Alan Jackson Laments The Sad State Of Country Radio: “I’m Kinda Pissed Off Like You Are”

Alan Jackson country music

“Sweet country music, where have you gone?”

Funny you should ask, Alan…

Nineties country legend, mustache afficaniado, and depending on who you talk to… the damn GOAT of country music, Mr. Alan Jackson released a fantastic album in 2021, one affectionately titled, Where Have You Gone.

What’s the something that’s missing in that title?

Classic country music.

Loretta Lynn, Martina McBride, Alan Jackson, and anybody will half a brain knows that stuff coming out of mainstream country radio, is pretty much dogshit. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some good stuff here and there, but overall… big pile of dogshit.

So much so, that Alan Jackson named his first album in years, Where Have You Gone, after the sad state of country radio.

In a 2021 interview with The Tennessean, Alan Jackson laments the current state of country music:

“I’m such a fan of country music. I just feel like it’s fading away, the real roots.

It’s always been up and down but usually there’s just a little bit of it hanging on. Now, I just feel like it’s getting further and further away, and it’s makin’ me sad.” 

Sad is an understatement Alan…

And he went even further with HITS Daily Double:

“It’s not old-school, it’s the real school. And I’m kinda pissed off like you are about what’s happened to the format, or whatever they wanna call it. I know I don’t have to make my records for country radio, so I decided to really…

It’s even a little harder country than what I’ve done, but it’s what I’ve always dreamed about doing. I was driving out here in the country, where I live, listening to the mixes, and it’s so real. I actually teared up.”

Thankfully though, Alan is came to the rescue with a 21-song album of solid country gold.

The album features a couple of wedding tracks dedicated to his daughters, one dedicated to his late mother, a “That’s The Way Love Goes” tribute to Merle Haggard, “The Older I Get,” which Alan released back in 2017, and a ton more.

Alan is bringing country BACK.

Randy Travis Responds: “There’s Still Some Doing It Like We Did It”

However, one Alan’s contemporaries, the great Randy Travis isn’t ready to completely give up on this generation of country music.

In response to Alan’s comments about the sad state of country radio, Randy weighed in with some of the artists that he digs.

And don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of truth in Alan’s words. Turn on the radio and you’ll hear fewer and fewer songs with that “old-school” sound that Alan calls “the real school.”

But as Randy points out, that “old-school” sound isn’t gone entirely. You just have to look a little harder for it sometimes.

Randy Travis points to artists like Drew Parker, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Alexandra Kay, Ashley McBryde, Eric Church and Cody Johnson who are still making music like Randy and Alan used to make (and Alan’s still making).

And Randy has been doing his best to make sure this music is still heard, using his TikTok account to help spread the word about artists like Parker and Kay.

@randy.travis

#duet with @alexandrakaymusic that looks like a tasty drink! Thanks for singin’ along! #deeperthantheholler #randytravis #countrymusic

♬ original sound – Alexandra Kay

And Randy’s right: There’s still good country music out there waiting to be heard.

Artists like Tyler Childers, Miranda Lambert, Dillon Carmichael, Lainey Wilsonthere are plenty of people still out there making stone-cold country music, some even in the mainstream.

You just have to know where to look to find it (knock knock Whiskey Riff).

But in the meantime, it still doesn’t get much better than Alan Jackson playing “the real school” country music.

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A RIFF ON WHAT COUNTRY IS REALLY ABOUT

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