Country Music is Dead!

I have been mourning the loss of country music since around 2015, and I realize that all the old greats are mostly gone now. Either they have died off, or been replaced by the so-called country of today... R.I.P Country Music.

I am an absolute and dedicated fan of classic country! I will die listening to artists from the 50's on through to as late as 2006, but after that it begins to fade into todays so called "Country". How many artists can you name from years gone by? Let's start with my first exposure to real Country, Dolly, Loretta, Patsy and Tammy! and those are just the women then you have the men Freddy Fender(at the time the only hispanic country singer who managed to mix spanish and english into a country song and make it work) George Jones and Strait, Hank Williams Sr. and Jr., The Man In Black Mr. Johnny (Cash and Paycheck), Waylon, Willie(Nelson and Boxcar), Merle, Charlie Pride(the only black country singer to win a grammy, CMA award, lifetime achievement award and the Pioneer award also to be inducted into the country music hall of fame in 2017) and the list goes on and on! My mother wore the records out! I know literally EVERY note of every song they all ever sang! However, Crystal Gayle was my favorite! I could listen to her 24/7 and never get tired of listening to her perfect melodic tones, she was to me what the kids of today would consider perfection! I have so many favorites, but she was my music crush. I practiced every song she ever sang until I could match it perfectly because to do anything else would be an affront to the queens of country, or at least that is how passionate I became about it. That is also when I discovered my love for country music and this was my way of expressing said love. I would sing to anyone who would listen.

I decided since I was doing all this big talking, I should do some walking..so below is a short clip I recorded literally ten minutes ago, so you can hear what I spent most of my young years perfecting.

Hope you enjoyed that,and if you were impressed then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I miss the music, and what it represented. All of the feelings and emotions, not to mention the memories it brought back, I have so many amazing memories that all come flooding back with each country lullaby I hear! Also how the words literally brought you to tears, or made you laugh so hard you cried! "I'm Gonna Hire A Wino To Decorate Our Home" by David Frizzel, if you haven't heard this song, it is halarious! or "The Streak" by Ray Stevens, actually anything by him is great("The Mississippi Squirell Revival" will split your sides trust that!). Then there are the songs that can make you cry just listening to them, like "Me and Little Andy" by Dolly Parton or "Teddy Bear" by Red Sovine...I still can't listen to either of them without bawling my eyes out. Then there are songs that did both at once like "Kids Say The Darndest Things" by Tammy Wynette and lets not forget the songs that made you proud to be an american and the two songs that will jerk a tear out of me everytime is "God Bless the U.S.A" by Lee Greenwood and "The Christmas Shoes" by Alabama. Every single one of these songs had an amazingly touching story and made a point that you could never forget, and I miss that in todays music. I can't say all of today's artists music are lacking stories, because artists such as Luke Bryant, Jason Aldean, Chris Young, Kelsey Ballarini, Jennifer Nettles, Taylor Swift(I really don't like her, but she writes great music), Maren Morris, Keith Urban(Blue Ain't Your Color, melts me) and many more, do try to keep some semblance of what country "music" entails. However, I have to say there is one artist who splashed onto the scene a few years ago bringing back a very old country music classic, and he made such an impression on me that I am and will always be, enamored with him, as is the rest of the world...including todays youngsters, I love his incredible vocal style and bluesy sound...and that would be the ever talented Chris Stapleton! "Tennessee Whiskey" did not make it to number one on billboards Hot 100, it actually ranked 23, but he sold 131,000 copies in the first two weeks of it's release. So, not all of today's music sucks...however...mixing rap artist and country artist JUST DOES NOT GO TOGETHER!!!!! Country+Rap = CRAP! I HATE IT! Cowboy Troy? what? Lil Nas X? say whaaat? Blanco Brown? seriously! now I realize that I just made myself sound very predjudice and racist because all of the people I just named happen to be Black artists, and you are welcome to stop reading this if you think that is where I was going...however it's not, I actually listen to some hip hop/rap, old school as it may be(not fond of the newer artists, but I am old) I love Eminem(yes, I do realize he is white), Notorious B.I.G, Two Live Crew, Zap and Roger, 50 cent, Queen Latifah, Snoop Dog, LL Cool J, DJ Quick, and NWA(Straight Outta Compton was my favorite album) I grew up with two brother who each had different ideas about good music, one was 5 years older and preferred bands like Journey, Eagles, Rolling Stones, Styx, Pat Benetar, Joan Jett and the like...so classic rock. Brother number two was a couple years younger and we grew up in a poor mostly black/hispanic neighborhood in a time when they rollerskated and carried 40 lb boom boxes on thier shoulders! His favorites were some of mine still, Earth, Wind and Fire, Teddy Pendergrass, Al Green, The Cars, Nick Gilder, ELO, The Everly Brothers, Cool and the Gang, as well as Sugarhill Gang. I was around when breakdancing started! I could go on, but you get the point. I don't live under a country pebble, I listen to all genres, country, hip hop, golden oldies, classic rock, R&B, Jazz, alternative, some punk, and I love musicals! The only music I cannot tolerate is Screamo or acid rock, sorry I am just too set in my ways to even try to pretend that I would consider those "music" when all they are doing(to me) is screaming into a microphone at decipals that can, and have blown out peoples eardrums. Not my idea of a good time.

I don't know if I am getting my point across, so let me be a bit more clear. Today's country just isn't, and I fear it never will be again. The life of country music has deflated and withered away like dried up rose petals blowing around in the streets. It's been stamped and trampled by the running of the bulls! So, I will not give it the honorable badge of being claimed as "Country Music" because it just isn't! I know I sound like an old person but I am not the only one who agrees. Alan Jackson said in an interview "there's no country stuff left anymore" Kelly Clarkson also said in an interview "Country music doesn't sound country anymore, now it's like a weird rap", and I still consider her to be newish, I have alot of love and respect for Carrie Underwood, but "Tears of Gold" featuring David Bisbal, is not country and although a great song, it belongs on the pop charts. I do understand trying to draw the young people into the country genre so we can say there is still a country genre...but there really isn't.

R.I.P Country Music, I am sad to see you go,...I will continue to listen to Sirius XM's classic country stations and spotify. I insist on living in the past because I love the memories and feelings it sparks when I do, it's where I was born, and where i shall stay. say AMEN if your with me!