Decades of music… Bluegrass, blues, country, and rock and roll, all these different genres of Music have always had ties to Nashville and Memphis Tennessee. Musicians, managers, and promoters have all chased their dreams, chased fame and fortune, and the love of being famous.
Being an Arizona Native I have grown up with local names as Waylon Jennings and Jessie Colter. Arizona has rarely been credited for local Country Music talent. There are minimal promoters and managers in the Country Music world in Arizona.
In my younger years, I followed musicians like J David Sloan, Mogollon, Young Country, and the Herndon Brothers. All these artists have paved the road for new and talented musicians in Arizona. Amazingly, all these musicians are still performing, some over 40 years. They have influenced many, including myself. These artists had minimal promoting, social media did not exist, and it was hard to follow where they were playing at. The only way was to be involved in the Bar scenes and local Honky-Tonks .
The next generation of Arizona artist’s fall in the 15 to 20-year range. Musicians like Harry Luge, Donny Grubb band, and Nathan dean and The Damn Band have followed their peers and carried out the true “soul” of Country Music . These musicians were on the cusp of social media and trying to promote themselves.
The next generation of musicians fall in the 5-10 year range. Musicians like Drew Cooper, Marble Heart, Rebel Heart, Josh Roy Band, and Joshua Strickland and the bayou bandits were all born in the world of social media and self-promotion. With that being said, full-time jobs, gigging on the side, and zero time to fully promote themselves makes these Arizona bands in a lost world of millennials who only look at media for less than one minute each posting, thus why Instagram has plummeted to the top of all social media platforms.
Now lets look at bands under 5-years, bands like David Voss and Big Country Band, Buddy Martel and the Tailgate Band, Heber Ridge Band, and my band, Highway 260. These bands have been around less than 4 years. All 4 have been on the fast track to playing out more than others, not because they are any better, have more time, or more dedicated, they all four have asked for help!
Now let’s talk about Eddie smith, CEO of Country Road Entertainment . Eddie has promoted every single band I have mentioned. Mostly free, zero payments, and only for the love of Music . Eddie also promotes local venues like The Hitching Post, Good Time Charli’s, Tom Ryan’s, Bourbon Jacks, Roosters, Jolie’s Place, Handlebar J’s, Norton’s Country Corner, and many others throughout the entire state. Country Road Entertainment is launching a new website, promoting all local bands statewide and all local venues statewide. All the work Eddie has done for Arizona Music and venues is starting to pay off. Many artists getting recognized throughout the nation, local Music venues getting recognized nationally, and all this done with minimal donations and majority of monies out of his own pocket.
Country Music is becoming the world’s most popular fad. Do not miss a beat with what’s going on in the Arizona Music scene. Follow Country Road Entertainment on social media and the web. Musicians take the next step and get your band noticed faster than doing it by yourself. Let’s all help promote the man that promotes us, Eddie Smith and Country Road Entertainment .
