OK, I get it!  It's comfort food season, and let's face it there's not much else to really do except make a fire, watch football and eat.  Seems we eat differently in colder months than we do in July, and pasta is one of those things we seem to eat by the bushel - or maybe that's just me...

This looks simply amazing, and guess what?  It is! 

Saw it, made it, ate it, loved it, sharing it!

Dig IN!

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

I remember when Maren Morris came to the station a few years ago and we had her on the morning show for about an hour.  She was an unknown new artist with a big voice, and a really nice debut song, My Church.  We all loved that song and it was a big hit for her. 80's Mercedes was next and more have followed.  I thought that morning there was something special there in every regard.

Maren Morris is an interesting artist.  She is a Grammy, CMA, ACM, and AMA multiple award winner, and has recorded two very sucessful albums, with a third on the way in March (Humble Quest)  Hero is especially fantastic.  I featured that album as one of My Desert Island Country Album choices.  And even though at times it seems there is some wandering away from the center of country, she seems to bring it back to that very place.  Her new song, Circles Around This Town is a real nice reminder of that, as it chronicles her march to and through Nashville. It is country in her traditional sense.  This song reminds me in ways of My Church. 

There are not many artists that earn the extraordinary opportunity to really help define a style within a genre of music. But for us, because of her massive popularity, Maren Morris is one of the lucky ones that can -  and do. 

Great new song!

Box Office Results -   Spiderman 

New This Week - Scream   /   Hotel Transylvania:Transformania

The 355 - Very disappointing last week -  4 million   (Story)

Eternals – Now Streaming   ALSO – Gucci will stream in February on Paramount  (Story) 

The Oscars - WILL have an emcee this year, first time since 2019  (Story) 

The Morning Show - With Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston has been renewed for a third season at Apple TV+  (Story) 

Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds - Will make more Red Notice movies - 2 more - Netflix’s most-watched movie of all time.  (Story)

The Screen Actors Guild – Award nom's were announced yesterday Squid Games and Ted Lasso House of Gucci the big nominees. Yellowstone snubbed - Feb 27 -   (Story) 

NOES - The house featured prominently in 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street has sold for $3 million (Story)

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

Tiffany asked me about a song from the 80's she loved called, Meet Me In Montana and who was the woman that sang on that song.  Tiff, it was Marie Osmond in a duet with Dan Seals who himself was getting ready for a real nice run of country hits. (I'll feature him soon). I played all of her songs on great radio stations across the country and was proud to do so.  She brought a star-powered last name to us, when we needed it.

You may only know Marie from Dancing With The Stars a few years ago, her weight loss ads today, your parents music collection, or her decades long Las Vegas run with brother Donny.  Truth is, Marie has done everything there is to do in literally every avenue of entertainment, and done it with success. Music, stage, commercials, movies, TV, Vegas, everything.  So it should be no surprise that in her very short, but dedicated run in Country in the mid to late 1980's she had good charting success.  Her run ended because of the complete changing of the format from pop-country to a far more traditional sound that gave way to the wave of 1989 and through the 1990's -  till today. (Read my links about those years too)  Her exit was nothing out of the ordinary then, there was a complete turnover on the charts in a short period of time.

This Got Her Started Off Going #1

When announced she was "going country"  there was real excitement and some of the biggest names in Nashville were behind her.  This was not a rarity in this era, as many pop stars were attempting to go country, including Dan Seals, also Paul Davis, the group Exile and others. It still is a popular thing to do for some reason, the list over the decades is painfully long.  There was no doubt of her popularity, and her very strong singing talent, but could she make a go of it?  Her 1973 song, Paper Roses (a remake from a 1960 hit - Anita Bryant)  was a #1 country hit for her when she was 14, but that was a long time and a few country music phases ago. Now it wasn't about the novelty of being a teenager like Tanya Tucker or her - this was a new era.  Marie was now in her mid 20's, all grown up, with a new beautiful womanly image and some real firepower in her corner.  We were finally gonna find out if she was "A little Bit Country" after all.

