Hey Mr. DJ. Put a Record On.

RadioDriving to work this morning, I scanned the XM stations and settled on Roadhouse, which was playing Tammy Wynette’s “I Don’t Wanna Play House.” Thus started a stretch of songs that got me all the way to work: Kenny Rogers, “The Gambler.” The Judds, “Young Love (Strong Love).” Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn, “After the Fire is Gone.” Charlie Rich, “A Very Special Love Song.”

It was awesome, one of those rare times where I felt like the DJ might as well have been me, so aligned were the selections with my personal taste. When thinking of the sorry state of country radio these days, the temptation to take over the airwaves is inevitable.

What if you got to be the DJ for an hour at your local country station? Assuming you could play any ten songs, what would they be?

Here’s my playlist:

  1. Dwight Yoakam, “Things Change”
  2. Patty Loveless, “Keep Your Distance”
  3. Dixie Chicks, “Truth No. 2”
  4. Emmylou Harris, “Gold”
  5. Todd Snider, “Sunshine”
  6. Alan Jackson, “Good Imitation of the Blues”
  7. Alison Krauss & Union Station, “Doesn’t Have to Be This Way”
  8. Pam Tillis, “In Between Dances”
  9. Rodney Crowell, “Earthbound”
  10. Trisha Yearwood, “I Don’t Paint Myself into Corners”

36 Comments

  1. “Bettin’ Money on Love” – Pam Tillis
    “Drive South” – Suzy Bogguss
    “Pain of Loving You” – Patty Loveless
    “I Take My Chances” – Mary Chapin Carpenter
    “We Tried” – Trisha Yearwood
    “We Carry On” – Tim McGraw
    “Genevieve” – Sugarland
    “Oh Atlanta” – AK & US
    “Would You Go With Me” – Josh Turner
    “Everybody Knows” – Dixie Chicks

  2. Walking the Floor Over You – Ernest Tubb
    I’m Moving On – Hank Snow
    Where Is My Castle – Connie Smith
    1984 – Randy Travis
    Your Squaw Is On The Warpath Again – Loretta Lynn
    There Stands The Glass – Webb Pierce
    I Can’t Be Myself – Merle Haggard
    Check Yes Or No – George Strait
    Somebody Should Leave – Reba McEntire
    I Just Came Home To Count The Memories (either Cal Smith or John Anderson

  3. 1. Who’s At Your Window- SHANE NICHOLSON
    2. No More Lies- PETER DAWSON BAND
    3. Sweetest Waste of Time- KASEY CHAMBERS/SHANE NICHOLSON
    4. The Guitar- GUY CLARK
    5. Nothin’ Wrong With That- JACK INGRAM
    6. If The Devil Wrote A Honky Tonk Song- LANCE MILLS
    7. Good To Be Me- UNCLE KRACKER
    8. The Ballad of Love and Hate- THE AVETT BROTHERS
    9. Does Anybody See Her- CASTING CROWNS
    10. What I Know Now- BRANDON RICKMAN (Lonesome River Band)

  4. 1. somewhere in beetween – dude mowrey
    2. lonely alone – julie roberts
    3. brokenheartsville – joe nichols
    4. somewhere tonight – highway 101
    5. a cowboy and a dancer – tracy bird
    6. what part of no – lorrie morgan
    7. beaches of cheyenne – garth brooks
    8. that’s what he said – reba
    9. baby why not – dwight yoakam
    10. girl of your dreams – bobbie cryner

  5. @ kevin

    … ever since i’ve seen the youtube clip that you added to one of your blogs some time ago, i find myself clicking on that video every now and then when i have a little coffee break – nice hint, thanks.

  6. I Love This Bar- Toby Keith
    Only In America- Brooks & Dunn
    Celebrity- Brad Paisley
    I Wouldn’t Have Missed It For The World- Ronnie Milsap
    I Told You So-Carrie Underwood
    Whiskey Lullaby- Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss
    Wherever You Are- Jack Ingram
    Slow Hand- Conway Twittty
    Heads Carolina Tails California- Jo Dee Messina
    Three Wooden Crosses- Randy Travis

  7. Hal Ketchum – “I Miss My Mary”
    Suzy Bogguss – “Night Rider’s Lament”
    Collin Raye – “Someone You Used to Know”
    Trisha Yearwood – “The Song Remembers When”
    Pinmonkey – “Barbed Wire and Roses”
    Mary Chapin Carpenter – “Quittin’ Time”
    Ty Herndon – “Right About Now”
    Lisa Brokop – “Pearl”
    Pam Tillis – “All the Good Ones Are Gone”
    John Berry – “My Heart is Bethlehem”

