Today's Country Music...What is it really?

 When I heard Kenny Chesney sing "Me and You" back in the 90's, I got turned back on to country music, and I also turned the radio on once again.  I hated rap, hip-hop, and all that other noise they were calling music, but I wanted to listen to the radio. Kenny got me turned on, once again.

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When I was growing up, country music was called either bluegrass or hillbilly music, and everyone who heard either of those two terms knew exactly what they meant.  One was down home instrumental music with great emphasis on the banjo and lots of pickin', and hillbilly simply meant singers with a twang and lots of nasality. Think Hank Williams, Sr., Hank Snow, George Jones, Webb Pierce, a young Dolly Parton, Porter Wagner, Skeeter Davis, Kitty Wells, Ernest Tubb, Lefty Frizzell. Even the names fit the mode.

And then came a kind of transitional period when hillbilly and bluegrass became labeled as "country music" in a catch-all genre. It was the beginning of the "Golden Age" of country music, primarily ushered in by artists such as Jimmie Rodgers, Eddy Arnold, Johnny Cash, Glenn Campbell, an older Dolly Parton, Marty Robbins, Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee, Willie Nelson and hundreds of other "country" stars. There was still a bit of twang (but not too much), but now, the lyrics became increasingly more meaningful to forge a definite contrast to the growing music trends in rock and roll. It was music you could listen to, sing along with and dance to as well.

A combination of Rock and Roll and Hillbilly produced a whole new genre labeled "Rockabilly", and even then pop singer Guy Mitchell sang about it in songs like "Singing the Blues" and "Heartaches by the Number." Many major vocal stars of the 50's and 60's got on that country bandwagon, including: Jo Stafford, Doris Day, Johnny Raye, Frankie Laine and The Four Lads.  Country music was becoming more acceptable, and it was finding its way on the top of the music charts, right alongside the songs of rockers like Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino. Personally, I was a big fan of the Everly Brothers and their wonderful harmony (despite the fact that they had a country twang to their voices.) Certainly, no one could dispute the beautiful vocals on such songs as "Let It Be Me" and "Devoted To You",  In fact, Elvis and Ricky were right there with their take on various country hits, too.

Country went through several named periods including: The Nashville Sound, Countrypolitan , Countrysoul (ushered in by Ray Charles and his Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music hit album). Eventually, and not too many years ago, country became liberated enough to be considered MAINSTREAM. With good reason. Pop music had gone off the deep end when it started going into fanatical new directions (metallica, hip hop, range, rap...basically what I have called "crap music"). At least with mainstream country, the listener could understand the words, and there were hummable melodies (what used to be the main thing about pop music.)

The new era in country music began, for me, with Kenny Chesney as I indicated above, But there were others I enjoyed, too.  Who could not like Vince Gill, with his suave voice and brilliant vocals on such songs as "If You Ever Have Forever in Mind". And Garth Brooks caused a sensation when he produced a set of 7 albums for sale under $20...brilliant...everyone could afford them, and just about everyone bought them, too.  Reba McEntire became known by just her first name, as did Dolly, Kenny, George and Shania. Country music was becoming what the vocal music of the early 50's was to me, a pleasant sound to listen to on the radio once again.

How about right now? Like in all kinds of music, I have my favorites. And there are plusses and minuses.  Kenny is consistently good, in album after album, in concert after concert. He is truly a great entertainer, as are Dolly Parton, George Strait, Reba, Tim McGraw. I have lots of favorites, and I can actually listen to the current country stations before I  have to have my "fix" of real music.  Yeah, Yeah, I know. Country is real music, but it sure does not feature anyone to compare with Doris Day or Pat Boone.