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Stompin' Tom and the Junos
james_nicoll
From 1978, Connors discusses why he withdrew from the Junos.

It would never have occurred to me to compare science fiction to country music but
In my own field of music, I have seen people nominated in the country category after having told the press that they were pop, not country, artists.


seems to invite comparisons to the cringe some authors exhibit they realize their subject matter could get them stuck over in the atom and rocket section, instead of mainstream where more people will see their book.

Does county have the same paranoia and resentment about other musical fields that SF does? Do people like Conway Twitty and Shania Twain complain about being disrespected by snooty classical musicians?

I cannot offhand think of an analog to this behavior, though:

Then when they won and the time came for them to collect their award, they cheerfully went up to accept, forgetting the stand they had previously taken with regard 'to the country field."

Also posted at Dreamwidth, where there are comment count unavailable comment(s); comment here or there.

Over the past couple of decades, crossing over from country to mainstream has been seen as a Good Thing - as it means a helluva lot more airplay and sales. IMO, this has been to the detriment of country music as a whole.

Some country music fans might have chips on their shoulders about other styles of music, but country musicians themselves generally don't. I don't have a problem with some country music going for more a pop sound myself, as long as it's a good song. (There's a lot of good 'ol country music that sucks too.)

FWIW, here's a playlist of what I'm listening to currently:

http://www.thecurrent.org/heartland/playlist

Indirectly touching on this, it's not easy making the shift between musical styles. To pick up on your classical vs. country question, one of the reasons Edgar Meyer is renowned for his playing in both classical and country music is because it's a rare combination1.

So I'm not surprised if there's a disconnect between sub-fields of music, just as there is between sub-fields of writing. Each sub-field is going to have their own jargon and outlook, which hinders communication.

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1. Latest example is The Goat Rodeo Sessions, which I recommend highly.

It's also because Edgar Meyer is a genius virtuoso.

Last time I checked was in the late 70s, but country music outsold every other kind there was back then. I think it's the Hee Haw effect: country is stereotyped as the work of inbred peckerwoods.

Being labeled as SF, on the other hand, costs you sales. (But it does guarantee you will get some sales.)

Back in the 1990s there was rumblings about the likes of Twain and Garth Brooks and other artists who were experiencing a lot of crossover appeal. "Pop with fiddles/steel guitar" was something like what was said and there was a lot of sneering.

Mind you, it was the normal vocal purer-than-thou you get in all communities. When you had Johnny Cash covering Nine Inch Nails and Dolly Parton doing dance music, it's hard to see what the fuss was about.