If you're like me, you're wondering what happened to country music. The terrestrial radio stations today only play the watered down pop mess. Country music used to be a force to reckon with. Let's get back to the good ol' days! Unless you have a satellite radio, you're not going to hear real country music on the radio. Singers like Hank Williams III, Robbie Fulks, and Wayne Hancock just aren't getting airplay. George Jones was basically kicked out of the Country Music Awards a few years ago for being too old. Once upon a time, I thought George Strait didn't know how to pick a bad song. That was before I heard some of his stuff from his latest album. I hate to say it, but George you let us down. In Nashville (dubbed Trashville by Hank III), it's a matter of you do what we say or you don't get played on the radio. The performers should have more control of what they play and record. After all, they are the ones going out every night and listening to the crowd's reactions. The record company isn't there to say, "Man, they love that steel guitar." The pop market has infiltrated country music. It started way back in the 1970's. Country music started to decline when they allowed pop mixtures in. Some guys never got the respect they should've received. Billy Joe Shaver comes to mind. Today, you have people from all over the globe making country music in Nashville. Most of these singers wouldn't know the difference between a steel guitar from a banjo. It sounds crazy, and it is! Country music is promoted as, "This isn't your grandpa's music." Well, it's not my music either. Most of the die hard country music buffs would agree. There's no soul, there's no pain, and there's no edge to today's country music. Let's get back to the day when the two step was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Austin, Texas is celebrated as today's country music capital of the world. There you'll find Junior Brown, Bobby Bare, and Billy Joe Shaver. The new talent in Austin is great too! Heather Myles is a fantastic female artist carrying on the traditional sound. Nashville is losing face with the country base. Let's get country music back to it's roots. Call your local country radio dj and request some of the classics. If enough people demand it to come back to it's old ways, Nashville will have to take notice. |
