Ricky Van Shelton: A member of country music's old guard sees the Internet as a key to a brighter future

Tommy Hannum practices guitar in preparation for the Dyer County Fair concert. [Click to enlarge]

Those words are from a recent album of country music artist Tom Petty, lyrics meant as an indictment of the music industry in Nashville and its predatory corporate mentality. It is sung from the point of view of an entertainment executive who views country music performers as nothing more than tickets to quick profits, not human beings with remarkable talents, but commodities that can be tossed onto a shelf for public display and then disposed of in the blink of an eye when the next hot item debuts.

While Ricky Van Shelton didn't sing that Petty tune as he stood on stage at the Dyer County Fair amphitheater on Saturday night, he certainly has lived it. So has the small band of loyal musicians who support him on the road.

In any other profession it would be ridiculous to describe a 52-year-old man as "elderly." In the country music world, however, Shelton qualifies as "the old guard" -- not to the hundreds of Dyer County fans crammed onto the benches and grounds around the fair stage cheering wildly for him, but to the record-company management primarily interested in the next lithe, young, handsome singer who can "shake it" in a music video.

Shelton has had 10 No. 1 singles and three No. 1 albums. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and has released 14 albums. He is a practiced musician and performer who knows exactly how to "play to the crowd" after thousands of hours spent on the stage. Yet, he readily admits that today no major record company would sign him to work.

"When you're 52, you don't get record deals," he said bluntly.

Ask a young musician about his goals and what follows is often a torrent of words about the entertainment glories ahead -- the hit single that is certain to come, the Country Music Award that will someday be held aloft for the cameras. Shelton has been there. He knows the harsh realities of the business. Asked the same question he simply shrugged and answered with a calm sincerity in his voice, "I'm not really headed anywhere. When I was younger, I had goals. At 52 I don't have any plans. I just take it day by day."

After all, music is his trade. He views his performances on stage the way a carpenter or cabinet maker might look at the woodworking they do in a home. He knows his craft well and he is proud of his performances.

Shelton follows the advice of booking agents who search for the best live venues for him, such as the Dyer County Fair, and he is banking on digital technology to open new doors for musicians like himself.

Shelton has his own official fan site on the World Wide Web where people who admire his music can come and pick up news on upcoming tours and events. He will be setting up a personal recording studio to create digital masters of future songs, a task that no longer requires such a monumental dollar investment. Presently, he is working on a new album that will be entitled either "The King of Nothing" or "Weekend World," a collection of original songs.

Shelton's goal is to capitalize on the incredible loyalty exhibited by country music fans -- to go from his studio directly into the homes of listeners.

"I probably have the most loyal fans you'll find anywhere," he said. "I'm fortunate in that when I hit, I hit quick, and there were a lot of awards and lots of visibility. Those fans have remained incredibly loyal through the years."

Shelton may rank as one of the most "approachable" stars in the country music industry, a group that in the broader entertainment industry is known for being incredibly "fan friendly."

Shelton always carves out some time prior to his concerts for face-to-face meetings with local fan clubs, providing his most avid followers a chance for photo ops and autographs. It helps to build personal relationships that he is banking on to sustain his career in years to come.

Will this approach work?

Guitar player and vocalist Tommy Hannum, who backed up Shelton at the Dyer County Fair show, thinks so. An instrumentalist and vocalist with albums of his own, Hannum believes the Internet and, more specifically, direct digital downloading of music could be the answer for members of "the old guard" of country music.

He fully understands that the consolidation of record labels under the banners of mega-corporations has created a revolving-door effect for musicians.

"That (direct digital downloading) is the future and, hopefully, as technology improves and there is a broader band width, listeners will get the quality," he said.

Keyboard player Ericson Holt agreed but warned that the corporate structure, deeply concerned about its profit margin, is using its money and political leverage to try and contain and control Internet distribution of music.

"Hopefully, Internet radio will change things for musicians," he stated.

While country music is generally viewed as "down home" and harking back to the simple life, in truth, the artists and musicians performing in the field are intelligent, hard-working, tech-savvy individuals looking for a way to beat a corporate system that is weighted against them.

"I'm just working like everybody else, and isn't that what life is about?" Shelton asked philosophically.

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(wife and two kids)

State Gazette photo/John Leeper

Kristi Holt, wife of keyboard player Eric Holt, and her children Miles and Emiline Lou.

A woman's view from behind the stage

A musician's wife reflects on the status of the music industry

Kristi Holt could have passed for any of the hundreds of country music fans clustered around the amphitheater stage at the Dyer County Fairgrounds Saturday night, but instead of sitting out front, she and her two children were behind the stage watching her husband, keyboard player Eric Holt, perform with artist Ricky Van Shelton.

While adoring fans often look at performers like Shelton and Holt and fantasize about how glamorous an entertainer's life must be compared to their own, she knows both sides of the equation. Music is a tough field where artists often struggle to survive. It is even harder when they have a family to support.

Kristi holds strong opinions about the current status of the music industry in Nashville and she isn't shy about voicing criticisms. There are strong currents of unrest rolling through the ranks of today's country music performers and she is convinced changes must come.

"It is a shame the industry is so youth-oriented today," she says. "Music videos have ruined things. Now, everyone has to be pretty. Everybody has to be young; and the sad part is that this is what the industry is feeding the people."

As the wife of a professional musician she knows that to develop skills on stage or with an instrument takes years of devotion and practice. But entertainment executives don't allow young artists time to develop.

"If you don't get a hit single in the first six months, you're gone," she says flatly. "No one gets to develop as an artist any more."

She points to Bob Dylan as an example. It took five albums before Dylan's music caught on with the public. Now, he is a musical icon, but in today's world of sexy videos and hit it quick or hit the road, he would never have been allowed in the door, she believes.

Kristi and her husband prefer the company of the "old guard" of country music when they are on the road, like Shelton. Shelton lives by a different code of conduct than many of the hot new arrivals to the field.

"He (Shelton) is a generous man," Kristi explains. "He lets the other fellows in the band take the microphone and solo with their own music. He lets them sell their CDs alongside his. Not many would do that. It shows that he cares about the other fellows and about the music."

Those are the kinds of attitudes she hopes will re-emerge in the country music field in the years to come.