What Is Country Anyway?

So, the Grammy committee says Kasey Musgraves’ new album does not fit into the Country genre enough to qualify for consideration for Best Country Album.

Kasey’s label is mad as a murder hornet!

Maybe an independent screening committee should listen to all the music headed to Country radio? A whole bunch of that stuff doesn’t fit in the Country genre either.

Everything that’s been sent out from Nashville labels shouldn’t qualify as Country. But whoops, there’s no screening committee! It’s Rap, it’s Rock, it’s often bad Pop. Are they pushing the envelope or pushing an agenda with some of these efforts?

It’s long been observed that the leadership on 16th Avenue wants to get away from mullet haircuts and cowboy hats. Not crazy about the steel guitar and not thrilled with “girl “ singers generally. 16th Avenue is corporate radio and consultants and the streamer labels.

Who knows why all of a sudden the Grammys decided to take on Kasey. Seems very out of character.

But does anything surprise you these days? Like that TMZ story showing Tim McGraw engaging with some hecklers at a show in Reno. One artist got more than a heckler recently. They got hit in mid-song with an open beer can. Others have tried to unfurl political banners, and then there’s always the usual drunk patron episodes. We live in a time where over four million people quit their jobs last month.

Some things are normal feeling. How about that new video from Luke Bryan about TV fisherman Bill Dance? The song, “Bill Dance,” with Luke and Bill, is just fun and just what many think is what Country music is and should be: a sense of humor and country lifestyle lyrics. Country fans in NYC might not get it, and that’s who the labels are trying to snag.

Garth Brooks did the Oklahoma City dive bar. Chris Stapleton has done a song with Carlos Santana called “Joy.” Stapleton and Kasey Musgraves should tour and drive all the screening committees crazy!

Wonder who went to see the Rolling Stones at Nissan Stadium? Mick Jagger has stopped singing “Brown Sugar.” Has anyone ever read the lyrics? Google them. See what you think. Jagger was all over the place while in town last week. They are amazing.

How fun would it be to see Willie Nelson and George Strait at the new Moody Center in Austin on April 29th, 2022? It’s a new, 15,000-seat arena for Austin replacing the old UT arena.

Tour season is wrapping for many of the summer tour folks. Others, like Reba McEntire, are about to start up the tours.