The Death of American Music

American music used to have a face. Springsteen sweating it out on stage. Petty with his sly grin and jangly guitar. Mellencamp spitting small-town truths. Buffett selling escape by the pitcher. They weren’t just singers, they were narrators of the American story. Now Petty and Buffett are gone, Bruce is running out of road, and Mellencamp is painting more than playing. The torch is slipping, and the question is who, if anyone, is left to grab it.