We need some Democratic country singers/writers to win

[lilfroggy]

Where are our Democraticcountry singers/
Message:
Look at this column.

--
NASHVILLE SKYLINE: Germs and Jesus and Country Music
Presidential Politics & Red-Blue States Debate Linger

By: Chet Flippo
(NASHVILLE SKYLINE is a column by CMT/CMT.com Editorial Director Chet Flippo)

The one intelligent thing Democrat turncoat Zell Miller has said lately is that the Democrats should have listened to country music. He argues that they will never win another election until they start listening to a lot of country music. And you can't argue with him there. One of the lessons of the last several presidential elections is that he who has the most country music on his side has the electorate on his side.

Country music is populist music, plain and simple. And it's not just white music or Southern music or rural music or hillbilly music. It's everyday driving to work, drinking a beer after work with friends, dancing on the weekend kind of music. Forget red states vs. blue states kind of music: Good country music -- as ever -- is just about real life and how it applies to daily life. Forget this whole flap about "moral values" and think about what it really gets down to. In the movie Ray, Ray Charles easily answers a question about why he loves country music: "The stories!" Stories of real life and the values of everyday life.

Music should not be a political weapon, though, which is something that people like to make it be. One of the national cable news networks has been trying to get the "real" story about the politics of country artists. I don't think there is a real story there. Like everyone else, country artists are on both sides of the political aisle. What's striking -- and what is most chilling this year -- is that I have seen many country artists become afraid or reluctant to publicly choose sides politically because they know that -- no matter what they say -- they're going to ultimately lose fans or image, in some manner or another. With the Internet, a career can be incinerated in 30 minutes. Or less. And there are a lot of intolerant people who seem to live in full attack mode these days.

Even so, country is still a genre with a wide embrace. It can appreciate a Steve Earle and a Darryl Worley, can accommodate a Toby Keith and a Gillian Welch, can celebrate a Kenny Chesney and a Bruce Robison. I think it is a lot more tolerant and understanding than any other music genre these days. And it can teach tolerance and understanding. But that's not a news story for the 24-hour, mad dog news cycle of the cable networks.

MORE: http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1494154/20041124/index...

[BamaLefty]

1. Good read!

Thanks!

[tjdee]

2. We already have the hottest:

Tim McGraw joked that Clinton should have been made king!

[lilfroggy]

3. He hasn't officially come out or made campaign contributions n/t

[lilfroggy]

5. Here's a list of some campaign contributors

Music Row Shells Out Big for John Kerry
John Kerry's upset win in Iowa must have delighted a lot of folks on Music Row. Hot Talk scanned the lists of contributors filed with the Federal Election Commission and saw some familiar names in the Kerry camp. Nashville record label chiefs Joe Galante (RCA Label Group), Luke Lewis (Universal) and John Grady (Sony) chipped in $2,000, $2,000 and $500, respectively. Singers Nanci Griffith and Bette Midler (who listed a Nashville address) contributed $1,000 and $2,000. Lawyer, manager and TV producer Bill Carter anted up $2,000, as did talent manager Bob Titley (who handles Brooks & Dunn and Terri Clark, among others). Ronnie Dunn's wife, Janine, also ponied up $2,000. Bob Doyle, a music publisher and Garth Brooks' co-manager, gave $1,000. Others who endorsed Kerry with their dollars include songwriters Bobby Braddock ($2,000) and Bill LaBounty ($500); producer Paul Worley ($1,000); talent bookers Greg Oswald ($2,000) and Rick Shipp ($1,500); music publishers H. C. Turner ($2,000) and Walter Campbell ($500); and BMI executive Del Bryant ($500).

Howard Dean numbers among his fiscal fans Emmylou Harris ($500), producer Kyle Lehning ($250) and songwriter Dan Tyler ($1,250, who also tipped in another $1,000 for John Edwards). Bette Midler (see above) shelled out $2,000 for Richard Gephardt's campaign. Former Curb Records exec Phil Gernhard gave Wesley Clark a $500 salute. Hot Talk found no Music Row angels hovering around Al Sharpton, Carol Moseley Braun, Dennis Kucinich or Joe Lieberman, although tons of Nashville lawyers wrote checks to fellow barrister Edwards.

None of this is meant to suggest that Music Row is more passionate about the various Dems than it is the singular Bush. According to the current FEC report, 171,364 individuals have donated to the Prez's 2004 campaign -- and wading through that list is going to take some time.

http://www.cmt.com/artists/news/1484564/01232004/arnold_eddy.jhtml

[lilfroggy]

6. More country/Americana artists for Kerry:

http://www.hollywoodinvestigator.com/2004/kerryoke.htm

People that put it on: http://musicrowdemocrats.com/

[bush_is_wacko]

12. Wow, what a man!

[latteromden]

15. Tim McGraw?!

You serious? Ha! HA! That is so, so very awesome.

