Comments on: Saturday Night Live Slates Tim McGraw For Nov. 22 Hosting Duties

By: Jim C.

Jim C. — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:39:33 +0000

Had my first Taylor Swift exposure last night when she appeared on Letterman.

While not as bad as I expected, leaving out the country/not country question, I’d like to suggest that her fans check out TIFT MERRITT!

By: Jessica

Jessica — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 04:23:39 +0000

Glad to see another article in regards to Hank III on here. Woohoo! :) If you ever get the chance, do a search on youtube for interview videos and such of him. You never know what you might find.

John Michael Montgomery has had his share of antics with shows and such in the past. It will be a lot harder because his prime was several years ago. Once he made it, he was known as “that singer” who was drunk at shows, slurred through songs and much more. Thankfully he sought treatment and got help. It isn’t unusual to run into him. His bar & grill in Nicholasville has some good country cookin to try out if you are ever in the area…and you might catch him in there if he isn’t on the road.

A lot of “hot artists” from the 90s fade away as new talent emerged into the scene. That’s how it goes…look at Dolly, George Jones, Conway, etc…you don’t hear them played on the radio even they were hot back before some of our generation was born. It is rare to hear the hot acts like Shania, Clay Walker, Mark Chesnut, Joe Diffie, etc on the radio anymore….they have been replaced by Taylor, Carrie, Rascal Flatts, etc.

By: Razor X

Razor X — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:53:21 +0000

I’m a little puzzled by the announcement of the two “new” Patty Loveless tracks. They’re basically, remixes of songs that were already released. How different can they be from the original versions? I don’t understand what the big deal is.

By: stormy

stormy — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:20:10 +0000

Taylor’s formula pretty much exactly mimics Shania Twain’s, right up probably through the short shelf life.

The thing about reinstating Hank Williams–If Pete Fisher could just get over the idea of associating the Opry with country music, it would be the biggest publicity coup of his career.

By: Rick

Rick — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:49:50 +0000

One of the things that has made Taylor Swift a phenomenon is precisely that she did not follow any existing formula. Taylor’s combination of dogged determination and drive, her physical beauty, her endearing personality, and her unique songwriting ability and performing style just happened to click with a very sizable audience segment that she may very well have created! I am not a fan of her music personally BUT I totally understand why she is as popular as she is. Carrie Underwood earned a huge audience through A.I. but Taylor earned hers the old fashioned way one listener at a time with her own music, which is a much greater achievement in my book. I still think she should do a Disney Channel series like The Jonas Brothers to strike while the iron is hot, but she is so busy she likely couldn’t spare the time…..

Just the fact Hank III is getting in Pete Fisher’s face is enough to make me cheer him on! Go Shelton! Having the same “Opry Legends” singing the same tired old “classics” show after show, week after week, year after year has turned 50% or more of each Opry show into a Branson type experience. The only change to the standard line-up happens when a “legend” passes away. Pete should learn “Variety is the spice of life” and apply it to the Opry……

By: Mike Parker

Mike Parker — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:49:44 +0000

Dr. No, that would be a great monologue skit for Tim.

I’ve never really liked JMM. I pretty much credit him as an instigators of the whole pop-country movement. For a good stretch, he released nothing but sappy love songs that were constructed to be crossover hits.

But then, I am not in his target demographic…

By: Dr. No

Dr. No — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:07:41 +0000

Will Tim McGraw do his monologue/skits through a Pro Tools program?

By: Brady Vercher

Brady Vercher — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:42:18 +0000

Either the country industry still targets a demographic that’s susceptible to an economic downturn (economically challenged teenagers?); it’s grasping at straws, running around like a chicken without a head, while alienating it’s audience; or both (most likely). Check the numbers from The Tennessean article about the CMA Awards:

Through the beginning of November, sales of country music albums, including digital albums and equivalents, had dropped 26 percent to 34.7 million units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

That was a greater decline than in overall album sales, which had fallen 14 percent over the same period.

Country music’s share of the market has consequently slipped to 10.4 percent, down from 11.5 percent last year and 12.7 percent in 2006.

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I like the quoted paragraph from Barry Mazor’s article on the Opry and his thoughts on the campaign to reinstate Hank are spot on. You can’t be the member of a staff or cast if you’re not alive.

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I’ve given JMM’s latest album a few listens and don’t care for it, but if he weren’t interested in radio success and were paired up with the right producer, he could make some great music.

By: Josh

Josh — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:25:30 +0000

Sad for JMM. I always liked him, but I don’t know if he will ever get back to what he once was.