Let's just forget that 1900 to 1930 ever happened

Saw this at Country California:

I spoke yesterday … and I told them then, I said, “I know I’m gonna get a lot of flack about this, but sooner or later country music has to decide whether it’s an art form or a business. If it’s a business, welcome anybody that sells records. If it’s an art form, get rid of everybody that doesn’t sound like Hank Williams.” If you look back at history, the only music that has never progressed at all — is exactly like it was in the ’20s — is Dixieland. Because nobody ever experimented with it. ●
- – Kenny Rogers on progress in country music.

Holy cow, Kenny Rogers is an ignorant s.o.b.  I guess he thinks we got from ragtime to swing and eventually mid-century "hot jazz" by some bizarre detour that completely avoids Dixieland?