Is It Rock & Roll Or Country?

I never liked country music until I discovered it had a rock & roll side.

The thing is, many country tunes are the old fashioned stuff that is about as far from rock and roll as you can get (like George Jones or Tammy Wynette). All due respect to them, but I don't much like that kind of music, and for many years, I ignored anything associated with 'country' music.

However, a lot of so-called country music is really rock & roll and rockabilly in disguise – just great rock & roll that is labeled 'country'.

Our friend, veteran and talented video producer Bigg, recently posted in the Vanderbilly.com Video Vault, an excellent video lesson of a country song, the Brooks and Dunn tune 'Brand New Man'. In the comments, another prolific and highly respected video guy, Tugwell, said:

A Lasting Impression

If you are a Buddy Holly fan, you know the songs. They were written and recorded more than 55 years ago, by a man who was only 22 when he died in 1959. Although Holly's career spanned barely a year and a half, he left a lasting impression on generations of musicians who still listen to and play his songs.

Holly was a pioneer in the recording industry, becoming one of the first performers to gain creative control over production of his records. More than that, Holly and the members of the Crickets played their own parts on recordings - another rarity, as most records of the time were recorded using studio musicians.

Holly's songs were plain and simply great rock and roll, then and now. Over the years, many artists have covered Buddy's songs; these videos are some of the best of those covers.

Covering Hank

One of the most significant performers in music history had one of the shortest careers. Hank Williams, Sr., often called the father of contemporary country music, was only 29 when he died on January 1, 1953. Although he had been in the spotlight just four years, he left a legacy of music that set him apart as one of the greatest of all time. Many artists covered Hank's songs, including his son Hank, Jr., his daughter Jett, and his grandson Hank III.

Because Hank's songs have been so popular and influential, they have been performed and recorded by many musicians, all paying tribute to Williams and his standing as one of the greats. Presented here are some other artist's covers of Hank's songs.

The Hillbilly Rocker

Marty Stuart is one of the great country/rockabilly artists of all time. Stuart is a dynamic performer, and along with his band The Fabulous Superlatives, they always put on a great show. Stuart, guitarist Kenny Vaughan, bassist Paul Martin, and drummer Harry Stinson always look like they are having the time of their lives on stage which, of course, is what music should be all about. In these featured videos, they do Johnny Cash's 'Ring of Fire' (Marty once played guitar in Cash's band), Buddy Holly's 'Crying, Waiting, Hoping', and the theme from 'Bonanza.

Ring of Fire