The country world is feeling the effects of the Pandemic.  Some of these artists were at home for the longest stints of their careers.  

Sure we are in the midst of getting some great albums...  Morgan Wallen just dropped 'One Thing At A Time', Luke Combs has 'Gettin Old' this Friday,

Throw in Hardy, Brantley Gilbert, Jelly Roll, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Gabby Barrett, Bros. Osbourne Carly Pearce and just about every artist out there has something on the way.  Musically and touring things are great for country fans and artists!

While some artists were home they probably had sometime for more things than just music.  Maybe to focus on additional branches to those family trees...  It is like a Country Baby Boom!

Today John Osbourne's Wife gave birth to twins, congrats to the family!  Scotty McCreery's wife Gabi, Gabby Barrett, Elle King, Jon Pardi's Wife Summer just had Presley, Runaway June’s Jennifer Wayne, Maddie & Tae’s Taylor Dye, Sam Hunt's Wife Hannah Lee Fowler, Niko Moon's Wife Anna Moon, Chris Lane's wife Lauren, and Randy Houser's wife Tatiana all had children recently....

Luke Combs announced he and Nicole will have their 2nd boy in September.  Shay Mooney, Jordan Davis, Drake White wives are all expecting also... 

Could we be seeing the next era of country singers?  We'll see...

Ever have a craving? Not a food craving, but a desire to do something you wouldn't usually do? That was me last week! For some reason, I wanted to watch the J.J Abrams Star Trek trilogy. Why? I have NO clue! I'm not a Trekkie (if that's even how you spell it), I'm much more of a Star Wars fan, and I'd seen the first two like forever ago. There was no reason to do it, but I wanted to. So I got the movies from the library and I gave them a spin.

I had SO much fun watching these movies! They were funny, action packed, intense, and someone who knows next to nothing about Star Trek like me can be entertained! There were some moments that made my eyes roll, but overall I enjoyed them thoroughly. It was kind of serendipitous.

Remember to live long and prosper, and scratch whatever's got you itching to try!

Kane Brown just earned another #1 single with "Thank God", his duets with wife Katelyn, which also earned her her first #1! Kane's follow up is "Bury Me In Georgia", co-written by Kane, Josh Hoge, Matthew McGinn, and Jordan Schmid. The song is the first track off of his latest album Different Man.

Sunday Morning Song 3/19

Eat Of The Week

50 Favorites From 40+ Years #40

The Forgotten Jukebox

Country Music Memory Lane - Were They Or Weren't They - Final Part

Wynn At The Movies

Box Office Results - Shazam! - (ONLY 30 MILLION)

New This Week - John Wick 4

Lance Reddick - From the John Wick movies and others died this weekend he was 60   (Story)

Dick Van Dyke - Suffered some minor injuries this week in a minor car crash he was driving - he's 97!!!!!  (Story) 

Adam Sandler - Received the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday night. (Story) 

This Weekend – Check out my Country Music Memory Lane  (link)

Also - My 50 Favorites Over 40+ Years This Week #40  (Link)

Plus - My Sunday Morning Song 3/19  (Link)

There was BIG news revealed on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" Friday night. Kenan Thompson & Kel Mitchell appeared and made the announcement that a "Good Burger" sequel is officially in the works!!! As someone who loved the original movie from 1997 and grew up watching it as a sketch on "All That", this warms my little 10 year-old Eric heart!

I grew up watching Kenan and Kel on Nickelodeon on Saturday nights and the original "Good Burger" movie was a huge deal to my friends and I at the time. To find out a sequel - with the two stars and original writers - is coming 25 years later is awesome! 

Filming starts in May and the movie drops on Paramount+ later this year.

Spring is "officially" here but I don't buy it. Sure it was nice out today, and UA is on spring break, and the sun is shining. But it just doesn't quite feel like spring yet. I love spring, it's mostly the weather, either rainy or a perfect cool over a lush green pasture. My favorite flower, daffodils, are planted everywhere thanks to spring. I can stop hiding under coats and hoodies. Everyone is in a better mood! So why am I so skeptical and less excited?

Because my seasonal allergies have not come back yet, and only then will it be spring. Hooray.

