cult type bands

[aj]

Name some bands that are popular that have a following but never really have a hit.Jerry Jeff Walker,Townes Van Zandt,John Earl Keene,etc etc.

 

[red]

what about Cross Canadian Ragweed? They seem to have a large following but not sure they've had a hit?

Red

 

[knabe]

greatful dead
pure prairie league
yes
whitesnake
saga
giant
happy the man
genesis
camel

 

[cowz]

The amazing rythym aces!

 

[aj]

Billy Joe Shafer

 

[simtal]

jason boland and stragglers

Hayseed Dixie

 

[DLD]

Cross Canadian Ragweed has had one song (Fightin' For) make it into the top 40 or 50 on the Billboard charts.

Actually there's a whole genre of these artists generally referred to as "Red Dirt" that sell lots of CD's and sell lots of tickets to their live shows (and most of them tour almost constantly) that get very little, if any airplay on typical FM radio stations. Besides Ragweed, it would include Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Stoney LaRue, Wade Bowen, Bleu Edmondson, Randy Rogers, The Red Dirt Rangers... the list could go on and on. What once was mostly a Texas and Oklahoma thing is gaining a much larger audience now, but alot of the stuff is so varied in styles (CCR is mostly kind of (but not exactly) southern rock, JBS is pretty much honky tonk country) and much of it is just too politically incorrect to ever get the huge airplay and record sales of the stuff coming out of Nashville and wherever pop music comes from. Pat Green is one that came from the Red Dirt scene and has been barely succesful on a major recording label.

Alot of people credit guys like Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Billy Joe Schaefer, Robert Earl Keene, Lyle Lovett, and Steve Earle, with being at the roots of the Red Dirt movement. Don't believe those guys can claim many number one's, either.

 

[DLD]

Do any of you folks, especially up around Minnesota, know anything about an artist named Becky Schlegel?  Kind of bluegrassy style, awesome voice - sounds alot like Allison Krause, maybe even a little clearer, purer. Someone I met on another board is a childhood friend of hers, and she's sent me some of her cd's. It's not the type of music I usually listen to, but her's is such a voice that I can make an exception.

 

[red]

what about clay Akien? He has all those moms after him.

Red

 

[garybob]

My favorite one, is "Big Smith", outta Springfield, MO.

GB

 

[aj]

Baldnobbers,burns sisters, david allen coe,ray willie hubbard,Joe eli,Kathleen edwards, Fiest,itn I like the indigo girls "closer to fine" and chicken man. How about gary p. Nunn.

 

[Davis Shorthorns]

I work at a bar here in Manhattan that brings in alot of the "red dirt" artists and they have a huge following.  We brought in Trent Willmon, a few times, and he wont sell tickets like most of the red dirt guys.  Also most of those guys are just down right good people.  Some of my favorites are Bart Crow Band, Casey Donahew, Randy Rogers, Reckless Kelly (playing tomorow night) and last but not least CCR.

 

[AAOK]

Procol Harum
Allman Brothers
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Free
Hawkwind
Country Joe & the Fish
John Mayall
King Crimson
Uriah Heep
Electric Prunes

 

[aj]

john Prine,pott county pork and bean band,jimmy dee,aces and eights

 

[OH Breeder]

Baldnobbers,burns sisters, david allen coe,ray willie hubbard,Joe eli,Kathleen edwards, Fiest,itn I like the indigo girls "closer to fine" and chicken man. How about gary p. Nunn.

AJ
I have seen the Indigo Girls by accident and intially and they are really good in person. I also saw by accident KD Lang. She does an awesome Patsy Kline although I am not a fan of her beliefs on being a vegitarian as well as some other stuff.

 

[Throttle]

Alot of people credit guys like Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Billy Joe Schaefer, Robert Earl Keene, Lyle Lovett, and Steve Earle, with being at the roots of the Red Dirt movement. Don't believe those guys can claim many number one's, either.

I'm not familiar with the names on this list but one rings a bell. Isn't there some more popular type song that gives some type of credit to Robert Earl Keene in the lyrics?

 

[aj]

There probably is. I know jerry jeff mentions van zant,guy clark,gary nunn, and others in his songs. Cross Canadian Ragweed has some songs that musically sound a awfull lot like jerry jeffs stuff. Willie Nelson wrote Hello Walls and sold the song for like20 $ cause he preety muched starved untill he finally made it big. I guess Austin Texas was kind of the outlaw country or country rock center of the universe at one time. Waylon was based there. I'm pretty new to keenes stuff.I'm thinking of getting john prines stuff cause he's supposed to be a great songwriter.

 

[Telos]

Cross Canadian Ragweed has had one song (Fightin' For) make it into the top 40 or 50 on the Billboard charts.

Actually there's a whole genre of these artists generally referred to as "Red Dirt" that sell lots of CD's and sell lots of tickets to their live shows (and most of them tour almost constantly) that get very little, if any airplay on typical FM radio stations. Besides Ragweed, it would include Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Stoney LaRue, Wade Bowen, Bleu Edmondson, Randy Rogers, The Red Dirt Rangers... the list could go on and on. What once was mostly a Texas and Oklahoma thing is gaining a much larger audience now, but alot of the stuff is so varied in styles (CCR is mostly kind of (but not exactly) southern rock, JBS is pretty much honky tonk country) and much of it is just too politically incorrect to ever get the huge airplay and record sales of the stuff coming out of Nashville and wherever pop music comes from. Pat Green is one that came from the Red Dirt scene and has been barely succesful on a major recording label.

Alot of people credit guys like Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Billy Joe Schaefer, Robert Earl Keene, Lyle Lovett, and Steve Earle, with being at the roots of the Red Dirt movement. Don't believe those guys can claim many number one's, either.

DLD - You are now talking "my cup of tea"...Especially Guy Clark and Steve Earle. All great writers too. Other recording artists sure like to use their songs.

 

[aj]

I love Steve Earls "Johnny Come Lately" song. Also "Copperhead road" . "someday" was my themesong for years. I love steves "nowhere road".There is just something special about Johnny come lately. Its almost a historical statement on WW 2 I guess. The ww 2 generation made this country great. There is not to many of the old vets of world war two left. We didn't start the thing but we finished it.

 

[DLD]

Thanks Telos and AJ -I hadn't listened to my Steve Earle in so long, I thought it was on cd's (at least some of it), but it's all on cassettes...lol. I do have a few (Copperhead Road, Snake Oil, Guitar Town, maybe a couple others) on my ipod. Now I'm trying to figure out some way to go from cassettes to my computer with the rest.

As for another "cult" band, how about some Drive By Truckers?