Alan Jackson at the Station Inn

[Mandosummers]

Anyone tune in to the Alan Jackson bluegrass show from the Station Inn last night? Steffey was awesome.

[Willie Poole]

It amazes me as to how many "country" singers are now doing a bluegrass show every now and then, since bluegrass is popular now they want to get on the band wagon, where were they when it needed a boost in the rear to get going....I don`t blame any of the performers for doing it since it is their living but we could have sure used them when we were struggling....The part I don`t like is that a lot (some) of them get booked on bluegrass festivals but not one bluegrass band ever gets booked on a country music show, at least none that I know of...I liked the days when country and bluegrass were both played together on the radio and on live shows and it was all called "Hillbilly Music"...

Willie

[JH Murray]

Maybe there is an enduring power in bluegrass which is lacking in popular 'country' music today?

[f5loar]

There were many Country artist who did an all Bluegrass LP in the 60's and 70's. They usually brought in the heavy weights to help record in true Bluegrass style. I can think right off of: Carl Smith, Buck Owens, Tom T. Hall, Porter Wagoner, Rose Maddox, Skeeter Davis. So Alan Jackson doing it ain't nothin' new or as Mr. Monroe would say "that ain't no part of nothin' ".

[f5loar]

Just looked at the video above with Jackson doing the Dillards "There Is A Time". All I saw was a big group of BG superpickers/singers jamming behind Jackson singing a few verses now and then. Not very noteworthy. Maybe Jackson wants to take an award home from the IBMA so he can say he's done it all! He sure didn't do it for the % of the door at the Station Inn.

[coletrickle]

You all are pretty hard on him. From what I saw that was a fine clip, taken on a cell phone. I'm inclined to take this for what I think this is...a country star that grew up on bluegrass and wants to take his turn on it. Maybe I'm wrong...but I don't think doing this at the Station Inn is a gimmick. He could have had 10X the people at a bigger venue in Nashville.

A few years ago I was at the Inn to see the Travelin' McCourys. Behind me was Dirks Bentley...hanging out drinking a beer. He came for the show (this was right after his bluegrass oriented album came out). He got up there and did two songs. The place wasn't packed...but you could certainly tell he was all about the music. Great experience for me.

I am not sure that a country musician doing a bluegrass album has anything to do with money...Jackson will sell 100X more albums on his next cut.

One last comment...you all complain so much about non-bluegrass music being cast as bluegrass...here is a superstar bluegrass band with a guy singing lead that just happens to be a star. Sounded pretty traditional to me. It even had a banjo. I'll give the album a listen just because I am curious...and it would have been great to be at that show.

[Astro]

I enjoyed that.

Thanks for posting.

[Timbofood]

Tom, we need to meet! For many reasons but, I think your take on the historical value of the music and mine are along the same vein, and, heck, I think it would be fun!
The tune choice is a favorite of mine too. Dean's break is still one of the most tasteful, thought out bits ever!

[f5loar]

Can anyone post the set list for the night? I'd be curious of where he pulled his grass roots from.

[roysboy]

Jackson has never been imprisoned by his celebrity and what's expected of him when it comes to recording . I'm happy to see him taking a run at bluegrass ..for lots of reasons. He has a great voice and always injects a song with emotion . He appreciates GREAT songwriting ,being a writer ( check out SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOVE ME ANYMORE and tell me you didn't start tearing up ) AND great picking as illustrated by the room he's always given his bands on his recordings . This will , hopefully , introduce 'virgins' to the music and raise awareness of other bands , writers and singers in the genre . He's done justice to several volumes of gospel music ( PRECIOUS MOMENTS VOL 1 AND 2 ), he's paid tribute to those who came before and inspired him with an album of covers . He's taken a left turn with Allison Kraus producing on a VERY different kind of ' country' album ( LIKE RED ON A ROSE 2006 ) and recorded the single MURDER ON MUSIC ROW with George Strait... a song which stands up for the traditions of country music as vehemently as any I've ever heard . With ' country' radio awash in wannabe's , generic songwriting , derivative 'styles' and songs geared to 14 year olds ..THANK GOD Alan Jackson and a handful of others still write , find and sing ADULT music for folks OVER 14 .

