Country Thunder, Craven SK.
This past weekend I attended Country Thunder located just outside of Regina in Craven Saskatchewan. This is my second year and both have been the most amazing experience. Now, the majority of people I talk to have the wrong idea about Country Thunder. Many think it is a weekend dedicated to drinking and country people doing stupid things. To many, this weekend is more than just a party. It is some of the best music country has to offer all in one place where you are surrounded by the people you love without any worries.
The artist I have chosen to focus on from the entire weekend is Sundays headliner, Luke Bryan. I strongly believe that they left the best for last and they probably do that so nobody goes home early.
Before anything else, I want to touch on Lukes choice of clothing for his performance. Luke is wearing his Humboldt strong shirt proud in the perfect possible setting as all of Saskatchewan and so many attending Craven would have been affected by the tragic crash. I think this alone represents the overall environment of the concert: one large bonded community coming together. Bryan showed his support for Saskatchewan while sharing music with is that we loved. This tragedy would have also hit home with him as, at 19, Bryan’s brother was killed in a car accident and while wearing this shirt he was showing us that we all have each other and can heal through music as a family. Not only did he lose his brother in 1996 but his sister also passed in 2007 and it seems Bryan poured his mourning and feelings into his music.
Thomas Luther Bryan is an American Singer from Georgia who has made and continues to make a massive impact in popular country music. Born in 1976, Bryans family claimes they always knew he was going to make it and it was the death of his siblings that really inspired him to chase his dreams. this is clear because Luke Bryan first became known in 2007, shortly after the unexpected passing of his sister. It didn’t take long for Bryan to drop single after single and quickly make a name for himself in the world of country music. Aside from having an amazing voice and phenomenal country songs, Bryan is also extremely charming and fans fell in love with him when he began judging American Idol year after year.
This little girl accurately represents how my friends and I felt the second Luke Bryan stepped onto the stage. I’m sure all of Craven was feeling the same way or similarly.
Bryan’s music and songs tend to have a meaning to him and have connected with so many like he did at the concert in Craven. Yes some music is about partying and country people doing country things but like any genre of music, there is more to be heard that the surface. Bryans hit song, ‘Drink a Beer’ isn’t at all about drinking and partying but is a memorial to his siblings who passed. Many probably didn’t know what this song means to Thomas and how the Hombolt crash and wearing of the shirt made him feel but he still wanted to reach the audience with his music. Country music, like all music, can be used as a form of healing or be used to bring up the mood of an audience with fun songs to dance to and forget everything that isn’t in the moment.
In this song, Bryan Sings, “Funny how the good ones go, too soon but the good lord knows” and “so long my friend until we meet again.” This song shows the strength behind country music and how it goes deeper into our roots. To me, Luke showing Humbolt pride while sharing his music and emotions with us made the concert that much more meaningful. Drink a beer is one of Bryans hit songs that has unbelievable powerful lyrics. Since this is a slower song I think I should also focus on a more fast-paced song to represent more of Bryans musical talent.
Above are just two more hot songs Bryan played at craven which he sang with perfect harmony. While it is clear how amazing his voice is, he also keeps his pitch and tune while staying on beat to all slow or fast songs. I think it’s crucial for artists to find a balance between songs people can party to with songs people can connect their emotions to and Bryan does an amazing job as a musician with finding that balance. While the tempo changes, Bryans talent remains amazing.
Craven was a perfect venue for Luke Bryan because country music is hugely celebrated and loved by prairie people. Personally, I have lived in towns all over Saskatchewan where country music is part of the culture and Luke Bryan has been one of my favorite artists for a while. Craven is a fun place where I got to see some of my favorite musicians while listening to some amazing live music and I plan to go back every year for as long as I can.
Bibliography:
Luke Bryan Biography. A&E Television Networks. The Biography.com website, 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/luke-bryan
‘Payola – The paying of cash or gifts in exchange for airplay’. [2] This is the broad definition of the term ’Payola’ but what this definition lacks is the substance that makes the word so memorable to so many within the music industry. The Payola scandal is one of the most significant events in the introduction of popular music into the mainstream the influence it had on future music and the music that was deemed popular at the time was all influenced by this particular event and it may have very well changed the course of music history. “Payola” is a contraction of the words “pay” and “Victrola” (LP record player). [2] This basically means hat whoever was in changed could be bribed into playing songs that were not on the set list which gave more exposure to the artists that were in need of radio play to kick off their careers.
