Givin' Up On That  - Dalton Dover

This weeks Sunday Song is a slick release that I loved the first time I heard it from a new artist, Dalton Dover. Many new artists go to Nashville with big dreams and talent.  They have dreams of making it big in the music biz, nice goal.  Then there those that go to that same town wanting to be country singer and have a career in country music.  There is a big difference, and the ability to fool fans anymore is becomming more difficult.  The most direct path to the latter is recording country songs, and that's exactly what we have here.  This is a great contemporary country song, sung with today's passion style vocals and arranged country.  It's a modern version of a "hurtin" song and has reached down and touched a lot of people very rapidly, (just look and read the comments under this video when you're playing it.)  This is a powerful song that speaks to many, and that's a great start for anyone.  This is well, well done!

Dalton Dover Website

Letting Go - Suzy Bogguss -  1992 - (Album - Aces)

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I feel the incredible Suzy Bogguss is the best pure vocalist we have had in country since I have been in it.  She is absolutley blessed with perfect pitch (which is a real thing.)  Her voice is and was timeless, knows no real bounds, and it all seems so effortless.  She also understands that louder is not better - better is better.  When Suzy Bogguss sings you have to listen.  This was a number six hit on the country charts, and did well on the Canadian country charts too. This is powerfully written and delivered wonderfully, as a highly emotive story of a mother and daughter and their journey together.  The thing that jumps out of the speakers for me is this.  We don't really record a lot of songs like this right now.  This is honest, happy, sad, very emotional, and it's hard not to feel something deep when you hear it.  If you have never really heard Suzy Bogguss sing a song, or if it's been a while, take a few minutes and give her your full attention. Listen to her angelic performance of this song, it should live forever somewhere. For what this is, it's just about perfect.

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My Full Profile On Suzy Bogguss

Eddie Rabbitt - Step By Step -  1981

There was time everyone on the planet was a fan of the late Eddie Rabbitt. For many years he was charting tons of songs on the country and pop charts with regularity having tremendous success.  Rabbitt was a sensational song writer, singer and a classy ambassador for country music.  There may be no singer who benefited more from "Pop Country" and the Urban Cowboy phase. He was cool, he was likable, and he was a star.  This song was my favorite from him as I think it encapsulated the perfect marriage of pop and country. Of course many of his songs were part of our culture, I Love A Rainy Night, Drivin' My Life Away and others.  This was his ninth number one, and he would go on to have seventeen writing most of them.  This was Rabbitt at the zenith of his career.  The album of the same name was a huge success as well.  #1 Country, #3 Adult contemporary, and #5 on the Hot 100. That's what Eddie Rabbitt did on the regular in that era.

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My Full Profile On Eddie Rabbitt

With the weather still a bit cold, we are still in "comfort food" mode.  And the big breakfast is still in season, so this weekend, MAKE THESE!

These Look Amazing!!

Box Office Results - Scream 6 -  (44 Million)

New This Week - Shazam / Inside / A Snowy Day In Oakland

The Oscars - Ratings for this year's Oscars were up by 12% from last year. 18.7 million viewers watched  (Story)

The Last Of Us - Is breaking all kinds of streaming records, and even did very well againsat the Oscars Sunday night  (Story) 

Some Families - Are very upset about their passed family members begin ommitted from the Oscars tribute telecast  (Story) 

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

Also - My 50 Favorites Over 40+ Years This Week #41 (Link)

In case you missed some of my articles formn WQMX.com this week!

Eat Of The Week!

50 Favorites From 40 Years #41

The Forgotten Jukebox 3

Country Music Memory Lane - Were They Or Weren't They Part 3

Wynn At The Movies And More

The saying, "That ain't country" is not new. It's been going on the 43 years I've been in country radio. Sometimes it's up for debate.  This week and next I'll feature artists that got a fair amount of play on country radio at one time, and we can decide if they were or were not.  We needed real star power back then, and these artists helped supply it to give us 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.  Four part series  - ICYMI - (Part 1)    (Part 2)

Kid Rock

He is a very interesting artist as far as country is concerned. There is no doubt that All Summer Long (#8 Country) is very popular with our fans, and Picture (#21 Country)  was a highly requested song years ago as well.  He has always had a soft spot with our listeners and has played in the arena with other contemporary country stars. When he comes to concert locally, we give away tickets and fans are thrilled to win them.  Many, not all country fans have a real liking for him.  Clearly, much of his music is far, far outside our scope, but some seems to fit in.  In the end, more than likely a no, but he certainly has fans who are loyal to him  -  and to us.