[shawnbrock]

As a guy who grew up playing bluegrass, went on the road with it, then did the Nashville traveling country sideman thing, I will say that I'm just glad to see a country artist who aint washed up doing a bluegrass album. Lets face it, that's the way it usually goes. Once the money runs out and the fans latch on to the newest tight rear, that's when the genre hopping starts. Alan is a class act, good singer, and a true country boy IMO. Lets not forget that he has cut some BG songs as country sides before. Lets also face another fact, the Bentley album wasn't BG...

I also respect that Alan wrote most of the tunes on his BG album. Not that I don't agree with the fact that all these washed up country used to bee's do get the prime slots on BG, while the true great acts have to step aside, get less bookings for less money and less respect. Then when the wash up is off doing something else, the BG festivals are back wanting to be your buddy again, because they lost their a** last year paying the wash up $25000...

[bbaker2050]

I can at least respect Alan Jackson for not trying to cross over to the pop/country side so common these days. He had stayed true even if it means not being as popular as someone like Luke Bryan. I'd say AJ is a true country boy.

[AlanN]

I'm not sure the 2 worlds can effectively blend. Maybe 'separate but (un)equal' is the only way. With un-amped flat-top guitars and mandolins, you have a game changer right there. Skaggs did it somewhat convincingly, mostly in the studio. Marty, some success with it. It always seems like jamming a square peg into a round hole to do the grass with country thang.

And where would twerking fit in grass anyway?

[Timmando]

Its great to see Jackson doing a bluegrass gig. But what would be really great is if Jackson took those bluegrass musicians on the road to his country audience. Maybe do a set of his country songs, then switch musicians and do a bluegrass set. That would bring bluegrass to new ears. At the Station Inn, he is preaching to the choir. Doing this may be a contractual problem for Jackson though. Isn't that why Ricky Skaggs quit country, because his country contract would not let him perform bluegrass on a country album promo tour?

[Pete Counter]

He did say onstage, there will be an album and a video from this...sooooo, and he gave his reasons on stage for loving bluegrass, but it sounded like he was talking about country, and he said they were pretty much the same...I dont think he realizes they are different. I think most of the country singers who do a "Bluegrass" album dont know there is a difference. Im ok with AJ and like him for being one of the last true tradition style country artists, but I dont really like it when they do a bluegrass album and it ends up sounding like a country singer with a bluegrass band behind him. Bluegrass has a particular style and feel to it, if you dont get it, it wont sound right!

[Timmando]

I agree pickinpete when you say "I dont really like it when they do a bluegrass album and it ends up sounding like a country singer with a bluegrass band behind him". If its just him singing, it'll sound like country with a BG band behind him. But if he gets some harmony singers with him, doing duets, three or four part harmonies, he might start to sound like bluegrass. And if he throws in a couple traditional BG covers, it may be a good cd for bluegrass AND country fans. It depends on if he decides to let the music be about the music and not about him. Most country singers are the whole show, where the sidemen stand there in the dark shadows. In BG all the musicians are given some limelight.

[Willie Poole]

Well, I see that I am not alone after all...A.J. is a great country singer and I enjoy his music and as I said before I don`t blame or find fault with the performers because they have to make a living, I just wanted to know why they didn`t do this back yonder when bluegrass wasn`t as popular as it is now...I still long for the days when country and bluegrass was sort of mixed together on radio, that way we had the best of two worlds, BUT that was when country was "Country" which it don`t to seem to be anymore....

[f5loar]

Seems I remember when Country and Rock*Roll artists go with an all acoustical back up band they call it "unplugged". MTV did a series a few years back called "unplugged". I'd say that's what you got here with Jackson cause he can sing "Rocky Top" all he wants it ain't Bobby Osborne! Jackson does not have a natural bluegrass voice in the traditional sense of the meaning, aka Lester Flatt, Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe, Red Allen, Del McCoury, etc.

