In case you missed a couple of my posts, here they are from the past couple weeks so we can get caught up together!

Song Of The Week - This week~!

Song Of The Week - Last week

The Eat Of The Week - This week

The Eat Of The Week - Last week

Country Music Memory Lane    (Part 1)

Country Music Memory Lane    (Part 2)

Love Baseball?

Memorial Day - My Dad

My Favorite Memory As A Kid

As much as stars shape country music, songs shape the stars.  Some songs turn out to be more than just "songs" for an artist.  They can change the trajectory of their career and send them to heights they dreamed of the day they got off the Greyhound with a guitar.

In my two-part series, we'll look at career changing songs, we'll cut it off at 1980 and work our way forward.  These are songs I played, and in some cases still play on the radio in my four decades in this format.  Also, this is NOT to minimize any of these artists songs before, since, or still.  But there are songs that really do make a gigantic difference, so let's take a look now.  Our biggest stars didn't just happen, they all had those breakout 3 minutes.

Career Changing Songs Part One!

Feels So Right  -  Alabama  -  1981

I was just starting at my first country station, WOBL in Oberlin, Ohio at this time. Alabama had been recording music for a number of years before this with varying levels of success.  The My Home's In Alabama album before this album broke them through with 4 hit songs, and even had two number ones, Why, Lady, Why and Tennessee River.  But this album (of the same name Feels So Right) was huge, and the single Feels So Right,  jettisoned them to another level that they never really came down from.  It was the second single off the album (Old Flame was first) it went number one and did well on the pop charts too.  This song is still universally loved by fans. This album was on the charts for over three years. This song changed everything for them.

Can't Even Get The Blues   -  Reba McEntire  -  1982

This is a good example of a nice little song that did a whole lot of good for a newer singer.  Reba had been recording for a few years before this song with mild success. Her first real chart hit, Up To Heaven, a couple years earlier got her noticed.  The song before this, I'm Not That Lonely Yet was top five, but this went number one and Reba broke through.  This was the springboard to her recording a ton of number ones over the next 20 years or so.  Short, tidy and to the point, it changed everything for her.  Even superstars have a beginning, and though this was not at her very beginning, we looked at Reba differently after this, as she took the mantle as the number one woman in country for many years to come.

Amarillo By Morning  -   George Strait  -  1983

George Strait was popular before this song and somehow this didn't go number one, as it peaked at number four.  He had a number one song earlier with Fool Hearted Memory which was his first.  But this song is as loved as any song he ever recorded.  It was named the 12th best country song ever in 2004 by CMT.  ABM is about the perfect country song, sung by the perfect artist.  After this, Strait would rattle off about 60 number one songs as this changed the way we looked at him.  He was always believable, but this song made him even more real, and in a time where pop country was still the rule, he  - and this -  were not. Many feel, as do I  - that one of the keys for Strait's tremendous longevity was that he never had that gigantic song in his career that he had to follow up somehow, but this is as close as any.  Fans bought into the fact that he was going to be  - and stay -  what they hoped and thought he was, and this song solidified it.

 Swingin'  -  John Anderson  -  1983

John Anderson (My Article On Him)  too was well established as a country hit maker for a few years before this song.  He was a big time traditionalist when pop country was in vogue.  This went number one and was so popular people who knew little or nothing of country knew and loved it.  It won awards and sold a ton.  It was the second number one song of his young career from his terrific album, Wild And Blue, (should be in any collection) which was much loved as well.  Swingin' became a fixture in pop culture and was a song we couldn't play enough at the time.  When the Urban Cowboy sound was still a thing, he gave deep country fans exactly what they needed and wanted with every release.  He became one of the most influential artists of his time.  If you love deep county, you love John Anderson.

