I WISH VERN GOSDEN HADN'T DIED.

It's Monday morning again, as I wrote earlier , the sounds of the age drums are getting louder around here. My sister told me to get the shovel out and make a path through the snow so they could be sure to get here. I said,"No way," they could do it on their own. But I think they will find a way past the snow. Time marches on. Snow or not.

I watched a little of the Grammy's last night. Many singers, all types. Country,Pop, Rock, blues, Hip Hop. I found myself kind of gettinto the,"Black eyed Peas,". But I guess its my age but when I listen to music I want to be able to understand what I am listening too. All except Opera, I don't mind if they sing in Italian, I just love the sounds and feel of Opera. It soothes the Savage beast.

But to me there will never be music any better than country. If you're feeling low there is nothing like a country song to make you feel a little sadder. The words at the time seem to be written just for you. On Mikayla's blog for awhile when they were going through a really bad time at the hospital the song that came on was, "If you're going through hell, just keep going." I love that song. One line says ,"Maybe you can get through before the Devil even knows you're there." It's worth a try. But country music cuts right to the heart.

All types of music are great but country seems to just be there for you. I got to thinking last night as I watched the awards the one thing I don't understand, in the music industry it seems the rock and Pop fields seem to be a little more easier on the artists as they grow older. And country just a little more fickle. They seem to toss the aging country stars out earlier than the other generes do. You think it would be the other way around. That Country , you know heart and soul of country would be a little more forgining of aging. But they are not.

In Rock you have Rod Stweart, the Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osburne, many Rock stars still big today that are in their sixties. Rod Stweart still makes recordings, his main stream label hasn't cast him aside. Neither have the Rolling Stones. The Stones get up in tight clothes, race around the stage screaming at the top of their lungs and as I wrote they are in their sixties. In country music though it seems as the younger singers come along the fickle companies immedietly cut the older singers and go for the younger stars. An industry striving for the money of the young. Other smaller labels will pick them up but their careers are never the same.

You have George Jones out there, his voice just as beautiful as in his yesterdays, just as sad and strong as in the seventies. There is Ray Price, Lorrie Morgan, the list goes on and on.

But the singer I hated to see ignored was Vern Gosden. He died a few months ago. He had cut a few albuns the last few years but he was with a record company the last few years of his life that didn't have the big bucks to promote
him like the larger compaines can. So when these artists have a new record out the public except if you are looking purposily for a new album by them may never get the chance to hear them. Unless you are listening to classic country on the radio you will never hear a new song by many of the older artists. The industry has tossed them aside.

When we lost Vern Gosden we lost a singer with the most soulful voice I have ever heard. Vern had it. There will never be another Vern or George for that matter. America seems to be a much harder nation on their older folks that many other countries. You become invisable as you age. I guess maybe I am getting a little more sensitive as the dreaded day gets closer. The sound of aging camped at my door. I will turn my CD player up a little louder and listen to Vern just drown their pounding out. But oh how I wish Vern Gosden hadn't died.