It's quiet out there...TOO quiet..
John Lupton
...or so they say in countless westerns, so let me see if I can generate a
firestorm of enlightened discussion.
As a (part-time) DJ, I'm always interested in what country music fans
think of various artists, and why one artist achieves wider acclaim than
another, so I will solicit comments from y'all on the following:
Back in '90, most of the awards for "Best New Female Vocalist" were going
to Mary Chapin Carpenter, but right behind her was another woman who
seemed to be poised on the brink of becoming a big star, and her name was
Jann Browne. Her first album, "Tell Me Why", was well received, and her
follow-up album "It Only Hurts When I Laugh" was, IMHO, also
excellent...certainly not a big drop-off from the first album. Last I
heard, however, she currently is not with any label and has no projects in
the works.
It seems like the woods are full in Nashville these days of great-looking
women whose voices are often (to me) indistinguishable from one another.
While Jann is certainly not unattractive, neither does she generate the
same kind of testosterone-laden heavy breathing as does, say, Joy White.
And, while her voice doesn't have the clarity and purity of a Suzy
Bogguss, Jann Browne is a *country* singer like few others around
today...she *sounds* like she's been singing in roadhouses and honky-tonks
for years, and it's because she *has*.
So, folks...why isn't this woman a big star? Why do/don't you like her?
So now I'll get down off the soapbox and put on my flame-retardant undies,
as I await your responses.
_____________________________________________________________________________
John Lupton, LAN Specialist |Part-Time Country/Bluegrass/Old-Time DJ
SAS Communications & Networking |"Rural Free Delivery"
University of Pennsylvania |WVUD-FM 91.3 University of Delaware
jlu...@mail.sas.upenn.edu |Listener-Supported, Non-Commercial Radio
_________________________________|___________________________________________
Robyn Austin
I am a Jann Browne fan because her voice reminds me of Patsy Cline's.
I have always felt that she didn't get enough attention or
airplay. In fact, the only place I can ever hear any of her
songs is every once in a while on the community radio station.
I am not certain why she is not as well received as some other female
country singers.
Robyn
lyn...@novell.com
--
--....or so they say in countless westerns, so let me see if I can generate a
--firestorm of enlightened discussion.
--
--As a (part-time) DJ, I'm always interested in what country music fans
--think of various artists, and why one artist achieves wider acclaim than
--another, so I will solicit comments from y'all on the following:
--
--Back in '90, most of the awards for "Best New Female Vocalist" were going
--to Mary Chapin Carpenter, but right behind her was another woman who
--seemed to be poised on the brink of becoming a big star, and her name was
--Jann Browne. Her first album, "Tell Me Why", was well received, and her
--follow-up album "It Only Hurts When I Laugh" was, IMHO, also
--excellent...certainly not a big drop-off from the first album. Last I
--heard, however, she currently is not with any label and has no projects in
--the works.
--
--It seems like the woods are full in Nashville these days of great-looking
--women whose voices are often (to me) indistinguishable from one another.
--While Jann is certainly not unattractive, neither does she generate the
--same kind of testosterone-laden heavy breathing as does, say, Joy White.
--And, while her voice doesn't have the clarity and purity of a Suzy
--Bogguss, Jann Browne is a *country* singer like few others around
--today...she *sounds* like she's been singing in roadhouses and honky-tonks
--for years, and it's because she *has*.
--
--So, folks...why isn't this woman a big star? Why do/don't you like her?
--
--So now I'll get down off the soapbox and put on my flame-retardant undies,
--as I await your responses.
Can you remind us of some of her songs? I can't seem to remember her and it's not because
I haven't been listening to country music for long enough time.
--
_______________________________________________
lyn...@novell.com /\_/\
"My life is a country song = o o =
and you just added another verse." /^\
Dave Laudicina
I agree with you wholeheartedly. She is at the top of my list I still
listen to both albums. She did get some exposure from Mexican Wind??
but obviously not enough. I wish I owned a record label she would be
the first one I signed. But your right she does have that honky tonk feel
like a George Jones when you hear her.
Thx Dave L
Loren W Zachary
singer-song writer.
--
--------------- ---------------
L. W. Zachary Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
Internet: za...@iastate.edu 3021 Black Engineering Building
Iowa State University
Office: (515)294-3123 Ames, Iowa 50011
Bruce Rodean
> And then what in the world happened to Matracca Berg? She is a talented
> singer-song writer.
