The Malec Minute: Country Music’s Biggest Night Wasn’t Country
If you tuned in last night to ABC’s broadcast of the 42nd annual CMA Awards expecting to see country music in even its most mainstream form, you were sorely disappointed. And if you are reading this website now, on the morning after, not because you’re looking for pictures of Kellie Pickler’s boobs but because you love country music, or because you like country music, or even because you have just a passing interest in one of the few contemporary art forms that can be said to be truly and uniquely American, you should feel both insulted and outraged by what you witnessed last night.
I most certainly am.
Those of you who are regular readers of this publication know that I am neither a pop-country apologist nor a fervent traditionalist; that I’m as likely to laud a squarely mainstream act like Sugarland as I am a so-called neo-traditionalist like Randy Travis (who, despite his stellar 2008 album Around the Bend, was wholly absent from last night’s broadcast). I believe firmly in the idea that country music resides under a so-called “big tent,” that it encompasses many different stylistic variations and themes, all of which combine to comprise the broad spectrum of “country” music.
Country music has always been a conglomerate of sorts, a twisted family tree with branches that intersect with numerous influences and values. Even in country’s earliest days there was a strong dichotomy between the so-called “morally good” music of the iconic Carter Family and the blues-informed music of Jimmie Rodgers. Later, country music as a whole would grow to include Western Swing, Bluegrass, Outlaw Music and many other “fringe” elements that were to the left or to the right of the genre’s center.
We would not see any of those fringe elements on stage last night. The Country Music Association has always largely ignored all but a select group of core artists, and its awards, though the most prestigious our genre has to offer, are politically driven by individuals who have a vested interested in protecting and growing record sales. The CMA Awards have never truly reflected the “best” of country music, and “Country’s Biggest Night” is more a promotional vessel than anything else.
So I expected last night to be a celebration of country music’s center, to be a showcase for those artists who are supposedly most appealing to the broader American public–the audience we’re trying to woo into our fold to help solidify tragically falling record sales. In that sense, last night was supposed to be about bringing new blood into country music.
What I didn’t expect, however, was that last night’s ceremony would represent, for the first time, not only an attempt to appeal to a mass audience by showcasing the genre’s most centrist, non-polarizing artists, and to broaden the scope and appeal of the broadcast by incorporating artists and music from other genres, but also a full-scale attempt to completely re-appropriate the term “country music” and make it mean something substantially different than what it really is.
And make no mistake—that’s what was happening last night at the Sommet Center in Nashville.
Somewhere between Kid Rock not-rocking and rapper Lil Wayne pretending to play the guitar, between the Wailers wailing and the Eagles (who have never been country, despite what Brad Paisley or anyone else says) performing in business suits, I had a moment of realization—this was not about celebrating country music at all; it was about moving past country music. It was about redefining “country music,” the term, as being not tied to a specific sound or even a specific artistic aesthetic, but rather to an ideology. Last night was not about showcasing country music’s center—it was about positioning country music at the center of American music, about presenting country music as an all-encompassing format which embraces what are supposedly “Main Street American” values and tastes.
It was, in that regard, an attempt to shift “country music” off its axis so as to fill the gap left by pop music as pop continues to struggle with its definition in an era where there is widening a schism between Adult Contemporary, Dance, and Hip-Hop. The CMA wants to make country music an American standard, something that completely leaves behind its country roots so that it can be more appealing to a suburban audience.
What it doesn’t seem to recognize, however, is that standardization is the reason for pop’s decline. Standardization is why the pop music of the 80s and 90s has failed in the new century, and it’s the reason why country music, as an industry, will fail as well. Standardization makes the music boring and irrelevant.
Last night, we saw a lot of performers, and heard a lot of music, that was boring and irrelevant. Even some of our most promising and talented artists, Miranda Lambert for one, offered up performances that will be forgotten by the end of the week.
If you have any doubt at all that what I’m conveying to you about country music’s standardization is true, look no further than a man who was, without question, one of the evening’s most genuinely country-sounding performers. Rock convert Darius Rucker, who wanted to make country music because he grew up listening to it and had it etched in his heart, chose to forgo the glitzy sets and production gimmicks that almost all of his peers utilized, instead simply standing on stage with his guitar while poured his heart into his song. This is telling because even as it was one of the most country performances of the night, it was not nearly as country as it might have been in other circumstances. Rucker is a man who wanted to make a truly country album, one full of waltzes and two-steps. He wasn’t allowed to do so by his label, for fear that it wouldn’t be able to find a radio market.
