Country Music People September 2018 | Page 4

cmp SEPTEMBER 2018 Volume 49 Number 9 Issue 583 News Walt Trott in Nashville Duncan Warwick in London Political Unit Editor Duncan Warwick Contributors David Allan, Janet Aspley, Donnie Ayers, Craig Baguley, Larry Delaney, Don Cusic, Julie Flaskett, Kelly Gregory, Michael Hingston, Tony Ives, Spencer Leigh, John Lomax III, , Roland Purdy, Adrian Peel, Paul Riley, Alex Rossi, Wayne Smart, Chris Smith, Alison Stokes, Tom Travis, Walt Trott, Dave Watkins, Jack Watkins New release consultant: Steve Tidbury Assistant editor / Special projects coordinator Kelly Gregory Photographers Patricia Presley, Barry Dixon, Billie McAleer Printed by Zenith Media www.zenith-media.co.uk Distributor Seymour International Press Distributors Ltd. 2 East Poultry Avenue London EC1A 9PT Telephone [phone] Fax [phone] Country Music People is published the last Thursday of each month by KICKIN’ CUTS LIMITED 24 Darley Close, Wittering, Peterborough PE8 6EQ, UK Telephone [phone] - 783689 [email protected] www.cmpcountry.com ©2018 Kickin’ Cuts Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means without the prior written permission of the Publisher. The Publisher accepts no responsibility for statement of fact or opinion expressed by contributors. The views of the contributors are not necessarily those of Country Music People or its editor. 4 cmp - SEPTEMBER 2018 Jason Isbell’s agents may be wringing their hands over the singer’s decision to support ex-Gov. Phil Bredesen’s 2018 senate bid (pitting him against popular Republican Marsha Blackburn) by headlining his Aug. 20 fundraiser here. Sharing the bill will be genre-bending artist Ben Folds, who surprises none with his backing of a Democrat, having been a solid supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential run. Isbell ignores conservative country critics who remind him Tennessee gave Trump a landslide victory in 2016; the state’s governor is Republican; and its congress controlled by that party. Alabama native Isbell, 39, raised two miles south of the Tennessee state line, was heavily influenced by his liberal-minded farmer-granddad. He even wrote “TVA,” recalling farmers’ appreciation of Democratic President Roosevelt coming into office, and literally saving starving families from the Great Depression, by enacting the Tennessee Valley Authority. That agency was charged with building dams to control flood waters and produce power into rural areas to improve impoverished people’s lives. According to Jason: “My granddaddy told me, when he was just seven or so/ His daddy lost work, and they didn’t have a row to hoe/Not too much to eat for seven boys and three girls . . . (concluding with FDR’s action) . . . He helped build the dam, gave power to most of the South/So I thank god for the TVA . . .” Ironically, Bredesen’s suggested using the TVA to bring high-speed Internet to rural areas in the South. Jason’s also a big fan of the Atlanta Braves ball team, and one of his fans recently Tweeted him: “Why do we have to inject politics in every aspect of our life. Can’t we just enjoy the music and the football games?” Jason thoughtfully typed back, “Until you are the one being treated unfairly, that’s easy to say.”