I got "Lying To The Moon" and liked it a lot. Once I seem to recall
there being something new from her on the "Recent and Upcoming Album
Releases" postings, but never saw anything of it in stores.
--
Bruce Rodean Hewlett-Packard Company
rod...@fc.hp.com
Alan J. Steiner
>And then what in the world happened to Matracca Berg? She is a talented
>singer-song writer.
Someone gave me an article from a magazine called Mirabella (June 1993).
There are two photos of Matraca Berg. The caption says that her next
album will be released through RCA's pop division.
Al Steiner
aste...@access.digex.net
Kelly Shuldberg
Don't bother with the flame-retardant undies. This is a good question, and
one that addresses an issue that has irritated me for years.
I think the answer is that, in the term "music business," the keyword is
not "music." I have never heard of Jann Browne, but she sounds
interesting. I listen to the local country stations on the way to work
(roughly a 30-minute trip) and back every day, and I've never heard a
single station play any of her songs. Part of the problem of her lack of
success is lack of exposure. Which prompts me to ask, "Why do radio
stations insist on playing the same old tired stuff (or "new, hot country,"
in this case) over and over until I'm so sick of an otherwise good song
that I could puke every time I hear it? (No flame toward you, John; I
reckon you don't do this, especially since you posed the original question).
So how does a performer get airplay? That seems to be the key. Or at
least one of them.
Also at fault are the consumers, in my opinion. Face it: a lot of people
just simply have no taste at all, and only absorb music to the extent that
it makes them tap a toe while they're shopping at K-Mart. All the hype and
promotion of someone who has a catchy tune and a cute face, not to mention
a cute butt or boobs/pecs gets to these braindeads just as it was intended
to, and they are not only happy, but ravenous to get more. I mean, if all
you ever had to do was listen to some of these performers and never, ever
see them, there would be a lot less of the "Achy-Breaky" phenomena.
Consider Cher or Madonna! As far as I can tell, neither of these singers
has a lick of talent beyond being able to carry a tune (sort of), and a
rough sense of rhythm (though I'll give a nod to Cher's talent as an
actress). What makes them so popular? Promotion and carefully calculated
outrageous actions, and the subsequent carefully calculated promotion of
these actions.
I know several people who are awfully good musicians, many far better than
those who are currently popular, and because they refuse to play the game,
you will never hear of them. I spent years playing music for a living, and
finally got so sick of the business end of it that I went back to school.
I'm glad I did! I can now, after a time of not being able to stand the
sight of a guitar, again enjoy creating music for pure pleasure.
h. kelly shuldberg
hke...@edsr.eds.com
Rich Slywczak
|> >John Lupton writes
|> >--
|> >--....or so they say in countless westerns, so let me see if I can generate a
|> >--firestorm of enlightened discussion.
|> >--
|> >--As a (part-time) DJ, I'm always interested in what country music fans
|> >--think of various artists, and why one artist achieves wider acclaim than
|> >--another, so I will solicit comments from y'all on the following:
|> >--
|> >--Back in '90, most of the awards for "Best New Female Vocalist" were going
|> >--to Mary Chapin Carpenter, but right behind her was another woman who
|> >--seemed to be poised on the brink of becoming a big star, and her name was
|> >--Jann Browne. Her first album, "Tell Me Why", was well received, and
|> I agree with you wholeheartedly. She is at the top of my list I still
|> listen to both albums. She did get some exposure from Mexican Wind??
|> but obviously not enough. I wish I owned a record label she would be
|> the first one I signed. But your right she does have that honky tonk feel
|> like a George Jones when you hear her.
|>
|> Thx Dave L
On the same line, I've always wondered what happened to Becky Hobbs. I only
know of one album that she had put out with a heck of a song on it too. (Jones
on the Jukebox).
Alan J. Steiner
>On the same line, I've always wondered what happened to Becky Hobbs. I only
>know of one album that she had put out with a heck of a song on it too. (Jones
>on the Jukebox).
She had a video of "Talk Back Trembling Lips" within the last two years.
I'll put in a vote for Jann Browne myself. I finally got to listen to the
Heather Myles album on Hightone all the way through. She's another one
that probably won't do much commercially, but has got some nice original
material. And from the folk/rock side is Katy Moffatt. There are some
excellent tracks on "The Greatest Show On Earth" on Philo/Rounder, like "A
Little Love Is A Dangerous Thing."
