BITTERSWEET, Ky. — I would like to use a farming analogy for a moment to get started, so please bear with me before you head over to the cattle report.

 

To me, having been around agriculture all of my life, the most important part of a farm is the next generation waiting to continue the legacy and the tradition of maintaining a family farm.

I think the same can be said about country music. As much as I love the veteran performers and the hits from yesterday, I know the real future lies with those performers we don’t yet know.

These folks may be playing in the venue down the street or already be experiencing some larger success. One thing I know for sure – we won’t be listening to them on 8-tracks or cassettes; remember those?

The artists of today have an entire digital universe to explore through all their social media platforms and by way of various digital music services. Now, all performers, young and not so young, have the same digital opportunities – it’s just a matter of will they take advantage of them?

As an avid Twitter user, I have found an array of artists, known and unknown, taking advantage of this social media networking service. One that really impresses me is a young lady from Texas named Summer Franklin. There is rarely a day that goes by that I don’t see a post from her, and she is not just promoting herself.

Summer appears to be a country music historian of sorts. She is constantly leaving interesting facts about artists both new and from the past and re-tweeting post from other artists.

Of course, she is always introducing her own music, and I must say she is quite talented. She covers a lot of music but has a sound all her own. I can’t help but think she is going to be a big star one day, and will do it through the use of social media.

There’s probably few performers who aren’t part of the digital age, but some are better at it than others, Summer Franklin is good at it and has the talent to boot.

Look her up on the Web, and I’m sure you will agree: Summer Franklin is going to be a household word one day, and will play an important role in leading the next generation of country music stars.

 

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.