The “Country History X” Podcast Is Coming

“Country History X” will tell the history of country music, one story at a time.

The audio podcast will delve into the darker side of country music, meaning crime, death, drugs, deception, and murder. But it will also tell more inspiring stories, and the story of redemption through music.

First episodes to be available starting on Saturday, April 17th through Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, right here on Saving Country Music, and on most major podcast networks.

Subject matter will span from the very beginning of the genre, to more present-day stories.


For years folks have wondered why Saving Country Music doesn’t have a podcast. There are a few explanations for that. First off, I’m a writer, not an orator. I prefer communicating in a forum where I can utilize the backspace key, and compose thoughts constructively before sharing them.

Secondly, it has always seemed silly to me to start a podcast about music when you can’t play music on podcasts, and least not without having to jump through all kinds of legal hoops or obtaining extremely expensive licenses, and even then you run the risk of episodes getting pulled from hyperactive copyright bots. Spotify recently made song play available though there podcast network, but only full songs, and only on Spotify. So that doesn’t entirely solve the problem.

Also, since interviewing artists directly isn’t really my thing (and even if it was, it sure would be nice to be able to play the music your talking about, but can’t), the interview format doesn’t hold much appeal either. I know what kind of podcast I would put together if there were no limits on playing music. It’s just not possible under the current parameters.

And so until those parameters change, print will continue to be the primary way Saving Country Music will communicate with the world, which has actually worked very fine for 13 years, and despite the decline across the board in all media and in print media especially, Saving Country Music continues to see very strong numbers, and even continued growth, to the consternation of some. So if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. Also, I never wanted to launch a podcast if it would in any way interfere with the print website. I still believe in the beauty and impact of the written word, and never want to get away from that. Country History X won’t eat into the important reviews, commentary, and other stuff Saving Country Music already does.

In truth, many years ago there was an entire podcast network hosted on Saving Country Music, with multiple shows by multiple hosts, a live chat room, live stream events, interviews, and all kinds of stuff. However, this was in the Wild West days of podcasting, when nobody knew the rules, and fewer enforced them. Even though permissions were granted to play songs by the artists featured, eventually that all had to be put to an end, like it was in many other places.

But I have finally decided to get into the podcast business, not with the flagship podcast I hope to launch sometime in the future that will include whatever song I wish to play at any time I want to play it, but one where the lack of playing songs is not a hindrance, and one that I can bring a sincere passion and knowledge to the subject matter, while also hopefully fulfilling a need and desire in the public.

It’s called Country History X, and it’s going to be the history of country music, told one story at a time. Instead of starting at the very beginning of the genre, or zeroing in on an artist or an era, or filibustering with filler material just to kill time, Country History X will be a series of calorie-rich podcasts that select out super-compelling stories from the history of the genre, and tells the story of country music through them. Hopefully these are stories that someone who doesn’t even really care that much about country music would still find intriguing.

Yes, there will be lots of drugs, divorce, death, crime, intrigue, and even murder. In some respects, you could consider Country History X like a crime podcast mixed with music history. But this will not always be the case. Sometimes the story will simply be about a cool song or moment. And just like many country music songs and albums, ultimately the stories will lead to a lesson or conclusion of victory through perseverance, redemption, and inspiration.

The podcasts will not be especially long, though some of them might be, while others may unfold in multiple installments. There will also be shorter supplemental episodes that may only be a few minutes. But for the most part, the story itself will dictate the length for each episode, not some arbitrary time limit. Ultimately though, there will be many of these episodes where you can dive as deep as you want into the subject matter.

As time goes on, all of the episodes will slowly feed into a grander narrative that has been planned out, where if you continue to listen, you will start to get a clearer picture of country music history overall, and get to know some of the biggest artists, players, side men, and songwriters. You will start to understand what makes country music tick, and how the genre itself unfolds like a story. Eventually, each little vignette will begin to reveal a bigger tapestry, with small bits of information conveyed in passing becoming part of a much bigger and richer narrative.

Though a particular episode may seem like a tangent or only tangentially associated with country music, hopefully over time, listeners will slowly become well-versed in country history, or even if you’re an expert already, you will learn something new. It’s crazy how so many of the stories and subject matters in country music feed into deeper, recurring themes.

Eventually I’m sure many of country music’s most famous stories will receive the Country History X treatment, but the focus especially in the beginning will be on stories that aren’t found in history books, haven’t been covered in podcasts or in major news stories, that are breaking or being revealed in the here-and-now, as well as revising history when necessary if the record got something wrong. It also won’t exclusively focus on classic country or old stories. Some episodes will cover relevant topics of today. Episodes may have a lot of twists and turns that may seem sensational, everything has been painstakingly fact-checked.

Though the podcast will not have interviews per se—though perhaps audio snippets of interviews may be used here or there—if subjects or their heirs are still alive, information is verified and vetted directly from sources to make sure it’s as accurate as possible, and sources will be cited in corresponding articles that will be found here on SavingCountryMusic.com for each episode. This isn’t just a regurgitation of stories found in biographies, but a more detailed telling and assessment of these important country music moments. So even though the stories might seem crazy and sensational, they’re 100% true, at least from what we know. That’s what’s so cool about country music. You just can’t make this stuff up.

And finally, there continues to be no Patreon for Saving Country Music, and there won’t be one for the Country History X podcast at the moment, and no subscription fee is needed. There’s no T-shirts or koozies for sale. Take your musical dollars, and spend them on today’s artists who are doing what they can to keep music alive. All I ask of you is your attention, and if you like what you hear or see, tell someone else.

Country History X will be made available on most major podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. But the primary way it will be conveyed to the public will be right here on Saving Country Music via an embedded YouTube player (subscribe to SCM’s YouTube Page), along with the transcription of each podcast, and links to sources.

Thanks as always for reading (and now, listening), and as always, your feedback on Country History X, suggestions, tips, revisions, etc. are encouraged, either through the comments section, or directly through the Contact Page.

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