Back then, and unfortunately still true to an extent today, the broadcast music content was rather...not conservative, but more sticking-to-narrow categories. We'd have the top forty/top hits station, the rap/hip-hop station, the country stations, the gospel station, the oldies station, and the rock/classic rock station that sometimes plays newer music, too. And this was before Clearchannel seemingly owned half the stations.
Memphis is home to WDIA (trust me, look it up sometime to see how it pioneered radio and influenced music, not to mention that the late Rufus Thomas once had his own show on it). It's got Graceland and Beale Street, Sun Studios and the Stax Museum. About niney miles or so away from my Arkansas town is Helena, AR, with at least one museum dedicated to blues music. Somewhere in Mississippi, also within driving range, are some actual juke joints. There's a lot of pride and emphasis on musical heritage 'round here. Which isn't to say there are no avenues for newer, more alternative music here, but I think we could really benefit from more variety on the radio.
Put it this way: We're more used to eating catfish dinners than we are going to the sushi bar, but the sushi is finding its way into sometimes the darnedest places.
(Plus, the three-day Beale Street Music Festival from earlier this month had thirty-odd acts, ranging from Three Six Mafia to Jerry Lee Lewis, the Killer himself. I really wish I could have seen that.)
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Back then, and unfortunately still true to an extent today, the broadcast music content was rather...not conservative, but more sticking-to-narrow categories. We'd have the top forty/top hits station, the rap/hip-hop station, the country stations, the gospel station, the oldies station, and the rock/classic rock station that sometimes plays newer music, too. And this was before Clearchannel seemingly owned half the stations.
Memphis is home to WDIA (trust me, look it up sometime to see how it pioneered radio and influenced music, not to mention that the late Rufus Thomas once had his own show on it). It's got Graceland and Beale Street, Sun Studios and the Stax Museum. About niney miles or so away from my Arkansas town is Helena, AR, with at least one museum dedicated to blues music. Somewhere in Mississippi, also within driving range, are some actual juke joints. There's a lot of pride and emphasis on musical heritage 'round here. Which isn't to say there are no avenues for newer, more alternative music here, but I think we could really benefit from more variety on the radio.
Put it this way: We're more used to eating catfish dinners than we are going to the sushi bar, but the sushi is finding its way into sometimes the darnedest places.
(Plus, the three-day Beale Street Music Festival from earlier this month had thirty-odd acts, ranging from Three Six Mafia to Jerry Lee Lewis, the Killer himself. I really wish I could have seen that.)