stephanie
11-20-2007, 05:53 PM
:laugh2:
By Toby Harnden in Nashville, Tennessee
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 20/11/2007Page 1 of 2
Democrats angered at the image of country and western as Right-wing “redneck music” are planning a tour of Middle America during the 2008 election campaign by Nashville artists opposed to the Iraq war.
An alliance called the Music Row Democrats is poised to re-launch itself early next year in an attempt to seize back country music from the Republican camp and spread their message that President George W. Bush’s party does not care about ordinary people.
Slowly but surely, more country singers are performing songs critical of the Bush administration. Merle Haggard, who once sang the anti-hippie anthem “Okie from Muskogee” for President Richard Nixon at the White House has even penned a tribute to Hillary Clinton.
In his “Hillary", dedicated to the Democratic front runner, Haggard sings: “This country needs to be honest/ Changes need to be large/ Something like a big switch of gender/ Let's put a woman in charge."
Pro-war songs like Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" and “American Solider”, and Darryl Worley's "Have You Forgotten (About Bin Laden)?" still dominate country music stations.
But some country stars such as Tim McGraw – who has said he may run for Tennessee governor – have “come out” as Democrats.
“Republican Blues”, by the bluegrass artist Tim O’Brien, dealt with issues ranging from domestic spying by the US government to the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
Music Row Democrats was first formed in 2004, after the Dixie Chicks were boycotted and banned from country radio stations when their lead singer Natalie Maines said just before the Iraq invasion that she was ashamed Mr Bush was from her native Texas.
read the rest..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/20/wuspols120.xml
By Toby Harnden in Nashville, Tennessee
Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 20/11/2007Page 1 of 2
Democrats angered at the image of country and western as Right-wing “redneck music” are planning a tour of Middle America during the 2008 election campaign by Nashville artists opposed to the Iraq war.
An alliance called the Music Row Democrats is poised to re-launch itself early next year in an attempt to seize back country music from the Republican camp and spread their message that President George W. Bush’s party does not care about ordinary people.
Slowly but surely, more country singers are performing songs critical of the Bush administration. Merle Haggard, who once sang the anti-hippie anthem “Okie from Muskogee” for President Richard Nixon at the White House has even penned a tribute to Hillary Clinton.
In his “Hillary", dedicated to the Democratic front runner, Haggard sings: “This country needs to be honest/ Changes need to be large/ Something like a big switch of gender/ Let's put a woman in charge."
Pro-war songs like Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" and “American Solider”, and Darryl Worley's "Have You Forgotten (About Bin Laden)?" still dominate country music stations.
But some country stars such as Tim McGraw – who has said he may run for Tennessee governor – have “come out” as Democrats.
“Republican Blues”, by the bluegrass artist Tim O’Brien, dealt with issues ranging from domestic spying by the US government to the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
Music Row Democrats was first formed in 2004, after the Dixie Chicks were boycotted and banned from country radio stations when their lead singer Natalie Maines said just before the Iraq invasion that she was ashamed Mr Bush was from her native Texas.
read the rest..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/20/wuspols120.xml