The House That Built Me, Volume 6: Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc. Etc.

There are two things that have never been used in the same sentence – the word subtle and the name Dwight Yoakam. Though I can’t state that to be an actual fact, unless you were talking about the two being polar opposites, I can’t imagine how the two would fit together.

In 1986, the sound of Country Music was very much crossover-influenced, with records by acts such as Kenny Rogers, Anne Murray, and Alabama hitting the top of the charts. However, as the year went on, there was some hope for fans of a more traditional sound. Acts like Ricky Skaggs, Reba McEntire, and George Strait were recording more earthier sounds, and there were a pair of newcomers who were both blazing new trails with old sounds – Randy Travis (whom I will write about in a few weeks) and Dwight Yoakam.

While both men were very traditional in their sound, their approaches couldn’t be more different. Randy Travis was the “Aw Shucks” soft-spoken country boy, who was quickly becoming the poster child of Nashville with his retro appeal. Then, there was Dwight Yoakam. His music was also influenced by the sounds of California – from the cowpunk scene of Los Angeles to the sounds coming from two hours north in Bakersfield. The guitars were loud. His performances were as hip as you could get. But, the songs definitely were familiar. His debut album, Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc, Etc featured songs originally made famous by Johnny Cash (“Ring Of Fire”), Ray Price (“Heartaches By The Number”), and the set’s first single was a tip of the hat to Johnny Horton with an electrifying version of “Honky Tonk Man.”

His style – apart from music – was also different. Early on, he would be critical of Nashville’s cross-over stylings, and he was a very outspoken against Columbia Records president Rick Blackburn – who did the once-unthinkable in the summer of 1986 by dropping Johnny Cash from the label’s roster after a historic three-decade run. He quieted down his approach gradually as time went on, as he began to make friends with several in Nashville, including Minnie Pearl. And, who can forget those jeans with the holes in them? Nobody had been as trendy, hip, and chic in years – while also remaining very much old school in his sound.

Join me on Wednesday, July 8 from 1-3pm on WNKX as we take a look at the excitement that was Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc. Etc. on “Crazy Chucky’s Classic Country Corner” as part of the “House That Built Me Series.” I am enjoying playing you some of my favorite albums that influenced me, and hope you’ll tune in!

By the way, “What Indian Reservation Is This?”…..If you have ever listened to the album, you will know the significance to that question. I can’t say that I understand it, but I rewound that time in and time again back in 1986….Ah…the memories!

The House That Built Me, Volume 5: The Man Comes Around

Growing up a fan of Country Music in the 1970s and 80s, one definitely had to be aware of the music and legend of Johnny Cash. He was larger than life. Who doesn’t remember the yearly “CBS Special Presentation” bumper that would run before the CMA Awards each year. The first shot would likely be a man with his back to the camera. He turns around and says ‘Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.’ Talk about starpower. That was the definition.

By the late 1980s, tastes were changing. Cash was dropped from the Columbia roster, landing with Mercury. He made a few interesting records – including 1990’s Boom Chicka Boom, which was one of his better sets – in my opinion. But, nothing found favor on a commercial level.

Then, a chance encounter with renegade producer Rick Rubin sent Cash’s career in a new directions. Signing with his American Recordings label, the singer released an album by the same title in April 1994. The approach was a toned-down, acoustic approach, with Cash doing some cover material such as “Why Me Lord” and “Bird On A Wire.” This sound re-introduced the singer to the modern public as one of the hippest 62-year olds around. Cash would continue to record with Rubin through the rest of his life, releasing 1996’s Unchained, and 2000’s Solitary Man. Both albums were extremely well-received.

It was his next album (and last to be issued during his lifetime) that will be featured on the July 1 edition of “Crazy Chucky’s Classic Country Corner” as part of “The House That Built Me Series.” 2002’s The Man Comes Around was in line with his other three albums under Rubin. The album was full of covers – of songs such as his own “Give My Love To Rose” or “Desperado,” which Cash gave a deeply emotional rendering to.

But, the jewel of this album came out of left field. I have to admit that not being a fan of 90s hard rock, I wasn’t familiar with Nine Inch Nails, but the decision by Cash to record their song “Hurt” was one that even writer (and front man) Trent Reznor wondered about. Would the 70 year old make it hokey? I think we all know the answer to that. “Hurt” was a gripping story that Cash was born to sing. It didn’t matter what your Achillies tendon was in life, “The Man In Black” could identify. Death. Divorce. Self-Abuse through drugs. Cash had done – or endured it all, and lived to tell the story. The fact that he was a little worse for the wear only added to his mystique. Johnny Cash doing “Hurt” was not a moment where he stood ten feet tall and bulletproof like the old days. He was tired. He was fragile. Unlike any other artist at that stage in his career, Cash allowed the listener to see him in that light. Though some might proclaim his Sun years or his ABC-TV era to be his greatest moments of rebellion, allowing himself to be heard and seen for the final time in such a state was perhaps his greatest and most honest act of all. “Bad ass” has been a word that young hipsters use to describe Cash and his sound. I don’t think the man was ever more “Bad Ass” than he was at the end. He faced his deteriorating health, the loss of June, and the fact that the “Man” was about to come around with dignity, grace, and power.

                                      

Tune in on Wednesday, July 1, for a look at an artist who went out with a career-defining work – American IV: The Man Comes Around – on WNKX 96.7 FM! It’s part of “The House That Built Me” series…..brought to you by Tennessee Properties.