Big Song -  Won A CMA   - Still A Much Loved Song

The first album in this new venture was, There's No Stoppin' Your Heart  (1985) and that was a single as well and it went #1.  Meet Me In Montana was also a #1 song and won a CMA for Vocal Duo Of The Year. That was a very popular song with listeners and was heavily requested.  Meet Me In Montana is a song that fans totally loved and it still holds up quite well as a fantastically written song (Paul Davis).  The success of both of these songs was undeniable and she was off to a fast start.  The album had one more hit off of it, Read My Lips which went to #4.  Her next album, I only Wanted You came out in late 1986 and her duet with Paul Davis, You're Still New To Me was a big hit going to #1. And even though there were two more singles off that album, neither did well, with I Only Wanted You going only to #14 and it was now late 1987.  The traditionalists were here and pop country was on the endangered list.

True Pop Country

When I think back to that era, I know fans really loved Marie Osmond, and it was there for a longer run if only it had started earlier.  Just about the time she was dedicating herself to the format, country was beginning to pivot rapidly away from the middle of the road poppy stuff.  Randy Travis, George Strait, Keith Whitley, Dwight Yoakam, The Judds, Holly Dunn, Patty Loveless and others were here. And by the late 1980's the change was complete, with many very established artists quickly ushered aside, young and old, men and women and groups too. No one was exempt.  The pop country era was over.

Big Song - With Paul Davis

It was a very different time then.  We didn't sell a lot of concert tickets in those days as compared from 1989 till today, or albums either.  Many artists were simply "radio artists"  who had great success on the charts and radio, but not widespread appeal or big commercial success.  The Osmond's of course did for a few decades as their family has sold about 80 million albums. Much of the music was good then, but a lot of it was format-less in the 1980's and we didn't have a lot of mainstream popular stars like today.  So it was good to have Marie Osmond for a while to bring her spotlight to us when we needed it.  Her name alone was star powered.

Clearly, Too Far Pop For The Changing Nashville At The Time

Clearly, everything worked out well for Marie and the rest of the Osmond's well before, and well after. But just in case you were not aware of the fact she had a country career, it's fun to look back and remember. Much in the same way Olivia Newton-John was country in the 1970's. (My feature on her) In those short couple of years, 2 albums, 7 singles, 4 top 5's  3 number ones and a CMA.  (Plus -  Paper Roses #1 from 1973)

Very Fun Old Clip - Marie 1973  - Paper Roses #1

For a short while Marie was ours, with good success.

Well cold weather is here again and for some reason I have some of the same memories go through my head every winter. Most of them from long ago, and generally deal with the extreme cold days in my life. 

Like the  (-26 degree)  Superbowl Sunday when I lived in Columbus in the mid 80's.  I left my two-tone Buick Skyhawk running all night on the curb so I could go in and do the show at 4 am!  I started it about 5PM Sunday afternoon when it was only (-10), I locked it up and left it running, watched the game and went to sleep.  Also pumping gas at the Phillips 66 Station in Jefferson City one morning with my Red Buick Skyhawk T-Type at about 430 AM in an ice storm about 5 below and 50 mph winds late 80's.

There are plenty more, but the one that always stays with me is the winter of 1981-82 when I was working at WOBL in Oberlin, Ohio before I moved away for 20 years.  I had a beautiful 1974 Chevelle Malibu Classic  (above)  that I loved and I didn't drive it in the winter.  I had a "winter beater" as we called them.  Mine was a 1974 Mustang II that my older brother had driven, wrecked, and left for me in the driveway.  It was a piece of work.  All of my friends had one then, Joe Red had an old AMC Gremlin, Beef had the Ford  "Maverust", and Kurt Zing had an old Ford Galaxy that looked like the Andy Griffith show patrol car.

My beater at one time had been brown, now it was rusted.  It had been sideswiped front to back on the passenger side.  It burned oil and had a 4 on the floor shifter.  Only the driver door opened until my friend Bill took a small sledge hammer to the passenger door and it then worked.   It got terrible gas mileage but it did run well.  BUT it had NO REVERSE GEAR.  When you put it in reverse it would just grind.   I have no pictures of this amazing car, as there was no reason to take any at  the time!

So that winter I drove a car, every day with no reverse gear.  I always had to park it where I could go out nose first.  At home, at work, at the store, the bowling alley, friends houses, everywhere.  At the radio station, I was doing mornings there, so I'd go in at 4AM, and make a big turn in the parking lot and face it out before anyone got there.  Somehow I did it. I made it till spring and the nice weather with that car, until I could bust out the Malibu again. 

