“Old Farts & Jackasses” Petition the Opry & Plan March
Six weeks after Blake Shelton made disparaging comments about country music’s classic and traditional fans calling them “Old Farts & Jackasses,” the issue will not go away. Bob Everhart, a traditional country musician, and the President of the National Traditional Country Music Association since 1976, along with Maggie Penn at the Traditional Music Foundation have banded together with other organizations and individuals to launch an initiative to attempt to remove Blake Shelton from the Grand Ole Opry, and get more traditional country played on the radio.
The group has launched an online petition, and are planning a march, protest, and concert in Nashville on April 17 starting at Tony Rose Park (located at 8 Music Circle East) at 11:00 AM, with the march going down Music Row, ending at the offices of the Country Music Association (CMA). There will also be a free concert of traditional American music by participating musicians.
Blake Shelton Comments Reveal Deeper Opry Dilemma
NTCMA President Bob Everhart took to his blog last week to rant about Blake Shelton’s comments, saying in part:
Abandoning the roots of anything certainly means the death of that enterprise, no matter what it is. “Country’ music came from rural America. The music, the songs, the stories, the plaintive pleas were, and still are, the main reason for it’s existence. Rural America IS ‘country’ music…
Bob also took on Blake Shelton’s insinuation that older people do not buy music, as well as radio consolidation and the way music is rated on charts.
He couldn’t be further from the truth. The biggest ‘bloc’ of potential record buyers in America today is without a doubt the ‘baby boomers.’ Why? Because they are now retiring. Most have retirement plans meaning they have money to spend, unlike a younger America that is having trouble even finding a job. Are they buying into the ‘phony’ world of a pseudo-country music world? No, they are not. Are they buying into anything? Sure, those things they want to do, want to see, want to hear.
America lost a big chunk of ‘honesty’ in the radio business when government allowed huge corporations to buy all the radio stations they wanted in any location. What that means is we only hear what that corporation wants us to hear. It also means that any kind of charting activity is bought and paid for before the records are even in the stores.
The anger of traditional country fans is also palpable in the body of the online petition. “We hope ya’ll will join us in our quest to get our music back. SO COME ON PEOPLE, LETS TAKE OUR MUSIC AND RADIO STATIONS BACK!”
March 11, 2013 @ 10:55 am
I just want to say as the first person to report on Blake Shelton’s comments, it is good to see all of this enthusiasm and organization behind traditional country music starting to form, but this issue goes much deeper than just Blake Shelton and his comments. It was going on long before, and it will go on long after. I personally find recent songs from artists like Florida-Georgia Line and Jason Aldean just as insulting, if not more than what Blake Shelton said. This is a deeper issue, and I don’t think it will be healthy or helpful to only focus on Blake.
March 11, 2013 @ 10:46 pm
I agree 100% Trig. Jason Aldean and Blake Shelton are the two hardest to stomach because everyone sees through some of the others acts.
March 11, 2013 @ 11:16 am
Honestly, I don’t see it accomplishing anything. Pete Fisher himself, said 10+ years ago, that he doesn’t want to see any white hair on the opry. Neither on the stage or in the audience. That’s from the General Manager of the Grand Ol Opry himself. Why do you think that Hootie is a member. I love the opry. I love it’s history and what it’s supposed to stand for, and every time I’ve played on the opry, It’s a special moment for me. But what’s being done to it is an embarrassment.
March 11, 2013 @ 11:22 am
Knowing Blake’s attitude on Twitter and the way he jokes and being sarcastic on interviews, i doubt if he even meant what he said. Been listening to Blake since 2001 and though he got some really pop songs in his albums, he also put some country in there. He’s sure is better compared to Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, that fat rapper, and likes.
But I agree with Bob Everhart. There should be balance on the radio. I’m not saying they should completely trash Jason Aldean altogether (there are people out there who really like Jason Aldean without irony), what I like to see is a balance in the playlist for the listeners to have choices. And that means those artists who belong in americana, bluegrass, traditional, roots, and folk should be incorporated in the main country playlist. I don’t believe young kids won’t like those stuff. I’m young and I like a lot of traditional and americana country and I came to country music not through Hank Williams but through Collin Raye and Rascal Flatts and made my way towards the vast universe of country and discovered Hank, Eddy, Merle, Buck, and Johnny, along with the modern Reckless Kelly, Dale Watson, David Ball, Rodney Crowell, etc…. It’s all about choices.
