Remembering Country Music
Most of the music you hear on country music radio these days isn’t what I’d call country. The best title of the genre I’ve ever heard is “bro-country”. Real country music is not the empty and performative patriotic/godly music that floods the air waves. Country music is the rich roots of almost every genre of modern music and deserves far more respect than the junk labeled country today.
If your willing to invest some time to dig into the world of country music, I suggest you watch the Ken Burns Country Music documentary series. It does an amazing job showing the beauty and impact of country music and the people who have made it over the year. It is, however, a massive time investment. If you only have time to listen to an album or two, I have a suggestion: Listen to the Maddox Brothers and Rose.
Image found at here, which also has interesting discussion of some of the best songs by the Maddox Brother and Rose.
The Maddox Brothers and Rose
The Maddox Brother and Rose are an excellent introduction to what country music is at its core. These sharecropper kids picked up instruments, pushed the boundaries, and made a sound that inspired hundreds of artists in the following decades.
The Maddox Brothers and Rose had sharply contrasting discography, including religious standards like “I’ll Fly Away” and songs about cheating and murder like “Philadelphia Lawyer”. Even more interesting is what lies in between the extremes. “I Wish I was a Single Girl Again” may make you laugh, but it is also brutally honest. That honesty what unites the wide variety of music the Maddox Brothers and Rose produced.
The range of topics contained in their discography is part of why I think the Maddox Brothers and Rose are such a good introduction to country music. Country music is not simply one theme over and over again even if it may seem like that on the radio these days.
The Maddox Brothers and Rose also had a major influence in the style and direction of country musicians in the decades following their success. The flashy costumes that graced the stage of the Grand Old Opry were originally inspired by the colorful suits of this family of hillbilly stars. Their style matched their music and the Maddox Brothers and Rose changed country music.
This group of siblings were ahead of their time, creating the inspiration for a number of modern genres, including rock. Don’t believe me? Listen to “Move it on over” and “New Step It Up and Go” and try telling me it doesn’t sound like something Elvis Presley would play. Except they predate Elvis’ Heartbreak Hotel by 5+ years.
Give the Maddox Brothers and Rose a listen before you give up on country music. They will at the very least brighten your day if not become a new favorite.
