A couple years ago, country music was formally pronounced dead by country music legend Loretta Lynn.
She’s not the first, and she won’t be the last, but Loretta is one of the most significant voices in the past few years to voice their frustration with the current landscape of country music.
On an episode of Martina McBride’s podcast, Vocal Point with Martina McBride, Loretta didn’t shy away from calling out country music, in fact, she straight up called it “dead.”
“They’ve already let it. I think it’s dead. I think it’s a shame. I think it’s a shame to let a type of music die.
I don’t care what any kind of music it is. Rock, country, whatever. I think it’s a shame to let it die, and I’m here to start feeding it.”
But more than a shame, Loretta is down right mad at the whole thing… and after a few minutes of listening to country radio these days, who could blame her?
“Yeah. I’m getting mad about it. I am. Because it’s ridiculous. I’m not happy at all. I think that they’re completely losing it. And I think that’s a sad situation because we should never let country music die.
I think that every type of music should be saved, and country is one of the greatest. It’s been around, as far as I’m concerned, longer than any of it.”
And she ain’t lying.
But don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of great artists out there making great country music, real country music. You just have to know where to look because you sure as shit won’t hear it flipping on mainstream country radio. But if you ask fans of Tyler Childers, Cody Jinks, Charles Wesley Godwin, and others like them… country music is alive and well.
But Loretta knows that there is still hope for the mainstream.
After the release of Alan Jackson’s 2021 album, Where Have You Gone, she praised Alan for rescuing mainstream country music from the brink of destruction:
“Just when I thought country music was near gone, Alan Jackson brings it back to life! What an album, he’s given us.
Y’all go listen to it right now. Alan, thank you honey for keeping it country!”
“Sweet country music, where have you gone…”
