While doing a little blog management today, I realized that there is part of the blog’s premise which is unfulfilled. When I started the Southern Male Democrat, I promised politics, sports, country music and fried food. Unfortunately I have been lax on the latter two items. Today I will start to rectify that and write about one of them.
It cracks me up whenever someone says – “I love country music. I listen to Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Faith Hill [insert darling of country radio here].” That is sort of like saying – “That choice cut of sirloin I just bought at Food Lion sure was a good steak.”
In other words – much of country radio today is definitely a grade or two below the prime stuff served with a side of steel guitar during earlier decades. From a marketing standpoint, there is little difference between what your hear on country radio and what you hear on pop radio. Maybe the guitars and beats aren’t as hard, but it’s still the same over-produced crap.
Of course, it would be easy to spend the rest of this column hero worshiping Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Buck Owens, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, et al. But I would rather focus on the silver-lining within the cloud that is modern day country music – the cover tune.
In the last few years, I have noticed a willingness of current country stars to include cover tunes of the classics on their albums. (Can we still say “albums?”) This is a GREAT trend because while I am not a fan of most of the music on country radio, there are some great voices in the current crop of stars.
The next time you’ve fired up Itunes, check out some of these cover tunes and bask in country greatness:
Dwight Yoakam – Dwight Sings Buck
This is actually a whole tribute album to Buck Owens and there are so many good songs, there was no way to pick just one. Also, it should be noted that Dwight Yoakam’s original stuff is the exception to the rule – it is modern country music that has the quality of the past.
Gary Allan – Wine Me Up
I dare say, this is one cover that rival Faron Young’s original. I probably like it better.
Sara Evans – Tiger By the Tail
Mrs. SMD lets me practice my crush on Sara Evans openly. Sara does Buck’s original proud. Do you notice a trend that Buck Owens’ songs make good cover material? Of course, a reference to Sara would not be complete without a picture to drool over. Screw it, this pic is too good to downsize…. 
Brad Paisley – Old Rugged Cross
This tune was actually recorded live at the Opry and begins with radio static as if you are out in the hinterlands tuning in the show on a Saturday night. It’s very cool.
Martina McBride – I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, Love’s Gonna Live Here Again
A few years ago, Martina recorded an album of nothing but country classics called Timeless. Download every song, you’ll thank me.
The Mavericks – True Love Ways
Yes, I know, Buddy Holly isn’t technically country. It’s a shame these guys broke up. Raul Malo’s vocal is nothing short of haunting. The song appears on a Buddy Holly tribute album called Not Fade Away, which I also highly recommend. What a shame that these guys broke up.
Last Train Home – Walls of Time
Many of my readers may not have heard of this band. LTH is more of an alt.country band and certainly isn’t on the radio. But they’ve been churning out great stuff for a decade now. In Walls of Time, they take Bill Monroe’s original and turn a bluegrass tune into a rocker. This is a must listen.
I could type these all night, but I’ll stop here. If any of my fellow fiddle-heads out there want to suggest some covers, please post below!
12 responses so far ↓
Steve // February 25, 2008 at 3:57 am
Buck Owens red white and blue guitar IS America….
southernmaledemocrat // February 25, 2008 at 7:20 am
^Hear, hear!! I wholeheartedly concur.
melissa // February 25, 2008 at 7:46 am
I’m a female, so I’m not sure if I’m technically allowed to comment here.
But I’m a country music fan (who actually listens to things beyond what radio plays) and I happened to wander across your blog. I should probably do more research before posting this but in case I forget to, just a few things offhand I can suggest are 1) something that’s actually on radio right now - Mark Chesnutt’s “Rollin’ With the Flow” (originally done by Charlie Rich) 2) Tonight the Bottle Let me Down, also by The Mavericks…I’m not sure where or if it’s available. But I know they played it in concert a number of times. 3) Flowers on the Wall, by Eric Heatherly (originally done by the Statler Brothers) 4) Clay Walker, Before the Next Teardrop Falls…done with Freddy Fender on Clay’s album “Fall.”
Tracy Byrd’s hit “Don’t Take Her She’s All I Got” was originally a hit for Johnny Paycheck.
An artist by the name of Jeff Bates gets Conway comparisons all the time. Although personally I think he’s a lot more than that…he covers “Lay You Down” in concert a lot although again I’m not sure if that’s available. Worth looking into! I know a personal favorite of mine that he did called “Rub It In”, on his Leave the Light On album, is a cover.
Alan Jackson did an entire album of covers called “Under the Influence.”
Also, i LOVE Gary Allan. I have been a fan of his forever and a day (pun intended), although I’m not as happy as where his music is lately. That entire album and most after are too awesome to put into words. Probably more than you bargained for, but believe it or not it could have been worse! Apologies for my carried-awayness.
Clever headline/title you have here, BTW. Bye!
melissa // February 25, 2008 at 7:55 am
Two more: “Jolene” by Sherrie Austin (original by Dolly Parton)
and “Goodbye Time” by Blake Shelton (original by Conway Twitty)
southernmaledemocrat // February 25, 2008 at 8:14 am
Melissa - All are welcome at the SMD honky-tonk!
I can’t believe I forgot to list the Alan Jackson album, Under the Influence. His cover of Jim Ed Brown’s “Pop-aTop” is awesome.
