MAVERICKS
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The countrypolitan sound–its epitome was perhaps Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man”–was defined by its mixture of country twang, lush pop orchestrations, and overt emotionalism, though in its most denatured form it nearly did away with the twang altogether. The primary architect of the Nashville Sound was guitarist and industry honcho Chet Atkins; indeed, some detractors cynically referred to the movement as the “Chet Atkins compromise.” Other producers followed suit, notably the legendary Billy Sherrill, who worked this sound with a vengeance through the 60s and 70s with varying degrees of success. The high points often depended on the strength of the individual artist; Sherrill’s production for Wynette and George Jones resulted in some of those two artists’ greatest signature songs. The failures can be summed up in two words: Barbara Mandrell.
A rare and estimable female multiinstrumentalist, Mandrell nevertheless embodied for many country stalwarts all the evil excesses of the pop path. She was countrypolitan in extremis, a confection without the vision and artistic will of earlier country-pop artists like Patsy Cline and Marty Robbins. But after Sherrill set her tone, Mandrell went on to have more than a half dozen number-one country hits.
Striking the pose, however, requires that one back it up. Artists with substance can incorporate disparate influences and construct complex, moving hybrids. Lacking substance, one simply becomes a poser, and posers are notorious for diluting and bastardizing original forms in grotesque ways.
