The question of my musical taste is one that comes up frequently. Often, when I have Mack’s kids in the back of my car (on my way to the kid rendering plant, of course), and I have the iPod hooked up into the car stereo and I’m trying to teach them to appreciate the joys of a well-executed Skip James song, they’re rolling their eyes so hard their whole heads are lolling against the back seat. And the younger one will say something like “Do you like any music that doesn’t suck?” and the older one will say “I can’t even understand what they’re saying.” and the younger one will say “Is that his real voice or is this a joke?” and the older one will come up with some other witty nonsense and basically my whole song-listening-to time is taken up with sass-listening-to.
And I would, of course, talk to their father about their lack of respect for my brilliant musical taste, but he has a startling lack of sympathy for my position.
But today, I read a post that brought tears to my eyes and then made me die of jealousy (but I recovered, obviously)–a rant on the dismissal from history of female artists.
Hurray, and, in honor of that, I will tell you about my favorite non-feminist, feminist (in that I don’t think she’d call herself a feminist, but good god, if she’s not, who is?)–Jeannie Seely.
Seely was the first woman to wear a miniskirt on the Opry stage (”‘Honey, you’re not allowed to wear a mini-skirt on the Opry.’ I thought he was joking at first. I said, ‘I never heard that rule.’ Finally I made a deal with him. I said, ‘Okay, if you don’t let anybody in the front door with a miniskirt on, I won’t come in the back door with one on.’”–Finding Her Voice, p. 301.) and the first woman to host the Opry.
See, you have to be an Opry member to host a segment of the Opry and, it used to be, you had to be a man. Folks, it was thought, just wouldn’t listen to a woman talking on the radio. But there was a snowstorm and she, as it happened, was the only Opry member who’d been able to get to the Opry House. And the choice was to either cancel the show or…
Horror of horrors, let Seely host it.
According to Bufwack and Oermann (pp. 300-301), here are some Seely-isms for your enjoyment.
“Of course I want you for your body. I’ve got a mind of my own.”
“I woke up on the right side of the wrong bed this morning.”
“An ex-husband is one mistake you don’t have to live with.”
And this is my favorite (from page 301):
“You knock me to my knees, but you cannot make me crawl while I’m down there.” (She goes on to say “‘Actually,’ she confides, ‘the way I really wrote it was, “They can knock me to my knees, but they cannot make me give head while I’m down there.” but I cleaned it up.’”)
Dang, she tickles me.
Almost as much as Dolly does.
Anyway, go, go, read that post. If you have the Krauss/Plant album, yes, that’s that Sister Rosetta.
(h/t the 9513) (Oh, and Bufwack and Oermann)
Filed under: Pop Culture
A couple of comments:
1) That’s a great rant. Laura Cantrell is a songwriter and performer, in addition to the stuff she talks about in that column, and she’s got a couple of songs about women performers, “Queen of the Coast” about Bonnie Owens, and one about Melba Montgomery that I can’t recall the title of offhand.
2) Not every Opry member can be a host; hosts have to commit to being available even more regularly than regular Opry members, and are expected to be knowledgeable about current and past music, and to be able to help any newbies who have stage fright.
3) I’m pretty sure Jeannie Seely would call herself a feminist, though to her I think feminism is still pretty well defined by second wave issues. I’ve had the chance to talk with her a couple of times, and once told her how much I had always liked hearing her, a woman, host the Opry. Her first reaction was, “well, honey, e-mail them and tell them so — you can find the address on their website” which of course I just loved. But then she got more serious and told me how she had spent her first few years as a host doing all this prep and being incredibly careful never to make a mistake on stage, because she knew that if she did the management would use it as an excuse never to have another female host. She’s very much aware of the importance and significance of what she did, and proud to have it recognized.
4) Why isn’t Rose Maddox in the Hall of Fame?
Rose Maddox isn’t in the Hall of Fame? Really?
