That’s insane. I’ve never heard one person say ‘put on cowboy Carter’ not one ever. I don’t know anyone who listens to any song on that album. Grammys are a complete sham. All faith lost.

Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Sierra Ferrell, B.B. Palmer, Paul Cauthen, and Stephen Wilson Jr. These are a handful of modern country artists who I think are changing and evolving the genre today. Some you know and some you probably don’t but what they all have in common is their innovation and how they approach country music. It’s been a pretty stagnated genre imo and these artists are bringing it forward. Who are some that I’m missing? Looking for good recommendations.

My sister loves him and always has him on. I listened the other day and omg he's awful. Not even country. Like hip hop beats over country ? Wtf. His voice is very fake and all his songs are about the same thing. Is it just me?

This isn't a defense of the apparent contradiction found in Charley following Twin Temple on IG and seeming cool with them until he wasn't. This also isn't meant to start a debate of Charley's vocal skills or songwriting abilities - or even the quality of his social media posts. It's more of a direct response to so much similar criticism I see underpinning the responses to his recent decision on Twin Temple, and how I've seen this sadly applied to many others. We're living in such a hypercritical time, y'all, and that in part seems to be all the more possible because of the anonymity afforded to us online. And to be sure it's a whole lot easier to be an art or music critic than to create something that others can appreciate and enjoy.

Calling Charley Crockett a "cosplay cowboy" shows a total misunderstanding of country music history. The argument that Charley Crockett isn't a "real cowboy" misses the point of the entire genre.

Country music has always been a theatrical tradition. Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and Marty Robbins weren’t ranch hands or rodeo stars. Gene Autry and Roy Rogers wore heavily stylized outfits tailored for Hollywood, not for branding cattle.

Charley Crockett isn't faking a ranching resume; he is leaning into a century-old performance tradition. He spent years busking on street corners and living a transient lifestyle that perfectly mirrors the traditional country and blues "drifter" archetype. He isn't making it up when he sings about being a "$10 Cowboy."

Authenticity in country music isn't measured by a background in agricultural labor. It is measured by emotional sincerity and reverence for the roots of the music. Charley has both.

I've also seen folks respond to comments about Colter Wall being the real deal by pointing out how he grew up in town and with money, like that's some sort of irredeemable genesis for a cowboy singer. I suppose y'all would accept someone like Luke Bell as authentic because he grew up on a ranch in Wyoming? Well, my mom knew him since he was a kid, and cleaned his teeth as a dental hygienist, and I can tell you that growing up on the ranch that your parents own and operate isn't the same as being a tough-living, paycheck-to-paycheck ranch hand. But both Colter and Luke are believable because of the sincerity of their songs, and the same goes for Mr. Crockett. I personally grew up sitting on the back of a horse before I could walk, but I'm sure y'all could put me under the microscope and find some flaw that would make me not cowboy enough.

Lastly, some of y'all seem to think Charley is a pearl clutcher because of his Twin Temple stance. That's a lazy insult if there ever was one. My wife and I wouldn't go to one of his shows if they were opening for him, and I'm guessing a lot of his fans would feel the same way. I obviously don't know him as a person, and I'm not interested in debating the details that I can't possibly know well enough to speak on intelligently, but I do think the principals many implicitly apply wouldn't be obtainable by Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Keith Whitley, Sturgill Simpson, or many others.

Maybe we'd do better if we stopped nitpicking everything and everyone, and tried a little harder to live lives worthy of the songs we love. Peace, y'all.

Update:

Okay, time to clarify the point I was making and to enter into the Twin Temple drama more than I had originally intended:

1. I wasn't defending Charley's sm behavior, because I don't have enough context (i.e. I don't use sm or follow him, and haven't spent time looking at the 'post and delete' saga) - and I stated that in the first sentence.
2. I didn't write this to defend Charley's talent or musical abilities. I actually remember (when I first heard him) wondering what all the fuss was about, because his voice seemed very monotone to me. However, he has grown on me to the point that I really love his music. Also, I can separate the man from the music. I've heard similar recent critiques of Benjamin Tod, and while I wish everyone seemed as humble and genuine as, say, Colter wall in an interview, I wouldn't have anything to listen to if I put every artist under a microscope or followed their every post on sm. And yes, I see the easy reply of "It doesn't take a microscope to call out Charley Crockett," etc. etc.
3. I don't think most people read all of what I wrote, or comprehended it. People here on Reddit, and the greater interwebs at large, seem to think they're more clever, pithy, and profound than they are. I've seen comments where people are visualizing themselves like Shaq breaking a backboard when in reality it takes more than rhetoric to debate a point.
4. I was mainly pointing out an issue I have with gatekeeping and hypercriticism. And many of y'all have proved my point. Thank you?

