Why are Rock Artists turning to Country?

[Pulse]

It seems like it's happening a lot lately.

Michelle Branch, Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, Bon Jovi, Jewel, .....all artists from different walks of rock music, are turning full time or at least experimenting with country? Why?

Even Saving Jane did Country remixes, and I heard something about Kelly Clarkson and country music too.

On one hand people seem to be going "back to the basics" a lot this year. With Christina Aguilera going back to retro sounds, Janet allegedly going back to R&B, Madonna going back to dance, etc.

Rock music has always been known to be extremely pretentious. At one time, all of those artists were or may have been considered rock, but to a lot of pretentious people, they are pop rock at best by  today's snobbish standards.

So does it seem fitting for them to go back to the roots of rock music? One of which includes Country? (I think it would be harder for them to go back to the R&B roots of Rock ;)) Are people changing for a format that will accept them, or for a similar need to return to their roots or something else?

[Pink Champagne Ricochet]

I think it has a lot to do with finding acceptance. Older artists like Bon Jovi and even Jewel (her career is old in terms of the music business) wouldn't be able to get arrested on pop radio nowadays. Country music is a different audience that is slightly more accepting of playing older artists, especially when they collaborate with currently successful country artists. I'm not sure about the younger artists like Michelle Branch or Uncle Kracker, but it's worked for them.

[Pulse]

Yeah, from a pop stand point it makes sense too. Getting rock play is impossible, but pop play can be pretty difficult too.

Yeah, Im not sure about Michelle Branch either. Her HACish music would have still worked today I think. Especially since HAC rock seems to be coming back.

[Love Plastic Love]

I have actually read articles about this...
They say that for certain artists, country will accept you where your former formats will not. Bon Jovi, Michelle Branch, Uncle Kracker, even someone like Sheryl and some of Kid Rock's music...they were being rejected on rock and pop (whatever their initial home format) and a solid country single helped them have a hit again.
I do not quite understand it because I thought country was supposedly a very clique-ish format for lack of a better word, but all of those artists have had quotes talking about how much more accepting country is over pop and rock. I believe Michelle even said its the only place for a real songwriter these days.

[Deleted]

This trend is not new either.

Go back a few years and you find rock stars like Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis had tremendous success in country

[Pulse]

Well, I didn't say it was

And back then though, R&B, country, rock, and "pop" were all sort of similar. And Elvis did all of that pretty much from the start. It's not like he went to country later in his career, like the artists we're talking about

[Pink Champagne Ricochet]

I do not quite understand it because I thought country was supposedly a very clique-ish format for lack of a better word, but all of those artists have had quotes talking about how much more accepting country is over pop and rock.

i actually think country is MORE accepting as long as you have talent and show that you're in it to be devoted to the genre, at least for awhile. look at how they welcomed Carrie Underwood with open arms, while Kelly Clarkson had to fight for any respect in pop/rock. Michelle is obviously in the Wreckers so she's thrown herself into it. Some stuff like Bon Jovi kind of seems like a cop out cash in, especially since the same song only slightly different is on their latest rock album, but adding the chick from Sugarland probably helped there. Uncle Kracker probably got in b/c he was on a Kenny Chesney song and they were going to play Kenny regardless ,though has he managed to capitalize on that at all?

[Deleted]

thepulse said:

Well, I didn't say it was

And back then though, R&B, country, rock, and "pop" were all sort of similar. And Elvis did all of that pretty much from the start. It's not like he went to country later in his career, like the artists we're talking about

His big country songs came in the 60's and 70's. The songs that made him famous were rock.

[Pulse]

But he charted on the country charts back in the day too, and they even went to #1, so I dont know what more you want.

And his music has always influenced by R&B and country (which is what rock and roll was), which is a bit different from the artists we're talking about.

[Deleted]

What about Jerry Lee Lewis?

[Pulse]

That's also sort of the same thing. He also was charting on the country charts even at the start. It might look like he has more country hits than Elvis, but of course Elvis died, and he's still around.

And, you're missing the point. I'm asking about "modern" rock artists not rock and roll ones.

[fatalthirteen]

Sheryl Crow and Jewel were folk/country artists so it isn't an unnatural progression. Uncle Kracker and Kid Rock are very southern and they are just taking the influence of where they are from. Bon Jovi is a rock band that only appeals to the older crowd- the only way they could have continued success is to mutate to a more adult-friendly audience and pop-country-rock appeals to the older crowd. They are getting pretty old to rock out and rock formats will never embrace them again and neither will the upper ranks of the pop charts. Michelle Branch is the only mystery to me.

[Deleted]

thepulse said:

That's also sort of the same thing. He also was charting on the country charts even at the start. It might look like he has more country hits than Elvis, but of course Elvis died, and he's still around.

And, you're missing the point. I'm asking about "modern" rock artists not rock and roll ones.

Got your point completely. Was just pointing out that the rock to country thing is not a new phenomenon.

Just trying to add another dimension to the discussion.

Yes his early songs charted in multiple formats, his late sixties career and forward was purely country. Anyway, he is still around and has a current album out.

[Pulse]

But, those people started out as being considered country, which is different from artists who "turn" into country ;)

It would be like saying that Janet Jackson "turned" into R&B, when she started out as R&B. On the other hand, someone like say Nelly Furtado started out doing HAC Folk Rock but "turned" into R&B. There's a difference

I didn't say these people were the first rockers to go country, but I can't really think of it happening with some many artists in such a short period like this before.

Can you name another significant "wave"/group of other "modern" rock (not rock and roll) artists who have done this?

[banet2001]

I am sure certain established artists want a different challenge and county music has quite a large fan base. Quite a few artists get bored by simply churning out the same material year after year, so a few artists view county music as another challenge to experiment with and if successful, they can potentially expand their current fan base.

I appreciate it when artists step outside the box and take a few risks with their music.

[Minimalism]

Mariah will be "an aspiring country singer" in her next movie! ;)

[sbp17]

Reba McEntires next duets cd will feature Kelly Clarkson, Justin Timberlake and Elton John (among other country artists) so we could potentially have even more interesting artists making appearances on the country charts though the only one I could remotely see being released as a single is the Kelly Clarkson duet.

[drock89]

Most of these artists I think had some root in country music or acoustic/folk music and that's why they were able to find a place in the format. Rock music essentially came from country music, if you go back far enough.

[CookyMonzta]

Did you know that Exile started out as a pop/rock group? One of their biggest hits was "Kiss You All Over", I believe in 1978. Sometime in 1981 or '82, they went country.