Here In The Real World  -  Alan Jackson  -  1990

I was doing mornings at KLIK The Big 950 in Jefferson City, Missouri when Alan Jackson released his first single, Blue Blooded Woman in 1989, and it died at number 45 on the charts.  It's a fun song, and I liked it, but there was no traction for it. Remember, there was a time no one knew him at all. Soon there after I saw the video for this song, I knew at that second -  this song - and this guy were going to be huge.  Jackson was about 30, good looking, with a hat in this video singing this powerful song that I knew was can't miss.  It went to number 3, and he was on his way to about 30 number ones and incredible popularity.  I have interviewed Jackson a couple times since and have seen him in concert and on TV, and he ALWAYS says this, "This is the song that saved my life."  A huge misfire with the first song, and a darn near career song with the second. This song gave us Alan Jackson.

Friends In Low Places  -   Garth Brooks  -  1990

I was at KLIK and Garth Brooks was a new star with some songs under his belt and was on his way. He had 4 singles before this, including The Dance which was a huge hit.  But I always say the second album decides if you are gonna stick around or not. Garth's first album, Garth Brooks was big, but a big debut album has been done a ton of times. What wasn't done a ton of times was this second albums first hit song. The No Fences album was a gigantic hit, and this song showed a side of Garth we had not seen yet, and it would become his calling card.  Everyone on the planet knew this song, and still does. It's hard to say this is a career song, because it's Garth and he may have a bunch of them, but it's pretty darn close.  This song established him as the front runner of country, and put him on a path that had never been blazed before. In short, this gave us Garth for the long haul.

This Week's Song Of The Week -Listen Here!

OK, I'm eating this.  Normally I am not a huge breakfast sweet guy, but I have to admit this looks pretty darn good.

This seems to be the best of all worlds here.  Now, if you could make it on the grill, it would be a grand slam!

French Toast Casserole

I'm IN!!

It's the rare day when an artist shows up in Nashville and introduces themselves to us like this.  But we now have Caroline Jones, and I'm glad. She's actually been there for a few years, but it seems this may be her biggest break yet.  And I'll just say it, I'm not making any predictions or promises, but THIS is the kind of song that can get you noticed.

Come In is a sassy, zippy song, with a strong video that showcases it well, and showcases who she is very well.  If you have not heard this song yet, grab a coffee and take a couple minutes hear and see it here.  This video is terrific and so is her performance on it with her singing, guitar playing and her tremendous likeability.

This is just unique enough to really cut through a lot of what's out there. She's here with Shania Twain confidence, as the first songs I thought of as I heard this inititally was Shania's, Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under, and Any Man of Mine from 1995 in its overall feel.  That was her first couple songs, and those were also sassy numbers that were as different as this is. That worked out pretty well.  Who knows? But there is a lot to like here.

This is a very interesting song -  And I want to hear more from her.

About YHalf – Of us feel good about returning to a movie theater (Cinamasafe)  

Today - The Conjuring / Spirit Untamed / Vivo

Next Week  - Loki  -  On Disney Plus-  June 9 - Series

Box Office Results - A Quiet Place 2 - 57 million this weekend and Cruella - 21 milion, best box office in over a year and the weekend brought in 100 milion 

Cruella 2 – Disney wants Glenn Close to play her in the next installment  (Story)

Indiana Jones 5 - The filming begins this week - Indiana Jones 5 will be released July 29, 2022. (Story)

Seth Rogen - Confirms that his movie reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will open on August 11th, 2023  (Story)

Hallmark - Will be airing Christmas movies every Thursday and Friday night  (Story) 

Each “Friend” - Was paid 2.5 million for the Reunion for HBO Max. Negitiations slowed down the process. ALSO they are paid 20 million each year in royalties  (Story)

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

If you love baseball, there is a place in Cleveland that is totally worth seeing.  The home of the Indians for many years during the glory days is League Park at East 66th and Lexington and it's still there.  I went there a few years ago to see it, and it was great.  It's not ALL there, but some of it is, and it's walk through history.

Click Here - Website and GREAT film footage!