And even with all of that—even having tweaked his sound to be less country, I cannot help but feel that Rucker seemed musically out of place last night. Think about that—Darius Rucker, lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish, was too country for the country music awards.
Instead of trying to sanitize and standardize country music, the CMA should be embracing country music’s niche styles, celebrating its diversity, and awarding its true talent. If the CMA wants country music to be cool, to be able to appeal to a younger demographic, all it has to do is look at the success that it has already had in the rare instances when it has embraced non-mainstream artists.
If the CMA thinks teenagers and college students, as a whole, don’t like bluegrass, it should look at the success of O Brother, Where Art Thou?. If it thinks that no one wants to hear traditional sounding country, it should look at the regional success of bands like 1100 Springs or Jason Boland and the Stragglers. If the CMA thinks music has to be slick, polished, up-tempo, and positive to be commercially viable, it should look at the sales figures for Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.
Instead, the CMA thinks it best to put Jason Aldean up on stage to sing a slightly twangy rock song, ironically titled “She’s Country.”
And therein lies the problem. In 1995 Jason Aldean would be selling triple platinum. Teenage girls would be lining up at the record store’s doors to buy his album on release day; because he’d be dominating radio, the place where everyone who liked a certain type of music learned what was new and cool.
But this ain’t 1995, and radio is no longer the gatekeeper. Those same teenage girls now have (literally) all of the music in the world at their fingertips. And so the monoculture is dead. One teenage girl likes Jason Aldean while her friend prefers Chris Cagle. But each only likes their chosen artist enough, if either artist is lucky, to download the new single, or a few hits, from iTunes. The music is nice but it’s not exciting. And the industry doesn’t know how to deal with that. It’s stuck trying to sell people music that they don’t really want to own.
Country music has a wealth of exciting music, from a wide pool of sub-genres, that could engage almost any potential listener, of any age. The CMA should be working to bring those artists and their music into the public eye. They should be working to show us why country music is cool–because Jason Aldean can share a stage with Jason Boland, and because Kasey Chambers can share a stage with Carrie Underwood.
Last night, they showed us why what they’re pushing as country music–homogeneous, unoffensive, uncreative–isn’t cool at all.
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November 13, 2008 at 12:28 pm Permalink
AMEN!! A-Frieaking-MEN!!! I never thought I would say this after my week at Brokeback, but Jim, I dont know how to quit you….
November 13, 2008 at 12:40 pm Permalink
Hail, Jim Malec.
November 13, 2008 at 12:48 pm Permalink
great rant. great.
November 13, 2008 at 1:01 pm Permalink
Great article Jim, although sadly I don’t think it will make Nashville tremble as they have insulated themselves from meaningful feedback. The “C” in CMA should stand for “Commercial” as its the biggest selling, most commercially popular acts on Top 40 mainstream radio that get lauded.
Another major factor regarding last night’s show was that whenever you have a primetime show on a major broadcast network the entire goal is ratings! By featuring non-country artists the network hopes to attract a wider audience than just country music fans and this awards show was very skewed towards mass market appeal as you’ve described. When you have the CMA in cahoots with a major TV network and airhead country radio being its marketing mechanism, I just don’t expect quality or variety springing forth from such a confederation. As for the CMA, their motto should be “Where Commercial Mediocrity Reigns Supreme!”.
November 13, 2008 at 1:09 pm Permalink
By the way, the radio ads kept mentioning that there was going to be a “buzz-worthy” surprise performance…did they ever get around to that? Also, how buzz-worthy can somehting be if we are being told by a commercial that it is “buzz-worthy”?
If I hear that this alleged buzz was for friggin’ Botox McEntire joining with Brooks & Dunn, I’ll hurl, cuz if there is one thing that isnt “once in a lifetime” as that performance kept getting called, its a performance where the performers have actually toured and performed together before…
November 13, 2008 at 1:26 pm Permalink
I could not agree more! I was disgusted by the way some of today’s top-earning “artists” sounded like cats bein’ skinned alive on that stage! It was painful and disheartening.
