Who Won What Now?

Huh. I guess the CMT Music Awards were on the other night. Some people won some awards and it was voted on by the fans. Taking a look at the winners list, I realize either I'm getting old, or country music is getting worse. There's only one or two awarded songs/performers that I don't automatically switch the radio station or away from CMT when they come on. I mean, really, Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift sweep the awards? Um, who are they again? Got me trying to think of the last country music newcomer that really caught my interest. Or at the very least, I didn't automatically dislike. Keith Urban and Gary Allan come to mind, but that's been a few years now and they weren't exactly newcomers either. Canadian group Doc Walker got my attention last year, but that was with their 3rd album. As it is, most of the new voices on country radio or CMT that get the heavy rotational play don't appeal to me at all, and yet I consider myself a pretty big country fan, even though I listen to a lot of different stuff. However, most of the voices in my playlists don't get much radio play. Why can't I turn on the radio and hear Allison Moorer, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam, Allison Krauss, Mike Plume, Waylon Jennings, Cash, Chris Ledoux, Vern Gosdin, Marty Stuart, Patty Loveless, Mark Collie, or Randy Travis? (just to name a few). Reminds me of the quote from Johnny Cash where he was in the studio and asked them what they were up to. The told him they were looking for the next Randy Travis, and he asked them "What's wrong with the one we got now?" I guess I'm just not in their desired demographic anymore, but that's ok. Lucky for me, there's YouTube and iTunes so that I can continue to listen to good country music whenever I want. Just hope somebody will come along that has heart and soul and doesn't look and sound like a teaching guide to a marketing course. I'll just dream of turnin' on my steel belted radio and a DJ sayin' "Hey son, it's just the song that matters now."