And all the rest were great suggestions, especially the “Jolene” cover by Sherrie Austin.
Come back any time!
Amy // February 26, 2008 at 12:44 am
Quote: “Raul Malo’s vocal is nothing short of haunting….. What a shame that these guys broke up.”
No need to cry - You want country covers???
try Raul Malo’s 2007 release “After Hours” .
I promise you Raul’s ear is as amazing as his voice and you won’t be disappointed.
southernmaledemocrat // February 26, 2008 at 8:13 am
^Upon reading your post I had to go fire up Itunes and check it out. OMG! What a great album. Thanks for the heads up.
Steve // February 27, 2008 at 5:09 am
Sherrie Austin was one beautiful woman, if I may be so sexist as to mention that!
southernmaledemocrat // February 29, 2008 at 10:36 pm
My friend WolfTim99 is having computer problems and asked me to post the following on his behalf…..
I was born to post on this thread.
Where to start….
Dwight Yoakam - “Honky Tonk Man,” “Suspicious Minds,” “Little Sister,” etc.
Garth Brooks - “Fishin in the Dark” - great stuff. Garth wrote plenty of his own, but made a heck of a career out of covers - “Friends in Low Places” comes immediately to mind, plus “Shameless,” “Wild Horses,” “Callin’ Baton Rouge”, etc.
Willie - “City of New Orleans” (he made it better), “Pancho and Lefty” with Merle, “Georgia on my Mind”
Sawyer Brown - “The Race is on” among others.
Johnny Cash - “Sunday Morning Comin Down,” “Hurt” - no one can pull these off like the man in black.
Merle - obscure, but “in the Good Old Days, When Times Were Bad” - written and originally recorded by Dolly Parton, who had a restraining order against the Hag at one point.
Charley Pride - “Kawliga”
Brooks n Dunn “My Maria”
Reba - “Night the Lights Went Down in Georgia”
Lonestar - “Walkin in Memphis” (should have been a country song in the first place!)
Alison Krauss - “When You Say Nothing At All” - Keith Whitley is toasting one upstairs.
Randy Travis - “On the Other Hand” - amazing that George Jones never recorded it. Something he said he regrets.
I got a hell of an album (yea, that’s right) at Cracker Barrel of all places. All cover songs, and some great ones. Here is the lineup:
Dang Me - Willie Nelson & Jack Ingram
Strawberry Wine - The Wreckers
Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down - Trace Adkins
Back Home Again - Trisha Yearwood
Murder On Music Row - Dierks Bentley & George Jones
When I Call Your Name - Jo Dee Messina
City Of New Orleans - Lonestar
Chiseled In Stone - Randy Travis
Stranger In My House - Jypsi
I Still Believe In You - Jamie O’Neal & Michael McDonald
The Gambler - Blake Shelton
Go Rest High On That Mountain - Deana Carter & Heart
Sammy Kent // March 4, 2008 at 10:33 am
I heard some newbie (no idea who) singing Dottie West’s classic “A Lesson In Leaving” just yesterday. Alan Jackson also did Elvis’s “T-R-O-U-B-L-E”, and Charley McClain’s “Who’s Cheating Who.” Reba McEntire covered Bobbie Gentry’s “Fancy.” One of the most covered songs is Rodney Crowell’s “I Ain’t Living Long Like This.” Gary Stewart and Waylon Jennings both covered it. Both are excellent versions, but I still like the original best. The measure of a great songwriter is how many artists record his or her songs, which is part of the reason I consider Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Hank Williams the third, second, and first best country songwriters ever.
I’m sure there are many many more, but I stopped listening to country radio years ago. However, I discovered a few years ago that the easiest way for me to ruin a current hit song for my “country music” loving teenage daughter was to start singing along with it when it came on the radio. Whereupon the following conversation would always take place with only minor variations:
Daughter: How do you know that song?
Daddy: Honey I was singing that song when you was just a gleam in my eye.
Daughter: UNH UNH!!!!!!!! NO WAY!!!
Daddy: Way. Who’s that singing it?
Daughter: (insert name of current star)
Daddy: S/he’s doing a pretty good job on it, but (insert name of REAL star) did it first back in (insert year predating her birth by at least a decade.)
Daughter: (changes station)
lillingtondemocrat // March 9, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Best greatest hits album of all time, Songs I’ll always Sing by Merle Haggard. I converted more rockers to country music with that 8 track that you can imagine. Still have a copy as a 2 record album but can’t find it as a CD.
If any of you were country-rock or Outlaw Country fans back in the 70s early 80s here in NC, especially eastern NC you might remember Super Grit Cowboy Band, Bill Lyerly Band and Danny Joe Reagan. I reccommand you get a copy of Bill Lyerly “The Twang Years”. It’s alt-country before there was a name for it and features Bill’s music from Super Grit and his later band. Google Bill Lyerly if you want a copy, he’s still out there playing.
Sammy Kent // March 21, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Addendum to daughter story:
My older daughter (not the one referenced earlier), her husband, and I were eating chili at Hard Times Cafe a few days ago, and “Islands In The Stream” by Kenny R and Dolly P came over the jukebox. After a couple of minutes she said, “They made a country version of this song?”
AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!