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With Jimmy doing so well on the country charts, and his new collaborative releases getting so much airplay, I am feeling quite torn lately. I never thought of myself as a country music fan though I've always liked Patsy and Hank, and Junior Brown rocks! Now, I'm starting to feel like I should reprogram my radio from the classic rock to the country channel.
Will I have to trade in my sandals for boots and get a Stetson if I want to remain a phan? When I buy License to Chill, should I go to the Pop, Country, or Rock section of the store?
I sure wish I could have seen Jimmy's Texas show. Billboard.com lists it as the highest grossing single concert of the year with 48,987 in attendance. Heck, that's a small city! I read somewhere that the Parrotheads and the country fans partied together for it. I think most of the crowd was there for Jimmy though.
I've always felt that county music assimilates parts popular music. Country music today sounds like pop music did when I was a keet. What would Jimmy Hendrix do? You have to admit that the recent releases are a far cry from the world beat and reggae influenced sound of Far Side, toward country.
Maybe I'm looking at it wrong. Maybe Jimmy's not going back to county. Maybe country is just catching up with Jimmy. Let's take a poll to see what you (youall) think about this.

ALL OF THE ABOVE@#$%^

I went with country music finally coming around to Jimmy, because that's what I saw in Dallas.

I grew up listening to old country - Merle Haggard, Charlie Pride, Willie & Waylon, George Jones, etc. Great music that I still love, but not very tropical. It's great to see Buffett have an influence in today's country music, considering his early history in Nashville. It's nice to see him finally getting some respect from the industry.

As for the Texas show experience, it was definitely unique. The country fans in their starched shirts and jeans, and the Buffett fans in their weekend clothes. For the most part, I think we all came away with a greater respect for each other's taste in music and attitude towards life.

VB for Buffett wrote:ALL OF THE ABOVE@#$%^

Thanks for that explanation. I guess it's the label thing that's perplexing me.... Just enjoy it!

Four Play wrote:I went with country music finally coming around to Jimmy, because that's what I saw in Dallas.

I grew up listening to old country - Merle Haggard, Charlie Pride, Willie & Waylon, George Jones, etc. Great music that I still love, but not very tropical. It's great to see Buffett have an influence in today's country music, considering his early history in Nashville. It's nice to see him finally getting some respect from the industry.

As for the Texas show experience, it was definitely unique. The country fans in their starched shirts and jeans, and the Buffett fans in their weekend clothes. For the most part, I think we all came away with a greater respect for each other's taste in music and attitude towards life.

i am with 4 play on listening to old country. but if jimmy was by himself on "hey hey good looking" it would never get played on country radio, it would be just another song on his new c d. with out george, toby , alan , clint and who ever else is on the song, it would never rate a mention. in fact, from the few times i have heard it on the radio, jimmy is barely there. he leads it off of course, but gets lost with all the other voices. if you watched the today show on friday, you heard the ragae version of this song. i thought with just jimmy and the reefers singing, it was a much better version.

my 2 cents.........

"listen to the stories i could tell"

member of the parrothead nation

I agree I heard HGL in Atlanta and on the TS. I like it better without the others. But you are right it may not have gotten airplay.
I read what everyone says but..I love the old stuff, new stuff and in between and I will be late going into work on the 13th so I can get my copy of LTC.

Well, here I go, I'm going to disagree slightly with what most of you have said. I really believe there has always been a little bit of country in JB's music. I think it's just that people who for the most part have an aversion to country music are just now seeing for the first time in a while.

I've been a country music fan all of my life. My redneck Daddy had a charcoal drawing of Willie and Waylon in his living room for many years and I can remember wearing out the 8-track of Honky Tonk Heros at the age of 4.

It was this same redneck that first introduced me to Buffett. I mean, come on, listen to much of his older stuff . . . how can you possibly listen to it and miss the country influence? And let's not forget Urban Cowboy; Hello Texas saw more play time from my record player than any other song on the album. While on some of the late 80s and 90s album it is a little easier to miss the country influence, it's still there.

You know, you shouldn't feel shame that a little country sounds good to you. It's not a disease!! I think you may even be surprised at all of the country artists who have been inspired by Jimmy; the list is long and distinguished. Just to name a few . . . George Strait, Alan Jackson, Clint Black, Kenny Chesney, Alabama, Garth Brooks, etc . . . (I'd have to dig back through interviews to find more, these are the first one's in my head this morning.)

I will also beg to disagree with those who believe Hey Good Lookin' is only getting airplay because of the country artist on the song . . . Buffett gets a descent airplay on his own on our country stations here. Granted, they seem to have a list of specific JB songs they stick to, but he does get airplay. Being that it is a country-rooted song, it would have gotten airplay no matter who sang on it, including Bubba.

These would be my observations, anyway . . .

I agree that there has always been a little country in Jimmy's music. However, when I think of "Country" acts from the 70's through mid-90's I think of people like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Alabama, George Strait, and Garth Brooks. Jimmy's songs have had a distictively different tone.

Country today has moved towards people like Kenny Chesney (good ol boy from the mountains of TN like me), Big & Rich ("Save a Horse"), Toby Keith, and even Alan Jackson has modified his music.

land_shark3 wrote:I agree that there has always been a little country in Jimmy's music. However, when I think of "Country" acts from the 70's through mid-90's I think of people like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Alabama, George Strait, and Garth Brooks. Jimmy's songs have had a distictively different tone.

Country today has moved towards people like Kenny Chesney (good ol boy from the mountains of TN like me), Big & Rich ("Save a Horse"), Toby Keith, and even Alan Jackson has modified his music.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is only taking into consideration artists/songs that were released -- get radio airplay. If you really look at many of those "country" artists, they write/perform music with other-than-country tones: blues, jazz, rock, reggae.

