3 chords and the truth

As I sit in front of the television watching the 43rd annual CMAs - Country Music Awards - in Nashville, I can't help but feel loved. Not from being on stage, not from singing my own music, or even from singing the music from the nominated and winning stars tonight. Tonight has just been a reminder of what country music does for me, and millions of other people - it reunites.


The title of this blog was a quote said by Harlan Howard, a monumental country music songwriter who died in 2002. His understanding of country music as "three chords and the truth" is certainly the greatest way in which I have seen this genre of music put to words. It's a style in which artists are free to be themselves, and their successes are largely granted by the fans for which their songs are written. If the material isn't real, a country fan will tell you. The average, everyday, hardworking, sometimes-struggling individual relates to these tales of love, family, and hardship.


I'm not saying that every country song or artist is going to be great. There are levels of "twang" and "honky tonk" to which you must accustom yourself! There's a definite redneck quality to the overall genre of country music. From the famous "South" and "good ol' drinkin'," I mean, it is a crazy, careless style that dwells in an atypical world. But the beauty of that world, those roots, is that everyone at the heart of this industry believes in it. Every artist tonight shows their true colors and supports each other immeasurably. How can a committee actually decipher between the Lady Antebellum and the Rascal Flatts? Regardless of who is victorious (Lady Antebellum, in this instance), the winner pays tribute to their fellow nominees, often going out of their way to thank them before any body else in their speech. The energy in the room, the love felt among all the groups and people there is so rich and so pure, it resonates through to its viewers. The whole night is encapsulated by total admiration of talent, and the overall celebration of music that holds so many truths.


And, at the end of the day, if something like the intangible, retiring Brooks and Dunn doesn't make you want to get up and dance ... I'm not sure there is anything I could say to help you understand.