When I left for Columbus in 1983, I left the Mustang at my moms house in Berea, and someone stopped by one day and bought it for about $100.  I'm guessing for parts?  It was the only time I parked it front ways in my moms driveway, and the buyer said there was no reverse, which I admitted.  My mom asked how I drove it all those months, so I told her, she was mortified!  LOL. The buyer just laughed....

I sold my beautiful Malibu and moved to Columbus where I bought my first Skyhawk, which I did drive in the winter, as my "winter beater" days were over.

What was I thinking?  I wasn't - I was 20.

Are we over-beaned as a society? As a people?  As a country? Probably so.  I am not anti-bean by any stretch of the imagination. I like a good bean as much as the next person.  I prefer green beans more than baked.  I go Navy bean once a year, and I sprint away from Lima beans like an Olympic gold medalist.  National Bean Day was last week I found out.  Who Knew??

But I know that tons of people LOVE a good baked bean. One that has been lovingly prepared in the kitchen by somone of age and not having much else to do. Then married with bacon and brown sugar before being sunbathed in the oven for a couple of hours.  All before being served to the hungry masses, after mass with our Sunday Dinner.  So here's a recipe.  It does look good!

Big Time Beans

Some of My Other Recent Eats Of The Week

London Broil

Egg Plant Parm

French Onion Soup

The Browns season is mercifully over and now we can look forward to what's next.

As Americans, we love an underdog. The nation was founded as such. A bunch of scrappy militia taking on the worlds most powerful army at the time and winning independence.  It's in our DNA.  As Northeast Ohioans, we double down on that. We are tired of being made fun of by others. We cheer for our perennial under-dogged teams with a passion seldom seen in the most bujee of markets.  So what's next for us, our Browns, our QB?

Baker Mayfield is the perennial underdog.  He has been told his whole life he's not this or that and proved them wrong.  Full disclosure - I am not huge fan of his, BUT I respect his toughness and I respect that HE wants to be the guy to bring glory to the Browns. I also respect he never complained about coming to Cleveland.  He was drafted #1 for exactly that reason. To be a hero with fans he could identify with directly and to change the culture of a losing team.  But this season was a lost one for him and our team.  Much of it not his fault if you're being honest about it. Some of it was, as were injuries, COVID, and incredibly bad coaching didn't help either.

I see people screaming with powerful opinions on Social Media about running him out of town, or he's not NFL quality, or the Browns will never get it right with him.  I understand fans are frustrated and he's the easy target. OK, I'll respect that opinion. But here's the question those fans seldom think about.  What is next? And here's one more.  WHO is next?  This town for some silly reason that I have never understood, loves the second string QB -  always has.  I remember when fans were screaming for Paul McDonald to play QB here in the 1980's and bench Brian Sipe.  Oh my.

Then it was Kelly Holcomb, as fans turned their backs on a nearly dead Tim Couch who was getting his brains beat out every Sunday afternoon. Then it was Johnny Manziel. Oh yeah, put Johnny in that will fix everything, and there have been others.  Those fans got what they wanted and the stinking continued. It's never, ever a good thing when the most popular guy on the team is the backup QB.  It never, ever goes well.  To his credit, Case Keenum handled himself very well this season, even when fans were screaming to put him in.  If Keenum was a real answer, there are plenty of teams that needed QB in June and he wouldn't be here in the first place.  If the Browns think he IS the answer for next year, those fans will get thier wish  -  again.

So, as much as angry fan is yelling, can you answer the question at all?  Who and what is next?  It would take a large miracle to get Aaron Rodgers, or Russell Wilson here, please move on. So we trade for Garropolo, OK.  How about next season when he's out for 6-9 weeks with some injury, that is his reality. You trade for Deshaun Watson, you want those ongoing legal problems?  Derek Carr? Possible sure, if he leaves Las Vegas for Cleveland?  Would you as a 30-ish rich young guy?  Then there's Matt Ryan. Sure the Browns could probably get him in a trade. But he's 37, and has been to a Superbowl.  I don't hate that, Baker would probably be in the trade, then you could draft a QB and let the pick sit and learn for a couple years. Also keep in mind, we are not the only team looking for a QB, we don't have dibs.