March 11, 2013 @ 11:23 am
Much respect to everyone on here, but I can’t help but feel people are being a little hard on Blake. I mean given his track record, I think his comments were more just his popping off and putting his foot in his mouth than how he actually genuinely feels about the traditional stuff and its fans.
If you look back at his career, I think there is some level of genuine respect for the traditional. He met Miranda while doing a duet of David Frizzell and Shelly West’s “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma”, he had a hit fairly early on with a Conway cover, and in the only album of his I do actually own, George Jones guests on a song “The Last Country Song” off of Pure B.S.
I like the guy, just not most of his music, and I’m not saying he’s Jamey Johnson, but he’s also not some frat boy who plays southern rock and found it easier to label himself as country.
March 11, 2013 @ 11:34 am
This is a terrible idea.
If you like good music, make sure you’re supporting the artists who are making it by going to shows and buying their music. That’ll go a lot further toward actually accomplishing something than ill-conceived demonstrations and online petitions.
March 11, 2013 @ 12:32 pm
I’m not against the idea of some people getting together and venting their anger at what they feel has happened to country music. I do agree though that what it is going to take to solve these problems is a more substantive effort to find appealing music that also respects the roots of country and do our best to get it to people. Once people know they have choices, they will begin to make the right ones. And with emerging artists like Ashley Monroe, Kasey Musgraves, and many others, you could make the case this is happening, however slowly.
March 11, 2013 @ 11:37 am
While I wholeheartedly believe Blake Shelton is a cad who let fame get to his head because of his mediocre Suburban Pop, he does have a point.
All music evolves in one way or another. If it didn’t, there would only be the sound of taking rocks and banging them together or singing. However, that’s where the agreement between rich-mediocre-Suburban-Superstar and the broke college kid/Rockabilly singer ends.
It seems to me that Mr. Shelton’s comments implies he can grow a tree by cutting the roots off the bottom, rigging the tree to a crane and hoisting the damn thing into the air. While it gives the illusion that yes the tree is growing, the tree above the cut-line will not grow further than it has, and the crane will reach the maximum height after a time, meaning that after the roots are cut off of the tree, it will stop “growing” and die over time (my father’s been in the landscape industry for a long time and his experiences with properly planting and growing a tree is very similar to the growth of music itself).
The point of my message is this: Country music, like all music styles, is like a tree. What Mr. Shelton fails to realize is that his style of music is a mere branch of the big tree. More accurately, Shelton himself is the rotten fruit on that particular branch, and it would do plenty of good that (since it’s clear he will not apologize or accept how wrong his statement is) he fall off that branch and let the seeds (his music) make a whole ‘nother tree and leave the rest of the tree for us to enjoy.
March 11, 2013 @ 11:50 am
Love the tree metaphor.
Keep in mind though Blake did apologize/retract his statements after they went public.
http://tasteofcountry.com/merle-haggard-blake-shelton-old-farts-comments/
Plus regarding the controversy of his lack of appearances on the Opry of late, last weekend he did play both the Friday and Saturday shows. I was close to a computer and able to listen to it on Friday and Blake actually played 4 songs that first night which I was pretty surprised by since the only other time I’d heard an artist play more than 2 songs was on Rascal Flatts induction night.
March 11, 2013 @ 12:28 pm
He apologized to performing artists. He never apologized to the fans. This is one of the reasons this issue keeps dragging out. A sincere apology to everyone he insulted, sarcastic or not, could have possibly put this issue to bed a long time ago.
If I understand the rules of the Opry, two weekend appearances would have put Blake back into compliance with the Opry’s membership rules, since weekend appearances count as 3 performance credits.
March 11, 2013 @ 1:02 pm
Ohh I gotcha.
Do you know if the appearance credits are per song, or just total appearance? Only because he did 4 songs which is pretty unheard of. Given the timing it definitely seems he was trying to make an amends of sort
March 11, 2013 @ 1:16 pm
Let’s just keep writing songs.
