Taste This 2017

Just order Girl Scout cookies so you have taste on the brain ... Trying to anticipate the music consumer is the job of so many of you.

If you have children, were a child or know one, it's a difficult business.

The top three songs right now are not Bro Country. But they also resist a typical category. Blake, Keith, Carrie ... three of the A-listers at the top. But there is a good bit of diversity in the Country top 40 right now. Go look. A pretty good mix of age and style. Let's see if that continues as the year unfolds.

See the lineup for the highly successful RodeoHouston? Some big names are missing for whatever reason. A few tried-and-true such as Alan Jackson, Luke Bryan and Brad Paisley. The return of Willie Nelson. Zac Brown doing the closer. But look at the new folks: Old Dominion, Chris Stapleton, Thomas Rhett and Sam Hunt. That's a really big room to fill. These RodeoHouson folks are sharp so let's see how this crop fares when March rolls around.

Bonnaroo announced this week too. U2 is a huge get. Predictable Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Weekend, and Chance the Rapper. No Eltons or Joel or Richie. But a LOT of electronic and Rap ... A few Country faces like Margo Price (very in), Cam and Willie's kid Lukas. Some thought George Strait might get booked but glad to see that cloud didn't produce rain. The social media is all over the place on the lineup ... Best to stay away from all that.

Change is the theme of this new year. From The White House to The Opry. New heads of state. The Opry opening took most by surprise. Seventeen-year Opry veteran Pete Fisher off to L.A. to run the Academy of Country Music. So change for that place, too.

Who will lead the Opry... haven't even heard a guess. Not an heir in waiting. Important job. It's history and tradition meets commerce. Pete Fisher should get a lot of credit. He ran a tight ship and made changes that were very difficult for the Opry culture at times. Seventeen years is a long time and he wanted the next thing. Sounds exciting for Pete. The West Coast Country group has done big things and had great imagination the last 10 years. What is next for them?

How does the Opry evolve with all this social media and traditional revolution? I am sure no one really knows those answers. Good luck, Pete, in SoCal!

Get well in order for a pair of Country classics ... Mel Tillis is back home in Ocala after an awful 2016 in Nashville recovering from a January surgery. Things went bad and he is still trying to bounce back. Mel is such a favorite. I know all of us are rooting and praying for his return to the stage and good health.

Then there's Tanya Tucker. She had a stage fall that was pretty serious. Fracture of a vertebrae and rib. Bronchitis on top of that. Recovery may be a long one her publicist says. Shows cancelled for now and a speedy recovery Tanya.

The inauguration in Friday Jan 20th. Darryl Worley playing at The Great American Inaugural Ball ... Big veterans event. Big & Rich going up. Gary Levox. A few others.

John Rich: "We're thrilled to be performing in our nation's capital during this historic moment in time. A Presidential Inauguration is a uniquely American event, so we are honored to be a part of it and hope to help make it a memorable event."

From their website ... Black Tie and Boots Ball ... The Texas State Society ...

Black Tie and Boots Performers

• Jason Eady and Courtney Patton
• Bonnie Bishop
• The Frontmen featuring Richie McDonald of Lonestar, Tim Rushlow formerly of Little Texas and Larry Stewart of Restless Heart
• Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers
• Gary P. Nunn
• Kevin Fowler
• Kenny Maines
• Cody Canada and the Departed
• Crawford Pirate Band
• Kilgore College Rangerettes
• Lake Highland High School Wranglers
• Nancy Gonzales, Miss Texas USA 2017
• The Nationals Racing Presidents
• Austin Wayne Self
• SMU Mustang Mavericks
• Texas Dance Educators Association
• Texas State University Strutters
• Lilâ(tm) Wranglers

I think others are going up but information isn't the easiest thing to find on all this ... These are unusual times!