BITTERSWEET, Ky. — I happened to come across a bit of news recently that I found quite interesting, but not terribly surprising. I read that a major auto manufacturer was ceasing the production of its sedan lines, except for one, to concentrate solely on SUVs, crossovers and trucks.

Now, this phase-out will happen over an extended period, but it would seem the old four-door sedans our parents drove are about to be replaced by the four-door pickup. I realize this doesn’t seem to have much to do with country music … or does it?

After reading this news, I got to thinking about all the songs that have glorified the pickup or at least mentioned these great vehicles somewhere in the lyrics. Having grown up in, and still living in, the South, trucks have always been popular.

And for all those rural areas across the country, the pickup has long served as a work/family vehicle. So I decided to do a little research and find some of the most popular truck songs ever recorded – or at least some of my favorites.

I have always been a Rhett Akins fan mostly because of one of his early hits, “That Ain’t My Truck.” I really love this one and still queue it up on my phone every now and then.

Luke Bryan’s “We Rode in Trucks” is another great song that salutes the rural way of life.

But truck songs aren’t just for guys. Reba’s “I Want a Cowboy” speaks to what a girl looks for in a man, including his pickup truck, and Sara Evans mentioned a truck in her song “Suds in the Bucket.”

Shenandoah’s “Next to You, Next to Me” is another old favorite and starts out singing about “driving in my truck to pick you up.”

I guess the most recognizable of the pickup songs was performed by Joe Diffie, entitled “Pickup Man” – “There’s something women like about a pickup man” goes the chorus.

Now, to get back to my original thought, I’m no marketing expert but with so many songs glorifying the pickup, it would only make sense to me that more and more people would want the experience of owning a good truck in the event they don’t already have one or two.

Country music and pickups just seem to go together – and besides, “there’s something women like about a sedan man” just doesn’t sound right.

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.