A song can be the window to your heart and kind of music you like could very well map out your personality. But again there are many of us who do not stick to particular genre of music and have a taste that ranges across barriers of the land. Music indeed can be the perfect string that ties people of different country, religion and culture in a warm bond. Country Western music is one such genre that has evolved as a result of merging together of two regional styles that were born in America. The Southeast region had a unique style (country music) and so had the Southwest and West (western music). The two styles were merged together around the 1920’s and were further consolidated as a result of the musicians of both styles mixing with each other during service in World War II.

The music lovers across the globe can get best of both the worlds through the form of Country Western music which has adapted the best points from both country and western music. The main distinguishing factor between the two styles is that country music is much simpler and stresses on the use of few instruments like the guitar, fiddle, banjo and harmonica. The Southwest style depends more on steel guitars and big bands, distinguished by a strong rhythm section, usually including double bass and drums with the tempo varying from medium to fast. Country Western music has managed to absorb the attractive aspects of the styles and emerge as a genre that has touched the heartstrings of millions of music lovers across the world.

The origin of the country western music is from folk songs, ballads and traditional music of the Scottish, English and Irish settlers with modern lyrics that describe and depict the story of the rural and urban-poor whites. The rural African-American like the Jazz and Blues has also left an impression on this particular style of music. The country western music has also played a significant role in the development of rock music. Over the last five decades or so, the genre of country western music has gained a worldwide audience. Bluegrass is also a style of this kind of country western music that is distinguished by each instrument like the fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin and upright bass taking a turn and improvising on it while the other instruments revert to backing. Bluegrass is also distinctively acoustic and rarely relies on electric instruments.

Country western music also has traces and influence of Celtic music, Gospel music, Hokum and North American old-time music. Country music in itself has produced two of the top selling solo artistes of all times – ‘The King’ Elvis Presley and Garth Brooks. Country western music has again undergone a revival phase with the influx of performers such as Tanya tucker, The Judds, Ricky Scaggs and Reba McEntire who have gained tremendous popularity. So music lovers across the world are in for treat with the revival of this popular genre that is country western music.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

New (old) music from Elvin Bishop

Anybody out there remember the classic "Fooled Around And Fell In Love" by Elvin Bishop? In 1976 "Fooled Around" was the number three song in the country. The song was sung by Mickey Thomas (who went on to join Jefferson Starship) but it was Bishop who penned the song. Since his days as a member of the Paul Buttefield Blues Band in the 60's, Bishop has had an excellent albeit underrated career. After leaving Butterfield, he formed the Elvin Bishop Band in the late Sixties; his debut album came out in 1969. From 1970 through 1975 Bishop hit a creative peak blending country, rock and blues. Songs like "Travellin' Shoes," "Stealin' Watermelon," and "Rock My Soul" became progressive FM radio faves. Then in 1975 Bishop released the album "Stuttin' My Stuff" which featured "Fooled Around." The band dissolved in the late 70's and Bishop wasn't heard again until 1988 when he released his first record on Alligator Records and since then has released a string of very strong blues albums.

Elvin's new album is a star studded affair featuring appearances from George Thorogood, B.B. King, Tommy Castro, James Cotton, Kim Wilson, Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes - to name just a handful of greats. The album is called The Blues Roll On and is on Delta Groove Records and it's a smoking collection of rockin' blues tunes including this new version of "Struttin" re-recorded on Elvin's new album with special guests Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes.

Struttin' My Stuff - Elvin Bishop

Founded in 1973 by Reinhard Goebel and fellow students from the Cologne Conservatory, Musica Antiqua Kِln initially devoted itself to the performance of Baroque chamber and sacred music. Musica Antiqua Kِln's international breakthrough came in 1979, when the ensemble made its debut at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall during the annual English Bach Festival and gave five concerts at the Holland Festival. On the occasion of their 10th anniversary, Reinhard Goebel augmented the ensemble's chamber-group nucleus with additional string and wind players to allow the performance of orchestral music as well -both in the concert hall and in the recording studio.

Since 1981, Musica Antiqua Kِln and Reinhard Goebel have made regular tours of the USA, visiting Australia and South America several times and touring China in "Bach Year", 1985. Musica Antiqua Kِln received the Buxtehude Prize from the City of Lubeck and has also received awards from Siemens and the State of Nordrhein-Westfalen. In 1981 the ensemble was named "Artist of the Year" by the Deutsche Phono-akademie.

1996 also marked the release of the group's CD "Chaconne," a collection of varying composers' takes on that popular 17th-century dance form. The recording received rave reviews and was nominated for a Grammy Award. After Hasse's Salve Regina with Barbara Bonney, their latest productions are a 2-CD set featuring the Secular Cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach and their spring 1998 release, "Pro tabula," which includes music by Bertali, Schmelzer Biber, Pezel and Valentini.