European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 18, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Country performers Are packing them in and not Only at Nashville s grand Ole opry. Country music. But leaving the three chord twang behind by Joe Edwards associated press Iddle America now has two cars two television set Sand two Johnny Cash albums. Country music Nur tured in Appalachia. Has crept out of the shacks and into the suburbs. Like the giggly girl who goes off to private boarding school country music is be a. Coming More  s More than a Banjo and a washboard. Tuxedos Are re placing Rhine St  country music still elicits snickers from some Cash registers rebuke the smirks and underline its Road Appeal. One of every five records sold is country. About 1.150 radio stations play country music up from 1.116 in 1974.605 in 1969.250 in 1965 and 81 in 1961."country music is getting More modern and farther away from the three chord country  says Ron Peterson president of Nashville songwriters association International. I think this is  purists would not agree but that does t seem to be bothering the performers or their booking agents. Tandy Rice a booking agent for Jim de Brown. Kitty Wells and several other country stars says i think the business is healthier than it s Ever  Rice s Tele phone Mil. Once $250 a month now runs up to $4.500. Country performers Are packing them in. For exam ple Willie Nelson s annual july 4th country music show in Texas draws some 70.000. Rivalling the outdoor Rock concerts of the late 1960s and Early 1970s. Television is joining forces with radio in a two listed assault on musical tastes in behalf of country music. Cash appears regularly in television specials. Loretta Lynn just completed a special with Frank sin ant other shows such As Mere Griffin. Dinah and Mike Dousta often have country singers. Kee Ohio is in its eighth season and remains one of television s most popular shows. Last october s nationally televised country music awards show was top rated in its time spot outdraw my monday night football and the movie Jena Chr us Pentar. We beat Howard Cosell and Jesus Christ one music executive said. Radio station when in new York City changed from Arock station to country and soared in the ratings in the Rural South especially country music smothers the air Waves. The grand Ole opry. Country music s most revered radio show has been on a record 51 continuous years. At Tendance last year whirled to a record 817.106. About 41.000 More than in 1975.such exposure was t available 10 years ago when country music was considered a backseat Art form appealing to a Backwoods audience. But now. If a Loretta Lynn writes an autobiography which she did a year ago. It becomes a Best seller. Now. If see Page 19 for a related Story. Somebody makes a movie about country music it s a Box office hit. Nashville exposed the music to millions. So it s hardly surprising that pop Singert Are turning to the country Market there seems to be room for every body and every style. Tom Jones and Engelburt Mumper Dinck had hits on the country charts in february. Jones with say you la stay until tomorrow and Humphr Dinc with after Thelvin " la fact such pop and Rock and even jazz inroads Are strongly affecting the country Nind and style. Olivia Newton John and John Denver who Are normally associated with pop music have penetrated the coun try Market and seized some of the major country awards. That s produced a bit of a backlash. After Newton John won the country music association s female vocalist of the year award in 1974. A group called the association of country entertainers was formed to promote traditional country music. One year later. Denver won country music s highest Honor. Cha entertainer of the year and progressive country was in full Force As Waylon Jennings and Willi Enelson started grabbing hits that appealed especially to fans under 30.a byproduct of the Rock influence was that country radio stations began to assume the formats of top 40 stations. This meant tight playlists. Which the association of country entertainers protested vigorously on grounds it Hurt aspiring artists. It s the worst crisis country non Sec As an Art form has faced in m year toe group said. It s destroy ing careers. It s tampering with the honesty of Crea Tive instinct and it s infuriating the  the influence of Rock has even been Felt on the grand Ole opry. Where the guideline for musical selection has always been keep it close to the ground " doily Magazine pop singers Mary Macgregor and the Pointer Sisters recently Sang on the port. And Ann Margret was invite to sing although her performance never worked out. Booking agent Rice has noted changes in fans and organizations wanting to hire country  can t just get up and say now folks Here is my next song audiences Are More  agents used to be order takers. Now we re salesmen. It s More challenging to , a group of country performers recently provided the entertainment on a cruise of the South Atlantic for wealthy sophisticated passengers. And for s860 person country fans were recently invited to spend a week vacationing in Hawaii with grand Ole opry Star Jean Shepard As part of a package tour. The typical american country music fan has become More sophisticated than Ever before and Hasa much higher annual  says vie Willis of the Willis Brothers. With sophistication and More Money comes the Dirge to  the Cha says 20 per cent of All country music fan make Between s20.000 and j30.000 annually. About so per cent make Between $10.000 and $20.000  Birmingham. Ala., Man shells out $8.000 once every year to hire a Well known country act for a private  kinds of people come to my shows working people men 1n business  says Johnny Carver who s known for country versions of pop hits such As tie a yellow ribbon round the old Oak  the complaints from the association of coun try entertainers country music has t done a  it remains a fortress of tradition. The major themes remain unchanged through the decades illicit love and the Honky Tonk life. Branches of country music Are much the same a they were 50 years ago by Negus. Western swing gospel and Cowboy music. The cheating song continues to be the country  on the country charts simultaneously in March included look who i m cheating on tonight by Bobby Bare. Cheating overtime by Mary Lou Turner and married but not to each other by Barbara Mandrell fostering the tradition is the fiercely Loyal country music fan himself a generally conservative working person who objects to Slick middlemen meddling with his  one can attest to the loyalty of country fans hotter than Shepard. Who in 1953 had a big hit. Dear  and another no 1 hit 21 years later. "slippin1  part of the loyally is because most country fanfare adults whose musical tastes Are already Solidi fied. Someone 35 who likes Sonny James will pro bal by still like Sonny James is years later. The loyalty has been cultivated by decades of energetic country stars who have taken their music to the people through strings of one fighters in Dusty Rural towns where country music and Cornfields Are  chances Are the traditional and progressive forces will continue their cold War in the Battle for hits and Dol Lars but As country Singer Gene Watson put it there will always be a lot of people who like a Good country  the stars and stripes Page 13