March 11, 2013 @ 1:34 pm
Protest is a valid form of displeasure. However, echoing others that have commented. Go to shows buy merch buy cd’s download paid copies of songs etc. The reason the whole Texas/Red Dirt thing has stayed viable is dedicated fan support. I was at a package show over the weekend put on by a DFW area radio station for the 17th year in a row headlined by Jason Boland and the Turnpike Troubadors with many other bands and there were in excess of 5k paid in attendance. This April I’ll attend the 25th anniversy of the Larry Joe Taylor Texas music festival and there will be in the neighborhood of 40-50K for the 5 day festival. If we support the good stuff it becomes and remains viable. Weather or not Blake is still an opry member is less important than making good music viable commercially for the long term.
March 11, 2013 @ 2:09 pm
I think the most aggravating part of this whole thing as far as radio goes is that it really doesn’t have to be this way.
If you listen to a rock station nowadays, it’s not too unusual to hear Led Zeppelin played in the same break as Nickelback. Same thing with pop. You might hear some Maroon 5 played alongside a Whitney Houston song from the 80’s, or an Eagles song from the 70’s.
There’s really no reason that country radio has to limit itself to pop country from the last 5 years. If Hey Jude can still can’t airplay on pop-adult contempo without people batting an eye, Waylon should still get airplay on country radio stations.
And not just the older classic stuff, the current traditional artists should be there. My girlfriend is your typical pop music fan, who likes the pop country she’s been exposed to (Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood), but when I play her stuff from Ashley Monroe’s first album she loves it. There’s no reason stuff like that couldn’t play to the same audience that currently listens to country radio.
Plus you have to consider how much the old stuff gets name dropped. How many songs are there that’ll mention listening to Hank Jr, Waylon, Jennings, Cash, and Jones etc. Instead of just hearing Jason Aldean sing about “swerving like he’s George Jones,” why not actually play some George Jones.
March 11, 2013 @ 4:10 pm
The balance you hear in any other genre-based radio format is all we’re asking for.
March 11, 2013 @ 4:08 pm
It was already hinted at, but I never understood why a radio station can format itself with the extremely broad term “country,” yet play basically top 40 hits on repeat. Around here, we have like 6 country stations, but the only one who’s branded “classic country” doesn’t dig much deeper than some occasional Alan Jackson or the Judd’s. Our general “rock” station here plays almost anything in a 40 year span. Rock is a pretty generic term, but these days so is country. I couldn’t imagine Chad Kroeger or Dan Auerbach making fun of somebody for listening to Led Zeppelin.
I can’t stand Blake Shelton, and I’ve felt that way long before he said what he said. However, he is the male face of country music in 2013, and his words will have a lot of impact on his genre. I only hope he was sincerely kidding and will continue to unite country fans young and old.
March 11, 2013 @ 5:29 pm
in that spirit I will reiterate, Gwar should cut Florida-Georgia lines heads off.
March 12, 2013 @ 10:27 am
JAJAJA Hopefully they’ll put the video up online, kind of like those cartel beheadings but for a better cause!
March 11, 2013 @ 6:27 pm
Whew, Bob Everhart here. It’s hard to digest all that’s going down on your SavingCountryMusic.com but I’m here to give it a try. This might get a little long, so stick with me. I definitely do not like the ‘I’ in stuff, but “I” have to somehow give you the necessary credentials to make me plausible. So, to begin with, I’m the President of the National Traditonal Country Music Assn. Have been since 1976. A long time to be so passionate about a very “American” musical art form. We have a large membership, mostly we’re quiet, being about our business of keeping classic and traditional country music alive and well in the State of Iowa, which is where I’m from. We promote bluegrass and folk and ragtime and old-time too. We’re a very ‘country’ state, very ‘rural,’ and very aware of what is happening in country music today, nationally and internationally. Go look me up somewhere else if you want to know ‘me.’ I’m here to talk to you about the disgusting discrmimination and attempted slaughter of the very music I just mentioned. Here’s another ‘I’ record for the Smithsonian Institution (6 cd’s one a Grammy nomination) and I’m a music preservationist as well as promoter and performer with my wife Sheila. Blake Shelton should never have said on national television that anyone who does not buy his CD’s are old farts and jackasses. In the ‘rural’ part of America those are fighting words. He also went on to say that ‘kids’ are the ones who buy records today.
