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Topic: Hard to choose between Buck and Merle isn't it ?? |
Gary Hoetker
From:
California, USA
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Posted 23 May 2016 9:27 am |
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| Ever debate or wonder who was the best?? I find myself going back and forth all the time. For me, all of Buck's early Capitol Recordings with Mooney circa 58-62 are quintessential country and there is nothing like them. Then Merle came along and arguably replaced Buck as the gold standard. I guess it's what kind of mood I'm in at the time. After their respective deaths, it seems there was more attachment to Merle than Buck here in Bakersfield perhaps because they could relate more to Merle's life story and struggles. Both were certifiably great and pioneers. We'll never see their like again. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 23 May 2016 10:25 am
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| At least we've still got king George, Strait that is. |
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Rick Campbell
From:
Sneedville, TN, USA
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Posted 23 May 2016 10:26 am
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Not a hard choice for me. I prefer Buck's music over Merle's, but I liked a lot of Merle's stuff too. I get kind of burned out on bands doing the same 5 or 6 Merle songs over and over. Don't hear bands doing a lot of Buck except Together Again, and when they do, most really do the Emmylou Harris version with the 7b in it. I think guitar players are attracted to Merle's music because it featured a lot of guitar, and not so much steel. Kind of like in bluegrass, Flatt and Scruggs were all about the banjo, while Monroe's music was more built around the fiddle, or fiddles. I agree, both Merle and Buck will be hard to replace, as far as traditional country goes. I don't see too many current entertainers doing a lot to continue this music. While they are popular right now, I just don't see the new wave Nashville singers doing songs that will become standards and still being performed 50 years from now. If I recall correctly, Ray Price pointed this out to Blake Shelton.
RC |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 23 May 2016 11:16 am
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In my opinion Merle's songs were more serious, sadder and even political, while Buck's were more lighthearted. I have about half a dozen records by both of them so I don't know if I'm qualified, but since you asked...
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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Paul Stauskas
From:
DFW, TX
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Posted 23 May 2016 11:23 am
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I think Merle's legacy is his iconic collection of songs and Buck's is the instrumentation that shaped a genre and continues to influence more traditional strains of country music.
_________________
My site |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 23 May 2016 11:43 am
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The beauty is that I don't have to choose. I like them both.
h |
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Dustin Rhodes
From:
Owasso OK
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Posted 23 May 2016 11:56 am
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As a young guy I'll say that a lot of Buck's stuff sounds more dated. Merle was also a much more prolific songwriter.
I'm a huge fan of both but I think Merle's stuff stands up better today. |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 23 May 2016 12:29 pm
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buck was fun and the pickin' and style was trendsetting.
merle was soulful.
they both filled a need. |
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Joe Casey
From:
Weeki Wachee .Springs FL (population.9)
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Posted 24 May 2016 6:09 am
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With me it's like being asked to pick my favorite beer.  |
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Barry Blackwood
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Posted 24 May 2016 6:50 am
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| Quote: |
| Hard to choose between Buck and Merle isn't it ?? |
No. |
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LJ Eiffert
From:
California, USA
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Posted 24 May 2016 7:43 am
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| I miss them both very much. Very sharp in what they wanted out of the their Music & talent and great Entertainers of being down to earth with people on a one on one with them both. I know... RIP Buck & Merle and your Music will stay alive forever. The " WELFARE BUM "> Uncle Leo J Eiffert Jr. |
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Rick Campbell
From:
Sneedville, TN, USA
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Posted 24 May 2016 8:16 am
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
| At least we've still got king George, Strait that is. |
I don't consider George Strait to be in the same category as Buck or Merle. Yes, he's closer to traditional country than most of the popular artist of the last 20 years, but I think he's caught up in the urban cowboy, line dance, mechanical bull crowd. I find his music to be more Texas swing and mellow country flavored...... as compared to the hard core guys like George Jones, Johnny Paycheck, etc... I guess we're all different, but I've never felt any emotion from hearing George Strait sing, but I've wiped tears from my eyes hearing George Jones sing I'm Not Ready Yet, or Jimmy Dickins do She Always Got What She Wanted.
RC |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 24 May 2016 10:13 am
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buck and especially merle were great songwriters.
george strait was not. big difference. he may have written a couple , but merle wrote most of his own. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 24 May 2016 10:23 am
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Buck from 1960-1967, Merle thereafter.
