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Taylor Swift has sold more albums than anyone in 2009. Kenny Chesney had the year's biggest concert tour. And Carrie Underwood — who will co-host tonight's CMA Awards with Brad Paisley — will make more TV appearances in the next month than Santa Claus.
Those household names and the new generation of fans they've attracted have put country music — that twangy, redheaded stepchild — at the center of pop for the first time since the heyday of Garth Brooks and Shania Twain nearly a generation ago.
Old prejudices are disappearing as country gains a foothold across the TV dial, in urban music venues and on the Internet. And kids — even urban and suburban — can dig country songs without any fear of reprisal. That's because the younger generation encounters music in a different way than its parents did. It's an iPod-shuffling generation with eclectic tastes.
"With the onset of digital music, there has become less defined lines between genres," said Swift, who turns 20 next month. "When you discover your music on the Internet like I do and like a lot of my friends do, a lot of times, genre doesn't come into play. It's more about the lyrics and the melody and if you can relate to them."
Country, hip-hop, pop, indie rock, dance — it's all music to their ears. That's a big reason why country is as prominent on television as it's ever been. Swift hosted "Saturday Night Live" last weekend, Underwood will star in her first TV special Dec. 7 on Fox, and this summer's "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" was ABC's second-highest-rated show of the summer.
TV's ratings king, "American Idol," also has been a high-profile promoter of country, whether it's having the finalists cover a country song or showcasing Underwood, the most consistently successful CD seller among "Idol" champions.
"From 'American Idol,' Carrie has brought an audience with her," said Michael McCall, a writer/editor for the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. "By watching her on things like on the CMA (Country Music Association) Awards, those fans discover that they like other (country) artists, too, and maybe it decreases the built-in prejudices that people sometimes have against country music."
Underwood is on a roll. After scoring six No. 1 country hits on her first two albums, she delivered her third disc last week as her tune "Cowboy Casanova" climbed to No. 11 on Billboard's pop list.
It's no coincidence that country is showing up all over the map. There are organizations, including the CMA, to market the music. In fact, country is the only genre with three awards shows of its own — CMT Video Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards and the CMA Awards, billed as "country's biggest night."
Today's country stars are a different breed, which helps them appeal to a broader audience. They didn't grow up on Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn, points out Kiss singer Paul Stanley. They were raised on Queen, the Eagles and, of course, Kiss.
"I love Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley and Carrie Underwood," says retro rocker Brian Setzer, who is known for blending rockabilly, jazz and blues. "You can hardly call it country. It's really rock 'n' roll."
Zac Brown, a nominee for the CMA's best new artist and single of the year, cites James Taylor as his biggest influence. Keith Urban and Paisley, stars who play guitars, are known for sneaking in classic-rock riffs — from Zeppelin to Creedence — at their concerts.
