On Wednesday, we lost a great. Beach Boy Brian Wilson passed away at the age of 82. A troubled musical genius whose influence goes far beyond The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds,” his musical masterpiece.
Wilson’s influence extended to The Beatles, who were said to have been intimidated and felt the need to step up their game after the release of “Pet Sounds.” Wilson’s influence extended to the next generation with his daughters, Carnie and Wendy, and their band, Wilson Phillips.
The expected posts appeared on social media, with those lucky enough to have a photo with Wilson proudly sharing them. Tributes rolled across social media, and SiriusXM launched a Beach Boys pop-up channel.
I’ll bet you played all or at least some of “Pet Sounds” last night. I did.
Of course, losing an icon is not unique to the pop format. Sadly, Country radio has lost its share over the years. And every time, the reaction is the same as it was with Wilson.
Seeing how much artists like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and others meant to their fans and Country radio, it leaves me to wonder, why do we wait until someone dies to show our love and appreciation?
I posed the question to Country consultant Joel Raab.
“Great question, Jeff. Are we in denial that these greats are as old as they are? Do we not want to seem like we’re burying them before they’re ready?”
Raab believes that the Country format does a good job of recognizing its legends.
“I think the Country format does a pretty good job of honoring its legends while they’re still alive. The ACM and CMA Country Awards shows almost always have a segment devoted to a living legendary star.”
“But when someone like Brian Wilson passes, it’s final, and we want to, in real time, rekindle our thoughts and emotions (and our promo pictures with the artist) as if to bring them back. That said, I think it’s great to honor them while they’re living as much as possible. And we should do more of it.”
I’m not suggesting that we should engage in some sort of a sick death pool kind of game to guess who we will lose next.
The Country listener is loyal to their artists, and the artists, in turn, are loyal to them. Showing them love while they are still with us demonstrates depth and knowledge of the format.
Several high-quality imaging pieces were produced for Brian Wilson. Oldies stations will up the rotation, and people will say and post nice things on social media and the station website. Websites like Barrett Media will produce nice graphics and share the social media posts.
Stations can do the same thing with a Living Legend Weekend. The artists that are still loved and respected, but for some unknown reason, continue to be ignored by Country radio.
A Randy Travis Living Legend Weekend would let you play “Forever and Ever, Amen,” but would let you go deeper and play “Diggin’ Up Bones.” Let talent and listeners remember when Travis played at a local venue and share their pictures.
All the things that you do when someone passes, but when they are alive.
With some advance planning, you might even be able to get the legend themselves to participate. When Classic Country Y’all 106.7 Nashville was launched, Randy Travis himself came into the studio, flipped the switch, and started the station.
How could you possibly go wrong spotlighting Dolly Parton? A multimedia superstar who has touched music, TV and film. When I worked in Nashville, there would literally be an underground buzz on Music Row and in the city that “Dolly is in town.”
Tell me you have not, at one time or another, sung “9 to 5” at the top of your lungs.
Adding songs and imaging has a greater impact. Bonding the station with legends gives you depth and knowledge of the format.
You can go back to playing Morgan Wallen every 23 minutes on Monday, but for the weekend, a bonus is giving your playlist a chance to breathe.
I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on how Country radio can thank the legends while the circle is still unbroken.
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Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
