Girl's Guide to Country The Music, the Hunks, the Hair, the Clothes, and More!

Chapter 1 Welcome to the Country Club Perhaps it began when you heard Faith Hill on the adult contemporary radio station they play at work. After humming along to her infectious "Breathe," you decide to pick up her album next time you're at Target. Listening to the CD, you find your favorite song is her "Let's Make Love" duet with husband Tim McGraw. The next day you're home watching TV. Flipping through channels you catch a glimpse of the dynamic duo performing that very song in an extremely glamorous video shot in Paris. Who knew your satellite system carried CMT! You find yourself watching CMT every time there's nothing good on regular TV. Who's Phil Vassar? You don't know, but you like his video for "American Child," where he cavorts in wheat fields with his real-life little girl. Next time you're in Target, you buy his CD. You also snag a Jo Dee Messina album because not only do you enjoy the redhead's spunky videos, you've noted that Phil Vassar's penned her hits "I'm Alright" and "Bye Bye." Even more incentive: Tim McGraw coproduced Jo Dee's record. Your car radio becomes permanently tuned into the country station, where they play Faith, Tim, Phil, Jo Dee, and all the CMT regulars. You hear on the radio that Phil Vassar and newcomer Carolyn Dawn Johnson will be opening for Kenny Chesney when he plays the local amphitheater. You buy tickets. At the concert, you're envious when the fan in the seat next to you mentions that the last time she saw Kenny Chesney, he was opening for Tim McGraw. She also tells you to join Phil Vassar's fan club so next time you can participate in the backstage meet-and-greet before the concert. As you write the check to join Phil Vassar's fan club, you realize there's no going back. You've gone country for good. A Grand Adventure There's never been a better time to be a country fan. Not only are there scads of exciting artists making music right now, but there are over eight decades of back catalog to explore. Just as Phil Vassar might have been your introduction to Jo Dee Mes-sina, you'll find one artist will lead you to another. As you follow these trails, you'll delight in one discovery after another. And while it's possible to have never heard George Jones or Tammy Wynette and still consider yourself a country fan, sooner or later you'll be exposed to something that will lead you to them, or further back, to singing cowboy Roy Rogers, or even further back, to the singing brakeman, Jimmie Rodgers. Don't worry, we won't bore you with a time line tracing how the mountain string band sound transformed and mutated into cowboy music, Western swing, bluegrass, honky-tonk, rockabilly, the Nashville sound, new traditionalism, alt-country, and twang-lite crossover. We know new converts don't encounter music in chronological order. You start somewhere and follow where your interest leads. Perhaps your enjoyment of country doesn't go as far back as the George Jones and Tammy Wynette duets right now, but in a few years it might. Then you'll be blown away by the many amazing songs waiting to be experienced. Everyone Is Welcome Perhaps because it's always been the music that chronicles the life of ordinary folks, you'll discover that your fellow country fans range from presidents to barflies, octogenarians to toddlers. Singer/songwriter Pam Tillis explains, "Country music is for everybody. It's not exclusive. Sort of like blue jeans. Everybody is welcome to wear a pair of blue jeans if they so desire. Whereas with certain kinds of rock, sometimes part of the fun is feeling like you're part of a special club, like you get it and nobody else does. Country music to me is just not like that. It's for everybody." Country Close Up That's Jodie Weckman with hotshot band Trick Pony. Jodie has had her photo taken with Phil Vassar, Jo Dee Messina, Kenny Chesney, the DixieAdelman, Kim is the author of 'Girl's Guide to Country The Music, the Hunks, the Hair, the Clothes, and More!', published 2003 under ISBN 9780767914185 and ISBN 076791418X.