So this week starts off with your chance to win SOLDOUT!  Priscilla Block O' Clock Tickets for Friday Night at The Dusty Armadillo. 

You will also have chances to win Kolby Cooper/Dillon Carmichael Charity Concert Series Tickets for The Dusty Armadillo to Benefit NEOPAT. (3/30) Buy Tickets by Clicking Here!

The WQMX Akron-Canton Hunting, Fishing & Outdoor Show is Saturday and Sunday at MAPS Air Museum... Click Here for Details.

And Thursday Night don't forget the SOLDOUT!  Nate Smith/Megan Moroney Charity Concert Series Show to Benefit Bosom Buddies at The Dusty Armadillo!  

Here is Megan with a bunch of artists (Priscilla Block, Nate Smith and more) having fun... All these shows are going to be amazing!  

I said in an earlier blog that I recognize the seasons by the Meteorological beginnings and ends. HOWEVER, Monday is the official first day of Spring! The Vernal Equinox takes place Monday afternoon at 5:24. Since we haven't really had a winter this year, let's hope we don't make up for that here in early Spring!

Spring is one of my favorite times of year. Primarily because it is getting lighter out and STAYING light longer/later in the day and getting warmer too. The way I look at it is that we start getting warm days and we are still on the upward climb to the warmest part of the year, rather than the downward slide into bitter cold.

Enjoy! Happy Spring!

  The saying, "That ain't country" isn't new. It's been going on the 43 years I've been in country radio. This is the final installment of artists that helped supply a bit more street cred with young fans that we had a hard time attracting. But these fringe acts were incredibly influential to our future stars.   - ICYMI  (Part 1) (Part 2)  (Part 3)

Lynyrd Skynyrd

For a group that never charted a song country, and did not really enjoy the chart success you might think on any chart, they have an incredible following with many country fans.  From Jacksonville, Florida, for many they are the sheer definition of Southern Rock. Sweet Home Alabama is an immensely popular song with rock fans and country fans as well.  And who on earth has not yelled, "Free Bird"  at some concert somewhere at some point?   The two Van Zandt Brothers went country and recorded a country album that I loved, Get Right With The Man  (2005), with the single, Help Somebody  (#8)  that was a fantastic song. That album went to #2.  They did a few other country albums as well.  But clearly, much of their stuff is way outside of our spectrum still today, but their popularity with our fans is absolute, along with Kid Rock and others of that ilk. In the end a no, BUT their influence to future stars and popularity with listeners was resolute and can not -  and should not - be ignored.  It is undeniable.  That is their real gift to us.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Before I go on, these guys are in the end -  a hard  - YES!  But it didn't start that way.  Formed in the mid 1960's by exceedingly talented singers and musicians and Mr. Bojangles  of course became a gigantic hit and classic in the early 70's.  Flash forward to the mid 1980's and country is very pop sounding.  They show up in Nashville and are clearly very country sounding and go on to great success for about a 6 year period garnering a ton of hit songs, award show nominations and just recorded some fantastic music.  Fishin' In The Dark is such a great song, and was HIGHLY influential to many rising stars it's hard to explain it properly.  It is also still today, some 37 years later one of the most loved country songs ever.  Garth performs that song many times in concert and gives them major props on stage. Funny about them, they were a pop/country/folk style band at first. Then became far more country than most of the "country"  being recorded in the mid-80's. Great singles, great albums, great musicians and great success.  It didn't start that way, but in the end a resounding yes!

Jim Croce

Jim Croce died very young and the career that was ahead for him seemed very britght and endless.  He was very good  friends with Jimmy Buffett and they each early on shared that wonderful acoustic sound that was a blend of pop/country/and folk. But Croce and much of his music was very hard to categorize, and yes, some of his songs ended up in country radio's gold libraries for a time as his sound was similar to Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor and others that did the same. We did not play Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown, but we did play a couple of others. Much of his music was released after his tragic death and a few songs did chart mildly on the country charts but nothing significant.  But the popularity of his music was very vast and he had fans from all genres including ours.  His story is a sad one dying so young but his music lives on.  In the end, a no, but his music was and is loved and isn't light years away.