Same here, was exposed to country when growing up, my dad liked Jonny Cash, Charley Pride and a host of others, watched Hee-Haw, he was pretty country for a city slicker. He had the radio dial in his car tuned to the local country music station WMAQ, music in the day, and they covered the White Sox games at night. I started to drift from Rock and was drawn to country as I got older. Went to quite a few Country Thunder music festivals held nearby but noticed around the early 2000’s the clientele began to change, it wasn’t as laid back as before. The crowds tended to be younger and were more drunk and disorderly so it wasn’t as enjoyable, along with the music changing. Now when I get nostalgic I just listen to older rock from the 60’s-70’s.
Ahhh, I forgot Charlie Pride. I liked him. I just had a flash memory of the song Kaw-Liga, a cover of a Hank Williams song. I haven’t heard it since the 70s and it seems very fresh in my mind.