My Father's Kind of Country Music

As a child, I was raised on 1950's and 60's Country Music. In country, then, the place you wanted to play was The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.   My father had a dream of playing on that stage.

                                                The dream, me and my father, July 1950.

Those were the years of Hank Williams, Eddy Arnold, Ray Price, Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins, George Jones, Tammy Wynette,  Johnny Cash, and Loretta Lynn.  That was my father's country.  Of course, Willie Nelson was there as well as Waylon Jennings.  Willie even wore a suit, if you can imagine that.  Still,  he was  a bit outside the mainstream for Dad.

When country was television, it looked my like this.  

Marty Robbins was the voted Performer of the Decade for the 1960s.   He was one of my mother's favorites.

Of course, I rebelled.  I was not having any of that Johnny Cash, "Ring of Fire" stuff.  Bring on the Beatles.!!!    Those were Dad's last good years of country music. His dream was gone by then. His steel playing, guitar playing days were behind him. 

The  late 70's brought Daughter #1's  first favorite singer.  Barbara Mandrell  By early 1980s,  that  #1 child was 8 years old and had to have red cowboy boots because Barbara had them  She wore those boots with everything. 

Also, Country started going through some changes.   Dolly was on the scene, along with Kenny Rogers.  John Denver climbed the country charts.  For me, this was the beginning of  the cross over artists.  This was no longer my father's country.  Of course Willie was not the Wiilie dad had known either.  I think this is about the time Dad stopped being a country fan.  To him, it was no longer pure. To me, it was a time that opened the doors.

The 80's brought Travis Tritt, Hank Williams, Jr., The Oakridge Boys, and the man that put country in a whole new stratosphere, Garth Brooks.  Daughter # 1 was in college then.  She and her girlfriends waited in line all night to get the wrist band that allowed you to go to another line to get tickets.  That was a crazy time.   ( I wanted to have a video here, but it looks like Mr. Brooks claims copyright infringement so there aren't any available.  hmmmm)

By now, I was a true country fan.   My album buying went right from Garth to Kenny Chesney.  I  don't think I bought anything Country in between.  ( You may remember, I was buying Michael Bolton during this time....look away and roll eyes.  

So it looks like, Kenny, Keith Urban, Martina, Montgomery Gentry and Kid Rock are my daughter's kind of country.  With  Carrie Underwood and  Taylor Swift attracting another generation of fans.

                                      
                                                 No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem

I'm an island lover so I'm all for Kenny's kind of country.  Throw in a little Zac Brown Band and I'm all set.