They say draft someone. OK, who?  There is no instant franchise changer out there. So if you dump Baker and draft a kid from college, then you have to go tell Miles Garrett, Joe Bitonio, Nick Chubb, Jack Conklin, Jarvis Landry and a ton of other great veterans that you're starting over. When you told them last year that our Superbowl window was open. You want to do that?  Yeah, me either.  Then you have to convince free agents to stay, (and that you know what you're doing), and beg new ones to come here.  You could make a trade and find someone off the current radar, but you may have to give up a Kareem Hunt and big draft picks.  You see, it's a lot easier to scream for a Baker change than it is to actually get meaningful change.

Be careful what you are wishing for. Baker had a GREAT 2020, and won a playoff game in Pittsburgh and took the Chiefs to the brink on the road. That's just fact.  He also had a terrible 2021 with a broken shoulder and countless other aches and COVID issues.  That too is fact.  So who is the answer? I have no idea,this is not a Baker problem, as a total team, this team needs to do and be a whole lot better next year to win. Even if Aaron Rodgers is here, because bad play calling and bad coaching is a problem no matter who is under center.  Also keep in mind, places like New Orleans, Miami, Denver, and PITTSBURGH are looking for QB's too.

Whether Baker is here next year or not, and I hope he is for many reasons, as fans we need to hope that the Browns organization understands fully that Baker alone was and is not the entire problem.  The whole thing needs to be better when it matters, in games that matter on both sides of the ball and on the sidelines.  If he stays, get him healthy and commit to him, and get the contract behind him and all of us.

Simply blaming Baker is an absolute recipe for 9-8 next year and watching Cincy win the division again.  Be wise Browns - and Browns fan.

Box Office Results - Spiderman  -  About 53 million

Spiderman - Biggest grossing movie of 2021

New This Week - The 355  -   Jessica Chastain / Penelope Cruz / Fan Bingbing / Diane Krueger / Lupita Nyong'o

2022 - Batman / Thor / Scream 5 / Top Gun - Most anticipated movies this year

ALSO - Killers of the Flower Moon / Jurassic World Dominion  / Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness  / Mission: Impossible 7  / Uncharted and The Flash.

Movies – Box office up about 100% from 2020, but still about 60% of what it was from 2019

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

I get asked about certain artists and why are they not around anymore.  Tara asked about one and it got me thinking.  We will call them "Flashes."  These artists flashed in and had a BIG song, maybe two and then were just gone. 

In fairness, many are still recording music, BUT for this article, we will talk about their success on the Country Charts and Country Radio only.  These are not "one hit wonders" in all cases, but some are.  They are all talented, but sadly, not all get a 5, 10 or 20 year run. Some just have that magical year or so where they are on top and hear their songs on the radio.  Here are some, but there are many more and I will feature more up the line - No ranking, no order, just artists.  -   Flashes!  

Wade Hayes

The first time I heard the big voice of Wade Hayes and his incredible debut single, Old Enough To Know Better, I thought he was here to stay. It was 1995 and country was surging. The song went #1 and fans loved it. The album was GOLD, and had a couple more hits off of it that went top 10 and it looked like we had a new star. He had a big song, a great look and was about 26 years old.  His second album was also GOLD and the first single, On A Good Night was a #2 hit in 1996.  But that was about the extent of his real charting success. The 1990's were very competitive and sadly there was not room for everyone to have a long run.  But for a short time, Wade Hayes was big news.

This Was A Very Big Song

Cyndi Tompson

This is a very interesting story. In 2001, 25 year old Cyndi Tompson had a huge hit with What I Really Meant To Say, as it went #1 for three weeks.  It was a very sexy, sultry, powerful and honest song that fans simply loved. It is still the only debut song for a country female to stay #1 for multiple weeks.  She was a model and singer and looked to be the next big thing. Her second song, I Always Liked That Best was a song I really liked but it stumbled and stopped in the 20's. Her album, My World was a big success awarded GOLD.  Then in 2002, she just ..quit.  She walked away from the biz and never really returned to any success.  I think she is still one of our biggest mysteries.

What A Hit!  It Made History....

