30days30years

30 Days of Reinventing Country Music

Name: Pat Corn

Occupation: Country music producer

Website: newclassiccountryrecords.com

Facebook: New Classic Country Records; The New Classic Country Hour

How we met: Well for those of you who’ve had the privilege (I use that term loosely) of listening to my rendition of Jolene and saw the video clip, you might recognise Pat. I met Pat in Sevierville, Tennessee, in December when I went to live like Dolly Parton for a month. Pat was kind enough to produce my debut LP. Your ears are all the better for it, trust me.

Meet my friend Pat:

Greetings from the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee!!

Needless to say things here in the Smokies have not been the same since Christie left. I certainly hope her experience here in Sevier County, the home of Dolly Parton, was fulfilling. What a joy to record her song for her and I am honored to have had a minute part in making her dreams a reality.

Since Christie’s departure, I have been busy with my music business. Each week on Tuesday at noon (12pm EDST) I have a radio program heard locally on WKVL 850AM, for the world to enjoy. My program, The New Classic Country Hour, is an hour long broadcast that promotes a brand new genre of country music – New Classic Country.

This program was born from my record label New Classic Country Records (NCCR). NCCR is not only a record label, but the driving force behind the creation this new country and western music genre.

For some time now, the country music machine in Nashville has largely ignored the desires and heritage of real country music fans all over the world. Much like the rock music scene, the country music industry has become all about marketing and image. The roots of the artists today aren’t steeped in hard times, pain, and heartache. Why, the worst thing that might have happened to most of them is perhaps losing their cell phone at the mall!

They spend an enormous amount of airtime trying to convince us of how “country” they are. Driving a 4X4 pickup truck, getting it muddy in a creek bed, going back to a barn to drink beer is not “country”… that’s REDNECK!

You might wonder why am I so passionate about this scenario? Well, I grew up in the shadows of the greatest country music stars of all time. These artists are the people who built the country and western music industry with blood, sweat, tears, (and a lot of whiskey). I revere the likes of Farron Young, Ray Price, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Hank Thompson, Bob Wills, Dottie West, Tammy Wynette, Merele Haggard, George Jones, Bobby Bare, Mel Street, Mel Tillis, Porter Wagoner, The Louvin Brothers, Roy Acuff, and Christie’s favorite, Dolly Parton, and a host of other Grand Ole Opry stars.

I became a minuscule part of C&W history when I became a member of the North Carolina Cloggers at the age of nine years old, and danced on the Opry every third week for quite some time, surrounded by the architects of this industry. I was loved on by so many of the folks, especially Minnie Pearl. I have traveled countless days and nights in station wagons to do package shows with these artists all over the USA. These are the real starts of country and western music. These are people who sang songs of experience not fantasy.

Several years ago Alan Jackson caused quite a stir on Music Row when, appearing on the Country Music Awards, he sang a song that was not the one he had rehearsed earlier that day. The song… Murder On Music Row.

This song is a phenomenal statement as to how the industry in Nashville has killed real country music. He truly put his career on the line to make such a bold statement. (see it here).

Three years ago I had two experiences that set the course for founding New Classic Country Records. The first was at a Country Radio Seminar (CRS) where a young female singer/songwriter was presented to the thousands attending as the next big thing.  She came out dressed like a beggar with torn jeans, a white tank top with stained armpits, looking as though she had just crawled out of bed. Her band was beyond horrible. The bass player sported a 12-inch purple mohawk hairdo (that ain’t country) and the guitar player’s solo consisted of one note bent up and down for 16 bars as he writhed around on stage with his guitar slung down to his knees.

The gentleman sitting next to me looked over and said, “When in the hell is somebody gonna play some country music around here!? I’ve been here two days and I haven’t heard any yet!!” I heartily agreed.

That same afternoon a workshop was held featuring the heads of the major labels in Nashville. To my left on a platform sat eight label heads and to my right 1800 radio station executives, DJs, and station owners.

(Former Sony giant) Joe Gallante came to the front of the platform and said: “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve invested a lot of time and energy into these young talents you’ve been hearing and we want you all to jump off the edge with us and go back and play these artists on your stations”.

A pall fell over the entire crowd and then one very large fellow stood up. He was dressed in a western style suit complete with the hat. He removed his hat and said loudly, “Mr. Gallante, I know you are the Godfather of country music here in Nashville but….if I put that #@%$^## on my station,  I’ll lose every damn customer I’ve got! By God…we want some Merle!”

The place erupted. At that moment New Classic Country Records was born.

I came back to the Smokies, where country music was originally born, and began an effort for the re-birth of real country and western music. NCCR features new artists, performing new songs in the classic country and western stylings written by the greatest songwriters in country music history.

Our mission: “Putting country and western music back in the hearts and hands of the people“.

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Pat is currently completing work on the new NCCR Family Album which will be released in August 2012 and feature 12 songs from different country artists.

Email Pat at newclassiccountry@gmail.com