From VOA Voice, October/November 1988, No. 29, pages 6-8.
FIRST TRIP on an airplane. First time in America. First time to speak English outside of the classroom. First time to see a live concert. First time to be interviewed by reporters and journalists. First time to eat American food. First time to use a knife and fork instead of chopsticks. All these firsts - and more - occurred within a span of two weeks to VOA Country Music USA listener Zhou Zuo-Ren, a 23-year-old international business student from Shanghai, China.
Mr. Zhou and some 3,000 other country music fans around the world participated in an essay contest I organized in cooperation with the Country Music Association and the Grand Ole Opry. VOA listeners were asked to write an essay in English - not the native language for most - on "What Country Music Means to Me." The prize for the winning essay was a trip for two to Washington, D.C., and Nashville, Tennessee, the home of country music, where the winner would attend the 19th International Country Music Fan Fair, a week-long gathering of country music artists and their fans that takes place each year.
While I expected to receive many thoughtful and interesting responses, I was truly overwhelmed by the descriptions of how this American art form has affected people in all walks of life and in all corners of the world. With very few exceptions, the essays were marvelous and insightful, making my job as one of the three judges very difficult.
Joining me in selecting the winning essay were Jo Walker-Meador, executive director of the Country Music Association, and Hal Durham, general manager of the Grand Ole Opry. After many hours of reading and discussing the entries, we finally chose the one submitted by Zhou Zuo-Ren.
Mr. Zhou's essay - reprinted on Page 8 - showed a tremendous depth of feeling for country music. He had also demonstrated his love for the music by writing and broadcasting a program on American county music over the Shanghai People's Broadcasting Station. His sole knowledge of the songs and artists comes from listening to Country Music USA.
He writes down the names of recordings that particularly appeal to him and, since country music records are not available in Shanghai, he then sends a plea to an uncle in Hong Kong, asking if he can find any of these recordings and send them to him. In this way, Mr. Zhou has acquired a collection of some thirty country music recordings.
We judges notified Mr. Zhou of our decision and, after securing passports and other needed documents, he and his guest, Zheng Rong Xin, a professor at Shanghai University, were on their way to the United States. I was there to welcome them when they landed at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C.
Driving them to their hotel that night, I was delighted to discover just how thoroughly immersed Mr. Zhou is in the music. In fact, throughout our two weeks together, he knew facts and figures about every musician we met. The artists themselves were tremendously impressed with his enthusiasm and knowledge.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. While in Washington, Mr. Zhou told me he had adopted the nickname "Willie" because of his love for Willie Nelson's music. So we dubbed him Willie and called Mr. Zheng "John."
Willie and John had the opportunity to take a special tour of the White House and the Capitol, as well as visit the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. They also visited with all of us here at VOA, and Willie was my special guest that week on Country Music USA.
Then, finally, it was on to Nashville - Music City USA! On the first full day, we toured the Country Music Hall of Fame; visited the offices of the Country Music Association; chatted with legendary guitarist Chet Atkins in his office, filled with instruments and awards; watched Eddy Raven have his name inscribed in the Walkway of the Stars; and attended the nationally televised Music City News Awards Show.
Each year, subscribers to the Music City News magazine select their favorite artists in a variety of categories. Country artists have a special feeling of kinship with their fans; since these awards are chosen by the fans, artists go out of their way to attend. The three of us had seats in the second row, and it seemed that just about every star in country music was there - Barbara Mandrell, Reba McEntire, George Strait, Randy Travis, Alabama, and the Oak Ridge Boys, to name just a few. We went backstage after the show, and Willie and John had their first chance to shake hands, get autographs, and have photos taken with their favorite stars.
That was the busy start to an entire week filled with concerts and autograph sessions. We drove from one end of Nashville to the other, visiting record companies and attending the famous Grand Ole Opry. We not only interviewed lots of artists, but were the subject of many interviews ourselves, including one on the nationally televised Nashville Now talk show.
Not everything we did was related to music. We went to the motion picture Crocodile Dundee II, enjoyed the rides at Opryland Amusement Park, and visited the lovely, sweeping grounds of Vanderbilt University, where student Zhou and Professor Zheng enjoyed conversing with their American counterparts.
The two weeks passed all too quickly. When it was time to bid farewell, we enjoyed reminiscing about some special moments. For Willie, they included the time we were leaving the press center at the Country Music Fan Fair, and we heard a female voice call, "Willie, Judy, Willie, Judy!" At that moment we were approaching a large crowd of people, who were looking behind us with great anticipation and delight. We turned to see who was calling and saw Wynonna Judd and her mother Naomi (known to millions of country music fans as The Judds) beckoning us to join them in their silver-colored limousine. As we retraced our steps and climbed into the car for a chat with the two talented red-headed ladies, we knew everyone in the crowd would have gladly traded places with us.
My favorite memories include the times spent driving through the streets of Nashville, with the radio turned to a local country music station, and the three of us singing along with every song at the top of our voices. It was a merry time, and one I will always remember.
Willie and John are now back in Shanghai, and I am back in my busy office in Washington. But each time I hear a country song sung by an artist we met in Nashville, my thoughts return to those special times we shared together.
It has long been said that "music is an international language." This contest showed me that music is much more. It is a powerful force for understanding and friendship. I hope we will have another contest like this someday. Stay tuned!
Judy Massa is the music director of VOA an producer/host of Country Music USA heard Friday evenings.
When I hum … "Half Past Forever Till I'm Blue In The Heart," "You Still Move Me," "Daddy's Hands," "The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder," and "Living In The Promiseland," I am transported with strong emotion, my heart is filled with nostalgia, love and hope.
Country music means music of the people, composed by the people, sung by the people. It offers romantic longing, mystical transcendence, Western imagery.
Combining folk songs, jazz, rhythm 'n' blues and gospel, American country music is especially rich in its components. It displays one of the best American vernacular styles.
Its form is lively and diverse. The singing and playing are occasionally intertwined with improvised speech, which greatly enlivens the atmosphere of the performance.
Its contents are full of the flavor of life and familiar to common people. The singers praise their graceful, fertile land and beautiful pastoral scene, express sincere love of their hometown and sweetheart, reveal their yearnings for the happy live and bright future. It conveys the common feelings of common people and evokes ready sympathy from the hearts of common people.
Its charm also lies in the accompanying music. It perfectly reflects the emotional mood of the song and the rhythm of American life.
Besides, its admiration is derived from the talents of the country music artists who are performers, composers and instrument players at once. Such artistic versatility is rarely seen in China. Each one contributes to the music something of his own, distinguishing himself from others by his own unique tone and style….Their performances are so vivid that they often inspire one's innermost feeling, and make the audience voluntarily participate in the performance.
When I listen to "hillbilly songs," one picture after another of American country life looms in front of me; the joy and frustration so graphically conveyed through the music often carries me away. I cannot help singing with the American singers. The delicate harmonies, lively lyrical byplay, and the sweet Nashville ballads have always seized me and afforded me with boundless pleasure. I am so enchanted that I am always waiting for the results of the weekly "Hit Parade" with breathless attention.
Let it be said loud and clear - country music is forever a mirror reflecting American people's ideals, ambitions, depressions and hopes. It possesses great vitality and artistic power. I believe it is not only the treasure of American people, but the treasure of all country music fans in the world.
By Zhou Zuo-Ren