What Happened to Country Music?

If you are like me, you are wondering what happened to country music. The terrestrial radio stations today only performance the watered down pop mess. Country music used to be a force to reckon with. Let us get back to the good ol’ days!

Unless you’ve a satellite radio, you’re not going to hear real country music on the radio. Singers prefer Hank Williams III, Robbie Fulks, and Wayne Hancock just aren’t getting airplay. George Jones has been basic ally kicked out of the Country Music Awards several years ago for being too old. Once upon a time, I thought George Strait didn’t know how to choose a bad song. That has been 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 is a matter of you do what we say or you do not get played on the radio. The performers ought to have more control of what they performance 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  promote d as, “This is not your grandpa’s music.” Well, it is not my music either. Many of the die hard country music buffs would agree. There is 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 biggest thing since sliced bread.

Austin, Texas is celebrated as now’s country music capital of the world. There you will find Junior Brown, Bobby Bare, and Billy Joe Shaver. The new talent in Austin is excellent too! Heather Myles is a fantastic female performer 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 Regional country radio disc jockey 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.