Ralph Emery, Dick Clark, and the Death of Country Music
Contents
A look at how Ralph Emery and Dick Clark’s influence changed country music and ultimately led to its decline.
The Good Old Days
I remember when country music was real. It was a time when the music came from the heart and told a story. It was a time when the artists were true to themselves and their fans. But that all changed when Ralph Emery and Dick Clark took over.
Ralph Emery’s Nashville
Ralph Emery’s Nashville was a country music television show that aired on The Nashville Network from 1983 to 1993. Hosted by Ralph Emery, the show featured country music performances and interviews with country music stars.
The show was a huge success, and helped make Ralph Emery a household name. But it also had a profound effect on country music itself. Because of the show’s popularity, Nashville became the center of the country music world, and the city’s musicians and producers began to focus more on creating radio-friendly hits than on making traditional country music.
As a result, country music began to change, becoming more polished and commercialized. Some fans welcomed the change, but others lamented the loss of the genre’s rootsiness and authenticity.
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in traditional country music, and Ralph Emery’s Nashville is often cited as one of the reasons why.
Dick Clark’s American Bandstand
The late 1950s and early 1960s were considered the golden age of American Bandstand, which helped to launch the careers of many artists, including Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Patsy Cline. The show was also a launching pad for Dick Clark himself, who became a household name thanks to his hosting duties. However, by the mid-1960s, American Bandstand had lost its luster, due in part to the British Invasion led by the Beatles. In 1966, Clark decided to move the show from its original home in Philadelphia to Los Angeles in an attempt to revive interest in it.
The move did not help and ratings continued to decline. In 1967, Dick Clark made the decision to cancel American Bandstand after a run of more than 20 years. The show was replaced by another musical variety show called Soul!, which only lasted for two years. After its cancellation, American Bandstand was never revived.
The Death of Country Music
The Rise of Pop Country
In the 1970s, a new type of country music began to emerge. Called “pop country,” it incorporated elements of both pop and rock music, and was more polished and commercial than the traditional country sound. Artists like Glen Campbell, Alabama, and Kenny Rogers found success with this new sound, and helped to bring country music to a wider audience.
Though traditionalists initially balked at this new style of music, pop country soon became the dominant force in country music, and remains so to this day. While there are still some traditionalists making music, they have largely been relegated to the margins of the genre.And so, with the rise of pop country, the death of traditional country music was all but inevitable.
The Fall of Traditional Country
Both Ralph Emery and Dick Clark were important figures in the music industry, and both had a hand in the death of traditional country music.
Ralph Emery was a country music DJ who became famous for his show, “The Nashville Network.” He was known for playing only the most popular country songs, and he often ridiculed traditional artists.
Dick Clark was a television host who became famous for his show, “American Bandstand.” He was known for playing only the most popular pop and rock songs, and he often ridiculed traditional artists.
Both men helped to kill traditional country music by mocking it and refusing to play it on their shows. As a result, many traditional artists stopped making music, and the genre dwindled in popularity.
The Future of Country Music
With the untimely deaths of both Ralph Emery and Dick Clark, the future of country music is uncertain. Both men were key figures in the genre, and their deaths have left a void that may be difficult to fill.
The Return of Traditional Country
In the 1990s, a new generation of country artists began to emerge who were influenced by the traditional sound of country music, but who also incorporated elements of rock, pop, and other genres. This style of country music came to be known as “alternative country,” and it was led by artists such as Dwight Yoakam, Steve Earle, and Nanci Griffith.
The success of alternative country artists in the 1990s led to a resurgence in interest in traditional country music. In the 2000s, traditional country music made a comeback with the help of artists like George Strait, Alan Jackson, and Brad Paisley. These artists brought traditional country sounds back to the mainstream, and helped to make country music popular again.
The Evolution of Country Music
It is no secret that country music has undergone a major transformation in recent years. Gone are the days when the genre was dominated by artists like Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and Johnny Cash. Today, country music is dominated by a new breed of artists who are more interested in crossover appeal than in staying true to the traditional sound of the genre.
This shift was most evident during the 2010 Country Music Association Awards, when all five of the nominees for Entertainer of the Year were artists who had achieved significant success outside of the country music world. And while this new breed of artist may be more commercially successful than their predecessors, many fans of traditional country music believe that they have sold out the genre in order to achieve mainstream success.
So what does the future hold for country music? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain – the genre is in a state of flux, and it will be interesting to see how it evolves in the years to come.