[grassrootphilosopher]

Seems I remember when Country and Rock*Roll artists go with an all acoustical back up band they call it "unplugged". MTV did a series a few years back called "unplugged". I'd say that's what you got here with Jackson cause he can sing "Rocky Top" all he wants it ain't Bobby Osborne! Jackson does not have a natural bluegrass voice in the traditional sense of the meaning, aka Lester Flatt, Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe, Red Allen, Del McCoury, etc.

Does Bill Clifton have a bluegrass voice, or does Tony Rice fit in your list of bluegrass singer´s voices, or even Charlie Waller, take John Starling, Sam Bush, John Cowan (!) etc. etc.

With due respect; I don´t think that a certain timbre a bluegrass singer makes. I think that bluegrass is a group effort. Nobody can stand in front of the other musician and claim the reward for the music sounding good in bluegrass. That´s why Bill Monroe´s sidemen are equally recognized for their music as is the Father of Bluegrass himself.

With country artists doing (or claiming to do) bluegrass music it´s mostly the effort to highlight their persona in a bluegrass music context in which the other musicians do not get their due credit. It has been mentioned in a preivious post that in Country Music the harmony vocalists stand in the dark

Even though I like the "bluegrass" effort of the Dixie Chicks the video tape shows this all too clearly. For example Adam Steffey and Bryan Sutton are virtually unnoticable (if you are not looking for them) while the rather modest instrumental powers of the two chick sisters are much highlighted. That´s what bluegrass is not about. And that´s why I think the country performers going bluegrass give their efforts a bad taste.

If you listen to the youtube of "Little Georgia Rose" as played by Travis Tritt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LReQdH-uzDU), that does not make him a stellar banjo picker, he does not have "a bluegrass voice", yet the music is clearly a band effort which makes it enjoyable for me to listen to (Joe Diffie... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHrgbIdI520...; I think the quality of the music is not there, otherwise it may qualify as bluegrass, if you see the Steeldrivers as such).

To sum it up, I think that the way the music is being played makes it bluegrass, even if you play a country song ("Country Roads" as sung by the Country Gentlemen on "The Awardwinning Country Gentlemen") or a country musician plays bluegrass (Dierks Bentley with the Del McCoury Band (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zga9l-JtwA0 even though Dierks Bentley could probably take some bluegrass guitar and harmony singing lessons).

[Bill Baldridge]

Got to agree with f5loar.

[Fiddler3]

Well, sorry gotta go with grassroot philosopher on this one. That's two different opinions outta MO., so somebody else Show-me. What about Ronnie Bowman? Just to make an inference here, they don't call the TV show "The Country Voice", or "The Rock Voice", it's the voice period.

[Russ Jordan]

check out Adam's thoughts at bluegrasstoday.com

[Russ Jordan]

Well, .............. I don`t blame or find fault with the performers because they have to make a living, I just wanted to know why they didn`t do this back yonder when bluegrass wasn`t as popular as it is now...

Willie, do you think AJ really made this album because he needed it to make a living? I'd say he did it because he wanted to, plain and simple.

[FLATROCK HILL]

Alan Jackson has done as much or more than anyone to defend and preserve 'traditional' Country Music. He's worked hard to get where he is today and certainly doesn't need to do anything to capitalize on some perceived trend.
If he likes Bluegrass Music, and wants to be a part of Bluegrass Music, why in the hell would anyone feel the need to criticize or question his motives?


And as for his god-given rich baritone voice......

(snip) Jackson (snip) can sing "Rocky Top" all he wants it ain't Bobby Osborne! Jackson does not have a natural bluegrass voice in the traditional sense of the meaning, aka Lester Flatt, Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe, Red Allen, Del McCoury, etc.

I love the 'High-Lonesome' sound of Bill, Bobby, Del and the rest, but I doubt A.J is going to schedule a trip to his local veterinarian in order to qualify for membership in that crowd.

No disrespect intended.

[f5loar]

This performance by Jackson reminds of this one by a well known Rock Artist a few years ago which has pretty much been forgotten like New Coke. Surround yourself with 6 to 10 of the best superpickers in bluegrass and jump in the middle and sing any song you want and it's going to sound like bluegrass music. Just glad Mr. Monroe was not alive to see this one: PS: Note the mandolin picker they choose. Not a cheap band of pickers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-VZ2mrpBZs