“In 1959, Alan Freed, the most popular disc jockey in the country, was fired from his job at WABC after refusing to sign a statement that he’d never received payola to play a record on the air. For most of America, the word payola was a new one. But for anybody in the music business, it was as old as a vaudevillian’s musty tuxedo” [1]. Although not new to many within the industry payola became an important part of the late 50’s and into the early 60’s with Alan Freed standing trial along with another popular DJ at the time Dick Clark both decreed their innocence in receiving payments to play certain songs. “It was Freed who ended up taking the fall for DJs everywhere” [1]. The question is why did Alan Freed take the brunt of these accusations when Dick Clark among many other DJ’s at the time were guilty of the same thing? Alan Freed had a reputation of being more outspoken “Freed was abrasive. He consorted with black R & B musicians. He jive talked, smoked constantly and looked like an insomniac” [1]. 
Whereas Dick Clark had a different persona which was reflected by his peers, “Clark was squeaky clean, Brylcreemed handsome and polite” [1]. The fate of these two major players in the payola scandal took two different paths “Freed’s friends and allies in broadcasting quickly deserted him. He refused to sign an affidavit saying that he’d never accepted payola. WABC canned him, and he was charged with twenty-six counts of commercial bribery. Freed escaped with fines and a suspended jail sentence. But he died five years later, broke and virtually forgotten” [1]. Dick Clark’s fate was much different which leads people to believe that Alan Freed took the fall for other DJ’s including Clark, “Dick Clark had wisely divested himself of all incriminating connections (he had part ownership in seven indie labels, six publishers, three record distributors and two talent agencies). He got a slap on the wrist by the Committee chairman, who called him “a fine young man”. [1]Dick Clark was clearly the largest proprietor of the payola scandal having for a DJ to be that heavily involved as an owner in those businesses he had to have been doing well financially and subsequently had a major influence on those artist’s who were looking to make it big. This marked the first time that music within the African American community got some national attention during the payola scandal Alan Freed “first played Rhythm & Blues (R & B, or “race music”) in 1951. Until that time, the music remained largely in the black community”. [4] Until this point the music that was primarily known in the African American communities had some exposure on some mainstream radio stations because of guys like Alan Freed, however the principle of exploiting these musicians and using the advantage of their position to gain some financial power at the expense of the lack of acceptance of African American’s can be considered a little disingenuous because of the situation even though these musicians had major talent which led into the birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
(Yes, I did in fact fly to BC for this concert) This was for none other than Mr. Harry Styles.
Howard University, Washington D.C.1870 [4]
Music Poster from James Bland and his band, The Georgia Minstrels, featuring typical minstrel mockery of African-American folk,1879 [5]
Music Poster from James Bland and his band, The Georgia Minstrels, featuring typical minstrel mockery of African-American folk,1879 [5]
Recorded version "De Slav'ry Chains Am Broke At Last" is not available. Here shows original sheet music and music poster from the song release in 1880 [6].
p in a deeply religious family with his father working as a pastor at the local church. Handy was exposed to music at an early age through his church where he sang. His interest in music only increased as he grew older. In his youth he bought a guitar without his parents consent and practiced in secret. However once his father came to know of it he was forced to return it as it was his father’s belief that musical instruments were “of the devil”. His passion for music didn’t go unnoticed and his father signed him up for organ lessons. In 1892, Handy formed a band called the Lauzette Quartet to perform at the World’s Fair Chicago, however he was able to perform at the show until the following year. W.C. Handy hit his first major milestone in his musical career at the age of 23 when he became the bandmaster of the Mahara’s Colored Minstrels. With this group Handy was able to travel the country extensively and even performed in Cuba with the band. Throughout his travels he was able to pickup on the rural African-American folk songs that would inspire his mainstream blues music in the future.
Challenges Faced by W.C. Handy: