TCBCast 291: Elvis and Country Music, Part 6: Elvis' Country Legacy

In the finale to the epic Elvis and country music miniseries, Justin and guest host Garrett Cash briskly fly over nearly four and a half decades of time, tracing Elvis' impact and influence on country music, starting with several of the tributes paid to him immediately following his death and his posthumous country hits, including the success of the 1981 "Guitar Man" country overdub project and its proposed follow-up, cut short by the untimely passing of producer Felton Jarvis.

They follow the progression of country from "urban cowboy" to "neo-traditional" in the late 1980s-early 1990s, as artists begin paying homage directly to Elvis following milestone anniversaries marking his passing, with tribute albums, movie soundtracks and direct covers, and the guys try to reckon with the induction of Elvis into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the CMA's backhanded recognition of his influence and importance.

The late 90s give Justin and Garrett a chance to talk about country at its pop crossover peak of the 20th Century, with acts like Shania Twain, The Chicks and Garth Brooks all reaching mainstream audiences just the way Elvis did, as well as how innovations in technology and changes in regulations affected the country industry, including Brooks' successful attempts to overtake Elvis as the best selling solo artist in the United States.

Moving into the 21st century, there's an aside to listen to some of virtual duets on the 2008 "Christmas Duets" album, which featured all prominent women country artists adding their vocals alongside Elvis, and then ponder what Elvis' career and rockabilly/rock'n'roll music can teach us about the 2010s "bro country" fad. Lastly, they briefly examine how Taylor Swift rose from the field of country music to become the Elvis equivalent of the current generation; and to connect to the themes we've been developing throughout the series, they even take a look at the unexpected roots of perhaps the biggest hit in country music this very month - one that has now crossed into the pop mainstream.

You can find more of Garrett on "The Beat! With Garrett Cash" on SoundCloud at: https://soundcloud.com/garrett-cash-635212819

As well as on the Let It Roll Podcast miniseries "Holy Roll" at: https://letitrollpodcast.substack.com/p/let-it-roll-with-garrett-cash 

This is not remotely comprehensive or in any order whatsoever but among some of the key resources that we found useful for this 5th episode are:

Ken Burns’ Country Music - Documentary, Book & Soundtrack

How Nashville Became Music City USA by Michael Kosser

The Garth Factor by Patsi Bale Cox

Orion: The Man Who Would Be King (Documentary, Glimmer Films)

Pure Country (Movie, Warner Bros. Pictures)

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blogs/our-country/blake-shelton-infuriates-traditionalists-grandpa-baiting-comments-215927626.html

https://www.npr.org/2009/08/20/112056043/without-further-ado-songstress-tracy-chapman-returns

Other Recommended Resources:

The Encyclopedia of Country Music by The Staff of The Country Music Hall of Fame

Finding Her Voice: Women in Country Music by Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann

MUSIC PLAYLISTS: Note: neither playlist is complete for everything included in the series as some tracks do not exist on one platform, the other, or both. The YouTube playlist was compiled while editing so includes some songs not ultimately included, while the Spotify playlist was done afterwards.

YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg-DEia9bCgYw0crdiUuT6x41ooG2wyKk

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7m4mB4DlTIlfwNKIL1Rs8K?si=5be5b9c064374e37 

Thank you to all of our amazing TCBCast Patreon supporters. If you enjoyed this miniseries, please consider supporting the show over at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.