Sunday Morning Song 3/26

Eat Of The Week

50 Favorites From 40+ Years #39

Forgotten Jukebox

Country Music Memory Lane

Wynn At The Movies And More

Box Office Results - John Wick 4 - (73 MILLION!)

New This Week - Dungeons and Dragons / A Good Person / A Thousand To One

John Wick – Each chapter has debuted better than the last the first was a mere 14 million (Story) 

Harry Potter - Daniel Radcliffe is going to be as he and his girlfriend Erin are expecting their first child  (Story)

First Ever - The first photos of Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn in the Joker sequel have emerged (Story) 

Next - The third season of The White Lotus will be set in Thailand, The first season took place in Hawaii, while Season 2 was in Italy   (Story) 

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

Also - My 50 Favorites Over 40+ Years This Week #39  (Link)

Plus - My Sunday Morning Song 3/26  (Link)

About a year ago I wrote a two parter called "The Guitarists."  I have had a few ask if I could re-run that  -  so today is the day!

Here are both parts of that series, which is one of my favorite ones I have written over the past three years!

GREAT MUSICIANS!

The Guitarists - Part One

The Guitarists - Part Two

Walking Away A Winner  - Kathy Mattea - 1994  - (Album - Walking Away A Winner)

M- 26

Kathy Mattea of course is a great vocalist who had a long list of big hit songs for a number of years.  She has recorded classics like, Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses and Where've You Been.  Her voice is very refined and easy to listen to.  But she joins the list of artists that history has not been overly kind to.  As chart wise, commercially successful and as talented as she was and is, much of her music has been lost over time from airplay.  During her run I was a fan, and this one always stuck with me.  It was a reinvention of sorts for her as it was more uptempo and more produced than many of her songs, and I loved it.  It was a #3 hit on the charts and was written by some of Nashville's best song writers.  Great song, great performance and this song ended up in the right hands.  Today she tours and performs with Suzy Bogguss.

Last Week's Selection

My Full Profile On Kathy Mattea

Tim McGraw  - Standing Room Only

It's NEW!   -  After 30 years he's still got it. GREAT new song!  What else can be said?

Martina McBride - Independence Day - 1994

When Martina McBride released this song, country was on a great roll and was a fun, partying, and overall a polite format.  I will not say this song changed history, because that is overstated. But it did open the door a bit further for us not being quite as polite as before.  A few years earlier Garth ruffled some feathers with, The Thunder Rolls and its story line and eventual ending.  Some stations got some guff for it, but it all worked out. This was just as direct and again made some uncomfortable, as there is no doubt this is very difficult subject matter to sing about.  But in fact, this song did give many who needed it the strength to stay away from those who are not good to be around.  This song gave many great resolve to begin again.  Just not in way in the song.  This is the one she will always be remembered for with her soaring vocal performance and daring subject.  Since this song we have become more relaxed on "revenge" songs. Carrie Underwood has made a career out of them, and more recently Hardy with his huge hit, Wait In The Truck.  I love this song by Martina, she's the perfect artist for it, and history has shown it's an important song.

Last Week #40

My Full Profile On Martina

It's been around for generations and they still sell it, Hamburger Helper.  I'll admit, when I first started out in my first apartment, it was a staple of my diet along with Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. They were cheap and I could get many meals out of them. You may have done the same.  BUT as tasty as it is, you can make your own Hamburger Helper at home with stuff you have in the pantry.

EAT!

Do It Yourself Hamburger Helper

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)

  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.