~WC~
November 13, 2008 at 1:35 pm Permalink
Is anybody really surprised by any of this? The CMA hasn’t promoted country music for a long time now.
November 13, 2008 at 1:50 pm Permalink
really, really great piece Jim. Inspired. My favorite Malec Minute yet. Good job partner.
November 13, 2008 at 2:10 pm Permalink
Problem well stated… now what’s the solution? If they run Jason Boland out there, 50 percent of their audience will think “Who is this guy,” 49.9% will change the channel, and .1% will fall over in shock and amazement.
It’s about discovery and instant gratification. I’m convinced that if avid radio listeners knew of, and had quick access to the Kasey Chambers’ and Reckless Kelly’s of the world they’d tune in. It’s just so much easier to tune in to garbage and pretend it’s gold.
November 13, 2008 at 2:18 pm Permalink
I was in Grand Junction, CO a few weeks ago on business. 92.1 (I believe, maybe 92.7) played Slobberbone, Miranda, Sugarland, Shooter, Allman Brothers, Dierks, Gary Allan, Montgomery Gentry and yes, even Taylor all in a row. I didnt turn the station once in 3 days of driving around…
November 13, 2008 at 2:32 pm Permalink
Thank you.
November 13, 2008 at 2:58 pm Permalink
I guess I’ll be the bad guy who doesn’t agree, but that’s cool. I usually agree with you Jim so we can still be friends after this, right? :-)
For me the biggest throwaways were Miss Hoochie Pickler strutting around, Taylor’s pathetic vocal on “Love Story” and James Otto’s awkward performance of “Just Got Started Lovin’ You.”
However I also have to say that I was floored (as usual) by Carrie Underwood, and really loved the performances by Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, Sugarland, George Strait and Miranda Lambert. Do you really think those artists don’t deserve to be recognized for the music they’ve made in the last year?! Sure there may be a more diverse way to show the facets of country music, but if we’re talking about 3 hours to show talented and successful country music acts of the last 12 months I believe they did it. The one thing I would have added to the show last night would be to get Alison Krauss up on that stage moving me to tears with her version of Tom Waits’ “Trampled Rose” but then I would have died of happiness, so maybe it’s better it didn’t happen.
Other than that I was pleased and entertained with the show. Okay, go ahead and skin me alive now.
November 13, 2008 at 3:21 pm Permalink
Thank you Jim. From the guitar playing of Keith Urban to Kenny Chensey winning his fourth “Entertainer of the Year” award- and being handed to him by Shania Twain-three hours of that stuff will kill you. I love country music and what it use to mean. Last night felt dirty, chessy and over-produced. If last night was a record I wouldn’t buy it, and it wouldn’t be in the country section. Are music industry people that greedy? Would they really ruin country so they can drive in a Rolls? When Chensey talked about great songs last night I thought if only he knew one.
I blame the fans. If they demanded better music- by not making a number one hit out of all the crap feed to them by radio and video -then maybe that would shock the system. I only wish that Charlie Rich had been there last night. He at least could have burned the envelope that named Rascal Flatts as the best vocal group in country music!
November 13, 2008 at 3:32 pm Permalink
Amen Jim! I agree with every word.
November 13, 2008 at 3:38 pm Permalink
I read the online blogs before watching the show last night, and still it was worse than I had imagined. Besides sounding horrible (wow, bad sound system), it didn’t even try to be country. I think it was Dan who said last night that country music hates itself. It certainly seems to hate its roots and everything that made it great. I can easily name 15 pop or rock acts that influenced what I saw on stage last night. I can’t name as single country one.
There’s a country station in my town (think 8th largest US city) that advertises this way: It plays a classic Johnny Cash song for a few seconds, and then it scratches it out and says “This isn’t your grandparent’s country” before moving into a Rascal Flatts promo. The first time I heard the ad I was really excited - I thought they were actually going to play Johnny Cash. Stupid me. They are embarrassing themselves and I wonder if they even know it.
Kelly’s right - a mixed bag is the best way to go.
