TG Sheppard: ‘There’s Room for Everybody in This Business’

Plenty has changed in country music since TG Sheppard released his self-titled debut album in 1975. And while some artists, critics and fans are none too pleased with the "bro-country" trend, Sheppard says that he is happy to support the younger generation of country artists.

"I listen to everything. I like a lot of the country music today, and I like a lot of the artists," Sheppard tells The Boot. "I love Blake [Shelton] and I love the Band Perry. I love a lot of the artists today, and a lot of those artists will come up to me and go, ‘You know, I used to sing your songs in the bar,’ and that makes you feel good.

"I listen to everything. I’ve loved everything from [Luciano] Pavarotti to Frank Sinatra," Sheppard adds. "I love it all. Music is music."

The 71-year-old adds that he empathizes with the criticism that some of the younger singers face.

"People ridicule a lot of new artists that are in country today. I went through the same thing 40 years ago," Sheppard explains. "People said, ‘Oh, he’s ruining country music. His album’s too pop.’

"With every change of the guard, there’s always going to be somebody who doesn’t like that change. But there’s room for everybody in this business. There really is," he continues. "I don’t want to see us forsake our roots with the [George] Joneses and the [Merle] Haggards and the great people who have made it happen."

Sheppard's latest album, Legendary Friends & Country Duets, is available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes.