CMT Awards: Broken-hearted good ole boys surrender to 'Idol'
Prior to the spring of 2006, lists of past winners of country music awards were repeat rundowns of good ole boys and girls: Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, George Strait, Martina McBride. Over the previous few years, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban had managed to break in. Brad Paisley was knocking at the clubhouse door. Everybody appeared to be of the same Stetson-wearing, boot-tapping sort ruled by the Nashville studio and radio establishment.
The Dixie Chicks were the notable exceptions. Occasionally, they broke through the establishment and won awards after gaining prominence first on TV thanks to CMT, then radio. But the Nashville collective remained mostly an insulated world and alternate universe that couldn't be penetrated by outlanders.
Then Carrie Underwood changed all that, arriving via "American Idol," which suddenly held sway over Nashville, which the good ole boys didn't hanker to one bit. Sneakily, she followed the Dixie Chicks' route, arriving via television and circumventing Nashville radio, which later, reluctantly, had to accept Carrie once she was selling gazillions of CDs.
In 2006, Carrie won best female vocalist and best breakthrough performer at the CMTs for "Jesus Take the Wheel." Then there was no stopping her as she zoomed ahead at 100 mph on the country kudos derby track, winning best single next at the Academy of Country Music, then, yeowsa, crushing Faith Hill for best female vocalist at the holy of holies, the Country Music Assn. Awards.
One year later, she pulled off the same kudos sweep — CMT, ACM, then CMA — with "Before He Cheats."
Now, right behind her, comes Kellie Pickler, who wasn't even an "American Idol" winner. She'd lost! Nashville was suddenly force-fed an "Idol" reject when the breakout TV star won three CMTs last night (not losing a single race), including breakthrough video of the year ("I Wonder").
What an insult: she wasn't even present to accept! Doing a previously arranged private gig out in Arizona was much more important to her. (Good for you, Kellie!) Nonetheless, there was still enough "Idol" influence at the CMT ceremony to cause awards presenter Paula Abdul to gasp, "There are so many 'American Idol' alumni here, I feel like this is a reunion and I'm their mom."
Big award losers of the night: Brooks & Dunn, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw and Willie Nelson. Gee, if Rascal Flatts hadn't won best group video, it might've been a total shutout for the good ole boys.
Somewhere backstage, probably in a dark space under a staircase, the boys were doing shots and fighting back tears while a perky made-for-TV star held forth as host at the podium on stage: Miley Cyrus.
Sorry, pardners! But, hey, at least Miley didn't win any CMT Awards, eh? Just wait till next year!
Perhaps Carrie was forced fed to country music but I fail to see where you can say that about Kellie Pickler. The only reason Kellie has made it anywhere in country music is because she made it happen, it sure wasn't with the help of her label or American Idol, because all they've done for Kellie is try to hurt her music career every chance they've had and that includes not allowing her to go to the CMT's. Funny I see hardly any mention of Kellie on CMT's site even though she won more awards than anybody else. And your trying to tell us Kellie is being forced fed on country music fans? Good luck with that one.
As for the "good ole boys", seeing how Kenny Chesney said "Kellie nailed it! She was the biggest moment of the show" (in reference to her CMA performance when asked what he thought the highlight of the evening was), it seems to me Kenny understands there is a place for Kellie in country music. And seeing how Kenny asked Kellie to his private birthday party this year to hang out with his other close friends like good ole boys Tim McGraw, Kix Brooks, Dierks Bently, (and girls) Faith Hill, it seems to me that they've come to accept Kellie just fine seeing how they've included her in their own private circles. Seeing how Kenny didn't invite Carrie to his birthday party this year or last, even though he had to tour and do a song with her, pretty much shows me that the good ole boys still aren't taking to the Idol that was force fed to them and us by the country music industry and Carrie's label. At least Carrie and the industry showed the country music fans how corrupt the country music industry has become when it comes to radio, awards, and country TV stations, because all I've seen them accomplish is to make Carrie the most disliked singer in country music today. As for Kellie, I'm not worried about her nor do I care about the phony awards they bestow upon her, if Kellie couldn't sing, perform, and write songs the way she does I wouldn't like her or her music no matter how many bogus awards they wanted to toss her.
The simple solution I see to the problem that you address is to not buy these Idols cds if you don't want them around. That's what seems to be working in Carrie's case. I personally like Kellie and Bucky Covington, I think they have the personality and the talent that deserve to be in country music and will be welcome by its peers and fans. As for the rest, they won't be seeing my money, so if the industry wants to force feed them on country music fans like myself they'll have to do it for free.
Posted by: Little Smitty | April 17, 2008 at 12:52 PM
This years program was a joke. It was the "Billy Ray and Miley Comedy Hour {or two}....made me sick with all the corny antics. Hopefully next year, there won't be so much childish drivel, and it's be a REAL awards ceremony.
Posted by: Bruce | April 15, 2008 at 10:06 AM