You may have never heard of Vern Gosdin or know his music. But make no mistake, this was among the first songs I thought of when I put this list together. What makes this so important, is that it's one of the most influential country songs, especially with the up and coming stars of the 90's and beyond in the modern era. In 1988 this song took Nashville and the format by storm, and it's not for the weak, this is powerful stuff. This was the CMA Song Of The Year 1989, Grammy Nominated, an ASCAP Winner, and The Nashville Songwriters Song Of The Year. As country had begun a move towards a more traditional sound with Randy Travis and others a couple years earlier, this song sealed the deal in that direction. It was the song of year, for country's most important year in 1989. It was the final musical death blow to the formatless pop country that was still barely breathing. This is very powerful about life, the end of it, love, how we take things for granted sometimes, and the gift that life is. It reminds us to be thankful for the souls in our lives. This is a haunting song that cuts right to the bone,that we don't record much anymore and that's OK, as times change. Vern Gosdin was great at this kind of stuff, as he was known as The Voice, and after hearing this you'll get that. This song is incredibly important for the effect it had on the most successful generation of country stars we've ever had in the 90's and beyond. This kind of country - its time has passed for the time being, but this is traditional country music story telling at its very, very best. This masterpiece speaks to every person on earth at some point in their life.
Try this one too - if you love that kind of country (If You're Gonna Do Me Wrong)
Vern Gosdin passed away in 2009.