Why don't commercial radio stations take more chances? They are not
generally in business, that's business, to take chances. TNN, with
American Music Shop and some of the acoustic stuff on (blecch!) "Crook
And Chase" and independent videos on CMT (which I only see when I leave
town), seems to give more play to some of the non-top 40 folks, but they
do have close to a monopoly on country music on the cable. When someone
gets a top 40 country video channel on there, then TNN and CMT may change.
As a sometime public radio DJ, I can only say that if you are truly into
country music, including the historical stuff, public radio is a good
place to find it in many towns. Also, I'd like to recommend some of the
all-night truckers' radio shows, such as "The Road Gang" on WWL, New
Orleans, particularly when John Parker is on. I haven't listened for a
while. I assume he's still on.
Al Steiner
aste...@access.digex.net
Cali Melching
is played on the air. This is especially true in larger markets. WHY?
Well, the major lables give away hundreds of thousands of concert tickets,
concert packages, trips, albums, ect. to Radio. Radio in turn gives them to
their valued listeners who inturn are supposed to remain loyal to them.
Major lables also have a stable of record promoters to call radio each week
and remind them of all the freebies they have been given and suggest certain
records that should be added. Most of the time it is done more subtlely than
I am making out but that's essentially how things work. This means that
Major lables control. But they are not totally loyal to their artist. One
artist's record may be sacraficed for another more established artists
record.
I do not know what lable Jan Brown was on, but a few lables (Capitol for
one),will sign a lot of artists, and flood the market with new material in
hopes that something will stick.
What's really sad is the number of Independent Artists that cannot get any
air play in the large market segment because they are not on a Major Lable.
It's too bad that they do not know that a artist does not have to be on a
Major Lable in order to be a Major Artist. I know of at least one that
could knock the socks off of any female now on any major lable.
Well, thanks for letting me contribute and vent some frustration at the same
time.
Cali McCord
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
cmel...@dallas-ctr.tamu.edu Why can't I forget you, and start my
life anew,
Instead of having sweet dreams about
you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave B Stewart
CDX is helping indies... lotta independent labels get distribution these
days via CDX (which is a service to country stations containing all the
new releases from all labels, except Curb, twice a month). I see new
labels almost every issue.
And some stations will play 'em. Curiously, Gavin reporting stations seem
to take more chances (and I'll play almost everything that comes in via
CDX... if it sounds decent)
Bob Marshall
>First of all it's impotant to understand that the Major Lables decide what
>is played on the air. This is especially true in larger markets.
>
She is/was on Curb, not exactly one of your biggies in the C&W market.
=============================================================================
Bob Marshall \\ If 10% is good enough for Jesus,
Lockheed Missiles & Space Co. \\ it ought to be good enough for
Sunnyvale, CA \\ Uncle Sam!
mars...@nebula.ssd.lmsc.lockheed.com\\
"I tell the truth 'cept when I lie" \\ - Ray Stevens
=============================================================================
John Lupton
>First of all it's impotant to understand that the Major Lables decide what
>is played on the air. This is especially true in larger markets.
>
>I do not know what lable Jan Brown was on...
To which Bob Marshall responded:
>>She is/was on Curb, not exactly one of your biggies in the C&W market.
And now hear me say:
Jann's albums are both on Curb, as Bob says. I'm not sure if it's still
the case, but I know Curb at one time had some relationship to MCA...if
you pull out your copy of Desert Rose's "Running" and look at the fine
print, you'll see what I mean. Last I heard about Jann (this is about a
year ago) she had ended her relationship with Curb (voluntary or not, I
don't know) and had moved out to the California desert to evaluate her
future career. Her last album is now just over two years old, and as the
responses to my original question indicate, many of you have forgotten her
or never heard her in the first place. My thanks to all of you for your
responses...the point was not only to talk about Jann Browne, but to
initiate a discussion about what goes into making a "star", and I was very
pleased at the quality of the comments.
So, ya wanna try it all over again??...Good, I knew ya would.
There's a guy who has (far as I know) two albums out (I forget the label
right now, but it's not major) that I just love to play on the air, but I
have never seen any publicity about him, never seen a video, never seen
him on TNN, etc...so the question is, who among you out there in cyberland
has ever heard, or heard of Chris Wall, and what do you think of him...and
why isn't *he* a star???
Still trying to stir up trouble... :-)