Once upon a time there was a singer and not-really-songwriter in Nashville by the name of Tim McGraw. Tim McGraw was a popular musician at the time, but reviled by some in the Great State of Texas as representing everything that was wrong with Nashville country music. Then Tim started performing a couple of songs written by Texas Bruce Robison and he started recording with the band that he toured with, so the bark lost some bite.

About the same time, another singer and not-really-songwriter named Kenny Chesney started to make a name for himself. The animosity that had previously been aimed at Mr. McGraw was instead directed towards Mr. Chesney. All the animosity and then some. Particularly critical of Chesney was an up-and-comer by the name of Randy Rogers. Rogers was relentless in his criticisms of Chesney and all that he represented in Nashville country music.

Somewhere along the way, Rogers started catching the attention of some of the right people and was signed by a bigger booking company. As Rogers's stature grew, the references to Mr. Chesney diminished. Then one day Rogers was big enough to get the attention of Mr. Chesney. Mr. Chesney was so impressed with Mr. Rogers's music that he decided to buy one of his songs and put it on his own record. The result being that Mr. Chesney's newest CD has a watered-down, soulless imitation of a Randy Rogers song.

Particularly surprising in all this is that, faced with this contradiction, the world's spin did not slow down or take an abrupt stop.

Scientists, I'm sure, are investigating this oddity as we speak.

And somewhere in Texas, a cadre of Texas musicians are convening secretly to determine whether Chesney is due a pass for financially assisting a genuine musician. This meeting is expected to last no longer than one-half a listening to Mr. Chesney's watered-down, soulless rendition of Mr. Rogers's original work.