Brent Cobb Puts It All Into Perspective with “When Country Came Back to Town”

While living through the musical moments of our era, it can be hard to quantify them in real time. You really have to zoom out, look at the bigger picture, and realize just how far we have come in country music over the last decade or so.

When Saving Country Music commenced in 2008, none of us could ever imagine our favorite little independent/underground country artists and bands rising to the point where they were topping albums charts, being nominated for and winning Grammy Awards, minting Gold and Platinum singles and albums, and selling out theaters and arenas, or even just building sustainable careers where they could support themselves and their families.

This was always the goal, and it felt like a point of injustice that our favorite artists weren’t enjoying these things, while those pansies in the mainstream were. Of course there has always been, and will always be pop in country. All we were asking for was a place at the table, and a level playing field to compete on. And thanks to technology, and the groundswell of independent music fans like yourself, that goal, and that dream, was realized.

That doesn’t mean there still aren’t artists out there that struggle, bad “country” songs that still find success, or that country music has been “saved.” But whether it’s Cody Jinks and Tyler Childers minting Platinum singles, Sturgill Simpson and Brandi Carlile annually competing for top Grammy Awards, Blackberry Smoke, Aaron Watson, and Jason Isbell topping the Billboard Country Albums chart, Tyler and Sturgill selling out arenas, or just your favorite artists and bands like Mike and the Moonpies, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, Charley Crockett, and so many more packing out clubs and theaters across the country, all the signs point to positive developments, and the continued gaining of market share by independent artists of substance.

One can screed on and on about all of this, but thankfully, one of the many beneficiaries of this groundswell—the wise and reflective Brent Cobb—has illustrated what has been happening in country music more than mere words ever could with a new song called “When Country Came Back to Town.” As opposed to criticizing where country music is at the moment or has been in the past—which is such an easy and appealing thing to do—Brent Cobb, through the forum of his own experiences as a songwriter and performer, uses the names of artists who’ve risen from obscurity over the last few years to illuminate just how far we’ve come.

“Took me about 15 years to write this song,” Brent Cobb says. “Finally finished it up a few days ago. Next time you’re trying to tell your friends about all the cool country artists you listen to just send them to this song. I got as many as I could in there. Proud to know these folks. Been a long time comin’…

You won’t find “When Country Came Back to Town” on an album or streaming service yet. Brent Cobb just released a Gospel album called “And Now, Let’s Turn To Page…” And normally we may not share an unreleased song and spoil the fun for a future album. But in this instance, Brent Cobb has shared the song himself via a video taken on February 7th at The Basement in Nashville, and this song is just too good, and too important not to celebrate.

Yeah, it’s a name dropper. But in this instance, that’s the entire point. It’s like a playlist of the best country and Americana artists from the last decade. And hopefully as time goes on, the names continue to grow, and so does the support, as country music continues to “come back to town.”

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(Find a list of the names mentioned below the video. And P.S.: don’t be THAT guy saying, “Hey, it sucks because so and was named, or so and so was NOT named.)


Names Mentioned:

Shooter Jennings
Jamey Johnson
Jason “Rowdy” Cope (The Steel Woods)
Leroy Powell
Cousin Dave (producer Dave Cobb)
Cody Canada
Ryan Bingham
Hayes Carll
Brandi Carlile
Nikki Lane
Sturgill Simpson
Miranda Lambert
Chris Stapleton
Morgane Stapleton
Kacey Musgraves
Tyler Childers
Cody Jinks
Margo Price
Whitey Morgan
Adam Hood
Elizabeth Cook
Sarah Shook
Paul Cauthen
Luke Combs
Jason Isbell
Jason Eady
Courtney Patton
Mike and the Moonpies
Turnpike Troubadours
Colter Wall
Charley Crockett
Aaron Ratiere

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