Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Honky Tonk

The term honky tonk is slang and often used to refer to a small bar. Generally it has a country theme to it and features live music as well. There are plenty of them found out there all over the place. People love to go hang out in them to drink, visit with friends, meet new people, and to listen to the music. It is also a great type of environment to hear up and coming stars without the crowd or the high ticket price.

Most musical artists that have hit the big time will tell you stories of starting out in honky tonk bars. They were paid a measly amount of money for their performances and some will tell you they even waited tables or tended to the bar in between sets. This is a great was to say you met a certain performer before they were huge stars and hard to gain access to.

Most of these honky tonks are establishments were regulars show up. They are common places for the night time crowd to hang out and have a good time. Another common element of them is neon lights. This can be on the signs outdoors as well as inside of the establishments. No matter where you may travel to for work or vacation, you should be able to come across some fun honky tonks to hang out in.

Since country music is what is commonly played at honky tonks there is usually a dance floor. Here you will see people getting into the swing of things with various types of songs. Some are fast to dance to and others are slow moving for close dancing. There is also plenty of music for line dancing to take place.

The environment you will find inside of a honky tonk depends on where you are at. Some of them are still pretty tough as far as the crowd that goes into them on a regular basis. You may find it isn’t very comfortable for you to be hanging out there. Others are full of real cowboys and cowgirls that want to have some fun. You may want to do some checking before you go to a honky tonk just so you are familiar with what the atmosphere will be like in there.

Country Music Oldies

Country Music Oldies

Country music has many new artists but also plenty of older ones that still hold the world in awe. Country music oldies still pull at the heart strings of people and take them back to earlier times. There are many great songs out there that have stood the test of time. They have continued to reach out to old and new audiences for decades. These types of country music oldies can really help to bridge the generation gap that seems to always be a barrier in our society.

Just about everyone knows the words to I Fall to Pieces by Patsy Cline. It is a song that we can all relate to as we have all suffered from a broken heart. This is the top country music oldie by a female artists that have ever been recorded. Next is Coal Miners Daughter from Loretta Lynn. The story tells about her life growing up poor but also growing up with plenty of love.

George Jones has a country music oldie with the tune He Stopped Loving Her Today. It tells the story of a man that loved a woman so much he continued to do so until the day he died. It is a very touching love song that can still bring a tear to my eye when I hear it.
Johnny Cash has many great songs that people remember. Two that are oldies people always listen to are I Walk the Line and Ring of Fire.

If you haven’t taken the time to listen to some country music oldies for a while, you should. It can lift your spirits and take you back to some fond memories of your past. The songs may take on a new meaning from what they once did long ago. You can find complete CD’s of country music oldies for your home and your car. You can also download your favorite songs onto your iPod.

If you have satellite radio, you will be happy to know they dedicate a few channels to country music oldies as well. Many regular radio station understand how many people still yearn for the oldies to be played. They may throw a few into the mix for their listeners on a regular basis. Some of them also have blocks of time dedicated to oldies as well.