Better Take Another Look

I'm en route to the North Pole ... last one on Music Row turn out the lights. Now that 2019 is about done, we are another year older and, as John Lennon once sang, "I hope you had fun."

Did we see some shooting stars in the sky this year or what? Luke Combs is on a roll like we haven't seen in a long time. Dare I say Garth Brooks-like, but that comparison is way too early. He will really start seeing his bank account grow in 2020, and I hope that doesn't change this everyman star of the minute.

Miranda Lambert got happy this year. Garth won for the seventh time a trophy that can only be understood by attending his stadium shows, CMA Entertainer of the Year.

We were reminded how great and important Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire are to Country music. Both of those ladies command the stage uniquely and with great warmth. The young ladies must have been in awe of Reba's "Fancy" performance on the CMA Awards. Not many have ever commanded the stage with that kind of grace and power.

Dolly is simply a national treasure, and she seems to be working harder every year. Her Netflix series is on now. She even had a SiriusXM channel this year.

As for the Grammys, they serve one great purpose: They draw attention to songs and artists that may have slipped by, like Tanya Tucker's album. The Pistol Annies deserve a second look. Who are Lizzo, Tank and the Bangas and Lewis Capaldi? The Grammys bring you up to speed in the areas where you might be deficient.

Also in 2019, Alabama's Randy Owen was honored by the CMA with the Humanitarian Award. All of those $875 million raised by the "Country Cares" program for St Jude's Children's Research Hospital have his fingerprints on them. I met Randy for the first time at a Rhubarb Jones charity golf tournament. He's always been doing things for others with that Fort Payne-made heart. He is such a role model on so many levels.

The Taylor Swift year may be remembered for the disputes. The Swift war on Music Row is not the first, but sure is one of the biggest. It will spill over into 2020 too. The battle's won, but not the war.

Did we see the style direction change in Country this year? Maybe some bro Country tone down and, thanks to Luke Combs, maybe some Hank Williams, Jr.-style Country coming back in, and some edge.

Groups are in. The women of Country will return with great music not because it's mandated by activists. Too many to name, but the talent pool is deep on the female side of the ledger. Now to record some music men and women can enjoy. Brandi Carlile and Ashley McBryde got the attention in 2019, now what will they do with it? Kasey Musgraves danced the full circle finishing at the CMAs. Her song with Willie Nelson was so sweet and powerful.

We have seen that our elders are fragile. We have seen that Nashville might have grown too fast and too crazy.

The Musicians Hall of Fame led by Joe Chambers had a breakthrough year with the Rolling Stones exhibit and its recent induction ceremony. The new TV show that's also on YouTube is must-see. It features Mike Curb, James Pankow of Chicago, Steve Lukather and many others talking music. Long-needed and now done.

We've seen the ups and downs of so many careers: marriages, new babies, losing awards, social media blowback, DUI arrests. There was Hall of Fame recognition finally for some, and 2019 has been at times exhausting.

All in all, we made it through. The times they are a changing faster and faster. Better keep evolving and work hard not to get stale. It's hard to keep up, but hard work and persistence still work on Music Row. No one has the magic secret recipe. Just be on the lookout for the Lil Nas Xs of the world. Forbes says he made $14 million in the last year. We all would love that, right?

Happy Christmas. Let's hope it's a good one, without any fear. Thanks, John. Now play me "Christmas in Dixie." Good night.