I’m sheepishly admitting that the term “red dirt” as a genre is fairly new to me. I had the privilege of seeing Jimmy LaFave perform multiple times in Austin, where he lived for decades before his death in 2017. “You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone” applies here. We referred to him as a folk artist, but Outlaw Country was often used. Maybe it’s because we lived in the Heart of Texas where Oklahoma is a dirty word, but “red dirt” wasn’t a genre term I heard thrown around. Seems to me from reading red dirt history, that Outlaw Country and Red Dirt genres are almost one and the same with the exception of the artist hailing from a town built on red soil. Though red dirt also seems to encompass bluegrass as well. Thanks for the informative read that broadened my musical knowledge and got me digging deeper.
Part of the issue is that we tend to come up with labels for everything, and it gets confusing. Red Dirt, generally, has historically been more focused on the folk and country musicians of Oklahoma, but it became an all encompassing term to describe musicians who didn’t fall into the traditional Nashville sound in Texas as well. I think of it as the adopted child of Outlaw Country.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!
This is the first time I've heard the phrase "Red Dirt" music scene." Would that include Zach Bryan? Also, years ago a Cross Canadian Ragweed album came into my possession. I liked it a lot.
Bryan is part of the next generation of performers that also includes Wyatt Flores and Kaitlin Butts. Their popularity, along with the mainstream success of Turnpike, is what's bringing a once-regional genre to a mass audience. And like I said in the Crutchmer interview yesterday, Ragweed is a band that reminds me of The Replacements. Definitely ahead of their time.
I’m sheepishly admitting that the term “red dirt” as a genre is fairly new to me. I had the privilege of seeing Jimmy LaFave perform multiple times in Austin, where he lived for decades before his death in 2017. “You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone” applies here. We referred to him as a folk artist, but Outlaw Country was often used. Maybe it’s because we lived in the Heart of Texas where Oklahoma is a dirty word, but “red dirt” wasn’t a genre term I heard thrown around. Seems to me from reading red dirt history, that Outlaw Country and Red Dirt genres are almost one and the same with the exception of the artist hailing from a town built on red soil. Though red dirt also seems to encompass bluegrass as well. Thanks for the informative read that broadened my musical knowledge and got me digging deeper.
Part of the issue is that we tend to come up with labels for everything, and it gets confusing. Red Dirt, generally, has historically been more focused on the folk and country musicians of Oklahoma, but it became an all encompassing term to describe musicians who didn’t fall into the traditional Nashville sound in Texas as well. I think of it as the adopted child of Outlaw Country.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!
I like that familial description and will use it going forward!
This is the first time I've heard the phrase "Red Dirt" music scene." Would that include Zach Bryan? Also, years ago a Cross Canadian Ragweed album came into my possession. I liked it a lot.
Bryan is part of the next generation of performers that also includes Wyatt Flores and Kaitlin Butts. Their popularity, along with the mainstream success of Turnpike, is what's bringing a once-regional genre to a mass audience. And like I said in the Crutchmer interview yesterday, Ragweed is a band that reminds me of The Replacements. Definitely ahead of their time.