Wynn Stewart is a very nice middle ground.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 24 May 2016 12:02 pm
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Rick,
You better stay out of Texas with those disparaging remarks about George. Somebody might lay a whoopin' on ya.  |
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Rick Campbell
From:
Sneedville, TN, USA
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Posted 24 May 2016 5:08 pm
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| Erv Niehaus wrote: |
Rick,
You better stay out of Texas with those disparaging remarks about George. Somebody might lay a whoopin' on ya. |
You could be right. I'll be careful. 
Seriously, I should say that I have the utmost respect for George Strait and his music. He's very talented and obviously very successful, and always had a top notch band. Nothing disparaging intended in my comments. Just pointing out that for my ears, I would listen to Mr. Strait for different musical cravings than I would the others mentioned. I listen to him when I'm in the happy or swingy song mood, (All My Ex's, Ocean Front Property, etc...) One thing for sure, he's probably the most consistently successful artist in the business.
Sorry for distracting this away from Buck and Merle.
RC |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 24 May 2016 6:02 pm
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and they both allowed the talent of special sidemen to help shape their sounds with roy, norm, don, tom, ralph
and the family sound of bakersfield. |
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LJ Eiffert
From:
California, USA
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Posted 24 May 2016 7:12 pm
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| George Strait & Randy Owens,something ain't right with Charlie Chase,but,Buck & Merle loved them all. The "WELFARE BUM " BMI song cut it's teeth in Bakersfield in the SOUND as Al Bruno & Jay Dee Maness too! |
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Glenn Suchan
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 3 Jun 2016 11:24 am
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| Mike Neer wrote: |
Buck from 1960-1967, Merle thereafter.
Wynn Stewart is a very nice middle ground. |
Mike, with all due respect, I love the music of Owens and Haggard, but I don't consider Wynn Stewart middle ground to them. Both Buck and Merle found their artistic style through, and were heavily influenced by Wynn Stewart .
Owens and Haggard are truly among the pantheon of country music greats, but Wynn, along with Skeets McDonald, Tommy Collins and a few others preceded them creating west coast honky tonk. IMO, Wynn in partnership with Ralph Mooney, under the deft guidance of Ken Nelson created the "Bakersfield Sound" in all it's gritty, workingman realism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up4MWhM6zZI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qNs75UaG3A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9KKverjPGc
Skeets McDonald:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9mIQAqogkU
Tommy Collins:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkFS-yq6XLo
Keep on pickin'!
Glenn
_________________
Steelin' for Jesus |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2016 12:47 pm
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| Buck Owens started out playing lead guitar for Tommy Collins. And Merle Haggard wrote a song about Tommy Collins called "Leonard". |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 4 Jun 2016 5:28 pm
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| Glenn Suchan wrote: |
Mike, with all due respect, I love the music of Owens and Haggard, but I don't consider Wynn Stewart middle ground to them. Both Buck and Merle found their artistic style through, and were heavily influenced by Wynn Stewart .
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Glenn, I'm aware of all that, but my sentiment is if you can't decide between Buck and Merle, throw on some Wynn.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 5 Jun 2016 11:47 am
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why does one or the other have to be best ?
They are totally different but yet both the best. As is George and George and etc... and so on and so on.
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Dan Hatfield
From:
Columbia, Mo USA
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Posted 5 Jun 2016 3:24 pm
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| Well, I have to input my two cents worth, and that may be overstating its worth, but here it is, none-the-less. One of the things that has bugged me all my life about the public's perception of "country" music is that so many people think that if you are "country", then your material and sound must be nasal, red-neck sounding "twang" that sounds like if came out of the hills and hollers of the Appalachian mountains. The fact is that there are people in "country" music that have the vocal chops to do about any genre they want to. It just so happens that they like the country field and that is what they want to do. For example, Janie Fricke happens to be a "country" star, but I have heard her do an album of movie themes that showcases her vocal versatility and in which she sounds like an equal to Barbra Streisand. Glen Campbell could sing Hank Williams with the best of them, then turn around and hit a homerun with songs like Wichita Lineman with a 50 piece orchestra. So now back to comparing Buck Owens with Merle Haggard. Merle Haggard had a smooth, rich voice that had limitless capabilities. He produced an album called "Unforgettable" in which he did a bunch of classic pop tunes by people such as Nat King Cole, Hoagy Carmichael, etc, etc. Now, could Buck Owens have pulled that off? No, he could not. That doesn't mean he is not a great country star, but it does mean that he was not in the same ballpark with Merle when it came to vocal credentials. I am just so thankful for people like Janie, Merle and Glen Campbell who make me proud to be a "country" fan. They did not have to take a back seat to anyone, including Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, or anyone else in the pop field. Just my own opinion, your mileage may vary. |
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