As a native of the great state of Ohio, we can safely attest that there are plenty of country music fans in both its rural communities and larger cities. However, few recognize the state for being the birthplace of many a country music star. It may not be Oklahoma, mind you, but the Ohio River/Mason-Dixon line is less wide than one might imagine. We bring this up because the Ohio State Legislature is now in not-too-heated argument over what act should get the title of "Official Country Music Group of Ohio."
The problems began when State Senator Jim Hughes suggested Rascal Flatts get the title, as vocalist Gary LeVox and other member Jay DeMarcus were both born in Columbus, the state capitol. Not to suggest any bias or anything, but Hughes happens to live in Clintonville, a neighborhood just north of Ohio State University. Other members of the legislature quickly threw their hats, and nominations, into the ring.
Among the other candidates suggested: Roy Rogers, a cowboy singer, actor and restauranteur from Cincinnati. Muti-platinum performer Dwight Yoakam (technically born in Kentucky, but raised in Columbus). Outlaw country star Johnny Paycheck, of Greenfield. And for some reason old-timey banjo player Grandpa Jones was nominated, despite spending just a few years in Ohio during his youth. We were also disappointed that outlaw performer and general hell-raiser David Allan Coe was not nominated, despite his Akron roots.
Alas, we can't throw our support behind any candidate, because we feel there are way more important things to address in "The Heart of It All," such as restoring jobs in industrial wasteland cities like Coe's hometown of Akron. Plus, Ohio doesn't have official groups for any other genre (Nine Inch Nails? Devo? Bone Thugz 'n' Harmony? The O'Jays?), so why is this an issue?
Somewhere, Willie Nelson and the rest of Oklahoma's country collective is shaking its head.
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