Each year Sarah and I pick our Top Five Country Songs for the year. And this year is no exception!

Here are my Top Five - And why!

        /  Waylon kind of driving under beat and a slick lyric line, this is as stone cold country as it gets right now.

         He's always great, but when Dierks gets the right song, with the right rhythm, I feel it's mandatory listening.

#5  - Tennessee Orange  - Megan Maroney

        I loved this song the first time I heard it. Country, visual, honest, from the heart, positive and makes you feel good.

We are into that week between Christmas and New Year's. This is NOT what the roads look like with people going to work this week. Coming into work this morning, I could count the number of cars on the road!

This is just a strange time of year. Kids are out of school. Some people have to work. Some don't (LUCKY!!!) HAHA.

If you have gifts to exchange...good luck in THAT traffic.

Wow! I can hardly believe that this is my one-hundredth blog for WQMX! It's been my privilege to upload these nightly since switching to full-time a few months back, and I can't thank you enough for reading them. Seriously, thank you! 

I've covered everything from concerts to cars, and I think you can get an accurate feel for who I am based on the words I've posted here. I have always loved writing, and I appreciate the platform that has been provided for me to share my thoughts and news with the world. It's an open playing field for me on the topics on which I can write, so hopefully you have found my collection thus far to be a good mix of entertainment and information. 

Whether there are ten or ten-thousand people reading these blogs, it's important to me to consistently deliver something each day that I'm with you on-air. If you want to know what's new and exciting, you're in the right place! It made my heart so full when I had a relative of mine tell me she reads these regularly, and again, I want to thank everyone for checking this out now. 

All in all, things are going great for me. As a quick rundown: I'm just about over the stresses of December and am ready to conquer 2024. The Blazer is treating me well and I'm starting to feel comfortable with driving stick. My old civic is still sitting around for sale but I'm considering just keeping it until tax season. I've been loving this warmer weather but I'm ready for it to actually be winter; I need it to snow so I can plow with my quad and make some money. All my powersports are up and running and the buggy project is still ongoing. Everything I own could use some tires. I need to do some major work to our boat before spring. I've had a lot of fun doing a little disc golfing recently. Everything is all good on the home front. Duchess, Freddy, and Fiona are all living their best kitty lives. The El Camino has a layer of dust on it and the motorcycle as well. My fiancée is on break until after the new year, so we'll get the chance to spend some quality time together this week. Christmas was magical. I'm three whole weeks without a cigarette. 

Umm... what else? the Dolphins (and our Browns) are kicking butt, too! I'd hate to see them compete in the playoffs as I want both teams to win it all, but Miami is always going to be closer to my heart as a loyal Dol-fan. I'll absolutely lose my mind if either team makes it to the big game, though. 

I appreciate all the love I've received in this career and the endeavors that come with it, like listener interactions at amazing concerts and events, wholesome late-night studio line communications, social media spotlights of me behind the mic, and so much more. I feel as though I'm in the right place employed here at the station, and there's nothing all I'd rather be doing as my profession. I'm proud of this one-hundredth blog milestone, so... here's to the next hundred and beyond! 

This is it! It is Friday afternoon of Christmas weekend. Other than those of us at the radio station, is anyone still at work? ;) haha. Christmas is on Monday which is great...it'll be a green (brown really) Christmas with temperatures nearing 60. Not exactly the Christmas we grew up with, huh?

Make the best of it and turn on WQMX all day Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for two full days of Christmas music. Your favorite weekend personalities will be here with you for the holiday, and the rest of us will be back on Tuesday.

Have a very Merry Christmas from the WQMX family!

Here is the FINAL Month of my 50 Favorites From 40 Years series.  It has this month and every month from the last year from 50 to 1!

Thanks for reading and for listening everyday!

