For the last few decades, country music has gotten the reputation of being the music of the right wing, beloved of hardcore hawks and Republicans everywhere. From "family friendly" music of the 70's and stiff-necked patriotic anthems such as "Okie From Muskogee" (even though Merle said it was written as a joke), country music emerged as the music of the far right, intolerant of tree-hugging liberals with their anti-war sentiment. Well, the Democrats of Music Row have finally said, "No more."
It's been a long time coming; although, to be honest, there have been left-leaning country music writers and singers all along (my first exposure to real protest music wasn't John Lennon or Bob Dylan, it was Johnny Cash, singing songs like "Man in Black," "Don't Go Near the Water," and "What Is Truth?"). Still, the first real genre break in country music was when country distanced itself from cousin folk music, so as not to be mixed in with "radicals" like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Country music was the music of the simple people, those patriotic souls who would never dream of criticizing their government. But that sentiment itself is so noteworthily anti-patriotic it's not surprising someone would eventually stand up and say so. It is not only patriotic, the ability to criticize the government when one believes them to be wrong is the basic cornerstone of this country. Now some of the artists and writers of Music Row have decided it's about time country music came out and became more than just as the spokes-music for the right. There are a lot of Democrats on Music Row, if not outright lefties, and they've banded together to speak their minds about the state of this country, and country music's role in it.