Okay, lets try to set the record straight. The largest ‘bloc’ of people with money available for the purchase of a CD, for example, are the baby boomers. That’s me. That’s also 78-million other Americans. Did you hear me right? 78-million other Americans are baby boomers. They are retiring, or about to retire, now. WHY would Blake Shelton call all of us old farts and jackasses, and then go on to say only ‘kids’ buy cd’s today. “Kids” aren’t the big spenders he thinks they are. Young people in today’s ‘economy’ (thank your ruthless greedy self-sustaining politicians in both parties for that) can’t even find a good job, much less pay off their college loans. And more, those same ‘kids’ are relying on those 78-million grandpas and grandmas for sustenance.
Okay, we’re off to a start. I’d like to respond to those that have already showed the courage to place their ‘opinion’ on an easily observable website. You can say I ‘rant,’ I suppose that’s ok, though I’m a mild-mannered person, but mostly if I rant, it’s an attempt to find the truth. And, I am not the originator of the ‘march’ that will take place in Nashville on April 17, a traditional country music promoter from Illinois is, Maggie Penn, who heads up the Traditional Music Foundation. You can find her on face-book, just type it in, she’s all over the place. RFD-TV, RFD-HD, Rural-TV, and the Family Net all support her. I support what she is doing. Just because she is a ‘fan’ of traditional and classic country music does not make her a jackass and an old fart.
Triggers comments are right on the mark. This isn’t ‘new’ this has been going on for a long time. He’s right when he says it’s a much deeper issue. And he’s also right about just focusing on Blake Shelton. Mr. Shelton is simply the person who opened the door for this conversation to even take place, and we thank him for that, though he still owes America an apology for his words, especially those 78-million baby boomers. Geoff is also right, Pete Fisher who manages the Grand Ole Opry publicly said, quite a long time ago, he no longer wanted any gray hairs on his stage, or gray hairs in the audience. Still working to get the ‘kids’ that owe their very existence to those same gray hairs. Doesn’t make sense does it? So how about a pause here, and let me explain that a little better with a song from 1980. Stick with me, you haven’t got that much to do.
http://bobeverhart@wordpress.com/
A ‘plug’ you might say, wouldn’t you do the same if you had it? Actually that little bit of two mintues says about everything there is to say about the ‘evolution’ of music, especially in country music, which by the way is strictly an AMERICAN musical art form. Are we against ‘evolution?’ Certainly not. That’s what the creative forces are all about. What we are against is the fact that when Ronald Reagan allowed corporations to buy all the radio stations they wanted to own, in any given location, it has severly limited ‘opportunity’ for any new creative musical art form, and has seriously hampered the small allocation of time to the past creative art form. That’s where Michael Curan is right on the button. He stands for ‘choices.’ Do we have that in today’s am-fm radio world. Not much. Yes a few, but the majority play the same 20 or 30 songs over and over…..to ensure they get maximum royalties back for the airplay. Starting to make sense? C.J. made an incredible statement when he said there is limited access to music on radio, and he went on to compare country music to a ‘tree.’ He couldn’t be more right, that’s exactly what it is. If you cut off the roots, what happens to the tree? This reminds me of an old adage by a very sage old American Indian when asked what he thought of daylight saving time. “Just like government to cut off the top half of a blanket and add it to the bottom to make it longer.” He’s right isn’t he?
Oh I know there are those of you who just get on the internet to whine, make negative statements about anything that is happening, and I don’t have much faith in you. Tx Music Jim however is more right than you. “making good music viable commercially” is the secret of success and profit. Those doors however, are only open to a very few. It doesn’t matter what ‘kind’ of music you like, even rock and roll like Matt said..”gets played modern and past, going back 30 some years.” Why isn’t this true for country music? I told you this would be long. Back when radio first emerged as a commercial enterprise, immediately a ‘collect the money for music aired’ was formed by a licensing group called ASCAP. They were the only one. Do you know what they did? They refused to license anything that was labeled hillbilly or mountain music, or country music, or rural music. Why? They were the judge and jury and proclaimed America should not be subjected to that kind of vulgar music. That kind of discrimination is still going on. The bias is really bad. Who came along to rectify that situation, BMI. But looking back, can you imagine how much American musical culture and heritage was ‘lost’ because of the actions of ASCAP?
