The Dead were a passable copy of great music- I don't think Jay is that to any degree. If you had said that Gram Parsons expanded country music, I would be inclined to believe this. Doug Sahm-sure. Hillman-yeah. Johnny, and Mearle, and David Allen Coe-agreed. Hank, Bob Wills, crap- even Django would be a good one to make a case for...but the dead??dharmabeat wrote: What the dead and jay have done for country music is one and the same, expand its horizon.
Again, this is just my opinion (for which I am an ignorant fuck, and the reason you are a dirty hippy) but I think that country, if expanded by the dead at all, didn't notice (OK, I bet Toby Kieth does "tough of Grey" at concerts)- anyway, from what I know about country- this expansion does not exist (nor would you want country music to claim your favorite band as it's guiding light).
As for the Dylan influence- your right there, but Jay takes his influences from everywhere. There are Irish folksongs, lots of country, gospel, bluegrass, and even archival mountain music influences there- I should surely hope that someone who made 7 of my favorite albums would not say that they could trace themselves to one man...and if he did, I really hope he would say Woodie instead-because didn't Bob adopt everything he does, right down to the tremors, from his hero?
Anyway-name calling isn't really cool, and I really don't like the idea of some dirty ass hippy calling me an ignorant fuck- so I hope you choke on the exhaust of your VW while your at an Earth day festival-you dirty hippy