Here is a new topic I think. At least I don't see any discussions out there about it. If there is just move me in the right direction
At one point in time, at least as far as I know, putting the word gay and country music together would be quite rare. Putting gay people in a bar where people were doing the country line dance and the Texas two step would even be rarer. I mean I know that there have always been some stars of country music, such as Dolly Parton, who became icons to many people in the gay world. But basically the two ideas just didn't seem to be on the same path. In fact, the Country Music Association has not always been what you would call "gay friendly." In fact, to my knowledge, they are still not. I also know that there are many gay people out there who still not be caught dead listening to country music or dancing to country music. But, even before Brokeback, country music and dances were becoming very popular with a segment of the gay population.
I still find it hard to believe that one of my biggest exposures to country music, line dancing, etc. happened on my first trip to San Francisco, California. That still sometimes throws me for a loop. The fact that I was born and raised in the hillbilly section of North Carolina makes it even stranger. I now find myself listening to music that my grandparents listened too, that old timey country music. This is the same music I used to make fun of and even before anything really gay came into my life my friends and I would make fun of it. Listening to country music was just not cool, at all. In reality I did like some of it, but I sure never admitted it to anyone. I also remember that back in the 90s I started listening to a lot of country music, but that phase went away. Then back in very late 2000 I found my best friend in Texas who got me listening to some country music, particularly the Dixie Chicks and Faith Hill. I thought at the time that the Dixie Chicks were the country equivalent of the Spice Girls
I'm not sure where I ever got that idea.
Anyway, I was out there in San Francisco in a nightclub one night and at a hotel dance the next watching gay people in cowboy gear dance to country music. At times it was truly almost like culture shock to me. I liked it though. I liked it very much. It was just very hard to mentally put this into my head and realize how this happened. So I get back to North Carolina and I start complaining that the country music they play on the radio here is not as up to date as what they were playing in California. California is almost a month ahead with their country songs
It's true
So I am just curious of other people's ideas about how country music gained such a strong hold on a large segment of the gay population? And how it fits into the lifestyle? And thoughts about it general?
Jack