Is country music dead?

Fox News ^ | 05/16/2014 | Collin Raye

[Responsibility2nd]

As a platinum-selling country music artist and, more importantly, a lifelong fan of the genre, I’d like to send out this heartfelt plea to the gatekeepers of the industry:

Enough already.

I’d like to think that I am expressing what nearly every artist, musician and songwriter (with perhaps a few exceptions) is thinking when I contend that the Bro’ Country phenomenon must cease.

It has had its run for better or worse and it’s time for Nashville to get back to producing, and more importantly promoting, good singers singing real songs. It’s time for country music to find its identity again before it is lost forever.

~snip~

But as someone who grew up loving and being forever affected by the true greats of country music, I simply have to offer up this plea to the Nashville country music industry to reclaim the identity and poetic greatness that once was our format. The well-written poetic word of the country song has disappeared.

~snip~

Willie Nelson once wrote in his early song, "Shotgun Willie," that “you can’t make a record if you ain’t got nothing to say.” Apparently, that’s not the case anymore.

Disposable, forgettable music has been the order of the day for quite a while now and it’s time for that to stop.

[SJSAMPLE]

Honky Tonk BadonkaDonk sure as heck didn’t help.
Utter garbage.
Nothing more than a rap video for rednecks.

[GeronL]

bump

[Wyatt's Torch]

Oh. I haven’t bought one of those in much longer :-)

[wardaddy]

I like it too

Americana music

They even have their own awards show

Sadly....they are 95% flaming progressives

Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle. McMurtry...Hubbard....Cross Canadian....Reckless Kelly.....Alison Moorer...Lucinda....

Even darling Elizabeth Cook

I try to ignore the commentary

[mojito]

Those Wayne Hancock clips were great. Thanks for sharing them.

But what this thread really needs is some Maddox Brothers and Rose:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIHE1Hi9n9s&noredirect=1

[wardaddy]

He’s a jackass too

But I like some of his poor wife’s stuff

[wardaddy]

I think the writer of this article was a friend of my wife’s back her Nashvle alt music days and her stint as a CMT video chick

[WayneS]

There you go!

[WayneS]

Blackberry Smoke?

[Kackikat]

Agreed. AS long as there are ‘rednecks’ there will be country music. As for Colin Raye, he had his chance.

[Fiji Hill]

But there's very little new music for the average white man.

The only decent new music coming out today is movie music.

[saminfl]

Today’s country music really makes me appreciate my set of CDs from Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.

I drive from NW Florida to Utah twice a year to work. Whenever I would go though I think, Vernon, TX they had a sign that said, "Stay all night, stay a little longer." When I went through this year, the sign was gone.

[lonestar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tya6cUdiKwc

[lonestar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_zwBHvXIZQ

[Colonel_Flagg]

Amen. Great, great musician and group.

[Colonel_Flagg]

LOL. And this is a one hundred percent Yank talking. Just love the sound.

[Colonel_Flagg]

No kidding. Classic stuff.

[Zionist Conspirator]

There are only three kinds of music on the radio now days: Country Pop, Hip Hop and Mexican.

I wouldn't call it Mexican music. You're probably referring to Hispanic/"Latino" music. Actual Mexican music tends to be country ("ranchera" as they call it) with some German/polka influence. A lot of southwestern country has Mexican elements as well.

[dfwgator]

Actual Mexican music tends to be country ("ranchera" as they call it)

I liked it better when it was called, "Polka".

[Publius Valerius]

As someone else pointed out, there is plenty of country music being performed and recorded, but it’s just not getting much airplay.

I’m surprised that no one has mentioned Whitey Morgan and the 78s, who have a pretty succinct take on pop country. They even put it on a T-shirt, which I won’t post here, but can be found at this link:

http://whiteymorgan.bigcartel.com/product/middle-finger-f-pop-country

You used to be able to hear some really good stuff on the Old XM 10, America, which was a station put together by Country Dan Dixon and Ray Knight when satellite radio was just getting off the ground. The replacement, The Roadhouse (now Willie’s Roadhouse, after they dropped Willie’s Place), only plays old stuff. Nothing by the new guys that are still recording country music. Outlaw Country is equally bad, and the DJs are terrible, with the exception of Elizabeth Cook.

Heck, Whitey Morgan has gotten one play on Sirius in the past week. Satellite radio used to be a place where you could hear some terrific artists in your preferred genre, but now rapidly becoming just FM radio without commercials. It’s too bad.

But it’s still out there. If you are looking for good country music, check the lineup at the Continental Club in Austin, Texas, and then buy those records. All great stuff.