We've also got Trick Pony, and Billy Ray Cyrus is a lifelong Democrat, and was none too happy about Bush using his song "We the People" for his 2000 campaign. He said it was pretty much the opposite of what Republicans stood for.

And Toby?

Registered Democrat, baby. He actually said in an article in the Tennessean that he had "mixed feelings" about the War in Iraq. He voted for Bush, granted (reminds me of those people that say "I don't agree with Bush on anything, but I voted for him anyway!"), but he also refused to sing at the RNC, saying "If I come in there singing a big soldier song, it'll look like we're all banging the war drum... I just refused to be that guy."

I'd like to know about Kenny Chesney, though. One of my favorites. He had dinner with Bush when he was in Washington (which could almost be expected), but he hangs out with the likes of Jimmy Buffett and John Cougar Mellencamp, not to mention his "I think 100 songs about September 11th is enough" comment, when asked whether or not he would write one. *shrug*

[lilfroggy]

16. No we don't have Trick Pony

Trick Pony performed at the RNC. They support Bush and are proud to <YUCK>

Toby is a Democrat supposedly but he voted for Bush and endorsed him...turd.

[latteromden]

17. Hmm

I could've sworn they said something about there being a lot of Republicans in Nashville, but "there are a lot of us, too." Although, I DID hear it from someone else, so it might have been another group that said that.

[Liberal_Andy]

4. this country enough?

http://home.nc.rr.com/clarkja/CDs/tnm/index.htm

probably not.

[The Flaming Red Head]

7. No we need some Saudi money to win

[demodonkey]

8. Honky Tonkers for Truth.

Group of A-list Country Music people worked up one DARN good anti-bush country song, "Takin' My Country Back"; came out with it about a month before the election. It had a real top-drawer country "sound" plus framed all the issues againt Bushco. They distributed it free via the web at www.takinmycountryback.com

They have since taken all but the splash page for their site down (e-mail link is still there).

Lyrics included (excerpt):

NOW I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WERE HOT
'CAUSE BIN LADEN NEVER DID GET CAUGHT
SO YOU SAID WE HAD SADDAM TO BLAME
TRIED TO TELL US IT WAS ALL THE SAME
BUT NOW THE YEARS ROLL BY
AND OUR KIDS KEEP DYIN'
YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A PLAN TO BRING 'EM HOME
AND THOSE W.M.D. YOU PROMISED ON T.V.
HEY ADMIT IT, YOU FIGURED IT WRONG...

NOW YOU DON’T KNOW MY NAME, BUT YOU KNOW WHO I AM
I'M YOUR EVERYDAY WORK HARD, PLAY HARD
RAISE KIDS AND PRAY HARD COMMON MAN....
AND LORD KNOWS I LOVE THIS LAND...

THAT'S WHY I’M TAKIN’ MY COUNTRY BACK
SON, YOU AIN'T BEEN DOIN’ HER RIGHT
OH I BEEN WATCHIN’ YOU AND I DON’T LIKE
HOW YOU'VE BEEN TREATIN’ MY STARS AND STRIPES
YOU SAY "UNITE" BUT YOU DIVIDE US MORE
CUSSIN' EACH OTHER ON THE SENATE FLOOR
AIN'T WE SUPPOSED TO BE ABOVE ALL THAT ?
HEY I’M TAKIN’ MY COUNTRY BACK

I GOT MY FAMILY AND MY CHURCH AND FLAG...
NOW I'M TAKIN' MY COUNTRY BACK

[illflem]

9. Don't forget the Okie from Muskogee

Merle Haggard is strongly anti-bush
http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn1114.html

[Radical Activist]

10. Willie Nelson and Steve Earle are great

but that's probably why clearchannel won't play them anymore.

[bush_is_wacko]

11. Uh, didn't the Dixie Chicks get

their asses handed to them on a silver platter for denouncing Bush? Well, I geuss according to the rightwingers and a few lefties as well they kinda denounced America. I liked their music though.

[Bridget Burke]

18. Hardly.

Their asses still belong to them. Can you find one "leftie" who claims they denounced America?

[AP]

13. Sheryl Crow has a cover of No Depression in Heaven...

[yorgatron]

14. any KPIG fans out there?

they'll know what i mean when i say THAT'S my kind of country music."new" country is SWILL! :puke:

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. There are plenty of forward-thinking country artists past and present,

though. I have a few listed on my entertainment page.

[Tsiyu]

20. Oh, Please

The crap passing for Country these days is appalling. You have to find some really independent stations if you want to even hear Gillian Welch or Steve Earle.

Instead of playing real country, the Gigunda Kuntry stations blast the same ten songs over and over until you think you will hyperventilate if you hear even a snippet of one of them by accident.

America doesn't broadcast its best anymore.

[lilfroggy]

21. True, but we need to use those artists

We need to get Martina McBride to come out as a Democrat.
We need some other big stars to come out as Democrats and write crappy songs like Have You Forgotten (really the shittiest song - makes you think Iraq had something to do with 9/11....assholes).