My Country Music Journey: From Intolerance to “I like some of it.”

Tonight, I ushered at a country music event. I do this to get free entertainment. After all the seating is finished, I get to sit (or stand) in the back of the theater and watch the show. My duties include seating people, and telling them where the bathroom is located. It’s one way to get out on a Saturday night.

Country Music wasn’t cool  in my neighborhood

When I grew up, country music wasn’t the kind of music I listened to; my contemporaries and I listened to pop hits.  Country stars, like Dolly Parton, wore hokey clothes, too much garish makeup , and her wigs were downright  strange. She used to do  TV laundry detergent commercials with another country star, Porter Wagner. They gave away towels with each detergent purchase. (She based her famous song, “I will Always Love you” on her parting of show biz ways with Wagner.)

My husband liked Country music  

I met my husband, a nice college guy, from Columbus, Ohio, back in the 70’s. He didn’t reveal to me that he liked country music. Every once in a while a country song would come on the radio and he knew every single word.  I soon realized he was a devoted country music fan.  At first, he didn’t want to share this with me  because he was afraid I’d look down on his musical tastes. I tried to be tolerant about the whole thing, but I should have tried harder. As time went on (15 years or so) I  started enjoying some of the music.

Country Music gained popularity.

After a few years, a lot of people who had snubbed this music started listening to it. I opened myself up a little more to this musical genre. (Obviously,  I am too influenced by what other people think.) Country songs do tell a story. The stories are mostly  about cheating,

Dolly Parton at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

getting drunk, going to jail, bad relationships, identity,  love, jealousy and feeling unhappy.

I like the some of the newer stuff because it  sounds more like pop music. I own CD’s by :Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain, and The Dixie Chicks.  Imagine my dismay when I realized a favorite Dixie Chicks song was entitled “White Trash Wedding.”

I still have times when I’m intolerant of country music. I can only take Satellite Radio country music so long. I have to be in the right mood. Early in the morning is not my favorite time to listen to “Willie’s Road House.” The DJ plays a lot of the classics, music I still don’t like that much. The steel guitars and twangy  voices still rub me the wrong way.

I knew some of the words.

Tonight, when I was standing at the back of the theater, I listened to the two opening acts. Surprisingly, the first two acts were pretty good. They were singing some of the classics. I realized I knew a lot of the lyrics, and found myself singing along.

The last act, Jamie Johnson, was a younger guy. He had a classic voice, and his guitar playing was fantastic. He had a terrific, big, back-up band. He had a huge beard and a big pony tail. His clothes weren’t fancy, but the huge bus he had parked by the stage door looked pretty extravagant.

I didn’t make it through the whole show, but I stuck around for most of it. Give me another 10 years or so.
My point: Be open to all forms of entertainment. It might just grow on you!

What’s your favorite kind of music? Have you ever changed your musical tastes?

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