EVERY GENRE PROJECT - March 16 - Honky-Tonk

Genre of the Day - Honky-Tonk

Album of the Day - Out of Hand by Gary Stewart (1975)

March 16, 2024

I am a willing captive to this column at this point. Despite being dilapidated and penning this from my hostel bed yet again, this time at 4 AM after a night out, it beckons and calls me to listen to some silly genre. I’m on a roll at this point. So forgive me if this article is not up to par, per se. At least we’re served with another near gibberish, inherently fun-promising genre like doo-wop yesterday: honky-tonk.

Like doo-wop, honky tonk is an iconic American genre forever crystallized as a picture of a particular time. Honky tonk—like doo-wop!—arose in the 1940s, but the iconic name goes back. Another beautifully onomatopoeic name, the honk part obviously refers to the rowdy music playing out of bars in the area it emerged, particularly Texas and Oklahoma. A jaunty, almost rebellious sound, honky-tonk establishments took off in the early 1900s as sort of illicit, rough establishments to enjoy a drink and some cheery music. As country’s sound mutated in these little bars, a common sound emerged. 

Musically, honky-tonk originally emerged from ragtime piano playing, and materialized as a distinctive sound with the addition of electric guitar, steel guitar, a string drum beat and overall rhythmic emphasis. Lyrically, honky-tonk music aligned with the rowdy locations it emerged from, discussing drinking and the trials and tribulations of love’n’cheating. With the impetus to have a little more fun that the end of WWII signaled, people were ready to dance, and honky-tonk truly took off into its golden age. 

While RYM top genre albums often have a bias towards early genre pioneers, today we get a late-stage revivalist in Gary Stewart. A singer who emerged in the 1970s, one critic pointed to his music as a compelling sign that “honky-tonk may not be dead yet.” And honky-tonk is alive and well here: his voice with the swinging guitar, polished Nashville Sound harmonies, and longing steel guitar licks is a potently winning combination. While he’s mostly here for some good old “Honky-Tonkin’”—with a name that silly, how could you not engage in some self-reference—the lyrics deal with a variety of situations stemming from honky-tonkin’ too close to the sun, such as a twinge of alcohol abuse on “Back Sliders Wine” and a disloyal woman on “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles).” The occasionally mournful lyrics are delivered with enough jest that the swinging country instrumentals and full-throatedly joyous vocals tend to eclipse the topics at hand. As such is the honky-tonk thesis: you only get to go out to the honky-tonk here and there. Might as well make it a carefree, rousing time. Given my current situation, I can relate.