December

#3 Startin' With Me - Jake Owen

#2 I'm No Stranger To The Rain - Keith Whitley

#1 Let Your Love Flow - Bellamy Brothers

November Recap

October Recap

September Recap

August Recap

July Recap

June Recap

May Recap

April Recap

March Recap

February Recap

January Recap

We will start a new year-long series TOMORROW about the 50 Most Important Songs In Country Music since 1980, when I basically came into the format.

Last year I featured My 50 Favorites, which is very different than this. Those were just personal favorites I have played over the decades on the radio. These are songs that all have a place and story in country. This list will look very different than last years.

There will also be more artist repeating on this list. I will feature one song a week, and tell you why this song is important and what role it played in our history. Plus the contribution that song and or artist made with it. This list is not a popularity contest, but I will list them 50 to 1 based on their effect they had on country music.  Many of these songs are certainly NOT my favorites, but their importance cannot be denied.

These are the songs that shaped country for decades to come, and still do today. To be on this list songs had to be released from 1980 to today. Starts Tuesday January 2, 2024

Santa's on his way this weekend, so I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas! 

I'm really excited for all the festive celebrations my fiancée and I have planned throughout these next few days. These would include hosting a game night on Friday, possibly hitting up the Akron Zoo for their Holiday lights thing on Saturday, visiting with my dad on Sunday for Christmas Eve, and Christmas brunch on Monday with some more stops later on throughout the day. Then, for me, it's back to my duties here at the station at the end of Monday into Tuesday for the overnight shift. Mackenzie, on the other hand, remains on break until after the new year. That means we can hang during the daytime next week, which always makes me happy! 

I can't wait to exchange presents and see the joy in the faces of those I love when they tear into the wrapping paper, and I always enjoy receiving a thoughtful gift. I've still got to pick up a few random things from the supermarket today; it won't be fun dealing with all that holiday craziness. After wrapping my gifts to others, I should be all good to go. I like to watch all the classic Christmas movies, like The Year Without a Santa Claus or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, so I'm sure those will be on the tube throughout the weekend, also. 

Anyhow, have a Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years! 

With today being the Winter Solstice, that means it is the shortest day of the year!!! Rejoice, because for the next six months we will see more daylight every day. I love the longer days when it stays light until 9:00 and is nice and warm in the summer.

As you travel around town the next several days, you may just see me jumping for joy like the two people in the picture..now if only we could get rid of the clouds and actually see some sunshine!

This time of year... Kid's seem to be on their best behavior.  It might be the Elves on the Shelves, The Big Guy Checkin his list and Checkin it twice!

But if you have to put a little one in time out... You can use this little timer as a reminder.   Click Here! 

Plus might not be bad to have around along with this one... Click Here!

Merry Christmas To All, Y'all!

Of all the Thursday Top Ten lists I've done, this one here may have been the toughest to settle upon thus far.  There are SO MANY great Christmas songs, from new originals to timeless classics covered by numerous artists through the decades. These songs are the sounds of the season, and Christmas wouldn't be the same at all without them. No other holiday even comes close to the library of music dedicated to Christmas, and everyone holds their own favorites. 

I'm personally not the type to blast Mariah Carey the day after Thanksgiving, but when the time is right, nothing sounds better than a nice Yuletide anthem. With fluffy snow on the ground, pretty lights everywhere, and Christmas favorites on the radio; there's a magical feeling for which we yearn year-long outside of December. I'm excited to share these with you, so here they are. It's my Top Ten favorite Christmas songs! 

10. Chipmunk Christmas Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) 

9. I'm Mr. White Christmas 

8. Feliz Navidad

7. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

6. Christmas Canon

5. We Need a Little Christmas

4. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

3. Snoopy's Christmas

2. Baby Its Cold Outside

1. Blue Christmas

Well! What do you think about my list? Which songs would you keep and what did I miss? WQMX has 48 Hours of Continuous Christmas Music from your favorite country artists starting at midnight on Christmas Eve, and you can tune in for all the fun on your radio 94.9 FM or online right here! 

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!