Dwight Yoakam can be an acquired taste, but in the long run he sold a ton of albums and really helped change the direction of country when he hit the charts.  Great success with country music and Hollywood too, let's wish him a happy birthday this week!

Dwight Yoakam Birthday (Revisit)

SheDaisy  - Little Goodbyes - 1999 -  (Album - The Whole SheBang)

You know, when they showed up there was a lot of buzz about them.  They visited to the WQMX studios and did an in-store appearance with us that was a big success.  I loved their sibling harmonies and this album was quite good. The three sisters were from Utah and fan liked THEM!  This was a top five hit and listeners loved this song.  They were Grammy nominated and there were five songs released from this album that had varying levels of success.  For the run of this album, they enjoyed a great deal of popularity.  Another one of their singles, I Will...But   was a song I really liked as it too was a top ten hit.  They, without any question had an unmistakable "catchiness" that was fun and easy to listen too.  But like I always say, not everyone is promised a 20 year run on the charts.  I recommend highly their amazing Christmas album which is absolutely terrific.  Maybe one of the best ever.  There were other albums too, but not the success of this one, which sold a million and is certified platinum.  Their chart run was short, but you love this song. 

BTW  - "SheDaisy"  - Translated from the word shideezhí, a Navajo word meaning  -  "my little sister".

I've always been one of those people who is generally decent at most things, but not exceptional. I'm not the greatest skateboarder, guitarist, artist, or athlete, but I'm also not bad. I cast a wide net and enjoy doing a variety of activities; I simply don't have the patience to master just one thing. 

With that said, there are a couple of things that for some reason, I excel at doing. I like to call them my secret skills because I hardly use them every day, but when I do, it may come as a surprise to others how good I am at them. I've got a couple examples for you. 

First is Euchre. I can't necessarily count cards and I'm nothing special at most every poker game, but for some reason I am borderline flawless at Euchre. The game is, of course, just playing probabilities and taking calculated risks, so there is no such thing as perfection. My track record, however, speaks for itself. 

Next is something similar: the board game Risk. I played it constantly and won to the point where I was bored with all the victories. It just makes sense to me, and unless I have my opponents teaming up specifically to take me down or I'm getting the worst conceivable luck, I come out on top every time. 

One more table game I don't often lose at is Chess. I'm no Grand Master Bobby Fischer, but I'll take on anyone who wants to play. My brother and I played Chess competitively through elementary school into high school, and we both took home a bunch of trophies through the years. In high school, my Chess coach was a brilliant man who also taught physics and calculus. He was light work.

Unfortunately I am not secretly very talented at any competitive video games aside from Madden NFL '10 with the Wildcat offensive formation "Jet Pass" play as the Miami Dolphins. Well, that and Dig Doug. I tear that one up, but I'm awful at Pac Man and most every other arcade game. Go figure. 

Another activity I want to mention is hacky sacking. We would do it every day during lunch period in high school, and we all got pretty great at it. If it comes towards me, I'm hitting it back to you. I can do all the cool tricks and stalls, and can keep it volleying by myself for as long as I have the physical endurance. The same goes for pogo sticking. My friends will compete for how many bounces they can get while I can go until my legs give out. Oh, and I can also unicycle. 

My intention here is not to brag, but to give a little food for thought for you. I believe that everyone has to have at least one secret skill like my examples, and that's not to say you've got to be the best in the world at whatever that is. Maybe you're the bomb at cooking or you shred the keys on piano. Maybe you're really good at taking photos, playing Mario Kart, singing karaoke, or wrapping presents. 

Whatever it may be, give yourself a little credit for that which you excel at doing, and don't judge others for their failures. Someone could be a sub-par swimmer like me, yet crazy good at coding. You never know what someone has in their back pocket, unless maybe they're a personality on a hit radio station and write a blog for all the public to see which reveals their secret skills....

Friday evening I went with traffic reporter extraordinare Steffany Nicole to see "Pod Meets World: The Kids Wanna Jump Tour" at the Ohio Theatre down at Playhouse Square. It was such a great time! The actors who played Shawn, Topanga, and Eric on Boy Meets World are hosting a podcast rewatching the series and talking to other cast members about their experiences on set. They have decided to take the idea on the road, and Cleveland was the stop on Friday night. 