I took the liberty of looking at which women are in the Hall. Here’s the list. Emmylou Harris (2008), Dolly Parton (1999), Tammy Wynette (1998), Brenda Lee and Cindy Walker (song-writer) (1997), Patsy Montana (1996), Jo Walker-Meador (1995, not a musician), Frances Preston (not a musician, 1992), Felice Bryant (1991, songwriter), Loretta Lynn (1988), Kitty Wells (1976), Minnie Pearl (not a singer, 1975), Patsy Cline (1973), Maybelle and Sarah Carter (1970), and that’s it. Fifteen women.
I have no idea why Rose Maddox isn’t in the Hall. Makes no sense.
But along with her, what other women do you think are glaring omissions? I’m frankly a little surprised that Barbara Mandrell isn’t in.
And, I wonder, what do you think of Shania’s chances in the future? To me, I think she’s like Garth Brooks. I’m tired of both of them, but I don’t think you can deny the paradigm shift they represented to country music. If Garth goes in, how do you deny Shania?
Bridgett, really, not as a solo act and not as a member of the Maddox Brothers and Rose (because the Maddox Brothers and Rose aren’t in the Hall). If it were up to me, I’d rather have her in there as part of the group, which I sorta kinda love to pieces, but it not only isn’t up to me; I actually have no input in the matter whatsoever! How wrong is that?
Other glaring omissions:
Reba McEntire (honestly, I’m surprised that Harris made it in before her and Mandrell), Connie Smith, Jean Shepherd.
And, of course, if you’re using the Sonny James standard, just about anybody.
You can deny Shania easily, because she didn’t use Nashville musicians or make much money for much of anybody in town, and it’s industry people who vote. Garth, OTOH, is beloved by all sorts of local musicians and producers for hiring them and paying them well and being a generally decent guy to the locals.
They shouldn’t let any more women in until Pete Rose is inducted first.
NM, isn’t denying you have a vote the first sure sign that you actually do have a vote? Hmm…?
Reba is a glaringly strange omission, for sure.
Mack, Rose Maddox never placed bets on country music. You just can’t compare the situations.
B, huh? It’s industry people who vote, not fans. Ask Sista.
And I forgot to say that she has a double whammy against her, because besides being female she was a West Coast act.
“she” = Rose Maddox. Not Sistasmiff. So far as I am aware, Sistasmiff has no whammies against her at all.
I’m just saying, I find it interesting that you were so quick to deny having a vote, that’s all. ;)
I’m sorry, you find it interesting that I’m pissing and moaning about complete irrelevancies? And here I thought you knew me. I am crushed, and if I were at home I would go into the garden to eat worms. I know there are worms there, because the robins are all the time scratching around and then darting at things with their beaks.
Ha!
Fair enough.
Wasn’t Reba captured by aliens and replaced with a replica that kinda sorta looks like the old Reba?
Ex must be one of the voters. How else would he know this stuff?
It would explain quite a bit, wouldn’t it?
About Reba, or about Ex?
About some of the weird people left out of the Hall of Fame. If we know a grouchy (though good looking) libertarian with no regard for country music is one of the voters, he could just randomly be picking people or campaigning against folks just for fun or whathaveyou.
Ah, gotcha.
Ex, next time around please vote for Rose Maddox, Johnny Horton, Jimmy Martin, and Connie Smith.
Cantrell once did a KICK ASS cover of Wynn Stewart’s “Wishful Thinking.” Really worked my honky tonk bone.
Oh, and yes Connie Smith’s “Tiny Blue Transistor radio” is one of the sweetest tunes ever committed to vinyl. And “Once a Day” is one of the great country songs of all times.
Ditto to Rose, Johnny and Jimmy as well.
AHHHH, Tiny Blue Transistor Radio.
Yup.
I don’t claim to know the in’s and out’s of how one truly becomes a member, but when I worked at the CMHOF a few years back (I did a 3 months stint of freelance there) it was announced Sonny James was going to be inducted. It was him, George Strait and someone else… don’t remember.
