<h3>Blog Rodeo March 2013: Is The Love That Country Music Is Feeling The Real Deal? Or Will It Be Gone Before You Can Say Gaucho Pants?</h3>
<p>I consider country music to be one of the staples in my life. I grew up on the lyrics and have never been afraid to show my support in front of large crowds of strangers. As cliché as it sounds, I feel a real connection with <strong>Barbara Mandrell&#8217;s</strong> famous words, &#8220;<em>I was country, when country wasn&#8217;t cool.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>The topic for this month&#8217;s <strong>Country Music Blog Rodeo</strong> is &#8220;<strong><em>why is the mainstream in love with country music?</em></strong>&#8221; Well, for the most part I think people like to jump on the latest trend train and make sure everybody knows they have a first-class, window seat!</p>
<p>We all know someone who bought skinny jeans and bubble necklaces in every color. Maybe you know a girl who proudly displays a bright pink browning sticker on her vehicle, yet she has never spent a minute in a deer stand. There are plenty of examples I could throw your way, but you get my point. If the &#8220;man&#8221; is telling them one thing is all the rage, then they&#8217;ll be the first on their block with that particular item.</p>
<p><strong><em>The Voice</em></strong> introduced countless people to <strong><a title="Blake Shelton" href="https://stubhub.prf.hn/click/camref:1100ljXyr/pubref:WPSBlakeS/ar:CMNBAutoLink/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stubhub.com%2Fblake-shelton-tickets%2F">Blake Shelton</a></strong>, Oklahoma&#8217;s own outspoken troubadour, and opened the doors wide open to display the country scene. I&#8217;m not saying it&#8217;s impossible that someone, who once was only a fan of Rap music would never hear of Shelton, but I will say that it was a pretty good chance.</p>
<p>Don&#8217;t get me wrong, I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s bad for country music to gain new fans&#8230;<em>heck bring them all</em>&#8230;but only those who are truly connecting to the music will last. In my opinion, those are the only ones you can call &#8220;fans.&#8221;</p>
<p>Some things I know, you aren&#8217;t a cowboy/cowgirl just because you grew up in Texas, you aren&#8217;t an expert on country music because you have two <a title="Brad Paisley" href="https://ticketmaster.evyy.net/c/1224809/264167/4272?subId1=WPScmnbBPaisley&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketmaster.com%2Fbrad-paisley-tickets%2Fartist%2F714837&partnerpropertyid=5213910&MediaPartnerPropertyId=5213910">Brad Paisley</a> CD&#8217;s and a <a title="Shania Twain" href="https://stubhub.prf.hn/click/camref:1100ljXyr/pubref:WPSShania/ar:CMNBAutoLink/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stubhub.com%2Fshania-twain-tickets%2F">Shania Twain</a> cassette tape, and I&#8217;m not a hillbilly because I live in Arkansas.</p>
<p>No matter what TV show is or isn&#8217;t getting a high rating, my love for country music isn&#8217;t going anywhere.</p>
<h4>Blog Rodeo Roundup: See What Everyone Else Is Saying!</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>CMchatLive</strong>: &#8220;<a href="http://www.cmchatlive.com/whymainstreamissoinlovewithcountrymusic/">Insight from Country Stars like Scotty McCreery, Sunny Sweeney, Tracy Lawrence and more!</a>&#8220;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> <strong>Urban Country News </strong>: &#8220;<a href="http://www.urbancountrynews.com/blog-rodeo-why-country-music-is-like-the-zombie-apocalypse">Why Country Music Is Like the Zombie Apocalypse</a>&#8220;, &#8220;<a href="http://www.urbancountrynews.com/blog-rodeo-a-love-affair-for-the-ages">A Love Affair For The Ages</a>&#8220;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> <strong>For The Country Record</strong>: &#8220;<a href="http://wp.me/p2gYi5-dw">TV and Nashille: It&#8217;s Merits and Implications for Country Music</a>&#8220;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> <strong>UKCountryMusic</strong>: &#8220;<a href="http://www.ukcountrymusic.net/2013/03/country-music-blog-rodeo-is-country-music-about-to-become-mainstream-in-the-uk">Is Country Music About To Be Mainstream In The UK?</a>&#8220;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> <strong>Country Music Tattle Tale</strong>: &#8220;<a href="http://countrymusictattletale.com/2013/03/25/for-the-love-of-country-music">For The Love of Country Music</a>&#8220;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> <strong>Country Music Pride</strong>: &#8220;<a href="http://countrymusicpride.com/blog-rodeo-country-music-has-a-little-something-for-everyone-traditional-pop-americana-and-more">Country Music Has A Little Something For Everyone, Traditional, Pop, Americana and More</a>&#8220;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> <strong>Keepin&#8217; It Country Blog</strong>: &#8220;<a href="http://www.keepinitcountryblog.com/2013/03/blog-rodeo-everyone-loves-country-music">Everyone Loves Country Music</a>&#8220;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li> <strong>Focus On The 615</strong>: &#8220;<a href="http://focusonthe615.com/2013/03/25/country-music-blog-rodeo-mainstream-hasnt-fallen-in-love-with-country-music-just-the-opposite/">The Mainstream Hasn&#8217;t Fallen In Love with Country, Just The Opposite</a>,&#8221; &#8220;<a href="http://focusonthe615.com/2013/03/25/country-music-blog-rodeo-remember-when-country-wasnt-so-cool/">Remember When Country Wasn&#8217;t So Cool?</a>&#8220;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><strong><a title="Country Music News Blog" href="https://countrymusicnewsblog.com">Country Music News Blog</a></strong>: &#8220;<a href="http://www.countrymusicnewsblog.com/the-mainstream-has-fallen-for-country-and-i-am-the-mainstream">The Mainstream Has Fallen For Country and I Am The Mainstream</a>,&#8221; &#8220;<a href="http://www.countrymusicnewsblog.com/mainstream-media-adopts-country-music/">The Mainstream Adopts Country Music</a>&#8220;</li>
</ul>
<h4>Join the Conversation! Twitter Chat: Wednesday, March 27th.</h4>
<p><a href="http://www.countrymusicnewsblog.com/i-was-country-when-country-wasnt-cool/blog-rodeo-logo-twitter-march2013/" rel="attachment wp-att-14309"><img src="http://www.countrymusicnewsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/blog-rodeo-logo-twitter-march2013.jpg" alt="" title="blog-rodeo-logo-twitter-march2013" width="600" height="600" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14309" /></a></p>