Country Music's Top Ten

As a lover of both kinds of music - Country & Western - it just burns my butt watching and hearing all these new "fans" of Country music. They all cheer at the redneck songs, but they don't know the history and they don't have an appreciation of how far country has come. And, BTW, listening to Big and Rich don't make you a Country fan. Wearing boots and a hat, don't make you a Country fan.

So, in order to help this new generation of posers move from just posing to true fan status, I've posting a list of ten country songs that are the litmus test of Country Music. If you don't know the words to these songs and can't sing along when you hear them played on a jukebox or the radio, you are just a poser, son.

1. Crazy. Written by Willie Nelson and sung by Patsy Cline. If Patsy had never gotten up on a stage, there wouldn't be a Faith Hill, Gretchen Wilson or Carrie Underwood. Even the women who sing rock pay homage to the true queen of Country music.
2. He Stopped Loving Her Today. Best song ever. George Jones just tears your heart out and all of us have loved until we die.
3. Walk the Line. Johnny Cash. Enough said.
4. The Devil Went Down to Georgia. Charlie Daniels. A song that races along and drags you with it.
5. Anything by Hank Williams, Sr. No, that's not a song title. I mean any song sung by ol' Hank. Not only could that man sing, but he was the first Superstar in Country Music.
6. The Dance. Garth Brooks. This is the song that showed Garth knows his Country. Just listen to the words.
7. Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys. Waylon Jennings. Another Enough Said.
8. Stand By Your Man. Tammy Wynette. Ah, if you've heard it, you know why.
9. Anything by Loretta Lynn. Just like Hank, Sr., she embodies Country Music. Check out The Pill and don't forget to give a listen to You ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man.
10. I was Country Before Country Was Cool. Barbara Mandrell. The song probably wouldn't make anyone else's top ten, but if you can't sing about your own roots in Country Music, then you're probably just a poser.

God Bless