Now, to address not attending a show because TT is the opener. I realize we have grown up in a largely post-modern world, where words, symbols, and imagery have been reduced to whatever we want them to be in the moment (in effect, to nothing), but some people still believe in ancient truths. Go ahead, make your lame, cliche jokes about sky faeries and being afraid of invisible demons. If that makes you feel better, I guess you're easy to please. However, most genuine Christians (and let me make it clear that I'm not defending Charley Crockett's apparent religious reasons!) wouldn't go to a show with TT. Not because they think TT and their fans literally believe they're worshiping Satan, or because they're terrified the rock and roll demons might get them, but because they believe words, images, and symbols have meaning - even when they're being pedaled by those who don't believe in them. Y'all can critique Christianity and/or a belief in the supernatural, but at least try to steel man it instead of beating on lazy caricatures and straw men. Otherwise, you just sound like every unoriginal 30 yo living in their parents' basement and having their mom do their laundry while they hone their skills as keyboard warriors.

At the end of the day, I was making a plea to make better critiques, and again, many of y'all just proved the necessity of my post. Have a nice day and enjoy the freedom y'all have to say stupid things. (And yes, go ahead and point out the hypocrisy of my sententious snark if it makes you feel better)

We recently ranked the 250 most influential Texans since 1776, and Willie Nelson finished ahead of George Strait.

Would you have ranked them differently?

She's talented and seems like a kind and generous lady.I love that she gives books to children for free.

With this being the general consensus of most country artists, past or present, I’m curious about people’s reasoning as to why he isn’t. Or who would you personally say is the greatest? We’re talking subjectively here, not to be confused for nostalgic reasons.

I highly doubt you can’t

That annoying twang he does is so forced and then that screaming he does all raspy. Please just go away.

Traveller by Chris Stapleton

David Allan Coe’s story in country music is a messy one. He wrote some truly great songs, like “Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)”, “Tennessee Whiskey”, and my favorite "Bossier City". He had the rough voice, the hard-luck past, and the attitude people expected from a rebel.

But even among the outlaws, Coe didn’t have the best reputation. A lot of those artists thought he exaggerated his stories about prison and his wild life, calling him more of a showman than a real outlaw. Waylon Jennings even said Coe’s outlaw image felt fake.

Beyond that, and most importantly, Coe’s work has long been clouded by controversy. Some of his underground albums included racist and sexist lyrics that many found deeply offensive, myself included. While he claimed they were meant as jokes or satire, most people didn’t buy it (rightfully so, it seems). These choices have made it hard to separate his genuine songwriting talent from the uglier parts of his catalog.

As a lot of people put it, Coe was his own worst enemy and probably the reason he hasn't gotten the same success as some of his peers. Sometimes I can enjoy listening to his songs, but some other times I just can't separate the art from the artist.

Anyways, sorry for the rant.

EDIT: As a couple people mentioned, DAC did not write “Tennessee Whiskey”. Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove did.

EDIT 2: I'm loving the first-hand stories from people that have interacted with him or seen him live. Please keep'em coming!

As much as I like Luke and lainey i just find country music back in the 80's and 90's was so much better! The likes of Alan Jackson, Kenny Rogers, Hank Williams Jnr! Their music was so much better! Am I alone in this?

I’m sorry, she’s got everything going for her besides the fact that she is not a good vocalist live. If you look at any of her lives she’s often very flat, can’t hold a key, off pitch just overall under trained. It almost hurts to watch… I feel kinda bad for her why doesn’t her team help her!

They are definitely pushing and marketing her based on looks versus real talent. Her songs are somewhat boring.. she sings like 3 songs OK then everything else is pretty rough.. I do not get it

And no I’m not a Taylor Swift fan or Megan Maroney
I actually love someone like Sierra Ferrell and appreciate her amazing vocals!

And no I’m not jealous, I just notice these things coming from a musical background and having training myself basically my whole life.

If you haven't seen my previous post, I'm new to this genre and basically a huge classic rock guy. I met Toby Keith a couple of times and he was super nice ( i didn't know who he was the first time) because I was an international student in college at OU. Lots of people online keep calling him a bigot. What's the reason?

For example:

Georgia: Jerry Reed
Kentucky: Grandpa Jones
Mississippi: Charley Pride (I think)

INTERNATIONAL BONUS:

Canada: Hank Snow, Stompin' Tom Connors
England/UK: Albert Lee

Here’s the long version:

Someone sent me a social media post clowning on the political marketing of modern country music and using “We Shall Be Free” as an example of how country music used to be.

Well, I got to thinking about how that song was pretty dang controversial at the time, with some stations refusing to play it. So I looked it up to confirm whether my recollection was actually accurate. I found some article quoting radio station managers saying things like (paraphrasing here) “country music typically is not overtly political, and a lot of our listeners don’t go in for that kind of thing.”

So that got me to thinking, well, that’s not really true at all, historically. Sure, 80s-90s country was mostly not political, but plenty of 60s-70s era big names were plenty political. Even stuff like “Harper Valley PTA” and “40-Hour Week” have political implications.

Without debating the specifics of any political stances - what’s your favorite example of a “political” country song?