{"id":588941,"date":"2021-07-12T13:06:26","date_gmt":"2021-07-12T17:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=588941"},"modified":"2021-07-12T13:06:32","modified_gmt":"2021-07-12T17:06:32","slug":"meet-the-conservative-country-singer-who-turned-down-woke-record-labels-and-is-still-topping-the-charts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meet-the-conservative-country-singer-who-turned-down-woke-record-labels-and-is-still-topping-the-charts\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet The Conservative Country Singer Who Turned Down \u2018Woke\u2019 Record Labels, And Is Still Topping The Charts"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmeet-the-conservative-country-singer-who-turned-down-woke-record-labels-and-is-still-topping-the-charts%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=588941&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Patriot-Cover-blank-dusk.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span>Singer Buddy Brown once leaned on country radio to help hone his songwriting, but not in the way you\u2019d expect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI used to write songs, and if I thought they could be played on country radio I\u2019d throw them in the trash,\u201d Brown says of his formative years as a singer-songwriter. \u201cIt needs to come from a different perspective. I never wanted to get confused with the mainstream shuffle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That ethos paved his way to country music stardom outside the traditional networks. No labels. No agents. Just a singer, his guitar and audiences eager for an authentic voice that just so happens to lean to the right.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Brown hit it big thanks in part to YouTube, where his acoustic strumming and unwoke lyrics snagged him a sizable crowd. Think more than 200 million views on YouTube and Facebook combined, along with 1.3 million social media followers in all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Brown originals, often part of his \u201cTruck Sessions\u201d video series, generate hundreds of thousands of views. His more pointed parodies, like his riff on Coca-Cola diversity measures, \u201cWe Gotta Be Less White,\u201d go viral. That track earned him north of 6 million views alone in just a few months.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It doesn\u2019t hurt that he\u2019s singing about hard work, family and other all-American ideals. Yes, Brown is a conservative crooner, one who discovered that Nashville, Inc. would rather he kept that to himself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Songs like \u201cBack the Blue,\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s What I Love About Red States\u201d and \u201cThe Coronavirus Song\u201d (\u201cCommunist China kicked us right in the teeth\u201d) set him far apart from the music industry groupthink.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>His road to stardom doesn\u2019t resemble the paths blazed by country pioneers of old, but he still checks some conventional boxes. His indie debut, \u201cMason Jar,\u201d scored <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/music\/2014\/04\/01\/youtube-buddy-brown\/7183027\/\"><span>a 34<\/span><span>th<\/span><span> chart position<\/span><\/a><span> on iTunes Country chart in its very first week of release.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Later, his 2016 EP, \u201cI Call B.S. on That,\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.allmusic.com\/artist\/buddy-brown-mn0003513172\/biography\"><span>debuted at number one<\/span><\/a><span> on the iTunes Country chart. The release also charted on Billboard Country.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He tried kicking off his career the old-fashioned way, knocking on music industry doors with a measure of hope. There was a catch, though. He\u2019d have to leave his Red State ditties behind, country music executives warned him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cYou\u2019re allowed to lean left in country music, but you\u2019re not allowed to lean right, especially to talk about the events of the day,\u201d he says, realizing his career would have to be forged outside the country ecosystem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That made the climb harder, no doubt, but his family\u2019s hardscrabble ethic helped him survive.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIf you\u2019re not gonna outwork the competition, you won\u2019t last a day in this thing,\u201d says Brown, who once spoke to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/music\/2014\/04\/01\/youtube-buddy-brown\/7183027\/\"><span>more than 1,000 fans<\/span><\/a><span> on the phone in the days leading up to \u201cMason Jar\u2019s\u201d release.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It took a couple of releases for Brown to find his authentic voice, but once he did his fan base ballooned.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIf you\u2019re being honest [with your songwriting] you just don\u2019t care anymore. Sticking to your guns becomes everything,\u201d says Brown, who releases a new EP each spring.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Brown\u2019s social media numbers speak for themselves, but so did a note from Vice President Mike Pence. The conservative star tapped Brown\u2019s \u201cStop When You See a Uniform\u201d and \u201cRed Like Reagan\u201d to spice up his 2020 campaign rallies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Most musicians might hit the road, hard, at the first hint of success. Brown embraced a new media approach to his career. He figured he\u2019d rather reach 250,000 fans a night on YouTube than play to 2,000 people at a club.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That allowed him to take \u201cdoor number 3,\u201d as he and his wife put it, meaning he could connect with fans and watch his kids\u2019 baseball games without hurting his career. Nonstop touring just didn\u2019t make sense, says Brown, who still tries to play a live gig each month as part of his rogue business model.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Brown mixes serious songs with parodies and social commentary on his bustling YouTube channel. It\u2019s hard not to grin while listening to his ode to old school \u201cWalmart Greeters,\u201d but not everyone will agree with his stances on Critical Race Theory or gender politics (his parody \u201cAll My Exes Changed Their Sexes\u201d flowed from his interview with The Babyon Bee).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A friend figured Brown could be bombarded with hate for his views, so he connected him with someone accustomed to that blowback.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Ted Nugent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Motor City Madman mentored Brown on how to keep on rockin\u2019 without letting critics get the best of him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Clearly, it worked.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>His most recent Truck Sessions parody cover, \u201cMama Don\u2019t Let Your Babies Grow Up (to Hate White Boys)\u201d snagged 15,000 YouTube views in less than two hours online. Few singers grabbed the cultural zeitgeist quite like Brown.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Even those who loathe Brown\u2019s politics will admit he\u2019s not country music\u2019s answer to Stephen Colbert. Brown\u2019s rich singing voice wraps around more thoughtful ballads like his tribute to the U.S. Military. Other tracks find his voice more mischievous, his lyrics playful and coy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The video versions of his work feature a smile that\u2019s both constant and infectious.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI don\u2019t try to do it from a manner like I\u2019m trying to pick a fight,\u201d he says of his culture war ditties, adding some liberal fans cheer on his parodies, too. \u201cI\u2019m truly trying to bring people together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019ve got liberals in my family,\u201d he says with a laugh. \u201cYou gotta spend Thanksgiving dinner with them \u2026 it\u2019s about learning how to stay in the safe grounds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Fellow country singer Randy Houser once advised Brown going solo is the best path for someone like him. Houser had fought some ugly battles with his own label and suggested Brown avoid that fate. Besides, Houser warned him, labels suck up most of the initial revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThey own you,\u201d Brown recalls of Houser\u2019s advice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Brown has dipped a toe in more conventional waters, opening for veteran country stars like John Anderson. He looks back at his attempts to crack the mainstream music scene with nothing but relief.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe biggest lesson? It\u2019s not to listen to Nashville,\u201d he says, noting some of the executives who warned him about being a conservative country crooner are no longer working for the same labels today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThey really just crush a lot of people who have this dream,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><i>The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><i>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a&nbsp;<\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>member<\/i><\/span><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Singer Buddy Brown once leaned on country radio to help hone his songwriting, but not in the way you\u2019d expect.\u201cI used to write songs, and if I thought they could &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2314486,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Patriot-Cover-blank-dusk.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Meet The Conservative Country Singer Who Turned Down \u2018Woke\u2019 Record Labels, And Is Still Topping The Charts","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-588941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Patriot-Cover-blank-dusk.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"Meet The Conservative Country Singer Who Turned Down \u2018Woke\u2019 Record Labels, And Is Still Topping The Charts","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=588941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588941\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2314486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}