November 13, 2008 at 3:55 pm Permalink
Maybe I was tired, maybe my stereo system is horrid, and maybe I only watched about half the award show- but I’m fairly certain that most of the performers looked a) bored or b) frightened. I loved Miranda’s performance and it at least looked like Urban and Paisley were having a good time. I also thought Kid Rock was very entertaining. But…Taylor Swift looked like someone just died, her performance was so subdued and her magic act was completely underwhelming. Rodney Atkins looked like he was tired, confused, and had put on a bundh of weight. Martina seemed like she was trying too hard to compete with the younguns, and Pickler acted like a stripper trying to do karaoke to a Taylor Swift song.
Craig- how can the fans demand better if the mass majority of fans don’t know any better?
November 13, 2008 at 6:11 pm Permalink
Brings up the point that was made not long ago on this web site- where were people like ashton sheperd or jamey johnson last night? Maybe Jamey’s cd hasn’t been out long enough but Ashton should have been included in best new artist at least.
November 13, 2008 at 6:44 pm Permalink
Hear hear. I don’t think there is a genre of music that has been quite so ruined by the ‘powers that be’ than Country music. An absolute tragedy that the music that Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family and Hank Williams built goes under the same banner as some of todays ‘oountry acts’. One of the saddest demises in music history.
November 13, 2008 at 6:51 pm Permalink
Hmm…I unfortunately had to miss out on the CMA last night due to ungodly Master’s essay paper that’s due tomorrow. :P Lucky me! Anyone know where there are great links to watch at least a few performers? I am really curious about KU & BP interchange. They both are awesome stars on their own stage, but do they mix well together? I wonder… Also, I want to say this is one of the most thought-provoking entry I’ve seen so far. Jim, I salute you and hats off to your glory of rants.
November 13, 2008 at 8:03 pm Permalink
Craig R. said: “I blame the fans. If they demanded better music- by not making a number one hit out of all the crap feed to them by radio and video -then maybe that would shock the system.”
Craig, fans don’t make #1 hits; radio decides what will get played and what the fans want doesn’t enter into the equation.
November 13, 2008 at 8:26 pm Permalink
Great read Jim!! That was the most pathetic “country” music awards show I’ve ever seen. I was thinking the exact same thing you were watching the Rucker performance.
November 13, 2008 at 8:59 pm Permalink
Last night was ridiculous! It was nearly torture to watch. Of course i enjoyed Miranda’s performance, and as much as i hate to admit it Carries was pretty good too, even though her dress moved more than her during her performance. Jason Aldean who im a fan of sang im not sure what, i couldnt understand a word. Jimmy Buffet, i mean Kenny Chesney did island music as usual, and i wanted to personally drag Kid Rock and Lil Wayne off the stage and lock them out of the building never to return. Taylor Swift..well lets not even go there. The CMAs have been but are now pop/rock/not country more now than even. Like Travis Tritt says “Country aint country no more”!!
November 13, 2008 at 9:04 pm Permalink
“And if you are reading this website now, on the morning after, not because you’re looking for pictures of Kellie Pickler’s boobs but because you love country music…”
That gave me quite a good laugh
November 13, 2008 at 9:18 pm Permalink
Actually Shania’s boobs were far more impressive than Kellie Pickler’s. Natural enhancement via having children did its magic for Shania…..
November 14, 2008 at 12:19 am Permalink
I agree to some extent with Jim Malec. but let me be honest: I thoroughly enjoyed the show last night. Say what you will, it was entertaining, and that is the most important thing.
Carrie Underwood was clearly the highlight of the show… and if you dare to call her song or performance anything but moving and real, I will give up understanding people.
I also loved Darius Rucker and Miranda Lambert. I thought they were wonderful.
Lady Antebellum gave a great live performance, and so did Kid Rock.
Miranda and Carrie are two good omens for the future of country music. They are incredibly talented and both try to stay true to country music. Both refuse to remix their songs to pop radio, unlike the highly over-rated Taylor Swift.
The problem with country music right now– is what is represented by Taylor swift, Jessica Simpson, and Julianne Hough, KEllie Pickler, etc.
I call them the 4 Blonde Bimbo’s from Hell. None are very good singers, and all seem plastic and either trashy or vanilla, depending on your perspective. lol
Taylor is the worst omen for the future of country music. If someone with that bad of a voice, can go this far, selling millions of albums and being treated like she is the new coming of Christ– then countrymusic is in serious trouble, indeed.