I clearly remember the conversation regarding why he was up for induction — apparently his fans have written the CMHOF for years lobbying for his induction. And after years and years and letter after letter, it finally worked. Apparently the powers that be pay attention to that.
I honestly think that Emmylou should have gone in before Reba. But I imagine Reba will be up for entry in the next 5 years, along with Garth.
Beth, a secret group puts together a list of nominees,* and CMA members (? or some CMA members?; if it’s only some, I’m not sure how they’re selected, but I think Sista said one time that it’s about 300 people) vote on them. So a letter-writing campaign could have gotten Sonny James onto the list, but he actually had to get more votes than anyone else in his category on the ballot. And that’s where having friends in town comes in handy, because, believe me, for Sonny James to be in the Hall considering who isn’t is a farce.
*Three lists a year, in different categories (performer, musician, non-performer, career started between different sets of dates) that rotate each year.
I forgot to mention that this letter writing campaign had gone on for YEARS…. like, the letter writers had pestered the shit out of the CMHOF.
for Sonny James to be in the Hall considering who isn’t is a farce.
That’s how the conversation started when this tidbit of info came out — I was like “who is Sonny James?” and how did he get in before _____ , ______ AND __________??????
I was just as shocked as I could be. But I can tell you who told me, where I was sitting and who was in the room when that info was shared, I remember it THAT clearly. (but won’t publish that on the internet of course)
It doesn’t matter how long the letter writing had gone on; unless the CMA and the HoF lied about the results of the voting, all the letters could do would be to get him on the ballot. People actually voted for the guy, or else the election was rigged. And that’s what I mean about having friends in Nashville: the 300 voters voted for Sonny James ahead of all the other names on the list, who were probably more worthy (well, they’d sort of have to be, wouldn’t they?) because he was their buddy. And because that’s the way people vote — for friends, for people they’ve worked with, for people who have been “good for the industry (in Nashville)” someone like Shania Twain, who never bothered to cultivate friends here, is almost surely never gonna get in.
true… it all comes down to “who you know”
I hate to ask this outloud for appearing to be a fool, but isn’t it an open secret that the HoF inductions are rigged?
…it would appear to be since Vince Gill just got inducted a few short years after he was chairman of the board
(this statement by no means takes away his contribution and other elements of being a good ambassador for the to the genre — I think he deserves to be in there, but I think it could have waited a few years — but they didn’t ask me…)
B, if voting based on reasons other than musical merit is what you mean, that’s no secret at all. But I know a couple of people who do get to vote, and I’m pretty sure they don’t think that their votes are being miscounted or thrown away. Sista also knows people with a vote, and I do wish she was here to share her thoughts. I really, truly, have never heard that the voting itself is supposed to be a sham; have you?
Of course Gill got in way ahead of time: he does all sorts of fundraising for the Hall and the CMA, was host of the CMA awards show for years, shows up to fill in at the Opry on half an hour’s notice, takes on tedious behind-the-scenes work that few people want to do (like being Pres. of the CMA). Plus he donated $ for a public golf course to the city, and has never been heard to say a bad word about anyone in public. The voters vote for him because they like him and think he’s a good guy, and he’s been so “good for the industry” and “good for Nashville” and all that stuff. You don’t have to rig the votes if those considerations are what’s what’s motivating most of the voters.
NM, I could just be speaking out my butt. I certainly have never sat down with anyone in a position to know and grilled them on it, and lord knows there are a strain of people in the industry who a.) like to tell stories just to have stories to tell and b.) would rather believe in some conspiracy against them or their friends than just bad luck or bad timing, so I just want to be clear. I don’t know if the voting is rigged in anyway.
I had just always heard that it was… shall we say… weighted in ways that maybe weren’t completely above-board.
So, I’m surprised to hear that that’s not the case.
The creation of the nomination list by secret committee is, of course, full of the potential for, shall we say, listing people who don’t belong there or omitting artists who have pissed people off.