Olivia Newton-John  (My Full Profile On Her)

I featured her a while ago in an article and it was very popular. The late Olivia Newton-John at first was very country, but as time went on, she graduated to pop. Let Me Be There was a Grammy Award winning Country single. She also charted a lot of country songs after that, Please Mister Please, If You Love Me (Let Me Know) and others were all big songs.  I think everyone remembers Physical, which was far removed from her country days.  She sort of did what Taylor Swift did.  She established with country, and as she grew up and her tastes, and career path changed, so did her music. She early on was an award winning artist with us and we were glad to have her.  But like Taylor, after Olivia left us, we still all cheered for her and as she grew, we grew with her music. I loved her country stuff, and a lot of her pop stuff.  Magic is one of my favorite older pop songs as it was perfect for her at that time. In the end, she was and then she wasn't, but she was always popular with most everyone that ever heard her sing.   There was much done, before Grease.

James Taylor

James Taylor in many ways punched the same ticket to some country radio play as Gordon Lightfoot.  Taylor, especially early on had that nice, simple, acoustic sound that was easy to listen to that blended in well with much of the pop country.  Fire And Rain is a great example of that. So are Handyman, Mexico, and his duet with J.D. Souther, Her Town Too.  Taylor was also very easy to like. He had huge mass appeal and his voice was really not format specific. Clearly, much of this stuff was not conducive for us, but some was, and to say the name James Taylor on the air, gave us real cred.  Should be noted, he never charted on the US Country Charts, except Everyday later on -  which did, (Written by Buddy Holly)  but many of our fans loved his music and still do.  In the end, in sound at times yes, but overall -great music- but not so sure.

We Danced Anyway – Deana Carter -  1997 -  (Album - Did I Shave My Legs For This)

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Strawberry Wine was such a huge song, sometimes we forget that Deana Carter had other amazing songs too. Her album, Did I Shave My Legs For This, was a gigantic success and this song is one of the big reasons why.  I mean how do you follow up a single like Strawberry Wine?  With this gem written by two of the very best songwriters in Nashville, Matraca Berg and Randy Scruggs, that turned out to be a two week number one. That's pretty tough to do after a big hit like SW.  This song makes you happy and even without watching the video, it draws a picture in your mind's eye about as well as any song can.  I always felt that this song has gone too long being underrated and sadly is not heard much anymore.  But, this is a fantastic example of 90's feel good country that filled all of us with joy, and fun. The perfect song finding the perfect artist for it!  Well done, Deana - well, well done! 

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My Profile On Deana Carter

Wednesdays have a new feature, The Forgotten Jukebox Series.  I will spotlight a big hit song - post 1980 - that you just don't hear anywhere anymore.  All of these songs were very popular, in fact most were number ones, and they all are from great artists that you know.  Many times we still play a ton of songs from these stars, but for some reason these songs over time have fallen through the Country Music Cracks pretty much everywhere, and have sadly been lost.  They have a new and safe home in my basement in My Forgotten Jukebox.

Dolly Parton - Here You Come Again -  1978

  Again, released before my time in Country Radio, but this song for Dolly was a big time game changer.  She recorded dozens of albums before and after this. But this album and single took her to the next level.  This song was a 5 week number one, and a very short time after this song, Dolly was more than a country singer, she became a pop culture icon and legend.  This was a big pop hit as well and introduced Dolly to millions of new fans.  I also feel this song was very important for us, as it predated Urban Cowboy and helped show the world that country was more than what many may have thought before. (Read - Three Big Songs, Three Great Women). In the years ahead Dolly became a movie star, a star of stage, and a TV star with her own show.  Dolly had a nice run though the 1980's and beyond, and this song and album set that into a higher gear.  This is timeless, it still sounds great, and to me is among the perfect examples of "pop country."  A wonderfully done uptempo, vulnerable love song, that wasn't too far from center.  Vulnerability, Dolly's incredible and unmatched calling card.

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Dolly - My Full Profile Of Her

I know, I know, salmon, right?  While I lean more towards pork, beef and chicken, when salmon is done right I do like it. Windy makes it darn good, and I love that.  I'm not good a cooking it either.  But, when salmon is done right, it's right.

Try this, it's different and it's delicious!

Salmon Done Right