That still leaves us with ‘new’ artists. Would you stake your entire career on how well you do on a talent television show, and there are several, based on what those ‘judges’ …forgive me, Blake Shelton was one, dec ide what you can and can’t do?
Here’s the finish. Visit my website at http://www.ntcma.net and see what we’ve been doing the past 38 years trying to ‘save’ a little bit of America’s incredibly good traditional music. You’re invited to our festival, but keep it acoustic, we have ten stages and can’t do it with electric instruments. More importantly you are invited to be part of the ‘march’ on Nashville on April 17. Let your own voice be heard by being there. Sign the petitions to get more tradititional and classic country music (think there’s nobody performing and recording that today? (You need to visit Austin, Texas) We need to get it programmed on the radio stations that refuse to do that. Clear Channel is one of the biggest offenders. Also please remember the frequencies that radio stations broadcast on AM & FM do not belong to the radio stations, they belong to you. See you in Nashville April 17.
March 11, 2013 @ 8:25 pm
Hey Bob,
Thanks for coming here and sharing your thoughts, answering some questions, and don’t worry, self-promotion is encouraged, and “rant” is a term of endearment! Rants are one of the ways we stay sane in the pop country-dominated world!
March 13, 2013 @ 3:22 pm
Bob, laying the blame on country radio’s current state at Ronald Reagan’s feet is pure, unadulterated bull! Here is a synopsis of ownership rules I lifted from “photodude.com” website:
“When I was coming up in radio, back in the Seventies, there were limits on broadcast property ownership. Back then, you could own seven AM , seven FM and seven TV stations: the ”™7-7-7 rule.”™ And in any one metropolitan area, you could own at most one AM, one FM and one TV station.”
“In 1985, 7-7-7 went up to 12-12-12.” (Yes, during the Reagan years but the limitations were still one of each type of broadcasting medium in each major metropolitan area.)
“Then came the Telecommunications Act of 1996. (Yes, during the reign of “B.J. Bill” Clinton.) Now the limits were 8-infinity: Up to eight stations in any one market, and no limit on the total nationwide.”
So the rise of Clear Channel and its mega station ownership compatriots was the result of corporate bribes and campaign donations during the Clinton years. If you’re going to throw a burning bag of dogshit at a president, at least have the decency to aim it in the right direction…
March 14, 2013 @ 8:28 am
I want to thank you for your response, but your blathering has very little to do with our ’cause’ of getting Blake Shelton to apologize to the elders of America, and getting radio stations to play something more than the 20 or 30 songs they do over and over. I also want to thank you for setting the record straight on Reagan, he DID open the door to allow corporations to own more than one radio station and that led to our current situation where most radio stations are now owned by just five corporations. Good going on the research, join us in Nashvile and help us get something done. I wouldn’t call what you say or do dogshit, but just so you know, it was also Clinton that made it possible for small non-profit groups to apply for a low-power license that could reach small communities. You probably already know how that got shot down by the next president. I’m not here to talk to you about radio ownership, I’m here to talk to you about rotation air play of a handful of songs when there are millions to be heard. So much for that freedom….huh? I won’t talk to you anymore about America’s politics, it’s too hurtful.
March 14, 2013 @ 8:59 am
Just wondering if “(Yes, during the reign of “B.J. Bill” Clinton.)” was from directly photodude.com (whatever the hell that is) or your addition. Knowing your shtick from some of your other comments both here and on Engine 145, I would guess the latter.
Turns out that the bill for the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was approved almost unanimously by the House and Senate. Also, that was the “Contract with America” Congress, where there were clear Republican majorities in both houses.
March 11, 2013 @ 9:21 pm
Don’t forget internet radio stations beyond Pandora and Spotify. For the past 5 years I run a station through Live 365 “Bus of Real Country” that broadcasts treditional country from the 1920’s to present. My mission is to provide an outlet for music you can’t find on commercal outlets including Bluegrass, Western Swing and Honky Tonk. When I started it was to take over for friends who had to give it up for personal reasons.
I’ve been involved in Country Music support since I first got online in 1995. Tx Music Jim could tell many tales about my visits to Austin.
If it’s at all possible I’d love to join the march but it depends if I can be away from home at that time.
