If you’re a longtime—very longtime—Rockdale Fair-goer, you might have asked this question more than once as the Ken Burns epic “Country Music” aired over eight nights recently on PBS.
“Say, didn’t I see him (or her) at the Rockdale Fair a while back?”
The answer is an emphatic “yes.” In fact, five musicians who appeared at the Fair were featured prominently in the Burns blockbuster and two of them were breakout stars in the series.
Those would be:
• Marty Stuart, appeared at the Rockdale Fair in 1991. He was featured in almost every episode of “Country Music,” impressing not only with his vocal and musical skills but also with his near encyclopedic knowledge of the genre and its many forms.
• Kathy Mattea, appeared at the Rockdale Fair in 1986, She provided what might have been the documentary’s most poignant moment (out of many) in recalling a hit song, co-written by her husband, about a couple’s 60-year romance which endured virtually to the moment of death.
In smaller “roles” scattered throughout the blockbuster series:
• Johnny Rodriguez, appeared at the Rockdale Fair in both 1988 and 1999, noted as the genre’s first major Hispanic star.
• Ronnie Millsap, appeared at the Rockdale Fair in 2016, briefly on-screen in a segment on country’s intertwining with other musical styles. Millsap is one of the few—along with Ray Charles—to chart with both country and rhythm and blues hits.
• George Strait, appeared at the Rockdale Fair in 1983. Probably the biggest controversy connected with “County Music” was the brief amount of time devoted to Strait, mentioned only for a few seconds although the Texas native, and legend, has recorded more No. 1 hits than any artist in any area of music.
STUART—At least one reviewer noted the air time allotted Stuart and tagged him the series “mascot.”
The 1991 Fair headliner commented on virtually everything from the opening episode to the last but that’s not much of a surprise.
He’s a country historian and archivist and Stuart is serious about it. He owns Jimmie Rodgers’ guitar and the boots Patsy Cline was wearing when she died.
A member of Lester Flatt’s bluegrass band at 11, he shared stories of sitting in a bus with Flatt heading to gigs late at night and learning from the master. And sometimes not learning. “He’d just get up and move when I couldn’t get it right,” Stuart recalled.
Stuart then went on to play in Johnny Cash’s band and carve out a spectacular career of his own.
He also had one of “Country Music’s” best stories, producing a photo of 11-year-old Marty with singer Connie Smith at an early appearance. The pre-teen Stuart had informed his mother he was “in love” with Smith and planned to marry her.
In 1997 he did just that.
MATTEA—The best of country music often brings tears and that’s what Mattea, a 1986 Rockdale Fair headliner, did during a lengthy section that featured her and a Nashville singers and songwriters hangout.
One of those singer-songwriters was Jon Vezner who later became her husband.
Mattea recalled the awed reaction—even from a crowd of fellow songwriters—the first time Vezner performed his song “Where Have You Been?,” which he co-wrote with Don Henry.
Based on his grandparents 60-year love story and marriage, it recalls Vezner’s grandmother repeating that phrase to his grandfather at intervals spanning decades.
The last was as she lay near death, apparently not knowing anyone or anything. But, as her spouse was brought to see her for a final goodbye, the elderly woman opened her eyes, looked at him and, one final time, inquired “where have you been?”
Mattea did more than tell that story, she recorded the song bringing Grammys to
both her and the song.
Mattea also related that her grandfather refused to believe she was actually a country celebrity until he could see her appear on “Hee Haw.”
That happened, too.
RODRIGUEZ—For a time, Rodriguez was about as popular a country performer as existed. The 1988 and 1989 Rockdale Fair headliner was singled out in a “Country Music” segment on the genre’s adaptability.
A native of Sandoval, Rodriguez was discovered at a small tourist attraction near the Mexican border.
Juan Raul Davis Rodriguez initially had his name Anglicized to “Johnny Rogers” but changed his surname back to its original “Rodriguez” and headed for Nashville.
Within two years he became a major star and many of his hits included verses in both English and Spanish.
Rodriguez also delivered one of the series’s best lines:
“It was just like the music of my people,” he said. “In Mexican music you have stories. Mexican music and country music said almost the same thing, just in different languages.”
MILLSAP—Speaking of different influences, the 2016 Rockdale Fair headliner remains a walking synthesis of musical styles.
Millsap’s astounding sound combines country, rhythm-and-blues, pop and rock elements.
Only George Strait (see below) and Conway Twitty had more No. 1 country hits.
Nobody but Millsap and Charles have charted on both the country and R&B hit lists at the same time.
Millsap recalled he was performing a Merle Haggard song at Los Angeles’ legendary Whisky A Go Go night club when Charley Pride, who was in the audience, sought him out and urged Millsap to move to Nashville.
He did. And visited Rockdale three years ago.
STRAIT—If there was a controversy over the mega-documentary it was over the way it treated—or didn’t treat—the 1983 Fair headliner, the entertainer who kicked the Rockdale Fair’s prestige into the lofty perch it still occupies.
Strait was mentioned, but only for a couple of minutes. The iconic Texan has recorded more No. 1 hits—60—than any other artist in any genre of music.
Texas critics especially wondered if the series might have benefited from “a little less Cash and a little more Strait,” as Johnny Cash’s admittedly interesting and meaningful life was covered virtually cradle to grave.
But as Stuart, who certainly didn’t suffer from lack of exposure in the series, pointed out in an interview. “When you try to put something as big as country music in just 16-1/2 hours, some artists are going to get left out and some won’t get their just dues. “
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