International Country Music Association September Newsletter

Please Visit: www.radiocountry.org

The awards show and festival season is here. The entire week leading into Labor Day saw country music lovers having great times, at The National Traditional Country Music Association’s festival, in Avoca, Iowa. The association is directed, by Bob Everhart, and this was their 24^th year of providing a great place for entertainers and fans to get together, for a great week. Several of our members were there and Bob rolled out the red carpet, for them. Native American entertainer and I. C. M. A. member, Storm Seymour stole the show twice. He stole it when he performed with his brothers, as White Swan. And again, when I. C. M. A. Founding Member, Ambassador Charlie Ray called him to the main stage to be presented the Kitty Wells / Johnny Wright Humanitarian Award. Storm spends a hundred or more hours each year playing free, in nursing homes and hospitals. When someone needs help rebuilding a fire lost home or raising money for big medical bills, Storm never hesitates to do a fund raising concert. This is what country music is really about. It’s about helping one another and being a good neighbor. Some folks just can’t understand that country music is about God and country, family and neighbor. It’s so much more than just an art form. It’s a way of life.

First big multi-national companies like Sony and Seagram’s took over the major labels, in Nashville. Then, they took over the major label C. M. A. Time Warner blocked non-major label recording artists, from their "Billboard" magazine. Congress receives piles of campaign money, from these multi-national entertainment giants. Is it any wonder they changed the rules, so their big campaign contributions wouldn’t dry up? Now, one company can own several radio stations, several newspapers, and television stations, in the same market. Working together these folks took over country radio. Much of the crapola being played on so called country music stations has zero country content.

Country music is about a singer telling a story and touching emotions. This stuff is about a beat and a pretty belly button or a tight pair of jeans. Terms like sex goddess and stud muffin belong, in New York and Hollywood. They have nothing to do with family values or country music. Kitty Wells has been the Queen of Country Music, for a lot of years. She has toured the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. She has entertained tens of millions of people, without one foul word, suggestive wiggle, or ever once showing her belly button. This month her and Johnny Wright will celebrate 61 years of marriage without the slightest hint of scandal. She met Mr. Wright and married him! Together they have raised three children, put almost 20 grandchildren through college, and loved 6 great grandchildren. Traveling on 40 foot buses with their son Bobby Wright (hillbilly star of Mc Hale’s Navy) and at least 4 musician’s, they have worn out busses, traveled millions of miles, and spent almost everyday and night together, for 61 years. All this they have done without ever the slightest hint of scandal or rumor of divorce. That is what country music is about!

You just can’t expect most folks from New York City, Hollywood, or Tokyo to even attempt preserve this way of life. They are too busy chasing money and living in the fast lane. I have known several wonderful folks, from Canada, but could we expect the Seagram’s whiskey company to give a hoot about family values? When they bought MCA did you think you were going to hear real country music, again? Did you think Sony executives, in Tokyo cared how much smut and sex and violence your children and grandchildren have forced into their young minds? Japan is known worldwide for their traditional family lifestyle. Yet, some people see movies glorifying sex and violence. They hear gangster rappers calling women the B word and much worse, while they rap their words painting pictures of drugs, murder, and depravity. They see their pre-teen children and grandchildren playing violence filled video games. Games filled with barely clothed women , who get killed in strange and unusual ways are earning Japanese companies ship loads of dollars. Billions of dollars that are used to isolate their children, from these things. I have encountered some people, who believe that these things are deliberate revenge, for our war ending use of the Atomic Bomb.

Major label country music wasn’t just bought out. It was sold out. It was first sold out in the 80’s, by the Hollywood and New York City companies, that bought the Nashville country music record labels, in the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s. It was sold out by a Congress in search of campaign funds. It was sold out by the major label CMA, who joined forces with the multi-national companies, all in the chase of a dollar. Major label country music is no different than rap, hip hop, and rock. It is just a matter of degree. Ty Herndon was arrested for soliciting homosexual activities, from a Texas policeman, in a public park. Garth already busts guitars, at the end of his concerts. Shania tries to out Madonna, Madonna. She discusses her sex life, in magazine interviews, and divorce rumors are on the front page of supermarket tabloids. How long will it be, before some new major label country artist decides to get attention, by having sex on stage. It has already worked, for rock bands. Will it work for a major label country singer, in the next few years? Will our children and grandchildren cheer them on, because their brains have already been soaked with movie sex, filthy rap lyrics, and sexist violence filled video games?

Thank God, there are still some folks like Bob Everhart, who loves his family, his nation, and real country music more than he does a dollar. Thank God, that in Texas you can still take your family to Colonel and Mrs. Bill Foster’s, Best of Texas show. They reach out to children and teenagers. They provide a place where youngsters are encouraged to follow in the path of Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Wright, Freddie Hart, Conway Twitty, and Ernest Tubb,. Not to just love their songs, but to love the way they have lived their lives. Thank God, for Jason Hawkins, Jeniffer Foxx, and their King Eagle Awards Show and Festival. Every year they provide a place for real country music lovers to meet , form friendships, and do business with other real country music lovers. Thank God, for Colonel Gene Paul Sinistre, who has agreed to host our internet radio program. Until his wife passed on, Gene and her spent their retirement years taping a real country music television program called, "A Nashville Night, in Texas". The memories and the love were to strong to allow Gene Paul to continue doing the television program. Many men would have stayed withdrawn and lonely, but when I called him and asked if he would host our radio program, he didn’t hesitate. I told him our budget was small and we couldn’t afford to pay him a lot. He offered to host the internet radio program free, just to put some clean wholesome content, on the internet. He said, "Kathy, the children need something positive, to see and hear on the internet. I’m glad, to help!" Thank God, for recording artists like Kitty Wells, Johnny Wright, Freddie Hart, and so many others who could have retired years ago, but love country music and their fans too much to quit.

