CASHnCHECKS - Country Music Dipped In Roots Flavouring!

April 22, 2010 - PRLog -- The country music duet team CASHnCHECKS is in Ireland, home based in Derry, the Maiden City and one of the oldest cities in Ireland. It is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The old walled city lies on the west bank of the River Foyle, which is spanned by two bridges. The city now covers both banks (Cityside on the west and Waterside on the east).
Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland. The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th, and into the 21st century, despite globalizing cultural forces. In spite of emigration and a well-developed connection to music influences from Britain and the United States, Irish music has kept many of its traditional aspects and has itself influenced many forms of music, such as country and roots music in the USA.
This brings us to an age old thought and a plan by James Paycheck, to re-marry American Traditional Country Music with Traditional Irish Music.
Country music (or country and Western) is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It has roots in traditional folk music, Celtic music, gospel music and old-time music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s.
U.K. Immigrants to the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North America brought the music and instruments of the Old World along with them for nearly 300 years. They brought some of their most important valuables with them, and to most of them this was an instrument: “Early Irish and Scottish settlers enjoyed the fiddle because it could be played to sound sad and mournful or bright and bouncy” The Irish fiddle, the German derived dulcimer, the Italian mandolin, the Spanish guitar, and the West African banjo, were the most common musical instruments. The interactions among musicians from different ethnic groups produced music unique to this region of North America. Appalachian string bands of the early twentieth century primarily consisted of the fiddle, guitar, and banjo. Plus, we must not forget the foundation of the country music and bluegrass music sound, the upright, or contrabass, which originated in Europe in the 15th century. This early country music along with early recorded country music is often referred to as old-time music. Some instrumental pieces from Anglo-Celtic immigrants were the basis of folk songs and ballads that form what is now known as old time music, from which country music descended. It is commonly thought that British folk music influenced the development of old time music. British arrivals to the Southern U.S. Included immigrants from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and England.
Drums were scorned by early country musicians as being "too loud" and "not pure," but by 1935 Western swing big band leader Bob Wills had added drums to the Texas Playboys. In the mid 1940s, the Grand Ole Opry did not want the Playboys’ drummer to appear on stage. Although drums were commonly used by rockabilly groups by 1955, the less-conservative-than-the-Grand Ole Opry Louisiana Hayride kept its infrequently-used drummer back stage as late as 1956. By the early 1960s, however, it was rare that a country band didn't have a drummer.
No one knows for sure where the drum came from, India or Africa, but it is generally accredited to Africa as being the birthplace of the drum as an instrument. The drum is the oldest musical instrument, and was probably used for sending signals before that. A hollow log can be a drum, so there is no way of dating its origin as an instrument.
Grammy award winner Danny Davis, is recognized as pioneering the use of horns in country music. The Nashville Brass instrumental group Davis founded in 1968 produced a brassy version of Hank Williams' "Kaw-liga" which won him a Grammy. However it was Johnny Cash who first performed a popular country music song with a horn section. This song was co-written by June Carter (wife of Johnny Cash) and Merle Kilgore. The single appears on Cash's 1963 compilation album, Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash. The song was recorded on March 25, 1963 and became the biggest hit of his career, staying at number one on the charts for seven weeks. Then we have the Hawaiian steel guitar, invented by Joseph Kekuku around 1885 in Honolulu, which was a late addition to the line-up of string bands. The Steel guitar was first used by a hillbilly artist in 1927 and has stuck to this day.

So as can easily be seen, Traditional Country Music uses influences from many different cultures and countries from around the globe to produce its unique Appalachian string band sound, that has evolved into what we know today as Country Music.

James Paycheck of CASHnCHECKS is in Ireland orchestrating a project that he hopes reclaims the spirit and sound of Traditional country music by putting together some of the top Irish musicians, who are steeped in the traditional sound that was brought to America in the boughs of the sailing ships and steam liners many years ago. This new sound is not new at all but reminiscent of the raw and then new sounds of the early mountain music that our forefathers developed into what we now call "Old Timing Country Music", or as Paycheck puts it, "country music dipped in roots flavouring."

This project is under the guidance of the radio DJ and entrepreneur, Keith Wright, known as the "Irish Cowboy", from Derry, Ireland, UK. Rumor has it that the famous promoter and producer Gary Bradshaw, from WHP fame, has a vested interest in CASHnCHECKS movements on the Emerald Isle and is putting together a project that will include several of the most famous names in country music, including CASHnCHECKS, that will be touring through the UK and Europe, Australia and the Americas. We are keeping a close watch on the actions of CASHnCHECKS as they put together a project that promises to be an event that will be remembered. "Country music dipped in roots flavouring!"