Sunday, August 12, 2012

Storms of Life - the Essence of Country Music

Randy Travis Mug Shot
August 7, 2012
  I'm not likely to win any friends or popularity contests with this post but I feel a desire to point out the silver lining, if you will, on country music giant Randy Travis' bizarre behavior earlier this week. Now don't get me wrong, I don't condone Randy's behavior but if the legendary star puts his mind, skills and talent to work in the proper way he should use this experience as the basis for writing new songs. You see, I happen to believe there is a missing ingredient in much of today's so-called country music. That missing ingredient is life experiences. More-so than any other genre of music (with the exception of the blues) country music is about true-life experiences. No the songs don't have to be true-to-life for the performer who sings them but the performer needs to be able to draw from his or her own life and insert that emotion into the song. When George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty or any of the numerous other legendary country stars performed a song you felt the pain, heartbreak or agony of the song because those performers could relate to it and that familiarity came out in the performance. The best country music songs are about those feelings, they are about a cheating spouse, an all-night drinking binge, divorce and even death. Today's country music is largely about being clever and funny with word play, about reminiscing of younger days, about social issues even. Few and far-between are the songs which delve into the soul-wrenching, gut-twisting issues of life mentioned before. When George sang a song about the bottle, well you knew he had spent many, many a night in the bottom of it. When Johnny sang about a boy named Sue you knew he could relate to the brawl in the mud and the blood and the beer because of his anger-filled history. When Merle sings of mama trying to teach him better... you knew he just had to mean it because of the time he spent in prison.
  Love songs are wonderful and beautiful but the harsh realities of life are what we remember, what we talk about, what we relate to the most. A wonderful voice, great stage presence and right timing are key ingredients for artists to make it to the top, but it is living through life's most difficult moments and being able to inject those feelings into a song... that is what separates the good performers from the legendary, it is what makes a country singer an icon of the genre rather than just a star.
  So while I wish Randy Travis the best in overcoming his current legal or emotional issues, I truly hope he does more than overcome, I hope he turns an awful experience into gain by writing and singing the pain and once again reclaiming his status as a legendary icon of the genre.