“This is the best festival I’ve ever been a part of,” Cody Jinks said as he took the stage Sunday night (9-19) in Pryor, Oklahoma. Not faint praise from Cody, who’s played some big fests over the years, including his own personally curated one. And the praise was deserved.
Jaws dropped, and the calendars of true country fans got shuffled on Wednesday morning when the lineup for the inaugural Born & Raised Music Festival was announced for June 5th, 6th, and 7th in Pryor, Oklahoma, just north and west of Tulsa. With Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr. headlining the event, and an incredible undercard…
As Bro-Country was on the rise, think pieces all across media questioned the sustainability of such shallow music. And it turns out they were right. Florida Georgia Line and others brought throngs of new fans into the country fold, but they weren’t there to stay. Listeners moved on to the next craze, and even when country’s footprint was growing, it wasn’t growing at such a clip that it could sustain all the festivals . . .