In this current cycle of 1980's rehashed rock and roll disguised as country music and 'hick-hop', there is still real country music being produced and released.

I came across a single by a guy named Ben Rue.  Who's Ben Rue?  Yeah, I asked myself the same question.  But one thing I do that maybe some people don't....I don't just look at the name of an artist, I listen to the song.  It doesn't matter if your name is Luke or Jason or Taylor or Waldo...what matters (or at least should) is the music, the song.

And I discovered this guy was not only real country...he was real good country!

So who is Ben Rue?

Well, the following is from his website, benruemusic.com, and will serve as an introduction:

 

Rue came to Nashville by way of small-town Silverton, OR, where he grew up the youngest of three brothers on his family’s 2000-acre grass seed farm. Driving a combine since he was 11, Rue wasn’t one to shy from the hard work of the farm, but found himself writing songs and creating his own music as he worked.

"My dad would catch me: I remember one time I was singin’ on a railroad tie. I was fillin’ up one of our tractors, and I would just look out in the field, pretending like I was singing on the stage of Madison Square Garden or something. My dad, I’d look over and I’m singin’, and he’d just start laughing, like, ‘What are you doing? Why are you even here on the farm?’"

But Rue’s other love was baseball, a passion that followed him into college, attending Concordia University on a baseball scholarship and playing a season for an independent team before realizing that the major leagues weren’t in his future. With music reclaiming center stage in his life, Rue took up guitar in his sophomore year, in part because his brother played, "and I like to think I can do anything he can," Rue laughs, "and as it turns out, I loved it."

Having a new outlet for creating music was the perfect catalyst for Rue, who admits, "I’m not very good with talking about my emotions and feelings. But being able to start writing songs and playing – any musician can relate that you play out your emotions, your passions, and your loves, and you just play that into your music."

While continuing to work on the family farm after graduation, Rue formed his own band, began performing regionally and successfully auditioned for TV’s The X-Factor, which – together with the support of a local country DJ at Portland’s KUPL – ultimately spurred Rue to make the decision to move to Nashville in 2012.

 

And the song I heard?  Well, it's called 'I Can't Wait (Be My Wife)', it's playing on KXRB and KXRB.com and the video is below.  Give it a look and a listen.

 

 

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