Country has been rocking for a very long time now.... well some of it. You still have Trace, George, Stewart, and others who play music that's much closer to what traditional country.... Haggard, Jones, Twitty, etc, used to sound like.

Lots of new folks came into country music having grown up on Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Foghat, and so many other rock bands.... I was one who grew up wanting to be a rocker. Much of that changed when I joined a band...and I ended up playing country as well as rock. Money has a way of making you appreciate certain things. So.... I took the rock chops and style I played and loved so well and applied them to Haggard and Jones and the people in the places we played really loved it. Our band stayed working as a full time band.

Same deal with the "country acts" of today. They all grew up playing Skynard, Hatchet, Doobies, etc....and now they're writing and making money in "country music".....

Nothing lasts forever, and the kids growing up today listening to what they find musical will repeat this in several years.... and something new will take the place of the current crop of musicians.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.