It is now The Baseball Heritage Museum and it really should be seen.  How lucky we are to have a piece of real baseball history right here.  It was built in 1891 and redone years later. It was the home of the Indians and numerous other teams and leagues and even the early NFL in the the 1920's and 30's. 

Check out their website and go down and walk through history this summer!

This week is part two of my Country Music Memory Lane series dedicated to songs that made a huge impact on listeners in the first minute of the first radio play.  These are rare, as they make the studio phone ring immediately on the air, with listeners asking, "What is this song, and who is that??, I love this song!!"  

These are some of the songs I remember doing exactly that in my 41 year career so far.  There are others, but they are very rare.  And I am hoping there are more recorded as time goes on!  (If you missed part one, ClICK HERE)

Part TWO -

Daddy's Hands  -  Holly Dunn   -   (1986)

I was doing mornings at WRMZ in Columbus when Holly Dunn released two songs off the album, Holly Dunn, (My Feature On Her)  with little success. But this song was a gigantic hit with listeners.  Somehow this only went to #7 on the charts, but listeners loved this song from the first play. She wrote this for her dad who was a minister and this became one of the most believable songs we've ever had. This is a very powerful song for many people who have sung it, or simply love to hear it.  Holly also established herself with this song that she was here as a traditionalist and she was right on time.  She became a leader in real country music, running off a nice run of hits.  If I had to choose one singer to sing a sad, or hurtin' country song, it would be her.  This was a big song still lives in the hearts of country fans today.

Only Here For A Little While  -  Billy Dean  -  1990

Billy Dean  (My feature on him) really hit us right in the feels with this song when it came out. It was extremely catchy, and it had a message that just made you feel good.  Dean was an underrated artist of the 1990's and this was his real breakthrough.  This had a feel of country, and a gospel feel that was undeniable.  There is a long line of successful songs in our format that have followed that formula. This song made people happy, hopeful and plus this sounded great on the air. 

Any Man Of Mine  - Shania Twain  - (1995)

I remember when this song came out when I was doing the morning show at WPCV in Lakeland, Florida - when we all met Shania Twain. This was not her first song, but it was her second, and this was a gigantic hit. Plus, this song had an amazingly well done video that really helped propel this to incredible heights. Shania had the natural ability to record songs that for some reason no one was even slightly offended by. This playful, but honest and direct song was presented in a way that was inviting to anyone as were most of her songs.  The ending of this song is also insanely memorable as she chants out dance steps that everyone still knows by heart, and you generally sing with as it plays all these years later.  This song was right on time as line dancing was really taking off then too.  This launched her to her incredible 90's run as she became the second largest selling artist of the decade.

Blue  - LeAnn Rimes  - (1996)

The phone was ringing about a minute into this song as this talented 13 year old was singing this incredible traditional country song. Yes, this is very reminiscent of Patsy Cline and fans heard and loved that. Some knew that she was a teen, others were astonished when they learned that. Her voice was of course well beyond her age much like Tanya Tucker (My article on her) many years earlier. I have always maintained if she would have stuck with traditional country, or similar, exclusively -  the sky would have been her limit.  Should be noted, her branching off to a more pop sounding career did work out fine.  This is how we all learned about LeAnn Rimes, hard to think she now is almost 40.  This is an incredible song.

Long Black Train  - Josh Turner  - (2003)

I had been here at WQMX for a few years when this song hit the air! No one knew who Josh Turner was then, but they sure did after they heard this song. This is another mix of country and gospel, but this also has a hint of Johnny Cash both in voice and in beat.  This song was way different and really cut through, plus that big baritone, well trained voice really got him noticed right out of the gate.  This song - as much as any song we have featured in the past two weeks was blowing up the phone as it played the first time.

OK, so I know that Memorial Day Weekend is over, and we all ate very well, but there is plenty of good grilling season left to go. 

