Country music is alive and well

I drove my pickup into the lot, put it in park, opened the door and let my freshly-shined cowboy boots hit the pavement below. Country had come to town. No. Not town, but the big city of Nashville or, as many call it today, NashVegas. I was there to take advantage of what had made the city famous- Country music — and there was plenty of it.

Twang oozed from the honkytonks of Broadway and filled the streets with a thick melody that could only be described as Downtown Nashville. From the guitar-playing cowboy on stage at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge to the half-drunk coed belting out loud lyrics in the karaoke bar, each contributed their own seasoning to the Music City recipe, creating a wonderful dish that left me begging for a second helping.

Country music has always been my genre of choice. Needless to say, I know what Barbara Mandrell meant when she sang, “I was listening to the Opry when all my friends were digging Rock & Roll and Rhythm & Blues.” The older the music is, the louder I listened to it.

But the days of Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline and Hank Snow are over. In the golden age of Country, all that was needed was a fiddle, steel guitar and a haunting voice to sell a million records. A person didn’t have to be drop-dead gorgeous to make it in the industry, just had to be able to sing or play. (If you don’t believe me, find a picture of Opry star Cousin Jody.)

That has certainly changed today, as having a good voice is not enough. The majority of today’s Country stars look more like models than singers and there are very few of them that have convincing voices. When Hank Williams sang “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” or “Your Cheating Heart,” you felt the pain in his voice. Most of the stars of “New Country” seem to lack this depth of feeling that can make the listener laugh or cry. (Crying goes without saying in Country music, but if you don’t believe it can make you laugh, look up Cousin Jody, or pick up a Tom T. Hall or Little Jimmy Dickens album.)

Some of the young folks are keeping it “real” in Country, though. Chris Young singing “Rainy Night in Georgia” can make you forget your troubles and feel sorry for him. I’m scared of Miranda Lambert because I believe her lyrics and really think she will shoot me. Jason Aldean brought Country and Rap together with “Dirt Road Anthem” and seems like a real guy you could have a cold beer with. As long as folks like this are around, Country music will never die, but live on and on.

This is good for the droves of diverse fans that flock to Nashville to partake in all Music City has to offer. All around downtown, grandpas in cowboy boots are toe-tapping, while preppies in their little cardigan sweaters and loafers are singing aloud. It just goes to show, there’s a Country song to match any person’s life.

With several thousand other people, I walked into Bridgestone Arena to hear Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean play to a sold-out crowd. Looking around, I learned Country fans had changed just as the stars had. Whether it is because not many people smoke anymore or because cell phones are so prevalent, but when Luke Bryan started into one of his slow songs, an electronic glow filled the arena. Those same cell phones, when they weren’t being waved around, were being used to download new songs, whereas before you’d have to wait until after the show to buy the album.

Yes, Country music has changed, but hasn’t everything? Some change is good, some not as good. But as long as there’s a fiddle and steel guitar around, everything will be OK. Perhaps Merle Haggard summed it up best when he sang “The good times ain’t over for good.”

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Named a Tennessee colonel by Gov. Phil Bredesen, Adam Southern is resident of Culleoka and can be followed at http://colonelsouthern.blogspot.com.