Thank God, for Ambassador Charlie Ray. He has already started planning the first annual Kitty Wells Family Music Festival. Johnny Wright, Kitty Wells, and Bobby Wright have already agreed to headline the show. It will be in Nashville at the Opryland KOA. They have hundreds of RV hook ups, a swimming pool, playground, and a basketball court. There will be 4 stages each with an open mike. Any country, bluegrass, or gospel act that wants a chance to showcase their talent, in Nashville, will be able to sign up and get up. You can sign

up on all 4 stages all 3 days. The only charge will be $10 per day, for your festival tickets. You know the major labels will come out to see what all the fuss is about. They’ll see some real country music and tons of real country fans having a great time and buying real country, bluegrass, and gospel albums. The first annual Kitty Wells Family Music Festival will be held Memorial Day weekend. The festival will be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This will allow you to travel home, on Monday, Memorial Day. The stages will be the Kitty Wells Stage, the Johnny Wright Stage, the Bobby Wright Stage, and the Tennessee Mountain Boys Stage. The four stages will be managed by Nick Boldi of Ohio, A. J. Siegler of Missouri, Joe Frates of Arkansas, and Burleigh Grimes also of Arkansas. If more portable stages are needed, they will be set up. Those of you who don’t want to bring a RV can stay at your choice of several nearby hotels. The Opryland KOA is located on Music Valley Drive just down the street from the Opryland Hotel and several other hotels, in a range of prices to fit anybody’s budget. Several of our Founding Members will be involved. Both Kitty and Johnny are Founding Members, as is Freddie Hart, Ambassador Charlie Ray, Colonel Bill Foster, Colonel Keith Bradford, Colonel Buster Doss, Colonel Gene Paul Sinistre, Colonel Bobbie Patterson, Colonel Jason Hawkins, Jennifer Foxx, Admiral Dorothy Shaw, and Little Jimmy Dickens. About 100 overseas radio program presenters are also Founding Members. We expect several of them to make the trip, to see what might be the last time Kitty Wells and Johnny Wright do a concert. We are especially hoping our Founding Members, Dave Peters of Australia and Johnny Neilsen of Denmark will be able to make it. Kitty and Johnny are reducing their concert load, from over 100 shows per year to only a highly selected few. However; their son, Bobby Wright will headline future festivals. I believe this festival will become part of your travel plans, every year.

The festival will include several talent contests. Among the contests will be country, gospel, and bluegrass singer, (male & female), banjo playing, fiddle playing, dobro guitar, clog dancing, flat top guitar, autoharp, bull fiddle, mandolin, cowboy poetry, spoon and bone, dulcimer, country, gospel and bluegrass vocal group and band. Other contests will be added, if several people express interest in them. There is talk of a chili cook off and there will be a big pot of hobo stew, about 6 PM, everyday. Just bring something to put in the pot. It’ll cook every afternoon and be wonderful every night. There is talk of having a special national celebrity guest, during the Kitty Wells Family Show, Sunday evening. For more information about this wonderful festival, contact Ambassador Charlie Ray at 615-252-8202.

Kitty celebrated her 80^th birthday, August 30^th. Ambassador Ray and Colonel Bradford have given us copies of several photos they took, at the party. We will be posting several of them, at www.radiocountry.org. It will be almost as good as celebrating her 80^th birthday, with the Queen of Country Music and all of her family and special friends, who were lucky enough to get invitations.

The International CMA ‘s www.radiocountry.org web site is the most heavily advertised country music address, on the internet. Every month we send newsletters, by email and regular mail. Many of our members have rubber stamps with our easy to remember slogan.

Please Visit: www.radiocountry.org. They stamp it, on every piece of mail they send. Bumper stickers and book matches bearing our slogan are being distributed, in several countries. Our slogan (with a country music intro) is being put on thousands of CDs and distributed to our disc jockey members, all over the world. Readers of "The Music City News", "Songwriters’ Monthly" and other magazines are seeing our slogan, in print. We will be putting our slogan into hundreds of newspapers, over the next several months. It will appear in "Bluegrass Unlimited", "Banjo News", and festival program books. The newsletter will be distributed at the Best Of Texas Awards, The King Eagle Awards Show, The Nebraska Country Music Foundation’s Convention, and the Country Music Organizations of America’s Las Vegas Convention. Bob Everhart has agreed to advertise our web site, in the National Traditional CMA’s newsletter. If you want worldwide internet exposure, there just isn’t any better place to post your album. Our standard package includes digitizing up to 10 minutes of your music, in both the REALAUDIO and MP3 formats. Join our association today and we’ll rush you the necessary forms. You may also submit your music, for use on our internet radio program. Colonel Gene Paul Sinistre said it will be up and running, before the end of October. But, only members’ music will be featured.

Attention Songwriters ! Post Your Best Demos, On Our Pathway Of Fame !

Our standard package includes your photo, a biography, and one song digitized, in both the REALAUDIO and MP3 formats. Additional songs can be added, at anytime. Join our association today. Your best demo can be available to the world, in less than 30 days.

International Country Music Association

Post Office Box 271238

Nashville, TN. 37227

E-Mail: intlcma@aol.com

Fax: 615-612-7613

Phone: 615-870-1565

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