To read the proclamations of the politically-charged entertainment media, the major expression of Kacey Musgraves’ career so far has been the song “Follow Your Arrow” with its pro-pot and pro-gay stances, which we’re told are incredibly evolved and forward-thinking for the stuffy and ultra-Conservative country music environment.
You shouldn’t have to tell anybody how country you are. It should be patently obvious in the first few bars of a song that an artist or song is country. Unfortunately though, with the loss of country instrumentation, the pervasiveness of electronic beats, performers feel the need to explain how they’re country.
It’s no April Fools Joke. Country music legend Loretta Lynn is gearing up to celebrate her 87th birthday this April 14th, and on April 1st, many of country music’s finest will be coming together to show tribute to the Coal Miners Daughter in a massive concert and birthday party at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
When looking at the top of charts in country music—whether based on radio play or consumption—it’s these songs and other similar ones that are dominating, especially recently, and paralleling the trend of women not just being placed on perilous footing, but falling off the precipice of country music’s major indexes.
For many years, the influence and contributions of African American musicians in country music went mostly overlooked, or overshadowed by their Caucasian counterparts. However there has been a recent trend by media and even some artists to overstate the influence of African Americans.
An iconic guitar owned by Ed King of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and that once was stolen from the “Sweet Home Alabama” co-writer at gunpoint, is now in the custody of the King of Americana, Jason Isbell. “Don’t think I’ve played a finer electric guitar than this one. It haunts me now,” Isbell said after playing it the first time.
Looking for yet another reason to be embarrassed as a country music fan? Well here comes King Calaway. Who or what is “King Calloway” you ask? Never heard of them? That’s okay, nobody has. Up until a couple of days ago, there was absolutely no information about this project entered into the public record whatsoever.
Starting on November 4th, Kevin Welch has been #1 on the Music Row Songwriter Chart, and will likely be at or near the top of the chart for a while as “Millionaire” continues to climb. And that’s not the only accolade for the tune. The song is up for Best Country Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards.
Before we get too far into 2019, let take time to remember the country music great we lost along the way in 2018, from bona fide legends like Roy Clark, to those taken tragically too soon like Daryle Singletary, Red Dirt’s Brandon Jenkins, to George Strait drummer Mike Kennedy.
Here we are with a nice, tidy little bow wrapped around 2018, with the barrage of end-of-year lists finally published and in the past, the confetti from New Year’s celebrations all swept up, and the promise of an exciting new year of country music on the way. But how good or bad really was country music in 2018?
Florida Georgia Line has a new album coming out in February. The title is Can’t Say I Ain’t Country. The band says it’s their most country record yet. It has 19 total songs. Here is the track list.
The one thing you can point to that makes a song decidedly not country is the presence of electronic drums. The human operated element of country music is one of the last great differences between country and the rest of popular music, and more frequently electronic beats have been creeping into the pop country soundscape.
An artist like Ashley McBryde doesn’t need radio. It’s radio that needs an artist like Ashley McBryde. Radio shouldn’t play McBryde just because she’s a woman. They should play her because she’s real. Ultimately, “Girl Goin’ Nowhere” may fail at radio. But Ashley McBryde is going somewhere regardless.
Oh you’ve got to love watching the contortions of the fawning media trying to convince the masses that Kane Brown is some kind of country music revivalist because they believe his “diversity” is good for the genre. Recently ‘Variety’ named Kane Brown’s song “Heaven” a quote unquote “pure country smash.”
Americana artist Ryan Bingham announced that he will be hosting and curating an inaugural festival in legendary Luckenbach, TX called The Western Music Festival. The only problem is Ryan Bingham and Live Nation are holding the festival on the same weekend as the 32-year-old not-for-profit Old Settler’s Festival.
Kid Rock is the wet cigarette of music. It’s not that the guy hasn’t accidentally stumbled into a few good songs over the years. But even if you’re a fan of his, you have to recognize he’s a total scuzzball. He might be your scuzzball, but he’s a scuzzball nonetheless. That’s why you love him, and why he has no business marshaling a parade.
What Chris Stapleton will mean to country music in the grand scheme will be determined in the years to come, not just as history comes to a broad-minded conclusion upon his contributions, but what his next move will be. Because country music won’t be saved at some magical moment you can then circle on a calendar.
There is no way to sugar coat it for Scott Borchetta, Big Machine Records, and the two one-way streets just west of downtown Nashville known as Music Row where the heart of the country music industry resides. Taylor Swift leaving is huge. But she also leaves behind a legacy of how women can still succeed in country.
It should be the insistence of everyone, everywhere, in every sector of the economy, in every segment of culture, that everyone receives equal treatment and opportunity, regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, religious, or political affiliation when it comes to their worldly pursuits. Of course this is more of an ideal than a reality, […]
The snark machine is up and running, the censors have been bound and gagged in the back room, and we’re ready to get the 2018 installment of the Saving Country Music CMA Awards LIVE blog up-and-running. So as you watch along with the awards, keep your refresh fingers at the ready.
Leave it to Garth to do the most Garth-y thing when it comes to the 2018 CMA Awards. Instead of just accepting a performance slot from the CMAs and performing a relevant song like everyone else is expected to do, he once again has used his celebrity status to strong arm an organization to get his way.
That’s right, I’m going here. And no, it’s never cool to put your hands on another man’s shit, so don’t @ me because that’s not what I’m getting at. But the idea that somehow Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line and his wife Brittney are victims is ridiculous.
Grrrrrrr, Blake Shelton! He’s the guy who said that “Old Farts and Jackasses” thing and is on that stupid reality show! Plus we’re supposed to hate him if we like Miranda Lambert, or something. But if you believe in reform and forgiveness, Blake Shelton would be one of the select few who would be worthy of it in the mainstream.
Travis Tritt’s “team” has been revealed, and regardless of where this show goes, how many people watch, and who wins, Tritt has done a superb job picking out his contestants. I don’t think Hank done it this way, but if someone’s going to win, hopefully it’s Tritt’s hopefuls, 4 of which who’ve been featured on SCM recently.