(Photo courtesy of Broken Bow Records)
The New Year is in its second day and I thought I’d share what I thought were the Top 10 Country Music Stories of 2014.
These stories impacted country music by garnering attention on radio, TV and all across the internet via blogs and social media during 2014. Depending on your personal tastes and point of view, any of them could be the top story of 2014. That is why I am not ranking them. I will simply post them in a non-specific order.
Here are what I believe to be the biggest stories of 2014 in country music.
Buck’s Top 10 Country Music Stories of 2014
Bro-Country Battle Rages On
Many of today’s biggest names in country music have been dubbed as “bro-country.” Depending on your personal tastes, this is good or bad. However, the debate over the type of country music that falls under that moniker raged on over the past year with some declaring the style “dead.” However, when you look at the success of artists like Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line and more that fall under the music style called “bro-country,” can one really say it has died?
Brett Eldredge Enjoys Big Success
For those of us that live in the “Land Of Lincoln” this is a big story. The country music singer-songwriter that is a native of Paris, Illinois scored two #1 singles (“Don’t Ya”; “Beat Of The Music”) from a highly successful debut album Bring You Back also released in 2014. The “cherry on top” of Brett’s year was taking home the CMA New Artist of the Year Award.
Taylor Swift Goes Pop
Taylor Swift has been crossing over to pop music from the start of her career. However, it was in 2014 that Taylor decided to completely focus on pop music and step away from country music with the release of her latest album 1989. Taylor continues to be one of the biggest stars in music over-all. Will she decide to come back to the genre that launched her in the New Year or any year in the future? Only Taylor knows and only time will tell.
Scotty McCreery a Victim of Home Invasion
The “American Idol” winner and country-music star was help at gunpoint in a North Carolina apartment. Scotty and the others in the apartment were robbed of cash, wallets and electronic devices. Nobody was hurt during the robbery.
Tim McGraw Slaps a Fan
Tim McGraw received some pretty negative media when he slapped a female fan that grabbed his pants and tore them while he was on stage singing at one of his concert stops in 2014.
Jason Aldean Got Engaged
This was not a big story because of Jason’s ranking as a “heartthrob” and being made unavailable to throngs of female fans with wedding dreams of their own. Instead, this was made a big new story because the lady that Jason got engaged to was Brittany Kerr, the one he was caught kissing before he was divorced from his wife.
Josh Gracin Suicide Note
Following the suicide of actor-comedian Robin Williams, “American Idol” alum and country music singer Josh Gracin posted a suicide note on Facebook. Authorities were able to step in before Josh could follow through with action on his suicide note.
Carrie Underwood Got Pregnant
One of the biggest names in country music and “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood announced that she was pregnant in 2014. The country music star even revealed that she would be having a boy in a very creative way with help from her CMA Awards Show host Brad Paisley during the live 2014 CMA Awards Show.
Garth Brooks Returns
Garth has already cemented his name in the music history books as one of the biggest artists of all-time before he stepped away from touring and the music industry to raise his daughters. His girls reached the age that they are out of the nest allowing Garth to return to his love of making music both in the studio and live on tour.
George Strait Retires from Touring
The man that has earned the title of “King Of Country Music” concluded his life on the road after nearly 40 years of touring. “The Cowboy Rides Away Tour” set many attendance records for the legendary country music singer that influenced many of the biggest names in country music for as many decades as he has toured. While George will no longer be doing any major tours, he is not retiring completely. He will continue to make new albums and possibly do some limited concerts for special occasions.
There they are … the ten stories in country music from 2014 that I felt were the biggest of the year. Again, they are not listed in any specific order. You can log on to the B104 Facebook page here and agree, disagree and share any headline you feel should have been included in the list.
What will 2015 hold for country music in 2015? We are all going to find out together as the New Year unfolds. My wish is that country music and YOU have a Happy and successful New Year!
By: Buck Stevens