Some Folks Are More Important Than Others

How politically incorrect is the statement “some folks are more important than others?” In a time where you get participation trophies, and the winner and loser concepts are tapped down, life goes on, but sometimes the lead singer/morning man leaving is devastating.

It's undeniable. NBC’s “The Voice” losing Blake Shelton and adding a boy band guy and a rapper sure looks like a desperate attempt to save a dying show.

Blake either jumped or was pushed, and it doesn’t matter. He had a great run and is now a huge multi-genre star that only mass exposure on prime time TV can create.

He made millions, and he’s just 46 and can go plow his fields in Oklahoma or anything else. Everything has a shelf life.

Twenty-three seasons and 12 years for Blake … that’s a wow in any TV history book.

While Blake was making all his life and career changes, look at the great success of his ex wife. It is so great that they both survived and thrived since that breakup. Both did fantastic, actually. That is rarely how that story is written.

Miranda Lambert is killing it these days. Her Vegas residency seems to be a success. Her new radio release, “Strange,” should be a big hit. The happiness/glow in her video for the song is so obvious.

Nearly 900,000 tickets were sold for this just-wrapped Morgan Wallen “Dangerous” tour, with 55 dates and a record-breaking attendance at the Arlington, TX show. What will the CMA voters do for Morgan or Miranda? Hmmmmmm.

The death of Anita Kerr this week brought back an old nagging issue: How many care about the history of Music Row?

The Anita Kerr Singers should be in the Country Music Hall of Fame and The Musicians Hall of Fame. Maybe they are in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. [Editor’s note: They aren’t] A little homework would show what an impact they had on Music Row.

Maybe it’s too complicated putting them in with various members over the years: Brenda Lee, Roy Orbison, “Jingle Bell Rock” and their own Top 10 Pop hit, “Forever.” The called themselves the Little Dippers for that one. Still, so much history on Music Row has slipped through the cracks.

Why isn’t Music Row titan Buddy Killen in the Hall of Fame? He wrote that hit, “Forever,” and produced it. I’m not going to list his accomplishments as a producer/songwriter/publisher (but will upon request). He was so helpful and important to so many. Tree Publishing was his baby after Jack Stapp passed it on. Next to Acuff-Rose publishing, how important was Tree?

History is a too often a glanced-over subject. The whole concept of look forward, not backward? I get it. Just seems wrong not to recognize and respect the people who built this giant, world-renowned music mecca. Might learn something from those folks, too.

Sixty-four tracks alone never made better music than the 4/8 track. Dolby this and Atmos that, and the primitively recorded “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and

“El Paso” still sound great and are great.

Put Buddy Killen in the Country Music Hall of Fame … jeez!