T. Graham Brown

I loved TGB.  Here's a guy that has/had a great voice and a real cool way about him.  For a couple years he was a big deal, and he did have three #1 songs in a short time.  Two of them off his I Tell It Like It Used To Be  (great song too) album from 1986, including Hell And High Water and Don't Go To Strangers.  That album is really slick and his bluesy style was a breath of fresh clean air in the 1980's.  And even though there were some hit songs later and some success, that first album was in my view his crown jewel.  Just a fantastic voice and talent.  Very, very underrated singer, no matter what music you love. I strongly recommend listening to these cuts if you are not familiar with him.

A Fantastic Song

Jessica Andrews

In 2001 JA released her second album at 18 years old. Who I Am was a #1 hit and a real favorite with fans. The album of the same name went GOLD and got a lot of airplay. We worked with her a few times here at WQMX, and there were signs that said -  full steam ahead. She was much like LeAnn Rimes in the fact her beautiful voice was far more grown up than someone 18 years old, it was strong and confident. This song was a more than honest tribute to her family and has a very nice feel to it that really hits some people right in the heart.  But after this song, there was virtually no chart success to follow. Sometimes that really big song can be tough to follow. 

Big Song, Fans Loved It....

The Tractors

Were a bunch of great musicians that played with rock legends for years before forming the Tractors.  They played with Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Bob Seger, Bob Dylan and others.  In 1994 the Tractors recorded Baby Likes To Rock It, (Like a Boogie-Woogie Choo Choo Train)  and it was a #11 song.  It was insanely popular and got a ton of airplay. It was a dance hall staple and was one of the most recognized songs of the 1990's. It was so unique it became legendary. They later did a Christmas version of the same song.  The album was #2 on the charts and sold a staggering 2 million copies. To show you how big that song was, it sold that many albums without another successful song release from it.  One and done but what a hit, and what a fan fav as it was one of the most requested songs of my ongoing 42 year country radio career.

This Song Was Very Popular

Lila McCann

Seldom does an artist do what she did.  At 16 she released her first song, Down Came A Blackbird from her first album, and it went to only #28 on the charts in 1997.  Fans LOVED that song. Her next single, I Wanna Fall In Love was #3. That album, Lila, sold a million copies. Her next album, Something In The Air was GOLD and only had one real hit, With You that went to #4 in 1999. And that was about it.  BUT, it shows that sometimes the charts don't always get it right.  Fans loved her, and her music and bought it by the truckloads even though the charts were unkind to her. I worked with her a few times, always fun to work with.  No real other charting success.

Her Biggest Hit Song On The Charts

Steve Azar

I remember Steve Azar putting on a show for us here at WQMX outdoors at the Lakemore Plaza in Akron in 2002. We had this Classified Concert Series promotion going, where no one knew who was going to perform till they hit the stage. (Jessica Andrews did one for us too that summer)  I emceed the show, it stormed and thousands of fans had to leave. He ripped off his shirt and played as long as he could until they made us stop. Azar then came back to the radio station and put on the show, on the air so everyone could hear.  Total pro, great guy.  I Don't Wanna Be Me Till Monday was a #2 song and fans loved it. The follow up, Waitin' On Joe was a very mild hit, and that was about it on the country charts. Vocal chord cysts slowed him down, but one of the really nice guys in our biz at the time.

Monday Anthem Tough Not To Love This Song

James Bonamy

Had a very big and popular song in 1996, I Don't Think I Will, and it went to #2 on the charts.  I loved that song, but the problem was he was not overly versatile. But for this time, fans loved his hit song.  He had been on Star Search, and had a great look. But he recorded his last album in 1997, and is now a church pastor in Texas.

This Was A Big Song

I will admit that when Windy and I got our first air fryer a few years ago, we were temporarily obsessed with it. In fact, we wore one out and had to get a replacement. After that we resumed normal "air fry-ed-ness."   

And then we went through the stage of "forget-ness! "  We forgot we had it, until one fine day, it dawned on us it was still on the counter for all to see, and then we settled in to the perfect usage and that's where we reside today.

But I found this link that will help you instantly become a good steward of your new air fryer.  If you just got one for Christmas, this will help you become the aristocrat of the air fryer!

Air Fryer Fun!