I have worked in radio all my career, 25 plus years. I have worked in many different formats, Adult Contemporary, Alternative Rock, Top 40 and Country. I like all sorts of music and with the last 10 years, Country has been my go to. I really can say, I like the music. There are times when I laugh at some of the lyrics as they sing about short shorts, a truck, girlfriends leaving or finding the love of their life. The majority of the time, I really like the music. One thing you may notice, I didn’t add songs that have lyrics about violence or hate or putting down a girl or a guy. You won’t find that in country music. This all came to me today as I was driving around listening to stories about Sunday nights horrific act of violence, of hate that happened in Las Vegas at the Route 91 Harvest Fest. All those people were there because of the love of the music genre, country music. Maybe there for one particular artist, maybe for all that played that weekend. Not sure what it was for some, but I can guarantee it was definitely for what they liked about country music and the country community.
A few months ago someone new to the ‘country community’ said to me, ‘wow, country music fans are so nice’! I was taken back by this statement because of the tone it came in. She was literally shocked that country music fans could be so nice. I don’t get that at all. Why? Would there be a reason to think otherwise? Keith Urban paid tribute to the victims the other night and said country music fans are all part of this community, the country community, a family. He is right.
I am so saddened by this event. Sad because this is the world my kids will grow up in. There is so much violence, so much hate and we see it every day. Social media has heightened it. How many times have you seen a post where people feel the right to bash someone because of a post. To make rude comments, to yell at the person, to be totally disrespectful. Would they honestly say that to them in person? Maybe they would. Maybe that is the world we live in. I’m so saddened by this world we live in today.
I know I don’t have the answers, I’m not sure anyone does. But I feel Chris Lucas of LoCash summed up how most of us are feeling, ‘it’s about America. We all have to fight for what we get but that doesn’t mean we fight against each other, we fight together and when we fight together we all win and hopefully, someday we’ll all sing the same song together.’