November 14, 2008 at 12:28 am Permalink
Mirandas2cool— hey I am a miranda fan and a Texan– but for you to pick on poor Carrie for not getting down to a sad ballad like Just a Dream is pretty lame. Just a Dream is a very serious, sorrowful ballad honoring the loss of a husband in wartime.
What was Carrie supposed to do– jump around smiling and dancing? Please people. If s he had a huge stage production, it would have taken away from the beautiful simplicity of the song…
Her voice was enough to carry the song and emotion— any hoopla like Taylor had, would have ruined it all, and made it seem contrived and cheap, like Taylor or Kellie’s performances.
Miranda sat on a stool and sang. She did not move. So how was Carrie different?
Both were incredible. Neither needed props or hoopla.
So Jim Malec– I actually disagree with you on those 2 performances. I think Carrie and Miranda honored what is beautiful about country music last night.
Taylor and Kellie showed us what is wrong with country music last night.
November 14, 2008 at 2:54 am Permalink
Texasfan,
What Mirandas2cool meant is that s/he is annoyed with the fluff-ish thinggy on Carrie’s dress. As with her performance, without a doubt the emotions are real, and the idea of her standing there just singing is fairly awesome. I think she could use a micstand though, because to me it will feels weird if I have to stand up there holding a mic and sing. Nevertheless, it was a good performance.
Stop picking on Taylor Swift. She, of course, ruined her beautifully written song with her bad vocals. I’m fairly sure she doesn’t wants that either. At least she did put up a good performance(the dress change, dancers) and tried to sing it good and NOT lip-sync
November 14, 2008 at 6:49 am Permalink
Right on the money, Jim
I recorded the show so I could bypass a lotta the lowpoints. Didn’t work!
What stunned me were the rampant technical problems that should never plague a major production on such a big stage. Lead vocals were buried in the mix, backing vocals too loud, singers out of tune (likely due to difficulties with the in-ear monitors) and God knows what it was that caused Otto to blow the opening line to his song and continue strumming while no music was playing!
far from being the best that country has to offer…
November 14, 2008 at 8:39 am Permalink
JD I did exactly the same thing, and watched the entire show in less than 45 minutes — I think I watched maybe three preformances and buzzed through all of CU’s ridiculous outfits, etc.
Sorry but I have to agree, what has country music come to - and I have to agree with Jim, there was nothing about the show that I enjoyed, except a few of the performances.
I think one of my favorite remarks was by LA - when he said it was not supposed to be this way - and I think he thought they were going to have to work a lot harder to get recognition, but it seems for people/groups that are very mainstream they are getting it very easily.
November 14, 2008 at 9:37 am Permalink
I got through the second half last night and found it to be much better than the first half. Carrie Underwood’s performance was great. I also thought Keith Urban was entertaining. Skipped the Eagles and the reggae portion of the Kenny Chesney show. Kenny, Carrie, and Brad all accepted their awards with class and respect for their genre. It doesn’t seem like they take their success for granted- which is refreshing.
Back to the Malec Minute though. Maybe a solution is for the CMA to find a way to recognize some of the country acts that are successful outside of the top 40 radio realm. It’s hard to figure out what kind of award or category they could construct that wouldn’t further separate the two factions- but there has got to be a way to get the Cross Canadian Ragweeds, Lucinda Williamses, and JT Earle in the door (assuming they’d want to come).
November 14, 2008 at 9:55 am Permalink
JD said:
“What stunned me were the rampant technical problems that should never plague a major production on such a big stage. Lead vocals were buried in the mix, backing vocals too loud, singers out of tune (likely due to difficulties with the in-ear monitors) and God knows what it was that caused Otto to blow the opening line to his song and continue strumming while no music was playing!”
The music was more than likely cranked up to drown out the horrendous singing that the majority of the “singers” do.
For the current state of country music, blame the people from LA and NY who came during the 90s country boom. They saw dollar signs and now that the boom is over, they are trying to cross-polinate and make up for their losses. They all blame illegal downloading. They never blame themselves.
November 14, 2008 at 10:37 am Permalink
I really think that James Otto was performing to a track instead of a live band. Was his guitar even on?
November 14, 2008 at 2:17 pm Permalink
Loved the article and couldn’t agree more.
