Music has not really evolved in years outside of the Computer Generated genres.  New concepts and sounds have been relatively static for the past 30 years or so.

I agree with all of this.

The evolution I spoke of is this sort of evolution.

The attention country music has received in this vein is an advancement of the genre, to some extent.