Tomato Power

If you thought I’d be talking about the health benefits of the tomato, you’ve come to the wrong place. Instead, I’m going to be showing a little love to the badass women of country music. Why? Because a few days ago an industry “expert” basically said that the way to have a successful country radio station was to play less music by female artists. In fact, he referred to them as the tomatoes in the salad, and males as the lettuce.

Not gonna lie, I almost threw down a Cheeseburger in Paradise reference (you know, I like mine with lettuce and tomato), but instead I thought I’d share some responses from some kickass female artists. Here’s Miranda Lambert, taking to Twitter and posting Keith Hill up on his BS:

 And if you don’t know what makes Miranda awesome, how about a bit of the power and emotion she brings into her songs… Tell me this song doesn’t tug at the heartstrings and nostalgic memories.
Yup. Tomatoes. For sure.
And then there’s one of my all time favorites, Martina McBride (Click her name to get to her FB page and see the rest of her statement.):

Wow…..just wow. Just read this from a major country radio publication. How do you feel about this statement? I…

Posted by Martina McBride on Tuesday, May 26, 2015

This one’s a Tomato for sure. I mean, who can relate to a message of love from parent to child? Who on EARTH would want to hear THAT?

Here are a few more Tomatoes….

Trisha Yearwood, who wraps her voice around your heart and squeezes

The double tomato of Reba McEntire and Linda Davis (Hillary Scott from Lady Antebellum’s mom) from back in the day.

Or this old school/new school Tomato combo of Dolly and Carrie Underwood.

I’m also pretty sure the legendary Patsy Cline would be shocked to hear her music has been relegated to “Tomatoes.”

I’m not gonna lie, ya’ll know I have a quirky sense of humor. I almost made a Cheeseburger in Paradise reference (you know, “I like mine with lettuce and tomato”), but decided instead to focus on my love of tomatoes. To be honest, I can’t eat lettuce as a standalone, but tomatoes? Love ’em!

So what I’d really like you guys to do is to share your love of country tomatoes by leaving a Twitter link to some of your favorite “Tomatoes” songs and/or artists. I’d also love to hear why you love the artist or song you share….

19 thoughts on “Tomato Power”

  3. Michelle @MsRomanticReads says:
    Reply

    *Sigh* Have you noticed a more pronounced trend lately of men risking public backlash for saying something utterly stupid in public, especially for putting women down? If per the article, “At the moment, female singers have an extraordinarily tough time breaking through in Nashville, as radio and sales are regularly dominated by male artists, save for rare exceptions like Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert.” and “Women spend more time listening to country radio, and statistics show they enjoy hearing male artists more than women. ‘Trust me, I play great female records and we’ve got some right now; they’re just not the lettuce in our salad. The lettuce is Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and artists like that. The tomatoes of our salad are the females.’” that makes no sense. If that were the case, who voted that gave Miranda and Carrie all their awards. I’m not talking about those in the industry who aren’t gender biased, but the fans. They must have a huge female following. All the women you pointed out are at the top of their game and hugely successful. You can’t tell me they owe all their success to the lettuce. Way to go and open mouth, insert foot, Mr. Hill. I hope it had onions and mayo on it.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Kitt Crescendo says:
      Reply

      What he has also failed to notice is that the female artists that make it to the top often have more career longevity and staying power than their lettuce counterparts as it’s often women who put them to the top as well. Let’s be real. Nashville has gotten really good at catering to the female love of cowboy man candy, especially with musical talent. Not that the guys don’t deserve their spotlight as well, just that they’re highly unlikely to get there without their female following.

      So, pissed off the female fans, and maybe we’ll be up for a musical revolution. Unfortunately, this is also NOT the first time I’ve heard comments about how few female big sellers we have these days, just not in such a rude, sexist way.

      Like

  4. kindredspirit23 says:
    Reply

    Like I listen to the station to hear the GUYS!!! What a laugh.
    Who hooked me up to long-time country?
    Dolly Parton, Dixie Chicks, and about a dozen more women or women’s groups that I just can’t seem to remember right now (stroke brain)….Anyway, I still laugh.
    Scott

    Liked by 1 person

  5. jansenschmidt says:
    Reply

    I think that . . . person should be subjected to the entire female population pelting him with tomatoes every single day of his life. What a schmuck!

    Besides, who eats just lettuce? That’s boring and gets old real quick. We need tomatoes for some color and flavor. Not to mention nutrition.

    Female country artists kick ass.

    Patricia Rickrode
    w/a Jansen Schmidt

    Liked by 1 person

  6. livrancourt says:
    Reply

    First of all – apologies for not commenting sooner.
    Second, I’ve been married for 20 years to a man who will change the station if a female vocalist comes on the radio, unless it’s Chrissie Hynde or one or two others who meet with his approval. He denies he does it. He’s kidding himself.
    It’s a pick-your-battles kind of thing.
    And yes, since you asked, as a female vocalist it chaps my butt.
    I also used to point out to my daughter that my biggest complaint with her favorite alternative rock radio station was that they so rarely played music featuring women. Besides Florence + the Machine & Lorde, I don’t hear many other girls on that station. She always argued with me, so I finally gave up that particular battle, too.
    I guess what I’m trying to say is that while I think Mr Country Music Salad is kind of an idiot, he’s not alone. In fact, pretty much all of society agrees with him, whether they’ll admit it or not.
    I think that’s why I love this video so much. Back in the late ’90s I’d heard of the Dixie Chicks, but tended to dismiss them as fluffy blond sorority sisters who were famous because of their looks rather than their chops. And then I caught them on Austin City Limits. To say I was blown away is something of an understatement. By the time they got to Sin Wagon, I was sobbing in my bed. These girls are fierce, and they can play. And they did it while they were single and while they were married and while they were having babies. Just, damn. The world needs more Dixie Chicks, and Maria McKee, and Imelda May, and every other young girl who’s out there making music out of love and discipline and fire.

    Liked by 1 person

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