How Do  - Mary Chapin Carpenter  - 1989 -  (Album - State Of The Heart)

 Mary Chapin Carpenter sold a ton of albums in the 1990's.  She is perhaps one of the more underrated singers of that remarkable decade as sometimes, time is not overly kind to some of our past stars.  In the long run, MCC was not traditional country, she was not pop, but what she was, was a very interesting mix of a few kinds of music, and much of it was for the thinking person.  This song was not her biggest hit by any means. But this was her very first successful hit single.  And this is among the most savvy debut songs in all the years I've been doing this. More artists should follow this formula. This is short, concise, uptempo, fun and hard not to sing along with, or at least tap your toes. When introducing yourself to someone, many times less is more, and leaving them wanting more is a key as well.  That's exactly what this song does, and even though she was not traditional, this song is.  It checks every box for a proper introduction, and after this, she was on her way for a decade of big hit songs.   Smart, slick and perfect for an introduction.  Young artists - listen up!

Last Weeks Selection

My Full Profile On Mary Chapin Carpenter

 Well the 90's were over and it was a new century.  Lee Ann Womack was a terrific country singer with a great look and a wonderful voice that gave real emotion to much of her material.  This ushered in 2000 and was perhaps the first gigantic country hit of the new millennium. It was universally loved by about everyone on the planet, winning about every award a song can.  Grammy's, ACM, CMA the list goes on and sold millions.  This written song is about perfect.  It speaks of every parents hope for their own child, taking every parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt, or Godparent to the vision of the children in their life and their dreams for them.  But a song this good needs a voice and it ended up where it should have, with Womack who was a young mother herself at this moment, which gave it real credibility.   This is a confluence of many great things that spawned a huge hit song.  Then toss in the wonderful background vocals of the Sons Of The Desert and you have about the perfect mix yet again.  The video was a big part of this enormous #1, that was the zenith of LAW's career, as it became a huge crossover hit as well.   Funny thing, many times a song this big and influential can be a curse at the same time.  With all the awards, airplay and sales, there comes the "what's next"  factor.  Her next song, Ashes Buy Now, was her last song to really chart well.  Although her There's More Where That Came From, album from 2005, was a big success and is a work of art.  But every artist would love a song this big, and this important that introduced us to millions, upon millions of new fans.  And still does when played.

Last Week #34

My Full Profile On Lee Ann Womack

In case you missed some of my articles with week from WQMX.com   So grab a coffee, and our earbuds and let's get you caught up! Thanks for reading and listening every day!

Eat Of The Week

50 Most Important Country Songs 1980-Today #34

Forgotten Jukebox - WH-95

CMML - Hal Ketchum (B-Day Revisit)

Wynn At The Movies And More!

Love a good breakfast!  I am an egg breakfast kind of guy, but if you make this French Toast, I'll eat it without any question!  This looks amazing!

Better Than A Diner - French Toast

Box Office Results - Civil War -  (11 million)

#2 – Abigail -  (10 million)

#3 - Godzilla / Kong -  (9 million)

New This Week – Unsung Hero  / Challengers  / Boy Kills World

Big Story – Of the weekend was Abigail was expected to bring in 30-40 Million – Budget was modest 28 million

Deadpool - The second trailer for  Deadpool and Wolverine is out this week.

Steve Carell and Tina Fey - Will star in Netflix’s The Four Seasons, an update of the 1981 Alan Alda film.

Get A Clue - A big-screen adaptation of Clue may be in the works.

Wow - Several crew members were injured this weekl filming an action scene on the Atlanta set of the Eddie Murphy movie The Pickup

Netflix - On May 6^th will have a live “roast” of Tom Brady hosted by Kevin Hart

Anne Hathaway - Says they are in a good place on the likelihood for a Princess Diaries 3

CBS - Has canceled So Help Me Todd and CSI: Vegas, Final shows in May

My  - Country Music Memory Lane (link)

Also - 50 Most Important Country Songs 1980 – Today #34 (Link)

Here are some fun facts about today's holiday, Earth Day! 

