Three Artists Who Made My Decade Traditional
It's easy to refer to some country music as pop music. It is, after all, popular. And the hooks are catchy, the beats infectious and the appeal is broad. But it's not all that way. Plenty of music over the past decade kept country very, very country. For me, three new artists did a stellar job of keeping a lot of the traditional sounds and stories and Southern drawls alive: Jamey Johnson, Ashton Shepherd and Luke Bryan.
Johnson, because of the way he makes the steel guitar the backbone of almost every song, recorded and live. And for his relentless devotion to the meaningful music he grew up on, whether it meant radio love or not. His "High Cost of Living" didn't get a lot of spins on the radio, perhaps because of its mentions of drugs. But it's nominated for a couple of Grammy Awards, so what does that tell you?
Shepherd, because she is the purest voice of motherhood I've ever heard. Not those predictable minivan moms, though. The ones with coolers slushing on the bed of their trucks. The ones who have to-do lists a mile long but aren't dead yet. The ones with pickin' sheds in their backyards. And the ones who like a pint of Crown and a country sound. Bottom line? Shepherd's the fun mom.
Bryan, because he breathed some much-needed good timin' fun back into country. When he debuted with country's answer to frat rock, "All My Friends Say," I was in hook, line and sinker. When I heard he'd written Billy Currington's "Good Directions," I went in even deeper. Bryan's voice is thick with his Georgia roots and his lyrics rich with defining moments like hot-wiring tractors, taking his drunk ass home, fishing with grandpa and first love.
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Illinoiscountrygirl says:
You should also include Joey & Rory, they are THE BEST duo out there as far as I’m concerned! Very tradional as well as very nice down-home folks.
merlefan49 says:
If you want traditional try these
Amber Digby
Roger Wallace
Dale Watson
Justin Trevino
Miss Leslie
Sara says:
What about Josh Turner & Chris Young?? Love Jamey & Luke though!
Courtney says:
I agree Illinoiscountrygirl, Joey & Rory definitely would be one of my first picks. Along with Jamey and Ashton, I would have to go with Josh Turner and Miranda Lambert, two very underrated and underappreciated artists.
brian griffin says:
What about Taylor Swift?
Peacock Queen says:
Jamey Johnson’s “In Color” is a true blue country song. I heard it on the radio yesterday and I was thinking how Merle Haggard or George Jones would have covered that song had it been written years ago. It’s wonderful. It reminds me of my grandfather. It is about real life (personal hardships intertwined with love, family, friendship), and we need more of those. I love it and will treasure it as one of the best country songs of all time.
Redmaz says:
Musically, Traditional Country Music dominated this decade. With the hundreds of new Traditional Country singers/songwriters/bands it’s great to see that today’s Country Music is in good hands and is just as good if not better than ever, and it has nothing to do with what direction today’s Pop Country music is going.
Samantha says:
Taylor Swift? Are you kidding me? How is Taylor Swift traditional?
brian griffin says:
Irony. This blogger rarely writes anything that doesn’t mention Taylor Swift.
Netteo says:
I would definitely add Josh Turner and Chris Young. I do like Luke too!
Netteo says:
Brian - as first I thought you where crazy - now I see you where being whimsical. Much better than crazy!
brian griffin says:
Thank you Netteo and I second your thoughts on Josh Turner. Long Black Train is a future classic country song.
merlefan49 says:
The only tiny glimmer I see for Jamey Johnson is to run don’t walk away from Nashvile (spelled that way on purpose) and head to Austin.
Daniel says:
I would DEFINATELY add Josh Turner to the list. I’d probably add some of the country rock artist that seem to have come out. Gretchen Wilson, Big and Rich, etc. BUT, I wouldn’t add Taylor Swift(even though she started country and ended up crossing over. She uses banjos and stuff like that but I don’t see how she’s traditional country) The ones that I think were traditional that have STILL lasted through this past decade, is George Strait and Alan Jackson. Now THAT’S traditional
Brittany says:
Ashton Shepherd and Jamey Johnson are amazing!
Redmaz says:
Although Strait and Jackson may have a more Country sound in today’s Pop music, they hardly compare to all the Real Traditional artists out there like merlefan has listed, and the hundreds of others. As I stated, musically Traditional Country dominated the decade but not because of Strait and Jackson.
Snookie Lanson says:
Gene Watson
Wylie Gustafson
James Hand
Ryan Bingham
Cord Lund
Wayne ‘The Train’ Hancock
Couldn’t agree more with you Red. Plenty of NEW Traditional Country being played and sang. And very little of it has anything to do with the few bones that commercial radio throws out there on occasion.
Kari says:
Good choices. I still think Chris Young will also be a force in the future. That voice is pure magic!
Daniel says:
Love the lists by merlefan, and Snookie! Wayne Hancock is great! He reminds me of Hank Williams SR, not only his singing, but the overall sound of him and his band. Dale Watson, what more can you say? The King. A combination of Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash. Miss Leslie, Connie Smith with a fiddle! Justin Trevino? A combination between Ray Price and Faron Young. Roger Wallace and James Hand are traditional to the core. So I agree with Redmaz, country music is just as good if not better than ever, and not because of Young, Bryan, Strait, Jackson, Turner and Swift. Those people are pop country singers.
kaylyn says:
I think that luke bryan should also put dierks bentley in this traditional blog entry because dierks bentley is a country traditional singer who has been making very good songs in order to get a lot of people to like him in concerts and dierks bentley has fans that like him because he’s hot looking.
D N says:
Jamey and Luke have amazing songs and amazing messages. Especially for Luke Bryan because he writes most of his songs. Ashton Shepherd is an amazing singer with an amazing voice. The neat thing bout these three is that they aren’t pop country like Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts, they are really down home country