When Git Gone guitarist Jim Stringer began playing music in the 50's in Kansas City, categories such as "Roots", "Y'Alternative", and "Hot New Country" didn't exist. There was just music. Kansas City had three great AM radio stations: KUDL, a pop station; KCKN, for hillbilly and country; and KPRS, a blues and R&B station. On KUDL, one might hear Little Richard, followed by Webb Pierce, segueing into The Mills Brothers. On KCKN, one was as likely to hear Jerry Lee Lewis as Lefty Frizzell. And the playlist of KPRS encompassed Buddy Holly as well as Bobby Bland and B.B. King. It made no difference to the listeners... it was all great music, played from the heart and produced in an unpretentious manner. But something went dreadfully wrong in the late 50's. Alan Freed was forced off the air, Buddy Holly was dead, Elvis was in the army -- or even worse, in the clutches of "Colonel" Parker. The Nashville sound replaced the stark honky tonk sounds of Faron, Lefty and Hank with the sweetness of Owen Bradley's orchestrations. Crooners such as Pat Boone, Paul Anka, and (shudder) Fabian occupied the top ten.
Was it corporate attitude pushing towards the financial explosion of the 60's as music became a multi billion dollar business. Maybe it was a conspiracy. Maybe... it could be debated endlessly. But something happened that derailed an incredible era of American music. Imagine, though, that Fabain remained a garbage man. That Paul Anka had fallen into "puppy love" with some nice gal instead of smearing it all over our ears. The combined influence of the 50's unfettered, might have resulted in a band such as Git Gone. And, in fact, it has.

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