March 14, 2013 @ 8:44 am
Hi Janice
Thanks very much for your observation, and Thank God there is an alternative to AM-FM radio. The Internet is where all the really good and ‘creative’ writers, artists, composers, recording artists, in ALL genres of music are going. It takes time to build a listening audience, but once accomplished it is definitely an alternative to what is available on AM-FM. Keep up the good work, start your own radio station and share what you like. We’d really like to see you in Nashville April 17, 11am at Tony Rose Park.
March 11, 2013 @ 10:49 pm
I used to follow Blake on twitter before this and he kind of fashioned himself as a “hardass” or “outlaw”. I am proud to say that he does not represent most of country music fans. He is truly arrogant and a prick, I don’t know what Miranda Lambert sees in him.
March 14, 2013 @ 2:53 pm
My wife put this together as a kind of history lesson on early country music. See how many of the artists photos you can identify.
http://youtu.be/3xDswcKKVhU
Dead Bird Tiddy Bits
March 14, 2013 @ 5:22 pm
[…] Where were they when Rascal Flatts was inducted? […]
March 15, 2013 @ 10:05 am
I personally think that there’s a place on country radio for both traditional country and guys like Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, etc. Even though a lot of the newer guys are different they do have country sensibilities and represent a newer generation.
Blake Shelton though, is definitely not one of those newer guys that young people like. I’m 21 and I can tell you that NO ONE my age looks up to Blake Shelton, or really even enjoys his music. He doesn’t represent anything that’s country and is definitely more top 40 pop than he is country. I’m guessing by him thinking that he appeals to a younger generation he means that he appeals to soccer moms who watch The Voice.
March 23, 2013 @ 8:00 pm
I am so sick of Blake and his bullshit. It’s not even so much about what he said anymore, it’s just the fact that he said it. He has got to be one of the most arrogant jackasses I have ever seen. And for what reason? He doesn’t even write his own songs. He has no class and absolutely no respect for anyone. His comments were so out of line and just plain disrespectful. Who does he think he is to say that on a national interview? I use to think his twitter stuff was funny and I thought he had a great personality, but its just getting sickening already. He is the exact opposite of what country represents. His music isn’t country, his attitude isn’t country, and he himself, just isn’t country. I use to be a big fan of his music, but even that is crap now. How can you compare “Austin” to whatever the hell his newest song is called. All his music sounds the same. If that is the direction that he wants country to go in, then I want no part of it.
Besides that fact, if he can’t follow the rules, then he has no right to be a member of the opry. Who cares if you’re on TV? He deserves the same treatment as everyone else.
I’m not a huge fan of mainstream country music today, but I know it has its place. You can’t expect anything to not change with the times. I get that. As much as I dislike people like Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan, they actually have some good music. They are both really good performers and they do have some musical talent. So I’m not saying that there should be a total boycott on new country. But I do think that they need to bring back some real music. Because honestly, I can’t even listen to the radio anymore with people like Florida Georgia Line and Taylor Swift being played.
March 25, 2013 @ 5:28 pm
Pretty interesting little debate here. First of all, I found Blake’s comments sarcastic yet I get why folks are pissed. That’s just his “sense of humor” and, although Im no fan of his music, I believe he respects the genres past.
As for your comments Bob… News flash… Radio is fucking dead and has been for years. Satellite was an improvement but now, they too, are in the 30 song rotation bullshit. (The Highway anyone?). Pandora is about the closest thing to decent “radio” out there.
One note while we’re burning Jason Aldean and the like at the stake. As a lifelong rocker (musician/producer/fan) it was Eric Church that brought me in the genre just a year and a half back. Aldean and Jake Owen were next and then my then fiancé took me to a George Straight show and i continued my journey into traditional country.
My point: the “fight” should be with radio if its even worth fighting and not trying to determine who’s “true” country.
October 29, 2013 @ 10:00 pm
Blake Shelton needs to remember that without Country Western music, he would not even have a career since what he does is loosely based on the real thing. I grew up on country music and what they now call “today’s country” was called Southern Rock when it got started. To my way of thinking it is just as much noise as hard rock, rap, hip hop etc. If he does not like it, just leave the Opry and let them continue to play at least some good country. I saw Charley Pride live a few years ago and he said people often ask him what he thinks of today’s country. His response was “Yeah there pretty good, but they don’t do it the way we did.” Amen to that Charley. Todays “country singers” should listen to some of the old music and get a real feel for country.