I am not a country music fan in particular, although I’ve always like a few crossover songs/artists like Bonnie Raitt and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” from the Charlie Daniels Band (although I prefer the devil’s music, quelle surprise).
And I’ve got a fondness for Dolly Parton: not so much for the music as the woman herself, who strikes me as both accessible and very classy.
For me, classy isn’t about “sophistication,” it’s about grace. The grace to be comfortable and help others be comfortable in whatever circumstances one finds oneself. Help is a key word — people with class step up and do something when something must be done. And they make other people feel not just “better” (as in, well, okay, I don’t feel embarrassed anymore), but actively good. Classy people never laugh at you — they laugh with you, or at themselves, or at the wackiness of the world. They reframe their little corner of the world so that we all fit into it.
And now I must go be busy. Enjoy your day.
Once I just rejected country music entirely–I’m going to blame that on being raise in a household where a lot of bad country was played when I was growing up.
I’ve recovered, and these days there are several artists for whom I will cross over into that section of the record store. (Although it probably is still my weakest genre aside from ambient.)
I also used to think Dolly was a joke, until a friend opened my eyes. It wasn’t only the recognition of class, it was also the recognition that she was a very intelligent woman who consciously presented a package, and that she was an entertainer in a broader sense than just a singer.
OMG.
DOLLY.
<3
When my best friend gets her PhD we are going take a road trip to Dollywood!
Hey Chris, thanks for the links. Johnny Cash is someone whose music I’ve always admired rather than liked. I enjoyed the Steve Earle track, always nice to find new music.
And of course Emmylou is absolutely right, there are night when two bottles of wine is the only thing to do…
And I’m with you on Dolly. She’s one of the few artists that I actually always think is a “nice person” when I see her acting or singing or giving interviews. She feels smart and funny and real to me.
JB, you just give Dolly a great big hug from the rest of us (grin).
I’ve never seen Emmylou doing that song before; she looks so young there. She is one of the most beautifully aged women I’ve ever seen; she looks and sounds better than ever. I’ve seen her a couple of times up close in small venues, and she looked and sounded like an angel with that silver hair glowing. She has a new album out that someone just gave me a couple of days ago. Here’s one of the songs she wrote from the new album. Dolly sings on one of the songs. And here is an interview with her with Charlie Rose. She talks a little bit about why she is drawn to sad songs. She doesn’t only sing sad songs obviously, here’s one that’s lighter.
She’s a big collaborator; did a couple albums with Dolly P and Linda Rondstadt, a with Mark Knopfler, and here’s a
song with Stever Earle. I’m a Steve Earle from way back; I met him once (my brother knows him) and did some photos of him many years ago – back when he was still trying to beat the drugs. This song was one of many that I could relate to in my youth – Someday.
This is an old favorite of mine: Fearless Heart. That’s a lousy version of it, but a cute younger Steve. And one more – this one from the soundtrack to Horse Whisperer.
As if anyone has time or inclination to listen to all of this stuff. It’s hard to stop these links once I start….