When I, and most likely others, think of modern country music and the sound of twangy electric guitars, lyrics about trucks, dogs, and women sung by the stereotypical white, male vocalists in jeans, a button down shirt, and a cowboy hat come to mind. While this may be a fair representation of where modern country music is going, it is not reflective of the traditional old-time style from which it grew.
The current songs coming out of Nashville’s Music Row have strayed from the tradition. To find country music that both innovates and pays respect to the traditions from which it came, we must look outside of the money-driven music industry that has become the driving force behind modern country music.
Few names come into view when we look at the “outsiders” of country music. Of these artists, Robbie Fulks is arguably the most influential in the “altcountry” scene. The country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist plays from the influences of classic country, old-time Appalachian music, bluegrass, and folk, creating a mixture of harddriving country rebellion, carefully crafted ballads of life, and a musical prowess that elevates him far above most writers in the country music scene.
Fulks, a current resident of Chicago, Ill., has his musical roots in bluegrass and old-time. His lyrics and distinctive guitar style are reflective of his childhood years spent in North Carolina and the Blue Ridge region of Virginia. His 1996 album, titled “Country Love Songs,” harks back to the country music of the 1950s and 60s. His cleverly written songs such as “Barely Human” and “Tears Only Run One Way” explore the hardships of a failed romance and a dependence on alcohol to suppress the pain.
Fulks began his recording career and played for years staying true to the classic country sound in albums like “Country Love Songs,” “South Mouth,” “Georgia Hard,” and his most recent release, “Wild! Wild! Wild!” with Linda Gail Lewis. However, look back to his 2013 album “Gone Away Backward,” and you will find him gravitating closer to his bluegrass and old-time roots without sacrificing his signature country sound. This is visible in songs such as “Sometimes The Grass Is Really Greener” and “Long I Ride.” The title track for renowned banjoist Greg Cahill’s bluegrass band Special Consensus, where Fulks was the guitarist in the 1980s. “Gone Away Backward” also highights Fulks’ fine-tuned songwriting skills. “The Many Disguises Of God” is one of his most well written songs on the album as he explores the religious aspects of human life. Fulks demonstrates his ability to captivate listeners through his lyrics.
In his 2016 album “Upland Stories,” Robbie Fulks returns with his songwriting and unique guitar style in full force with a deep reverence for country music’s roots. An album sprung from the memories of his childhood, his signature sense of humor and well-crafted songwriting is present in all of his songs. “Fare Thee Well, Carolina Gals” takes listeners on a journey through a remembrance of his childhood in North Carolina with lines describing his youth and his reflections now in lines such as “By luck I landed in the upper south/By God I gotta make my own way out.” Fulks also pays tribute to his early musical influences, writing “For old Tommy Thompson’s dead and gone/And I’ve been feeling not so strong.” Fulks ends the last verse with a bittersweet line, eliciting a sentimental, bittersweet response. “Chapel Hill hasn’t done me wrong/It was fine until it wasn’t.”
Fulks embodies what it means to songwrite in the old-time-inspired country music world. He stays true to classic country and his bluegrass and old-time roots while pushing open the limits of the ever-tightening scope of modern country music. Fulks brings powerful guitar skills and delicate, thought provoking lyrics to a country music world that has lost its roots.
