I come from a Texas sized family who for over 7 generations have owned a South Texas cattle raising and farming ranch. I have grown up going down there my whole life for hunting trips, family reunions, rodeos, or just a free weekend to get away. The most obvious thing to do while your driving down a country road with nothing in sight but mesquite trees and brush piles is listen to country music. For that reason alone I clearly associate my favorite place in the world with my favorite kind of music. My dad grew up on the ranch and dreamt only of being a cowboy for the rest of his life (that didn’t stick, he’s an investment manager now…) but either way South Texas is what makes him happy. I love my dad. I love my whole family. We are all very close and we spend a lot of time together down there with country music always playing in the background of our constant conversation. Country music, you could say, bonds my number one community that is my family. From Robert Earl Keen to Jerry Jeff Walker to Big George to ole Willie, we probably know every lyric to every last ‘real’ country song. A 7 hour trip from Fort Worth, where we’re from, to Kingsville, Texas makes for a lot of hours of music and it is always country.
I am the youngest of four kids and I look up to all of them. What they think is cool, I think is cool. If my family listened to techno music, let’s be real, I probably would too. They liked Alan Jackson, so I liked Alan Jackson. They thought Brad Paisley was a tool so I thought Brad Paisley was a tool. Not to say I don’t have my own opinion about country music, I definitely do, but country music has just always been what I’ve listened to from day one. My very first concert, which I will never forget, was with my family and it was Brooks and Dunn. I was 7 years old and have had Neon Moon stuck in my head on repeat ever since. Country music brings back good memories, happy memories, and that is why it will always be my favorite. Country songs never get old. I have listened to My Maria no less than 400 times and it still is the best. What better thing to do with your favorite people than listen to the best kind of music.
Nice work! What a special story. Although I am not from Texas, my mother grew up on a ranch in the middle of no where outside College Station, and each summer my immediate family and I would go visit to see my mother’s large family at the ranch for several weeks! Therefore, I can relate to how country music is very much alive in that type of environment. Also, I think it is really cool how your older siblings influenced what you thought of in terms of country music. I am the oldest of just my sister and I, and your story made me realize how some of the music tastes she has was because of what I liked and disliked. Enjoyed reading this, and how your family shaped you into loving country music!
Unfortunately, I can only claim being a first generation Texan. My dad is from Montana, and while his grandpa owned a construction company up there, he also owned a ranch and always wanted to be a cowboy like his father. I think this is why my dad’s family has always been such big country music fans. It’s interesting to hear you say that you listened to whatever your family listened to, because I tried to fight against my parents music but eventually came to love it. Maybe it’s bound to happen to everyone at some point. I also think Brad Paisley is a tool, and am glad to see another Jerry Jeff fan in the class.
I, for one, do not recognize any of those names you listed as ‘real’ country. That amazes me. There’s an entire world of country music that I don’t know about, that many people don’t know about, and I guess you’re lucky enough to be one of the few in our generation that DO know. A seven-hour trip without changing the genre? Only to listen to more of that same genre during your time at the ranch? That’s ballsy. But it’s also interests me how it speaks to the fact that you can never get tired of country, and the old songs never get “too old.” This post really shows the connection that your family has through this particular genre, and it’s very admirable that this bond has no chance of breaking in the future. Thanks for sharing!