Country California

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a honky-tonk band at heart ●
- – Jay DeMarcus’ description of Rascal Flatts.

I think that when you’re making music, it’s the healthiest thing to do to remove titles or stereotypes from what you’re trying to do. It’s not boys versus girls. It’s not country versus rap. It’s not anything that you don’t make it. ●
- – Taylor Swift on genre distinctions.

Sometime down the road there’ll be another Hootie record and tour. I don’t know if it’ll be soon, but it’ll happen. I’m sure (the other members) want to be out playing, but I think they understand my situation and I think they’re pretty happy and proud of me. ●
- – Darius Rucker. And by “understand my situation,” I mean “know that it wouldn’t be in my best interest as a country singer to ride around in a bus with a bunch of hippies who call themselves the Blowfish.”

An Oklahoma girl like me wouldn’t even know how to be a diva. I’m just a person who has a cool job. I love to be at home. I rarely go to clubs…and I always wear underwear! ●
- – Carrie Underwood is the anti-diva, underwear and all.

Next person I want to work with, and I won’t work with anyone else until I get her, is Carrie Underwood. Everyone else can suck it until I get to Carrie. ●
- – Whew, good call on the underwear. T-Pain is watching.

She’s one of my favorite singer-songwriters in the world. I knew she was really special when I first met her. The world doesn’t know what a great artist she is just yet. She’s really gifted. ●
- – Brett James on his “The Truth” cowriter, Ashley Monroe.

It does get a little frustrating when we’ve been headlining for five or six years, and in the middle of a recession, we performed in front of over a million people last year. Well if numbers don’t matter, I guess they do to us maybe more than they do to other people. But that’s a pretty big number and for us, that would qualify as Entertainer [of the Year]. ●
- – Gary LeVox & Co. are still all sour grapes over CMA snubs.

We’re gonna punch some people in the nose and were gonna try and take back what we feel is rightfully ours, because we believe in ourselves that much. ●
- – Jay DeMarcus’ plan for 2010.

[Joe Don] Rooney isn’t exaggerating when he says the band typically listens to more than 1,000 songs as it prepares for a project, quickly winnowing down to the dozen or so tunes that will make the cut. ●
- – Can you imagine going through 1,000 songs and still ending up with an album as weak as Unstoppable?

It’s kind of written in the way that Bob Dylan would have written ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues.’ Joe [West] and I just put down a laundry list of things that would personally irritate us. ●
- – Dave Pahanish on “American Ride.”

It’s the first time I’ve ever written a song like that. But I’ve seen it just about every other way. ●
- – Darrell Scott on writing lyrics for the instrumentals of Court Yard Hounds Martie McGuire and Emily Robison.

I’ve heard George Jones say they’ve hijacked the name country. I’m happy for these kids, but there ain’t a note of real country in it. That’s my opinion. ●
- – Larry Cordle on modern country music.

We’re both very thankful to have had that start, you know. But it’s no place to try to be a singer-songwriter, let’s face it. They just don’t like you very much. [...] No, they don’t take very kindly to artists who want to sing their own songs ’cause it doesn’t feed the beast in the way they would like it to. ●
- – Allison Moorer on Nashville.

Would I like to duet with her? Sure, if she’d have me. But all those long notes she does, I don’t think I could keep up with her. ●
- – Dolly Parton on Susan Boyle.

Country music’s all about the song. I feel like if I give country radio great songs, they’re gonna play ‘em, whereas pop program directors were always like, ‘Chances are, I’m not gonna play your next record.’ ●
- – Darius Rucker. Uh, well, like pop radio, they’ll play you as long as you’re the ‘it’ thing, then drop you when it suits them. Ask any of the older artists who continue to release great songs that don’t get played.

the man with the golden voice ●
- – Joe Diffie, as described by Vern Gosdin.

“I love him, he’s so hot,” said Casey Sanderson, who traveled to the show from Whiteville with her friend, Misty Fannin. “He’s got an amazing voice. He’s a great singer.”
“But he’s also so good-looking,” Fannin added. ●
- – Fans at a Jason Aldean concert.

Gloriana is supporting Taylor Swift on her current Australian tour but their “dream show to play would be with Keith Urban”, [Cheyenne Kimball] said. ●
- – Gloriana kisses up to the Australian press.

She wooed the audience with her by now familiar folksy Alaskan act, describing [Massachusetts senatorial race victor Scott] Brown as “just a guy with a truck” and welcoming the participants to Nashville, “home of country music and great Southern barbecue”. ●
- – Watch for Sarah Palin to be releasing a country album next.

Where do you go in town to meet other interesting singles?
Usually, somewhere downtown, like The Palm. ●
- – Gary Allan submits to a dating interview… and The Palm gets added to every female tourist’s itinerary.

I think it’s coming around, actually. The machine that creates clones obviously dominates, and I don’t get the look-alike, sound-alike thing. They tried to turn me into that, but I wouldn’t let them. I mean, I don’t hear a Linda Ronstadt, an Emmylou Harris or a Lorrie Morgan, whose voices are immediately identifiable, but there are artists out there, they just need to break through. It takes backbone. ●
- – Carlene Carter on modern country music.

