Thoughts On Music: Western Swing and Punk Rock

Bob Wills did for country music what Joe Strummer did for punk rock.

A blend of genres, styles, flavors — the process of amalgamation and unending blending defined the work of both musicians. Strummer and The Clash made reggae-punk-ska-world-disco hits, and western swing was a honky-tonk heaven with pianos, big-band trumpets, and quirky, silly ad-libs. (The same way that Young Thug uses his voice as an instrument, Bob Wills did something innovative with his corny (but fun!) quips.)

These artists both tried something fresh and different, something fun and enduring. Is Western swing the punk rock of country? That’s a question for a musicologist or a music theorist. In the meantime, I’m just enjoying some really, really great songs.

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Published by Sally

Sally Garnatah writes silly things. Some of Sally’s stories are true. For legal purposes, consider all of these posts to be … autofiction, if you can stomach that kind of quasi-pretentious literary stuff. Sally doesn’t read autofiction, though. She’s too much of a country girl. You can find her down by the Tennessee River, out in the woods, standing in a sorghum field — or you can find her right here, on her blog.

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