Ask Kix…Everything you wanna know about country music! Our listeners submit their questions about country music and Kix will answer…
This week's question is from Madison who writes…
Dear Kix,
I wonder how you feel about country singers and music, as a whole, these days. It seems like music and artists were very different in your and Ronnie’s day. So, who are your favorites and why? My favorite singer is Taylor Swift!
Thanks, Kix!
Signed,
Madison
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Kix's Response:
Thanks for your question! I love country music, Madison. It’s easy to throw stones at what’s going on because it’s not what it used to be, but honestly, things have always been that way. I remember one night out in Bakersfield, Buck Owens told me about how they had booed him at the Opry for playing an electric guitar too loud and now of course he’s considered an old school traditionalist.
Like the song says – "time marches on" – and the young fans out there direct the course of country music. These songs are on the radio because thousands of requests come in for them – there’s passion for this music! And, if you listen to my segment here on the Countdown about downloads, you guys are buying this music by the millions! That’s what drives our business and it’s the audience that tells us what to play!
The greats from the past are still great – that music lives on, but as new audiences come in, they want to make their own stars and hear music that’s fresh and maybe not just like what mom and dad were listening to. It was the same when Ronnie and I got our shot… We were influenced by different artists than say Ernest Tubb or Roy Acuff…and we heard more than once, “That ain’t country!”
Who do I like? You’re trying to get me in trouble now! I’ve always loved a great song, so I tend to lean towards a little heavier lyric like Eric Church and Brantley Gilbert, or Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley… and Blake Shelton knows a good song for sure… Luke Bryan makes it fun! Zac Brown and his band are really good and different. I love how Jason Aldean rocks it! Florida Georgia Line has certainly put a cool stamp on things. There are a lot of new songwriting artists coming up, too. Justin Moore is keeping it country, and yeah, I like Taylor Swift, too – she can really write!
And, for all my friends who I left out – it’s like saying thanks at an awards show – you get done and go, "Dang, I forgot to thank…"
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