With this being my last blog post of the school year, I wondered what I would write about. After doing quite a bit of brainstorming and still coming up with nothing I decided to search the internet for a topic that might catch me by surprise. While searching, I came across a post that listed “The 10 Most Important People in Country Music.” This was something that caught my attention because I feel that an argument can be made as to who the most influential or most important people in country music are.
I remember at the beginning of this course Dusty gave us a list of several artists and bands and asked us to list the top ten people who we thought were most influential to the genre of country music. When we did this exercise I was actually pretty surprised to find out that artists such as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and Aerosmith had such big influences on country music (according to CMT). There were also artists on the list who I would’ve guessed to be higher up and artists who, in my opinion, should’ve been a bit lower.
One of the things that the AXS article mentions which I agree with is the fact that the sound of country music has changed so much over the course of the years. Their inclusion of George Strait, Merle Haggard, and Johnny Cash as some of the greatest contributors to country music is also something that I can easily agree with. However, there are some artists who I question why they are considered the “most important” in country music.
The list of artists doesn’t seem to have an order as to which artist is most and least important on their list. A short description is given about each artist and/or their music as to why they are considered to be important or to have made significant contributions to the genre. The artists noted for being the most important in country music include: Johnny Cash, Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, Merle Haggard, The Judds, Dolly Parton, Luke Bryan, Faith Hill, George Strait, and last but not least Hank Williams.
While I’m not trying to be mean, I feel that Luke Bryan and Taylor Swift could easily have been replaced by someone who has been around longer and has made a bigger impact on country music such as Willie Nelson, Reba, or even Elvis. I actually found it rather amusing that the reason AXS provided for Luke Bryan’s importance to country music was because of his “signature booty shake” and his ability to “make grown women swoon” with his song lyrics. This might just be my personal opinion but I think it should take more than booty shaking in order to make it onto a list of country’s most important figures.
Feel free to let me know what you think of the list compiled by AXS. Who do you think should’ve been included in this list and who do you think should’ve been left off?
Bailey, Tiffany. “The 10 Most Important People in Country Music.” AXS. 24 Mar. 2015. Web. 3 May 2015.
With great anticipation I was counting down the days until the The Randy Rogers Band in concert. I rounded up a huge group to see him live at Floore’s country store on Saturday, April 25th. The week before I listened to all my favorite songs on repeat. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I listened to the albums Trouble, Burning the Day Away, and Randy Rogers Band. Late Tuesday afternoon I realized I was missing something. Randy’s new duet album recorded with Wade Bowen had just been released at record stores that very day. I needed to go to Waterloo records to pick up a copy. I hopped in the car, picked up my best friend Jake, who introduced me to Randy Roger’s music, and headed for Waterloo. The savory smells of 24 Diner greeted us as we approached the record store. Randy Roger’s voice welcomed us over the loud speaker singing a song I had never heard before. We scanned the rows of records for the country music label that would lead us to Randy’s new album, instead it lead us to Randy himself, in the flesh. Yep, Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen stood in the far corner of the store signing albums and greeting fans. My soul began to soar as my dreams were coming true. My heart beat fast as Jake and I stood in line preparing ourselves to meet our favorite Texas Country artist. He wore a plaid button up and trucker hat. His sleeves were rolled up enough to reveal large tattoos covering his upper forearms. I said hello and that I couldn’t wait to see him that Saturday! He was a polite, but a shy guy, with a well groomed beard and mellow speaking voice. He was glad to hear I’d be joining him at Floore’s country store later that week and told me he would be performing a song or two off the new album. We discussed one of the songs, “Hold my Beer”. My day was absolutely made! What an outstanding surprise! Randy and Wade had performed live in Waterloo records earlier that day to promote their album and I arrived just in time to meet them before they moved on to their next obligation. It was my lucky day. By the time Saturday rolled around I was loving the new album and pumped for the concert. The songs I was most excited to hear were my old favorites, ”Buy Myself a Chance”, ” In My Arms Instead”, and my from the new album,” Standards”. “Standards” is Randy and Wade’s pledge to always sing good quality songs, not shallow fluffy pop without meaning like many country artists do today.
