Remembering Earl Thomas Conley
April 10, 2019
“That ain’t Country”
“That ain’t country” is one of my favorite phrases. I wonder where we, as a collective group of music lovers get the “cred” to determine what genre music falls into. Recently, I was asked if I thought country music was returning to its “roots” with artists like Ashley Monroe, Luke Combs, Cody Jinks, and Midland — I replied, “I guess” but if you listen to country radio you can hear the Backstreet Boys, and a new artist named Walker Hayes, who is nothing like Clay Walker!
As I was thinking about how to answer that same question for This is Country Magazine, a Luke Bryan song popped up on my iTunes playlist. Luke is pretty and polished and one of the guys that gets beat up a lot for not being “country” but Luke IS a country artist — yes, someone polished him up and made him a superstar but why wouldn’t he want to appeal to the masses — he’s pretty, and I would task anyone with finding a song more country than “Country Man.”
I first met Luke when he was on tour opening outside of venues for Taylor Swift. A little known Ray fact is he played his first Chicago mini concert on the tailgate of my truck but I digress. The song that came up on my iTunes playlist was Fast. As a dad watching his kids grow up, that song hit me in the heart; it is everything a country song should be. Fast takes us from boy meets girl to boy and girls son playing under those Friday night lights and then Luke exclaims “60 seconds now feels more like 30, sand in a glass sure falls in a hurry.” As I listened I thought wow, this guy just told the story of the life I’m living right now.
My advice, don’t get caught up in the “beat” or the “snaps” of what we hear as country music, listen to the words that weave a story. It’s what Nashville does best. Stop worrying about who’s getting played on your dad’s country station because it’s a waste of time that goes too fast.
RR
11 Comments
Well said, Ray! You’re right about judging what’s country and what isn’t. I for one love it all…maybe not ALL…but that’s the beauty of listening to the “country” station! It would be boring if it all sounded the same.
music is music! Thanks Gayle!
I agree Ray. Just as time changes so does the way people view things. One thing that will not change I will always be a country music fan
Thanks for reading Lisa!
That’s why I love country music….because it tells a story.
It always starts with a song! thanks for reading Cindy.
I started listening to country in the late 80’s when the music on rock stations didn’t appeal to me any longer. I love prime country on Sirius so I am able to hear the music and stories about that time in country music. With that said, when I started to listen it also gave me a better appreciation for standard country. I knew the names, Willie, Waylon, etc but the twang wasn’t my thing. I do appreciate all country now old and new. Hopefully young people listening to new country will learn to love old country like I did.
Sue prime country is format that could work here in Chicago!
I stopped listening to current Country radio when you and Lisa left the air. So I listen to country on Sirius – Kenny, Garth, Trace and Tim – back to my US99 country days.
Well we hope to have some news by summer)
Well said. I couldn’t agree more!