The "industry" in many ways dictates what it wants to hear and projects that toward artists who depend on each respective genre. And while that may be a disgusting thought to many people (agreeably), in many cases, it has resulted in some good music and artistry.

Buffett has never bought into or subscribed to a genre or industry. That's what has endeared him to many. For him, the result has been that he was over-looked by a majority of the public for a very long time. You rarely saw any mention of him at any awards show; you really didn't hear much more of him on the radio than Margaritaville and Come Monday -- and to be honest, in Texas anyway, it was the country stations that really embraced these songs and gave them airplay. Even through the 90s, one of the local classic rock stations would sponsor the concerts, but they really didn't play that much Buffett music.

Fact of the matter is, Buffett has always exhibited a country music influence in his music . . . and jazz . . . and blues . . . and rock . . . and reggae . . . etc. And fans of any of these genres will claim Buffett music as their own . . . and would be right. At the moment, the country music industry has embraced a current release anchored by JB; I'm sure it doesn't hurt his feelings at all!!!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is only taking into consideration artists/songs that were released -- get radio airplay. If you really look at many of those "country" artists, they write/perform music with other-than-country tones: blues, jazz, rock, reggae.

The "industry" in many ways dictates what it wants to hear and projects that toward artists who depend on each respective genre. And while that may be a disgusting thought to many people (agreeably), in many cases, it has resulted in some good music and artistry.

I agree that there has always been a bit of country (like Ringling Ringling is a real reggae rocker.. ) in his music, but I gotta go with "Country is finally coming around to him" as an answer. Most country artists today might have made decent sidemen to the Eagles or some other country-rock group in the 70s, but they are not really country the way Waylon and Willie, Merle Haggard, and Johnny Cash could wear the mantle. (and yes, feel free to tell me about Cash and Waylon touring and singing cross-over, but the body of their work is country, with a touch of rockabillie).

Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, most of the others getting a ton of airplay would not have been allowed on the stage at the Ryman 30 years ago.

It has probably been said, but it is pathetic that the impression out there among most non-Buffett fans is that Jimmy needs these bumpkins to get a hit. Coast of Carolina stands as the best song on the new album, and it doesn't need help from any new-era goat-roper to make it work.

I just love Jimmy!!

When I was a small child I was around the Old Country. Hank Sr., Twitty, Haggard and Jones. But every day from the time I was in dipers I danced to the tunes during American Bandstand. I listened more to the rock sounds. Was barely a teen when Iron Butterfly, Janis Joplin, Black Sabbath, Led Zepplin and many other great bands were around. In the early to mid 70's I discovered what was then called progressive country. Willie, Waylon, Jerry Jeff 8-tracks were in my car among the Buffett, Pink Floyd, ZZ Top and Ted Nugent. I also had Johnny Nitzinger, Boz Skaggs, Jefferson Airplane/Starship, Eagles and Cat Stevens thrown in just to name a few. The Boston Symphony was also in my car.

At work I listen to country - I'm a receptionist and it just dosn't look right to walk into an office where the receptionist is head banging to Metallica, Pantera, Red Hot Chili Peppers etc etc...

I like all music except for the majority of Rap.

I believe the majority of us that grew up in the South as Jimmy did have been exposed to country just because for such a long time it was the big sound in the south. Having had relatives in New Orleans I also enjoyed a huge dose of Jazz and Blues. I saw the street performers there in the early 60's and could have possibly as a child danced to the early tunes of Jerry Jeff or Jimmy on the streets of New Orleans.

Country is a part of southerners roots who were kids in the 50's and 60's and like Jimmy a lot of us are heading back to that sound. I enjoy the blending of the sounds and believe that by doing so people who are strictly rockers or strictly country are gaining an appreciation for other music because of what is happening now. 20 years ago a concert with someone like Kid Rock and Hank Williams Jr would have been unheard of completely with the exception of Johnny Cash.

Jimmy has always had a dose of country in his sound to me. More so in his early years than say the mid 80's until now. I believe Jimmy is not only going back to his roots but also that country is coming around to Jimmy. For me it is pleasant and welcome.

I have never been that much of a country music fan. I like the Eagles and some of the "Southern Rock" from the 70s. My formative years musically were in the early 80s, so I was into New Wave.

After my first Buffett show in '91, I bought BBB&B. As I expanded my collection, I found I really liked the early stuff. I never really considered it "country" it was just Buffett. But I bought White Sport Coat at the same time as OPH. The "evolution" from country to tropical was never that obvious.

Garth Brooks' Two Pina Coladas introduced me to country's take on tropical. I bought Clint Black after he toured w/ Jimmy, I bought Lyle Lovett when I heard Jimmy sing If I Had a Boat. That all led into 5 O'Clock Somewhere, some KC and TK, even JJW.

I realized I just like music about having a good time - whether it is on a beach or on a horse.

So for the poll, I selected "I don't care". And if what I've read is true, that Jimmy had been influenced by the more "traditional" country performers from Patsy Cline to JJW, and he in turn influenced some of today's country stars, then it doesn't really matter to me.

The more songs I can sing about sitting on a beach with a drink in my hand, the better.

Bring it on and call it what you want. I'm still dancin' to it.

LadyGraffix wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is only taking into consideration artists/songs that were released -- get radio airplay. If you really look at many of those "country" artists, they write/perform music with other-than-country tones: blues, jazz, rock, reggae.

I think you just hit on what this forum is all about. Just as no artist can be put in a genre; its rather difficult to put Jimmy in one. One of my favorite performances is Jimmy's version of No Woman, No Cry. Very different to some of his more "country" songs or one of my other favorites, YHTBT version of God's Own Drunk.

I think country music has always been just as prevalent a sound in Buffett's music as his island sound has,