This website is really fun, so is Susie the woman who runs it, and everything we have ever made from this site has been first rate.  This Mac And Cheese was fantastic, and so are her grilling lessons and tips.

Mark and save this site, she really know her stuff, from the grill to amazing sides.

Hey, Grill, Hey

Today being Memorial Day we are all thinking food, family, fun, baseball and the usual stuff for a 3 day holiday weekend. Go Tribe, and yes I will have another burger.

But of course it's a day to remember those.  My dad was not killed in WWII, but he did serve.  I know we remember those who gave theirs so we can have ours today.  You may or may not know we have a very special place right in our own backyard that does exactly that.  The Western Reserve National Cemetery is in Rittman/Seville area just a few miles from here in Medina County.  When I discovered it a number of years ago, it got me thinking.

My friend Don's father was a veteran and he was placed here after he died, and I had no idea it was there.  My dad died in 1978 and at that time he stated he wanted no fuss, or grave or anything.  I think he was angry at life being cut short, first by the war, and now lung cancer at 53. So we honored his wishes as he was cremated with no marker anywhere.  But after I saw Rittman, I had to do something.

I got thinking that he lived through extraordinary times and that there needed to be some place on this planet with his name on it, that showed he was here.  I figured we honored his wishes for 35 years, and now it was time for something greater than just his name spoken in the wind.  So, I found his papers and records from WWII and got him a stone in Rittman.

I am proud he is there, and proud of his service. And I am humbled by the thousands of others in Rittman (It's on Rawiga Road, just outisde of Seville and Rittman) and in the 154 other National Cemeteries across America.  

Thank you  - for your everything.

Up until this year, the most impressive winning streak on earth belonged to Father Time.  In fact, he was undefeated. But finally, as of Sunday, he has suffered his first loss.

When Tom Brady won the his seventh Superbowl in February at the age of about 43, he landed some nice body blows to Father Time and FT was staggering around.  Brady and his incredible feat was the talk of the entire country. 43 in the NFL is unreal even if you're a kicker. A man, playing the toughest position in all of sports at the pro level and able to get the win for Tampa Bay.  Football being a team sport is fact, and there were naysayers saying "It's a team game...blah blah."   Yeah, YEAH.  

OK, that is true and I get it. I don't agree with it, but I hear your argument.  But that is not the case for the amazing Phil Mickelson this past weekend.  Golf is the most individual of sports.  It is also the hardest game on earth to play well.  There is no other game that can only be played and not won. The course always wins. There has never been a perfect round of golf played and there never will be.  PGA records of 59, or 58 are incredible, but "perfect" would be 50. Birdie on every hole and eagles on the par 5's.  Will never happen.

Phil played at almost 51 years old against men half his age in the PGA Major Championship and won it. The oldest player to ever win a major. No one 50 plus, not Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tiger (not 50 but gaining on it) , not any of them ever did it.  It was simply incredible, and it was great to see.  It was also nice to see fans of all ages love on him the way they did.  I know it got a bit out of hand there are the end, but the passion they felt for his feat was refreshing to see. Phil did a whole lot of people a whole lot of good. He proved that people older than the cool people still have value and can still do amazing things. Lot to be learned there.  He also reminded us that there is still room for good in the world as he brought us together, as I can't imagine anyone with a heart that actually still beats rooting against him Sunday.

With Father Time staggering around since the Superbowl hoping for the bell to ring, and get a rest in the corner between rounds, Phil stepped forward and finished him off with one mighty blow that put him on the canvass, at least for this fight. Father Time finally beaten!  Father Time will recover and yes, will go on another long, seemingly unending winning streak, but because of Tom, and now Phil's amazing feats, Father Time is no longer undefeated.

Now, he just only has the greatest winning percentage of all time.  Let's all follow Phil and go after Father Time. All of us, no matter what your age is, 25 or 55.  Start your race against him, he is a tough foe.

Thanks, Phil!