It's nice to see this type of thread. I have listened to and collected country music for 40 years. Because of much of today's country pop/rock it gets a bad rap from folkies. I would still rather listen to Gretchen Wilson sing a hard core ballad than someone with a lute braying.

The Country Music Foundation in Nashville has been doing a lot in the education of this great form of American music. Too many folkies have lost track of the fact this country music is still the voice of many people in this country. Much of it still comes from the heart with meaning.