Country Mike Blog

Why I Love Country

Mike Sudhalter  |  August 15, 2007

There's a million reasons why I listen to country music, and I think my life improved 11 years ago when I first heard it on my radio.

My grades improved and so did my attitude. Every day, I looked forward to listening to the radio and discovering new artists.

After a while I got bored with country radio, until I discovered two things - traditional country and independent artists.

As a traditional country fan, I'm always learning about artists/songs from the past that I previously hadn't known about.

Take Bradley Kincaid. Go ahead and google him. If you think there's many singers more traditional than that, I've got a bridge to sell you.

As much as I like Kincaid, I also like some contemporary country songs. They may not have the fiddle or the steel guitar featured as heavily as I'd like, but "Moments" by Emerson Drive and "Teardrops on My Guitar" by Taylor Swift are both songs with age-old country themes.

Part of my love affair with country music was that I'm a suburban kid and I was also enamored with the country lifestyle. If I'd actually experienced that lifestyle, I probably would have left in a New York minute. But it sure was great to think about.

I also like listening to great stories, always have. That's why I stopped in my tracks after hearing "Teddy Bear" and "Phantom 309" by Red Sovine. I probably would have made a terribly inept truck driver (those of you who know me personally, know what a slow driver I am), but again, I was enamored by this truckin' lifestyle that was so foreign to me growing up in a suburban community.

I've also learned more about the rest of the United States through country music. Or at least, I've built perceptions of different places from Georgia to Montana

Even today, I continue to live vicariously through country music. I'd love to go out honky-tonkin' and listen to country music until 3 a.m., but I have responsibilities as an adult and husband.