Every other artist in town would be scared to put that out, and I’m not. And that’s the reason it needs to get out there. It makes you a little uncomfortable. ●
- – Eric Church on “Lotta Boot Left to Fill” and how he’s a tough guy.

I love all their songs except some bad songs I don’t like that are so sad for me to hear. ●
- – Fan comment on a GAC Blog post about Rascal Flatts.

141 ●
- – Number of comments on Bonaguro post about Adam Lambert criticizing Miranda’s fashion sense.

We’re writing today to ask you to extend your love of freedom to animals by agreeing to partner with us on a veggie “eat and greet” for your fans. In your song “Chicken Fried,” you praise the simple pleasures of life—a cool drink, a home filled with love, enjoying the sunshine—all pleasures that are denied to the millions of cows, pigs, chickens, and other animals raised for food on factory farms every year. (via email press release)
- – From PETA’s letter to the Zac Brown Band.

However, this upcoming event is far more than just a music special, Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years, will be as star studded as any award show. [...] Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Alison Krauss, Wynonna and The Oak Ridge Boys are just some of the early names already slated to appear on the show. (via email press release)
- – With that line-up, it’s as star-studded as any award show… circa 1987.

When this was first proposed to me as a 50-year celebration, something about that sounded final, and I didn’t want that. So I suggested we call it ‘The First 50 Years.’ I will tell you this, the first 50 years TV show is gonna be awesome — the next 50 years TV show is gonna be a bitch. ●
- – Kenny Rogers on his First 50 Years celebration.

The greatest singer on the planet to this day! (via email press release)
- – Gary LeVox on Marty Raybon.

JASON PLEASE BE OKAY CAUSE I LOVE YOU AND I AIN’T TRYING TO MAKE YOU M AD BUT WILL YOU PLEASE QUIT DRINKING AND SMOKING CAUSE IT’S BAD FOR YOU AND PLUS I REALLY CARE ABOUT YOU AND I DON’T WANT ANYTHING BAD TO HAPPEN TO YOU WILL YOU TRY TO DO THAT FOR ME
PLEASE LOVE YOU
LOVE,BRITTNEY P.S. HUGE FAN MET YOU IN JAMBOREE IN THE HILLS BACK IN 2008 REMEMBER ME LOVE YOUR MUSIC LOVE THE TRUTH LOVE THE VIDEO BY THE WAY
GOOD NIGHT LOVE YOU ●
- – Brittney on Jason Aldean fake news.

The Taylor Swift Section
Because there’s no such thing as too much Swift, or too much Swift outrage. Good grief.

It’s also about being grateful for everything; I’m never gonna have that moment when I lash out and scream and yell about the fact that people are watching me, because I asked for this life and this career. ●
- – Taylor Swift handles life in the spotlight with grace.

Maybe she’s not the best technical singer, but she’s probably the best emotional singer because everybody else who gets up there and is technically perfect, people don’t seem to want more of it. ●
- – One of many baffling comments in Scott Borchetta’s ill-advised Swift defenses.

Having sung many times at the Grammy’s, I can tell you that the stress and anxiety of performing in front of the world’s top artists in every genre of music is tortuous for even the most seasoned singer.
Smarts, manners and class. Why can’t fault-finders see that she is a sorely needed role model? We’re aware of how lyrics and musicians can influence our society. If America ever needed positive role models, it’s now. ●
- – Naomi Judd defends Taylor Swift in a letter to the Tennessean.

Is she a particularly strong singer? Of course not. Is she a talentless fraud? Of course not. She makes records using the same technology and methodology as everyone else in town. She’s a 20-year-old who got famous before coming into her own as a vocalist. Give her some time. Or go listen to something else if you’d like. When I got home from the Grammys, I checked and found out that Swift’s televised performance had not changed the way my Tom T. Hall records sound at all. Relief! ●
- – Peter Cooper with an even-keeled response to Swift’s Grammy dust-up.

But, in a very telling moment of television, in the middle of Taylor’s duet with the veteran Stevie Nicks on Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon” and Swift’s “You Belong With Me,” it became very apparent that Swift was in charge there, taking total command of the performance. It was a very polished and mature performance. ●
- – Know how even Scott Borchetta admitted, in a roundabout way, that Swift’s Grammy vocals were weak? Uh, Chet Flippo didn’t think so, or at least decided against mentioning it in his post last Monday.

I just keep thinking back to when you’re in second grade, and you sing at your talent show for the first time, and people joke around and they say, ‘Oh, maybe we’ll see you at the Grammys someday.’ But that seems like the impossible dream. I feel like I’m standing here accepting an impossible dream right now and I thank you so much for that. ●
- – From Taylor Swift’s Best Country Album speech at the Grammys.

So what started as joking around in elementary school ended up coming true for Swift. Like the way you joke when a kid helps win a seventh grade basketball game and you say, “Maybe you’ll be in the NBA.” Or when a fifth grader gets the lead in the school play and people say, “You might end up on Broadway.” But those dreams very rarely come true. So that must be what Swift meant about them being “impossible.” ●
- – Alison Bonaguro’s insightful commentary on aforementioned Swift speech.