LI's having a love affair with country music

This summer Long Island is keepin’ it country with more concerts than ever before. Last month Lady A kicked off the festivities at opening night of Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater where the parking lot scene was more like a family reunion than a preshow tailgate.

"Country concerts are always about togetherness and meeting new people," says Dallas Stewart, 24, of Smithtown, who grew up on a steady diet of Johnny Cash.

"There are no judgments. It’s a big party and everyone is friendly," says Paul Poulos, 24, of West Babylon. "We share everything. You need ice? We got ice! You need water? We got water!"

NEW COUNTRY STYLE

Country music has become a dominant force on Long Island over the past decade especially since LI got its own radio station in 2011 — My Country 96.1 FM [WJVC] — that’s solely dedicated to the genre.

"Country music is no longer just for old school country fans," says Phathead, My Country’s program director and morning DJ. "The music has become more pop and rock oriented. When soccer moms started driving in the car listening to country music, everything kind of changed. The format began to expand."

This new country music blends various musical styles together making it more accessible to the masses.

"Today’s country is not one genre. It’s got a lot of little multi-genres in it. It’s a big melting pot," says country singer Lee Brice, who will headline the first day of My Country’s 10th Anniversary Fest at Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater at Bald Hill on August 28. "I love everything from Tupac to Willie Nelson to Coldplay to Ray Charles to John Mayer to James Taylor to Guns N’Roses to Pearl Jam. When I write songs, all those influences come out in my music."

But, what exactly makes a song country?

"It’s all in the lyrics and songwriting," says Phathead. "Country songs have a storytelling aspect to them and they speak more to people’s lives. The topic could be really serious or just about being on a beach vacation, but that’s real life. The audience lives the lifestyle the artists are singing about."

Listeners today have an easier time connecting to country music because of the relatable themes.

"People take to country music more now because it’s not just your trailer-park-sad-song type of country," says Jessica Eckels, 40, of Baldwin, who ran a "Country for a Cause" fundraiser for The Honor Network in 2019 and 2020 raising over $20,000 in Oceanside. "The songs are more uplifting about being an American, drinking beer and hanging out with family and friends."

Country music helped Steve Rivers, 64, of Medford cope with the loss of his wife who died suddenly six years ago.

"I was starting to slide way over to the dark side of things when a friend of mine invited me to a party. I didn’t want to go but my guardian angel pushed me," says Rivers. "I tried country karaoke. I sang ‘Buy Me a Boat’ by Chris Janson and nailed it."

Today he is known as "Honky Tonk" Steve traveling around Long Island singing country karaoke at bars like Eleanor’s Lounge in Bohemia decked out in python boots, a cowboy hat, Levi jeans and a snap down shirt.

"This whole thing was a big recovery for me," says Rivers. "I felt like I was slipping off the edge of a waterfall and country music took me right out of it."

COUNTRY CROSSOVER

In 2009, Lady A released the song "Need You Now" that broke down barriers by becoming a radio smash. It spent five weeks at the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart,hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, won four Grammys as well as capturing single of the year at the Country Music Association Awards.

"That song crossed over to every radio station in America," says Phathead. "They don’t get enough credit but that was a major influence on country music becoming more mainstream."

The song features three-part harmonies from the trio of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood.

"We pull from a lot of country artists but also R&B and pop influences, which makes it more contemporary. I think it creates a healthy balance in the genre," says Haywood, 39. "The common denominator is the vocal blend. When we started singing together it sounded like one special sounding voice. It’s our bread and butter."

Another crossover artist that has brought a lot of fans over to country music is Darius Rucker, lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish, who headlined Bald Hill earlier this month. In addition to his Hootie hits, Rucker scored four No. 1 albums and 10 No. 1 singles as a country solo artist.

"I think comfort is a big part of why country music is getting so big," says Rucker, 55. "You can hear a song that can make you feel any way you want to feel because you believe the person singing it went through that."

GENRE GROWTH

Rucker also helped make way for more Black country artists like Kane Brown, Jimmie Allen and Mickey Guyton.

"When I came in, someone asked me if I was changing country music after my first hit and I said, ‘I don’t know if I can change country music, but if I could just get one A&R guy to sit and listen to a CD that he gets instead of throwing it away because there’s a Black face on it then I’ve done something,’ " says Rucker. "That’s a good start."

Lady A even changed its name from Lady Antebellum out of respect to the Black community because the word "Antebellum" has connotation with the slavery era.

"Once we had a lot of lengthy conversations with our friends of color, the decision was an easy one," says Haywood. "I can understand how ‘Antebellum’ can feel offensive. We wanted to make sure everyone felt included in our music and welcomed at our shows."

WIDE AGE RANGE

While other styles of music tend to be pocketed for various age groups, country music’s fan demographic has a wide range.

"We see people in the audience every night that span from children to the elderly. But the common denominator is everyone's there to have a good time," says Matthew Ramsey, lead singer of Old Dominion, whose band will headline the second day of My Country’s 10th Anniversary Fest on August 29. "Country music is storytelling music and people can relate to that. It’s definitely a wide reaching sentiment that speaks to everyone."

Old Dominion was named vocal group of the year three times at the Country Music Association Awards from 2018-2020. But this band is not your typical country act. They don’t wear hats and even inject humor in their songs.

"We aren’t cowboys, so we’re not going to wear cowboy hats. It’s not us," says Ramsey, 43. "The songwriting craft is something we take seriously but we don’t take ourselves seriously therefore our sense of humor definitely comes through in our music."

Regardless of style, country music has become a family heirloom for some people.

"The music gets handed down from generation to generation," says Phathead. "It’s kind of like how my father taught me about baseball and being a Yankee fan. It’s the same thing with country music. Parents bring their kids to all the shows and then they become fans of the artists."

The future of country music is bright as more artists keep reinventing and expanding the genre.

"I think it’s going to spread even wider," predicts Brice, 42. "I think you’ll see some artists digging into country roots and others pushing it forward to see how far they can go with it."

Phathead adds, "I don’t know if we’ve even scratched the surface. The sky’s the limit. As big as it currently is, I think country music is going to be even bigger 10 years from now."

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.