| If you're like me, you're wondering what happened | | | | Billy Joe Shaver comes to mind. Today, you have |
| to country music. The terrestrial radio stations today | | | | people from all over the globe making country music |
| only play the watered down pop mess. Country | | | | in Nashville. Most of these singers wouldn't know the |
| music used to be a force to reckon with. Let's get | | | | difference between a steel guitar from a banjo. It |
| back to the good ol' days!Unless you have a satellite | | | | sounds crazy, and it is!Country music is promoted as, |
| radio, you're not going to hear real country music on | | | | "This isn't your grandpa's music." Well, it's not my |
| the radio. Singers like Hank Williams III, Robbie Fulks, | | | | music either. Most of the die hard country music |
| and Wayne Hancock just aren't getting airplay. | | | | buffs would agree. There's no soul, there's no pain, |
| George Jones was basically kicked out of the | | | | and there's no edge to today's country music. Let's |
| Country Music Awards a few years ago for being | | | | get back to the day when the two step was the |
| too old. Once upon a time, I thought George Strait | | | | greatest thing since sliced bread.Austin, Texas is |
| didn't know how to pick a bad song. That was | | | | celebrated as today's country music capital of the |
| before I heard some of his stuff from his latest | | | | world. There you'll find Junior Brown, Bobby Bare, and |
| album. I hate to say it, but George you let us | | | | Billy Joe Shaver. The new talent in Austin is great too! |
| down.In Nashville (dubbed Trashville by Hank III), it's | | | | Heather Myles is a fantastic female artist carrying on |
| a matter of you do what we say or you don't get | | | | the traditional sound. Nashville is losing face with the |
| played on the radio. The performers should have | | | | country base. Let's get country music back to it's |
| more control of what they play and record. After all, | | | | roots. Call your local country radio dj and request |
| they are the ones going out every night and listening | | | | some of the classics. If enough people demand it to |
| to the crowd's reactions. The record company isn't | | | | come back to it's old ways, Nashville will have to take |
| there to say, "Man, they love that steel guitar."The | | | | notice.Jeffery S. Miller is the author of the Higgins |
| pop market has infiltrated country music. It started | | | | Series. Miller is an avid traditional country music fan |
| way back in the 1970's. Country music started to | | | | and has recorded a few songs in the past. Miller |
| decline when they allowed pop mixtures in. Some | | | | invites you to visit his website and check out his |
| guys never got the respect they should've received. | | | | current title, "Higgins: An American Story. |