Growing up, TGIF on ABC was such a huge part of my week. I specifically remember watching Family Matters at 8:00, Boy Meets World at 8:30, Step By Step (RIP Suzanne Somers) at 9:00, and Hangin' With Mr. Cooper at 9:30. Sometimes I'd still be awake enough to see Hugh and Barbara come on with 20/20 at 10:00 :) lol. Listening to this podcast and re-watching some episodes is really bringing back some memories for me! I really enjoyed seeing three members of the cast explain what the show meant to them, and how big of a following it really has! The audience was wild!!! It really sounded like we were at a taping back in 1999.

Steffany and I had a great time!

Huge win for the Browns last week that I'm not sure anyone saw coming. The defense played very well, the weather was what they would have hoped for, and Walker played better than expected. Toss in an injury or two for San Fran, less than their best day and a break of two that went our way and the Browns get a signature win that they have been waiting for.  It's a week to celebrate, as it was a very big win for many reasons and well earned.

Winning a game that you are not "supposed to" in the NFL can be a very big deal.  It can spring you forward with a confidence not there before.  And it can put the emphasis back on football and not on the side stuff that losing can dredge up.  After beating the Niners, this week do you really care who plays QB this week as much as you did last week?  LOL well, of course we all want our guy to play, but somehow it doesn't seem as important as it did then.  We will see what the Browns do with this win, and the Jets too, see what they do after beating the Eagles leaving us with NO unbeaten teams.

The Browns showed a great deal of heart last week, notably on defense as it's the heartbeat of the team.  It's amazing what happens when a coach of a position group asks them to play with passion and shows that same passion outwardly.  Jim Schwartz, is the most important person this organization has hired in years, and that without question includes the actual guys that hired him.  I feel he has a good chance to be here longer than them too.  But -  there's this to keep in mind. (Temporarily he is saving their jobs)  Schwartz is a head coach, so at the end of this season the Browns will have to make a big decision.  Keep Schwartz (somehow in some way)  or lose him to one of the teams that will be looking for a head coach.  Because they will be calling.  Chargers, Bears, Washington, even New England comes to mind.  

It's a shame it took this long to get it through our heads that defense is important and not an afterthought. Especially after Stefanski's famous line last year, "No one plays smashmouth football anymore."  The league heard that and smashed our mouths every week.  Incredible he actually said that on the record.  Now the Browns are in a place they didn't envision a few days ago.  A winning record with some very winnable games ahead.  The 49ers and Eagles proved it can be very tough to win on the road in the NFL and that's exactly where the Browns are going. The Country Club 4 of 5 game home stand is over -  for the next two weeks, at Indy and Seattle.  In fact, 5 of the next 7 games are on the road. But good defense travels well and it looks like it's going to have to.

Isn't it ironic?  All this money, drama, trading draft picks and emphasis on trying to score 100 points a game for an offensive minded coach, and now we win by scoring barely enough   -  and giving up very few.  We have this incredible defense that was a single hire and a few players away.  And for those screaming for Stefnaski to turn over play calling to Alex Van Pelt, you can be rest assured that is NOT going to happen   -   now especially.  There's no way he'll let another coordinator possibly outshine him as much as Schwartz is clearly doing right now.  BTW the most points we've scored in a game since this coaching staff has been in place was against the Steelers in the playoffs a few years ago and Stefanski was in his basement with COVID watching on TV.

Football, as much as many try to make it different, it's still this.  If you give up less points than them  -  you win.  It's just math. 3-2 is ALL thanks to the new guy.   Keep it going, take care of the pesky Colts today!

GO BROWNS!

