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Views and opinions: Sometimes, those at the bottom deserve attention

 

BITTERSWEET, Ky. — As you may have noticed, often I peruse the latest country music top 50 chart to see where the most popular songs in the country rank for that particular week.

And in doing so, I almost always look at the top positions, much the same way most other music aficionados would do; we have to know who’s at the top spot. This week however, I thought I would start at the other end and see what I might find – and who I found was Russell Dickerson in that No. 50 spot.

Now for those thinking being at the bottom of a top 50 chart isn’t a good thing, think again. Making any chart at any position is rare when speaking of all musicians in all genres. In fact, some estimates stand at over 90 percent when speaking of those performers who never get discovered.

Dickerson ain’t in that category. He hit the music scene in 2011 with single releases coming from his first albums. Last year his first full album, entitled Yours, came out, hitting Billboard’s No. 1 spot on its Heat Seeker Chart and making it to No. 5 on the Top Country Albums chart.

Being No. 50 is certainly not where Dickerson’s latest hit, “Blue Tacoma,” will stay, considering what he has done already in his short career.

This Tennessee native is currently performing all across the country (he’ll be in my neighborhood in a couple weeks), often with some of the biggest stars around. He is set to tour with Darius Rucker in Europe this fall. And you know what my mama always said? “You start acting like the people you hang out with.”

Dickerson is certainly beginning to sound like some of those superstars he’s hanging out with. He has a great voice, great song selections and a great musical background, having a degree in music from Belmont University.

That’s right, he’s not just another pretty face – this guy has the talent and the brains to go with it. He’s performed at the Grand Ole Opry, was nominated for a CMT Breakout Video of the Year and has more than 30 million streams on Spotify and 3 million views on YouTube.

As good as he sounds and as on top of the world as he is at this point in time, Dickerson says at the end of the day it’s all about the fans. I think that’s what I like best about him.

 

Bluegrass Johnson comes from a long line of country music performers and enjoys a passion for the rhythm and melody. From the hills of Kentucky, he will offer his opinions on a variety of new country music each week. Readers with questions or comments may write to Johnson in care of this publication.

6/7/2018