Loretta Lynn Says Country Music Is Dead: ‘I’m Getting Mad About It’
Loretta Lynn is not happy about the current state of country music, and she's not afraid to say so in public. In a new interview, the country icon says the way the genre is going right now makes her angry.
“They’ve already let it [die],” Lynn tells Martina McBride in a new interview on her podcast, Vocal Point With Martina McBride (quote via People). “I think it’s dead. I think it’s a shame. I think it’s a shame to let a type of music die. I don’t care what any kind of music it is. Rock, country, whatever. I think it’s a shame to let it die, and I’m here to start feeding it.”
McBride notes that Lynn seems "mad," prompting Lynn to reply, “Yeah. I’m getting mad about it. I am. Because it’s ridiculous.”
The 87-year-old country singer-songwriter is one of the most important figures in the history of country music, with a string of classic hits that includes "Fist City," "You Ain't Woman Enough," "One's on the Way," "You're Lookin' at Country," "Coal Miner's Daughter" and more. She says she's "not happy at all" with the way things are progressing in contemporary country music.
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“I think that they’re completely losing it. And I think that’s a sad situation because we should never let country music die. I think that every type of music should be saved, and country is one of the greatest. It’s been around, as far as I’m concerned, longer than any of it.”
Lynn has suffered a series of health setbacks over the past several years. She suffered a stroke in May of 2017, and broke her hip in January of 2018. She delayed her latest album, Wouldn't It Be Great, due to her health, but finally released it in September of 2018. Lynn was feeling well enough to take the stage at her 87th birthday concert in April of 2019, singing "Coal Miner's Daughter" with a group of all-star guests.
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