Holly Dunn -  (It's Always Gonna Be) Someday - 1989

The late Holly Dunn was a special talent.  She was a traditional country singer who entered the charts in the mid 1980's.  Daddy's Hands is her signature song of course that helped fuel the new traditionalist movement, but this is my favorite.  She along with Randy Travis, the late Keith Whitley and others about 1986 were laying the foundation for the class of 1989 that changed country forever.  They should get far more credit than they do, as they were the ones that ushered out the pop country style that was tired.  Dunn was a gifted singer and songwriter.  I have stated before that if I could pick one soul to sing a sad country song, it would be the remarkable and emotive Holly Dunn.  She was the ACM Top New Female Vocalist in 1987 and the CMA Horizon Award winner in 1988. This song goes right for the heart, and even though this peaked at #11 on the charts, this is a country "hurtin song" of the first order.  This is direct, honest, to the point and very moving. I feel it's one of the most powerful performances for a female vocalist ever in our format.  And  Strangers Again   aint' far behind. (Take a LIsten to that one too)  This is traditional country perfection!

Holly Dunn Was Always Kind To Me

Last Week #10

My Full Profile On Holly Dunn

The Vocalists Supreme: Part 2

Fall is here and we all start to feast on those comfort foods, like Baked Apples.  I love them and they are a good way ton finish off those apples you don't know what to do with!

Delish!

If You Love Baked Apples!

On Friday, it was nice outside. Throughout the afternoon the sun was shining, and the temps were in the mid-60's. As I drove around, I noticed an uptick in classic cars and motorcycles on the roads, and this inspired me to bust out the old Nighthawk.

It had been a few weeks since I last had the bike out for a cruise, and it was a total blast to be behind the handlebars once more. I zipped around the neighborhoods then decided to take it to the main roads to pick up the speed and run through the gears. All was well as I continued my loop around the Portage Lakes until the motorcycle began to sputter. I scratched my head for only a moment before concluding that I must be running out of gas. 

I was a solid mile away from a service station when the bike lost all power from the engine and quit running. Things were not looking great, and I was slapping my head for not checking the fuel prior to setting out. Now, I'm no stranger to running out of gas. It's happened in every vehicle I have owned aside from my El Camino. I take special care of that ride, but for everything else, it happens way too often. I am sure to have enough in the tank to make it to work daily, but outside of that, it's commonplace.  

What I'm trying to say, essentially, is that I'm not caught off guard when I run out of gas. I know what to do. I know it's not great to run a tank so low, but I'm habitually at a quarter tank or less. This time around on the motocycle, I was out of fuel, but not entirely dry. With some agressive shaking up and down alongside fiddling with the choke, I was able to get enough into the carb to limp the bike to the Marathon. To give myself a little credit, this motorcycle is different than your typical car as it is without a fuel gauge, but with or without this is my life. 

Anyways, aside from that little hiccup, it was a great time! I cruised around a bit more, saw the most beautiful El Camino "Royal Knight," and finished off grabbing an ice cream cone. There is something so freeing about being on the open road that is just irreplicable. I'm sure going to miss it for the winter, but snow brings its own fun stuff to do. All that's left now is to mix a little fuel stabilizer into the gas, and tuck the Honda away for the season. The same needs done to my boat and lawn mower, but for my Elky; I'll keep that going until the day the salt hits the roads! 

These are some scary themed songs for your Friday The 13th... (here are a coupla of my favorites...)

Jon Pardi and Luke Bryan released their new collaboration, “Cowboys and Plowboys.” Written by Rhett Akins, Jacob Rice and Cole Taylor, “Cowboys and Plowboys” was initially teased by both Pardi and Bryan on social media this week, and now it's available everywhere!

“I’ve always looked up to Luke as a songwriter and an artist, and he’s a great friend. We’ve been on tour together and he’s been someone that has inspired me along the way and always had my back. We’ve been excited to put this song out for a long time, and I can’t wait for people to hear it,” said Jon in a press release.

“When the writers sent this song I couldn’t stop listening to it and I’m so glad it worked out for Pardi to be the one I got to sing it with,” said Luke. “He is one of the most genuine artists I know. What you see is truly what you get and I respect what he continues to build.” 

The single marks the first new music from singer/songwriter/producer Jon Pardi since his latest album, Mr. Saturday Night. After being invited by Country legend Alan Jackson in a surprise moment on stage during Stagecoach, Pardi is set to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on October 24th as the first native Californian to ever do so ahead of the release of his debut Christmas album, Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi, on October 27th.