Kevin If y’all have been here a time or two, you’ll see I like to talk about offbeat observances and holidays, whether they’re unofficial or not. Today’s is no different, and it’s right up my alley. It’s not only Taco Tuesday, it’s International Country Music Day 2024!
Aaand, if y’all have been here, you’ve probably also seen me mention country music a time or two, beyond the little bio over on your right hand side. I rarely talk about it in the 3D world, since there aren’t many fans of country music in my life.
That’s totally fine by me. I was probably the only one in my class in elementary school who liked it. Case in point? I was trying to talk about a song on the radio on the way to school, and nobody knew what I was on about. Middle school, probably one or two others, maybe a bit more than that, but I can’t speak to that for sure either. All I remember is that the other kids would blow a gasket and start bytching about how the teacher for one of our specials would have the Top 40 country station on.
After a few years of exploring other genres, it was like coming home to country music, and R&B too. Believe it or not, R&B and country are similar, kinda like siblings in a way.
If you’ve seen the Ken Burns documentary on country music, we can trace it back officially to the early 20th century. However, the groundwork for country came along w/ blues. In country music’s early years, record companies would consider it an “other” type, and put it with others declared in this category.
It also didn’t help that the Powers that Be among country music played upon stereotypes of certain groups, and over time, those stereotypes became what others would associate w/ country music. However, I should also mention that harmonica player DeFord Bailey became one of the first headliners at the Grand Ole Opry, originally known as the WSM Barn Dance, and that he performed there for many years throughout the 1920s.
As country music gained traction, we eventually started seeing singers from other countries draw inspiration from the hits on the radio that made their way across the pond, and that brings us to International Country Music Day 2024. We’re seeing contemporary artists like Shaboozey, from Beyonce’s album of her venture into country music, Dusty and Stones, and Esther Konkara, just to name a few.
On that note, Cape Town Country Music Festival will be in October, and Darius Rucker’s one of the headliners! There’s also local country music artists like Martin Bester and Ray Dylan. This will be their first festival, and I’m super excited to see the posts over on the ‘gram or on TikTok about it!
Country music has also gained traction in Germany, and while Tom Astor is one of Merle Haggard’s contemporaries, we’re seeing artists like Siiri. Joshville is another artist, and I’ve heard his songs on Country Music Germany a time or two. They used to have their 90s country music programming block, but it looks like they phased that out.
Bummer, cuz they played some of the stuff I can’t believe I forgot about. Like Ace of Hearts by one of the OGs, Alan Jackson.
Country music isn’t super popular in the UK, but there’s Nathan Carter, who did a great cover of Ridin w/ Private Malone.
Australia’s got Keith Urban, Jamie O’Neal, Olivia Newton-John. Going a little further back, we got Slim Dusty, another one of The Hag’s contemporaries. His daughter Anne Kirkpatrick is also a country singer, too! A Slim Dusty album’s become of one of my thrifting white whales, ever since I heard about him for the first time before this blog came to be.
What would this post be w/o mention of Canada, and Shania Twain? Or Michelle Wright, k.d. lang, Anne Murray, The Wilkinsons, or Terri Clark? Crystal Shawanda was also featured on Rissi Palmer’s Color Me Country Radio Show, and she’s woefully underrated, imo.
To celebrate International Country Music Day 2024, I think what I’ll be doing is listening to some of these great artists, w/ special focus on the more obscure and underrated among em. Then again, for me, every day’s Country Music Day of some sort, haha.
Anyways, over to you, readers. Have you heard of International Country Music Day? Heard of any other artists I haven’t mentioned here, but wanna give a shout-out to? How will you be celebrating International Country Music Day? I’d love to hear your thoughts and takeaways, so drop it all like it’s hawt, and let’s talk!
