Country music has been popular is this country for years. There are various reasons as to why people listen to country music. Some people can relate to the stories told in the songs, some people may like the way it sounds, and some may just have country blood in their genes. At one point in time, country apparel was very popular. It seemed as though every country fan wanted to dress like Garth Brooks or sport the long trench coat like Tim McGraw. Motion pictures went through a country phase as well, with such movies as Rhinestone Cowboy, Pure Country and 8 Seconds, a bull rider's ultimate dream. In these times following the September 11th tragedy, it seems that country artists are incorporating more patriotic themes into their music.
Many artists have written songs in the memory of that tragic day, one of the most popular being Alan Jackson's "Where Were You "(When the World Stopped Turning) (Editorial 2002. Pg. 1) "Jackson's song is among a handful of patriotic anthems that are dominating country music." (Boston Globe) Toby Keith is another artist who has made it a point to incorporate such patriotic themes. With such songs as "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue," "American Solider," and even " a tune too controversial to record, but fun to perform live, the "Taliban Song," a semi acoustic tune that sounded like a 60's folk-protest song." "At an economically challenged time when many performers are grateful for half-sold houses, Keith's show was filled to the last seat with nearly 21,000 concertgoers." (Seattle Post, Pg. 1).
Darryl Worley and Arron Tippen have joined in the patriotic phenomena with their songs as well. With Worley's "Have You Forgotten" and Tippin's "Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagles Fly." to add to the list. (Top Tunes, Pg. 1) In December of 2003, Randy Travis's "America Will Always Stand" was number 4 on the country music charts, LeAnn Rimes's version of "God Bless America:" stood at number 6, and "Only in America" by Brooks and Dunne finished it out at number 14.