As a younger individual who grew up hearing Trisha Yearwood, Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless, Garth Brooks, Blackhawk, etc. on the radio and seeing breath-taking performances of Martina McBride (Wrong Again) and Reba McEntire (Still) on the CMA Awards Show, I honestly don’t know how the other individuals of my generation can tolerate fake, poor performances.
While I do believe there is some phenomeonal talent out there (we all know Carrie can carry a tune and Lady Antebellum & Darius Rucker proved that they have the talent), why are we wasting/celebrating it on individuals like Kellie Pickler and James Otto. Remember when talent had to earn it’s place on the CMAs - now it seems like anyone can win a trophy or get, a once coveted, performance slot.
I think we have figured out the reason for lower, and lower ratings each year for the broadcast.
And please, please can we take 10 minutes out of the three hour broadcast to recognize the new members of the Hall of Fame. Really - a shout out by Vince Gill? So disheartening. And did they even recognize those we lost this year who contributed to Country Music? I ended up turning it off with still 30 minutes to go, but I saw no tribute to those we’ve lost this year like Porter Wagoner.
November 14, 2008 at 2:24 pm Permalink
Texasfan,
Gerald said what i meant, i was annoyed with the dress. I understand that was a slow ballad she isnt going to be running and jumping around on stage too. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
November 14, 2008 at 2:26 pm Permalink
Josh, Porter Wagoner passed away before last year’s CMAs and was recognized on that show. Brad Paisley did a short little tribute to Jerry Reed, but there wasn’t one for Eddy Arnold, who, I believe, was the only HoF member to pass away this year. I guess they figure the ACMs adequately recognized him and didn’t want to waste any time on it despite the ACMs not being the organization running the HoF.
I also don’t think they did enough to recognize the HoF members. I guess they figured a quick mention was enough to appease everyone.
I think you’re selling James Otto a little short, though.
November 14, 2008 at 2:54 pm Permalink
May I mention one other problem with the show: in the past when a country singer passed away the younger guys would perform two or three of their best known hits- why couldn’t they do that for Jerry Reed? Also when did being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame become a moment on the show. It use to be that we heard songs from the new inductees and then they came out and gave their thanks. Vince Gill didn’t even know if Emmylou Harris was there. That made me very sad.
November 14, 2008 at 3:06 pm Permalink
Tayers said: “I really think that James Otto was performing to a track instead of a live band. Was his guitar even on?”
Yes, it was a track and no, he was unplugged. But he strummed along like gangbusters even though the song had paused…and missed the first half of line one on vocals…he was clearly lost. Had to wonder what he was hearing in his ear monitor…
On another note, I never thought they’d release Strait’s River of Love as a single and was thrilled he played it on the show…gotta love those half-minute steel solos that usually get edited out these days!
November 14, 2008 at 4:18 pm Permalink
So who was the “surprise performer”? Reba? Or the hip-hop song?
November 14, 2008 at 4:50 pm Permalink
I miss Gretchen Wilson kind of. I just think she brought an edge when she had the right songs– and was a breath of fresh air. Her only problem is that she has not been releasing good songs lately. With the right songs- she will be back.
There were great performances last night- Miranda, Carrie, Darius, LAdy Antebellum, Keith and Brad, etc., and Martina was good.
But sometimes it does get a little predictable, so I agree with Jim on that point anyway.
November 15, 2008 at 3:21 pm Permalink
Yanno this problem surrounds me. Our church had heated discussions of a traditional service or contemporary service. The main cause was the music. Eventually, we decided on two different services-9:00 traditional; 11:00-contemporary
Why not have two awards per show? Contemporary Entertainer of the year; Traditional country Entertainer of the year? and etc.
It really wouldn’t take that much longer and give those critically acclaimed country artists a chance-Jamie Johnson, Ashton Shepherd; etc.
At least the show tried to balance some this year-Darius Rucker, Trace Adkins gave good country performances. But instead of the “Whalons” and “Eagles” what about some other country artists?
November 15, 2008 at 3:25 pm Permalink
Does Sony/ pay big bucks to buy votes? Don’t get me wrong..I think Carrie deserved it again, if votes are given for success and singing ability, etc But I did notice that Kenny, Brad and Carrie all belong to Sony. Yanno Carrie has spoken highly of Miranda many times now, and as it seems you get only 3 years tops to receive an award, I’m assuming Miranda will be the next FVOY and again deservingly so…but curious again, she’s with SONY.
