Lifestyle

Flashback: Watch Alan Jackson, George Strait Declare ‘Murder on Music Row’

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Tony Maples Photography

 

What do you get when you pair two huge country stars together for a duet that speaks to the contemporary changes in country music? Alan Jackson’s and George Strait’s historic performance of “Murder on Music Row”.

Originally performed in 1999 by the bluegrass band Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time, the group even won Song of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Awards. That same year, Alan Jackson and George Strait performed the tune at the CMA Awards, garnering such praise for the message that in 2001, it received the CMA Song of the Year award. So what makes this song so special?

Well, to put it simply, it echoed the feeling of many country singers and fans who felt that country music had traded in its edge for a more commercial focus. By the time the new millennium rolled around, the country charts just weren’t playing the classics because on Music Row, the genre had evolved. “Murder on Music Row” frankly states that this evolution was for the worse as authentic, albeit less commercial singles were compromised for songs that had more general appeal.

This “murdering” of the country music form for a profit struck a chord with both audiences and musicians, and that’s why this duet was so meaningful. Both Strait and Jackson were still getting heavy radio play at this time, so having their voices on this message really drove the point home.