- Origins: Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970, initiated by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin to raise awareness about environmental issues.

- Global Reach: What began as an American movement quickly turned into a global phenomenon. Earth Day is now celebrated in over 190 countries around the world.

- Massive Participation: The first Earth Day saw 20 million Americans, roughly 10% of the U.S. population at the time, participating in demonstrations across the country.

- Environmental Impact: The inaugural Earth Day led to the creation of significant U.S. environmental laws including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

- Earth Day Network: The organization founded by the original Earth Day organizers coordinates global events and activities to celebrate Earth Day each year.

- 2020 Milestone: The 50th anniversary of Earth Day in 2020 was marked by digital protests due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making it one of the largest online mass mobilizations in history.

- Annual Themes: Each Earth Day has a specific theme; for example, "Restore Our Earth" in 2021 focused on natural processes, green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. For 2024, it is, "Planet vs. Plastics." 

- Educational Impact: Earth Day is used as an opportunity to educate about environmental issues, with many schools and communities organizing learning events and activities.

- A Day of Action: Earth Day is often marked by tree planting, clean-up campaigns, and petitions for stronger environmental laws, demonstrating the proactive nature of the observance. 

- Symbol: The official Earth Day flag features a picture of the Earth taken from the Apollo 17 spacecraft, symbolizing peace and environmental stewardship.

He actually did it. I mean, I had to wipe my eyes when I saw the headline. Hardy's take on the Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre song "Gin and Juice" just dropped this past evening. 

Eric Matthews, nights on WQMX, wrote about this too sharing in my excitement. He was on the topic before the song dropped, so for your convenience here I am coming in to follow up with the song itself, below. Some of the non-country songs we've heard covered or adapted upon lately haven't exactly hit home with me, but I'm digging this one for certain! 

 Since the song is quite explicit, instead of the video itself, here's a link to it for you to listen to at your own discretion: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dd_-12DHPI 

Now, what do you think about this newest release from Hardy? 

We always love talking new music, and if you'd like to chat about this song or any others feel free to give a ring on the WQMX studio line at 330-370-2000. Our textline (sponsored by Toth Buck GMC), at the same number, is always open for you too! 

Hardy is dropping new music tonight...sort of.

He has put his own spin to a Hip Hop classic and we get to take it for a spin this evening. He is releasing a cover of Snoop Dogg's "Gin & Juice". It will be interesting to hear a Country spin to a Hip Hop icon's song.

I'm looking forward to taking a listen. This will be something I have never experienced before! haha

I think we needed some of these...  You decide...

Def think we need more Carl!

 

 

 

 

 

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 Def means summer is coming!!!  Join me at the Dusty Armadillo Friday Night from 9-11p for your Friday Night Live Party!!!

 

 

 

 

 

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Gosh, it was tough to come up with a Top Ten list this week. I can't say why. I've got a cool one on deck, but I'd prefer to hold off just a little longer until it is consistently outdoor weather here in Northeast Ohio. We're still bouncing around in temperatures, and it's the rainy season.

So... when the weather is crummy and/or you're just not feeling like going out, what's more fun than playing a good board game? Board games make for a perfect family activity night, I think. From eight to eighty (and beyond), friends of all ages are brought together to socialize and bond through playing them. They provide hours-on-end of free, unplugged fun! That's hard to beat.

I like to get a little music going, maybe enjoy some drinks, and get into it. (If you've got a smart speaker around, just throw out a voice command for it to "Play 94.9 WQMX" for easy access to all the good vibes.) My favorite sort of games are highly involved strategy ones, as you'll discover below. I generally dislike the brainless, luck-based board games such as Chutes and Ladders. For this list, we're only talking about games with some sort of board and not just cards.

Put down your phone and pick up the dice. We're shooting for snake eyes: it's my top ten traditional board games!

10. Sorry

9. Connect 4

8. Scrabble

7. Battleship

6. Guess Who?

5. Mouse Trap

4. Life

3. Monopoly

2. Risk

1. Chess

Hey, till next time, thanks for checking this out!