November 15, 2008 at 5:02 pm Permalink
>>Why not have two awards per show? Contemporary Entertainer of the year; Traditional country Entertainer of the year? and etc.
It really wouldn’t take that much longer and give those critically acclaimed country artists a chance-Jamie Johnson, Ashton Shepherd; etc.<<
Because that leads to a splitting of the genre. Besides, some artists are difficult to classify in one category or the other.
Here’s a radical idea: how about giving out the awards to artists who perform COUNTRY music and having them perform on the show next year?
November 18, 2008 at 4:56 pm Permalink
Hey! Please don’t knock Kelly’s boobs. Nothing wrong with that! Ha! But her performance was strange I’ll grant you. I do love her but I think she still has work to do and she needs to find the right song to reach her full potential. I don’t know who’s idea that was for the show but she’s a beautiful and talented girl and doesn’t need to be a sexpot to be successful.
As far as country music goes, I was thinking similar thoughts during the last country awards show. I thought “this sure doesn’t look or sound country to me.” I mean Taylor Swift is pop folks, let’s be be honest. And her vocals on the show were really bad. But she sings pop songs that don’t require much of a voice. She could develop it but hasn’t a yet. She’s a better entertainer than a singer–usually.
But I love Carrie Underwood just the way she is and if she’s not country enough that’s too bad because she’s not going anywhere! You can’t have her. She’s mine!
Ha! Okay back to reality folks… I guess you can see I’m Carrie fan.
But I think there’s a lot of problems here with these shows. One big one is ABC TV or any major network. If you want to sell them a prime time TV show, they call the shots mostly. And they think in terms of young and they think record sales. To them, this is not an awards show and they don’t give a damn about the future of Country Music. They’re number crunchers and all they want is CASH. They want to sell ads. And therefore they want a lot of young women, boobs, lights and razzle dazzel. TV networks always want a young audience. Period. So I wouldn’t connect this show to the future of country music. I think that happens on tours. And of course radio air play effects record sales and who gets to tour. This not an easy thing to do folks.
There’s a problem in all entertainment industries right now including film and TV because of technology. Because of the choices people have, the internet, downloading, Ipods, etc. I live in Hollywood and I’m an actor and the internet is affecting our business too. We don’t get oaid much on the internet. Believe me it’s very scary. So if I was a record company in Nashville and I had to face low record sales vs a possible crossover to the pop market, I think I would be forced to go pop to survive. Or sign Jessica Simpson. Oh but I am not a fan. Plus, most of these companies are owned by a parent company somewhere. Trust me, they’re all number crunchers and that’s all that matters. But it is called the “music business,” not music art. Sorry if I’m too cynical but as I said I live in Hollywood and I deal with this all the time.
I think you better watch the Grand Old Opry for country music and hold the line there.
November 18, 2008 at 10:25 pm Permalink
“Brady Vercher
Porter Wagoner passed away before last year’s CMAs and was recognized on that show. Brad Paisley did a short little tribute to Jerry Reed, but there wasn’t one for Eddy Arnold, who, I believe, was the only HoF member to pass away this year. I guess they figure the ACMs adequately recognized him and didn’t want to waste any time on it despite the ACMs not being the organization running the HoF.”
Brady, partly because of your above comment and partly because of Bucky Covington, who brought me to this site over a year ago, I have “re-discovered” Eddy Arnold. Tonight I found his bio and have been listening to his work. Good grief what a great artist . I am so moved by his work , it is hard to express how I am feeling. How sad that he did not receive recognition on this “Country ” show . I guess I want to thank you and Jim for trying to speak for the old traditional voice of country that is somehow being transformed right in front of us. At least, remember the old as we meet the new.
November 18, 2008 at 10:32 pm Permalink
Thanks for the comments, Diver; they’re appreciated. I feel that the history of country music should never be forgotten and that the artists of yesteryear should be honored by the industry they helped build, but I think Paul W. Dennis has done more than Jim or I to speak for those artists. Check out his excellent Forgotten Artist Series if you haven’t caught it yet. You might find something you like.
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