I Didn't Leave Country Music, Country Music Left Me
As I was watching a recent awards program, I came to an epiphany. There is no denying it. I have a confession to make, I can't stand 90% of what passes for Country Music today! I am in my mid-30s, so I still consider myself fairly young but I can't stand this dreck! As I had mentioned before in this blog, I had started CountryMania.com in 2000 because I had a lifelong love affair with Country Music. Although I grew up a city boy, my parents were from West Virginia and raised me on Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins and the real legends of country.
Over the years, I kept listening to "country", but something changed...it suddenly bore no resemblance whatsoever to the music I grew up with and loved. If I want to listen to rock, I want the real thing (Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, etc) not some watered down pretty boy pretenders with a slick video and the faintest of steel guitar added for "the country radio mix".
Nevertheless, when I started the original version of the site I featured stars old and new because I wanted to appeal to everyone. But now I have made an executive decision. This blog is to be dedicated to real Country Music. Steel guitars and twin fiddles...Ray Price, Dwight Yoakam and not the latest heartthrob "group".
Yes, there are some real country musicians still around: Alan Jackson, George Strait, Brad Paisley, Junior Brown, Patty Loveless and others I have neglected to mention -- but I am not optimistic. The Nashville music industry is strictly business -- quite frankly they would package the sounds of mouthwash gargling (as long as there was no accompanying twang) if it would sell and made for a sexy video. I'm guessing that the corporate honchos that drive who gets signed and what gets released wouldn't know Chet Atkins from Chet Huntley.
Thank God for the great recordings we have to treasure and the few musicians out there still keeping the light alive. We'll do the best to keep that light alive at CountryMania.com!
Over the years, I kept listening to "country", but something changed...it suddenly bore no resemblance whatsoever to the music I grew up with and loved. If I want to listen to rock, I want the real thing (Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, etc) not some watered down pretty boy pretenders with a slick video and the faintest of steel guitar added for "the country radio mix".
Nevertheless, when I started the original version of the site I featured stars old and new because I wanted to appeal to everyone. But now I have made an executive decision. This blog is to be dedicated to real Country Music. Steel guitars and twin fiddles...Ray Price, Dwight Yoakam and not the latest heartthrob "group".
Yes, there are some real country musicians still around: Alan Jackson, George Strait, Brad Paisley, Junior Brown, Patty Loveless and others I have neglected to mention -- but I am not optimistic. The Nashville music industry is strictly business -- quite frankly they would package the sounds of mouthwash gargling (as long as there was no accompanying twang) if it would sell and made for a sexy video. I'm guessing that the corporate honchos that drive who gets signed and what gets released wouldn't know Chet Atkins from Chet Huntley.
Thank God for the great recordings we have to treasure and the few musicians out there still keeping the light alive. We'll do the best to keep that light alive at CountryMania.com!
posted by CountryMania.com @ 6:38 PM
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