In a country state of mind

Such is the demand for all types of country music in the West of Scotland, it is something of a surprise that, until recently, there have never been any large-scale country festivals in the area. While artists as diverse as Billie Jo Spears and Nanci Griffith, or Sydney Devine and Syd Griffin, have cited Glasgow as their favourite stopping-off point in the UK, finding more than one country act in town at the same time has been something of a rarity.

In equally typical Glasgow fashion, the next six weeks sees two major events in the city - the six-act package that is the BBC Radio 2 Country Festival, stopping off at the SECC this weekend and, in May, the latest instalment of the increasingly-renowned Big Big Country event at the Old Fruitmarket and venues around the city.

While it has been artists like Shelby Lynne and The Handsome Family who have been gathering both press and popular acclaim for their visits in the early part of 2000, the huge demand for the tickets for the SECC event, which features the all-American line up of Reba McEntire, Ricky Skaggs, Jo Dee Messina, Brad Paisley, The Derailers, and Wayne Hancock, shows that the insatiable appetite for more traditional country and bluegrass acts has not diminished in the slightest.

Older readers may recall the nadir of country music in the eighties when BBC2 still showed music in prime-time slots and sponsorship from tobacco conglomerates was still allowed on said slots. Every year, around Easter, an array of Nashville veterans well past their sell-by dates were paraded before an audience clad in cowboy gear at Wembley Arena to produce the kind of spectacle which was the musical equivalent of live darts on TV - equal measures of high drama and high farce.

This weekend's activities are a measure of how far country music has come in broadening its appeal in the intervening period. Not only will the majority of the audience be safely below bus pass age, but the performers will also be giving a youthful take on traditional forms. These are the Nashville machine's new stars in the making - clean cut, good looking, and most definitely not sponsored by Benson and Hedges.

The six acts performing at the SECC on Sunday are:

REBA McENTIRE

Background:

Now 44, McEntire was brought up on a cattle ranch in Southern Oklahoma amid a family of rodeo champs. Allegedly able to ride a horse as soon as she could walk.

Previous Form:

Now part of the country establishment, McEntire has won two Grammy Awards and countless gongs from the Country Music Association and American Music Association, the latter making her best female country singer on no less than ten occasions.

McEntire has followed the traditional Nashville route by relying on the song selections of producers, but has had a knack of knowing what songs do justice to her considerable vocal powers. Hardly radical, her music, however, is more adventurous than most country artists of her standing.

Notable Achievements:

Worldwide sales of 40 million albums in 20 years in the industry, during which time she has released 26 albums.

Her 1997 tour remains the biggest grossing country tour ever according to the Record Industry Association of America.

She Says:

''I have a job that I love. I meet interesting people every day of my life. And I get to sing. What more could a person want out of life?''

RICKY SKAGGS and KENTUCKY THUNDER

Background:

Skaggs was born in rural Eastern Kentucky, where he was singing in churches with his mother, Dorothy, at the age of three. By the age of five, he had his first mandolin and was performing at church fairs.

Previous Form:

Joined legendary bluegrass band, Clinch Mountain Boys in 1970, before moving to Washington in 1974 where he joined The Country Gentlemen as a fiddler, before a stint in Emmylou Harris's Hot Band in the late seventies. Released three solo albums before moving to Nashville and signing to Epic Records in 1980. He became a fixture on the US country charts throughout the eighties and nineties, latterly moving into production work for the likes of Dolly Parton. Recent work has seen a move back from more mainstream country into bluegrass roots both on record and with his touring band, Kentucky Thunder, who tour and release albums in their own right.

Notable Achievements:

In 1982 he became the (then) youngest ever member of the Grand Ole Opry, while, during the eighties, he made the American country top 10 on 18 occasions, topping the chart on 12 of them. He has won four Grammy awards and eight CMA awards.

He says:

''I always want to try to promote the old music as well as trying to grow and be a pioneer, too.''

JO DEE MESSINA

Background:

Born in New England, Jo Dee moved to Nashville at the age of 19, having plied her trade as a singer in local country bands featuring various siblings. Not long afterwards, she signed a deal with Curb Records.

Previous Form:

A relative newcomer, with only two albums to her name, Messina's music is heavily derivative of the works of fellow redheads Reba McEntire and The Judds: another Nashville formula being efficiently and effectively reproduced. Again, good choice of songs has been the basis of modest success, notably her cover of Dottie West's Lesson in Leavin'. Close association with Tim McGraw (he produced both albums) has helped.

Notable Achievements:

Still too early in Nashville terms to be among the gongs.

She Says:

''Everything in life is a privilege, it's not a right. Radio doesn't have to play my records. When they do, you bet damn well I'm grateful. Nobody owes me anything.''

THE DERAILERS

Background:

Stylishly-attired four piece, spanning late twenties and early thirties, they formed in Austin, Texas in 1993, though band founders, Tony Villaneuva and Brian Hofeldt are originally from Portland, Oregon.

Previous Form:

Since the release of their debut album in 1996 on the Austin-based Watermelon Records, they have released two further albums, the most recent, Full Western Dress, on the major label, Sire. Their music straddles country, rock 'n' roll, and more straightahead pop.

Notable Achievements:

Mainly on the road, where they average 300 gigs a year and reckon they have travelled over 140,000 miles around America in the last three years.

They Say:

''We're playing better gigs and playing better as a band. We feel good about the direction the whole thing is taking. We keep on going up.''

BRAD PAISLEY See picture on Page 14

Background:

From Glen Dale, West Virginia, a tiny town on the Ohio River, the 27-year-old learned guitar from his grandfather and was performing in church by the age of 10.

Previous Form:

Signed to Arista shortly after moving to Nashville. His current release, Who Needs Pictures? is his debut album, on which Paisley wrote, or co-wrote, all the tracks.

Notable Achievements:

The album has already gone gold, with 500,000 sales in America.

He says.

''It feels wonderful to have achieved this plateau with my Arista family. They have put their hearts and souls into this album - and have been right by my side all the way,''

WAYNE ''THE TRAIN'' HANCOCK

Background:

The story goes that, in 1993, Wayne Hancock gave up drinking alcohol and a lifestyle of travelling throughout Texas, chasing trains and playing honky-tonk to survive. Moved to Austin in 1994 to further his musical ambitions.

Previous Form:

Started with a role in a theatrical production of Chippy, where he was noticed by Rolling Stone as a ''nasal honky-tonk newcomer . . . stealing the show.'' Released an independent album, Thunderstorms and Neon Signs, in 1996 which sold a remarkable 22,000 copies on a tiny label. Snapped up by Miles Copeland's Ark 21 label for subsequent releases.

Notable Achievements:

An original writer who mixes country with big band swing and rock 'n' roll, he has successfully fought resistance from traditional country audiences.

He Says:

''People wouldn't listen because I wasn't wearing tight jeans and a hat. It means you just have to be so damn good they can't ignore you.''

l All six artists play SECC on April 23

l Big Big Country takes place between May 24 and June 4