Bob Wills is Still the King

While I have four times the gigabytes of classical music to country music on my iPhone, I love both genres. (This comes in handy when dealing with Apple music which provides a lot of country music but is terrible for classical music). Over the years I've listened to a lot of country and want to provide a couple of suggestions on what's best in the genre. Here are my picks for great listening:

"Where Were You?" was written by Alan Jackson after he saw the towers go down at 9/11. He had this song ready in a week and it speaks to an America united in grief.

"Love Without End, Amen" is a George Strait song which should get to anyone who has a child. Its promise of never-ending love sums up what parenthood is all about.

This last suggestion many will dispute, but it's my favorite song. Garth Brooks got together with Asleep at the Wheel as part of a tribute to Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, a group that disappeared long ago but is still cherished by country music fans. As Waylon Jennings sang "when you cross that old Red River, hoss, it just don't mean a thing. Bob Wills is still the king." Garth Brooks singing "Deep Water" grabs me strong and hard. It is simply the most beautiful country recording I've ever heard.