Seriously one of the funniest things ever....

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Exaggeration misleads the credulous and offends the perceptive. ~Eliza Cook

This is the first time I've come to the knowledge of what a "bluegrass song" means! ... I had to make a search! I didn't know there were these kind of variations in country music! And, I too think that Beyonce's song works surprisingly well for this type of music! Thanks for sharing, Maddy! ... it was so enjoyable to hear and watch!

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To be or not to be a gatchamaniac - that's the dilemma!

And, to say, that, in my ignorance, I thought there was only one style of country music, under one name ... the type sung by Dolly Parton, etc! I do like to hear country music, at times, though ... what I like most of this style, apart from the unique rythm, are the lyrics of the songs, and the complete stories these songs narrate from their beginning to the end!

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To be or not to be a gatchamaniac - that's the dilemma!

And the ultimate origin, at least of the 'bluegrass' sound, is Ireland. A lot of Irish and Scots settled in the Southern United States, and their ballads and other musical forms were the roots of bluegrass and country music.

Over the years, country music has gone through its phases. Many people think of the early days of country music when they hear the term, even those who listened to Johnny Cash (who crossed the lines to become popular with people who don't listen to country music). There seems to be enough of an overlap with Western music to form the mixed genre 'Country-Western', although I could be wrong (since I don't listen to either one unless it's playing on someone's radio).

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Benefits, not features; benefits, not features

Actually, it's an old joke. I know it from The Blues Brothers but I do believe it is older than that.

They walk into a honky tonk and ask the waitress what kind of music is played, and she replies "We have both kinds here, Country and Western."

When I think of the origins, if we want to split Country and Western, I think of Country as descending from Gospel, Blues, and Bluegrass. It shares a similar ancestry as Rock and Roll, but went in different directions (or one evolved slower; about 20 years seems to be the average). Western on the other hand, I think of pioneers and rodeos.

FYI -- I grew up listening to everything from Glen Miller to Nat King Cole to Elvis to Neil Diamond to Waylon Jennings. The first Rock artist that I heard who wasn't a decade old was John Cougar -- He wasn't using the Mellencamp at the time except for writing credits.

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Perspective Alters Reality