ACM Week poll: Is contemporary country really country music?
Carrie Underwood is the reigning Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year and is vying to win the title for the second straight year at Sunday’s ACM Awards.
Taylor Swift is the reigning Country Music Association entertainer of the year and is nominated for the ACM entertainer title. (Associated Press file photos)
The 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards will air live from Vegas at 7 p.m. Sunday on CBS, with Oklahoma native Reba McEntire hosting for the 12th time. Fans can follow along with my live blog of the show here at BAM’s Blog.
This year, the academy has expanded the fan-voted entertainer of the year category to eight rather diverse nominees: Checotah native and 2005 “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood; Norman rabble-rouser Toby Keith; contemporary country sensation Taylor Swift; traditionalist royalty George Strait; Aussie standout Keith Urban; island-loving hitmaker Kenny Chesney; triple-threat Brad Paisley; and Atlanta-based Zac Brown Band. Voting continues into Sunday night on www.VoteACM.com.
These award shows always seem to invite debate about what is “real” country music, particularly since Swift has become a dominate force in the genre. Last fall, George Jones said country-pop stars 
like Swift and Underwood “have stolen our identity.”
“They had to use something that was established already, and that’s traditional country music. So what they need to do really, I think, is find their own title, because they’re definitely not traditional country music,” Jones told the Associated Press.
On Sunday, we’ll be examining the question “What is country music in 2010″ in much more depth.
In the meantime, what do you think? Should pop-influenced contemporary country be considered country music? Or should it have its “own title,” as The Possum puts it?
-BAM
ACM Week poll: Is Taylor Swift country?
ACM Week continues here on BAM’s Blog, and for the next few days, we’re going to be studying the state of country music in 2010 through a new blog feature: polls! Everyone likes to state their opinion, and here’s your chance to do it quickly and easily.
The 45th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards air live from Las Vegas at 7 p.m. Sunday on CBS. Fans can follow my live blog here on Sunday night.
The academy again is giving fans the chance to vote on the top award, entertainer of the year. This year, the field of nominees has been expanded to eight, and voting continues into Sunday evening at www.VoteACM.com.
The nominees are Checotah native Carrie Underwood, the reigning ACM entertainer of the year; Taylor Swift, the reigning Country Music Association entertainer of the year; Norman resident Toby Keith; Aussie standout Keith Urban; King of Country George Strait; island-loving hitmaker Kenny Chesney; triple threat Brad Paisley; and the Atlanta-based Zac Brown Band.
When Swift dominated November’s CMA Awards, many BAM’s Blog readers protested that the young singer-songwriter isn’t really a country artist, that her music is too pop to be truly considered country.
Here’s your chance to weigh in, loyal readers. What do you think: Is Taylor Swift country?
-BAM
