Patty Loveless  - How Can I Help You Say Goodbye  - 1993

 This is one of the most loved songs of the 1990's or heck any decade.  Patty Loveless had a long line of very big hits for a number of years and I feel this overall is her most loved song.  The exceptionally poignant video too was a real factor in this song.  Also, sometimes the right song finds the right artist and the marriage is perfect.  When I hear this song, I'm not so sure this is as big of a song in the hands of another artist.  This song needed Patty Loveless.  This also has a very interesting story.  It was written by a great songwriter named Karen Taylor-Good and guy named Burton Banks Collins. The latter had never written a song, ever, but the signature line was something his grandmother said as she passed away.  The song struck a lot of people where the live, and in the end was a #3 hit and became synonymous with Loveless.  How this wasn't a #1 is beyond me.  It has been recorded by others, but Loveless' version is the staple. This is universally loved by most country fans, as it's a song that talks about the inevitable powerful moments we all have as we go through, and eventually end our life.  This song moves everyone that listens to it deeply. This is a work of country music art.

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 Vince Gill is one of the most talented, respected and sought after musicians on the planet. He's done and continues to do it all in every avenue of the music business. This song is also on my 50 Favorites List from 2023, at #16. He is also featured in my Mega Star Series, my Guitarists Series and my Vocalists Supreme Series  (Links Below).  His country career got off to slow start, but once it took hold, he would dominate the format, and the overall landscape of country for years.  He released country singles starting in 1984, but success was slim.  The song When I Call Your Name in 1990 was a big hit at last and set Gill on this way with it peaking at #3, his first real hit.  BUT, this song in 1992 went #1, and once if did, it was on.  The next ten singles all went top 5 with many going #1.  What makes this song so important is that it set Gill on a 6 year run that made him the musical superstar he still is today.  This is a powerful, beautiful, wonderful ballad that would become the Gill staple.  This was the pathway for Vince Gill to be one of the faces of our format and award shows for years to come. Did this song change all of his fortunes?  No, I don't think so, When I Call Your Name did. But this song was the big hit he really needed that took Gill where he had never been before and made him the star we all know him to be - even today. This also is an incredible video!

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The Guitarists (Part 2)

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