  8. Don Gibson – “Don’t Tell Me Your Troubles”
    Johnny Cash – “Big River”
    Ray Price – “For The Good Times”
    Marty Robbins – “El Paso”
    George Strait – “Amarillo By Morning”
    Suzy Bogguss – “Someday Soon”
    Jo Dee Messina – “Lesson In Leavin”
    Faith Hill – “It Matters To Me”
    Roy Clark – “Yesterday, When I Was Young”
    Patsy Cline – “Sweet Dreams (Of You)”

  9. “Easy Come Easy Go” – Hayes Carll
    “Mental Revenge (Live)” – Waylon Jennings
    “Fish and Whistle” – John Prine
    “Is It Raining at Your House” – Vern Gosdin
    “Carla” – Todd Snider
    “Good Year for the Roses” – George Jones
    “Mary Go ‘Round” – Jamey Johnson
    “New South” – Hank Williams Jr.
    “Instant Coffee Blues” – Guy Clark
    “The Way I Am” – Merle Haggard

  10. George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today
    Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman
    Ronnie Milsap – Smokey Mountain Rain
    Restless Heart – That Rock Won’t Roll
    Garth Brooks – The River
    Tim McGraw – Telluride
    Marcel – Tennessee
    Brad Paisley – I Wish You’d Stay
    Gary Allan – Life Ain’t Always Beautiful
    Chris Cagle – Never Ever Gone

  11. Hank Williams – Lost Highway
    Dale Watson – Whiskey or God
    Wayne Hancock – Thunderstorms and Neon Signs
    Waylon Jennings – Rose in Paradise
    John Anderson – 1959
    Merle Haggard – I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink
    Trace Adkins – I’m Tryin
    Mark Chesnutt – Almost Goodbye
    Vern Gosdin – Set ‘Em Up Joe
    Tracy Lawrence – Today’s Lonely Fool

  12. 1)Reba- the last one to know
    2)Dolly- if you think about love think about me
    3)Patty- nothin’ but the wheel
    4)Pam- put yourself in my place
    5)Emmylou- makin’ believe
    6)Suzy- hey cinderella
    7)Lila- down came a blackbird
    8)Wynonna- is it over yet
    9)Lorrie- except for monday
    10)Janie- somebody else’s fire

  13. Cool idea for a discussion …

    I would pick the following to highlight my own personal tastes and also try to please the listeners at the same time (and also play them in this order):

    Garth Brooks – ‘Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)’
    Trisha Yearwood – ‘The Song Remembers When’
    Reba McEntire – ‘The Fear of Being Alone’
    Sugarland – ‘Want To’
    Alan Jackson – ‘Song For The Life’
    Conway Twitty – ‘This Time I’ve Hurt Her More (Than She Loves Me)’
    Tanya Tucker – ‘Delta Dawn’
    Mary Chapin Carpenter – ‘The Hard Way’
    Dixie Chicks – ‘Tonight The Heartache’s On Me’
    Gary Allan – ‘Life Ain’t Always Beautiful’
    Wynonna Judd – ‘Is It Over Yet?’

  14. God Bless ya Kevin for putting Patty’s Keep Your Distance on your playlist.

    That was actually the first song I had in mind for mine. So assuming no repeats with artists, here’s my list.

    1) Keep Your Distance- Patty Loveless
    2) Coalmine- Sara Evans
    3) Intentional Heartache- Dwight Yoakam
    4) When I Call Your Name- Vince Gill (with Opry star Patty Loveless) ;)
    5) How Long -The Eagles
    6) Heaven Only Knows- Emmylou Harris
    7) Not a Bad Thing- Trisha Yearwood
    8) Far Side Banks of Jordan- Kris Kristofferson (with Patty Loveless)
    9) House of Cash- George Strait (with Patty Loveless…Ok I admit it, I’m cheating here, lol)
    10) Just Say Yes- Highway 101

    That’s my off the top of my head list.

  15. This would be my order, too.

    1. Pinmonkey, “That Train Don’t Run”
    2. The Beatles, “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party”
    3. Lee Ann Womack, “When You Get To Me”
    4. Roger Miller, “The Moon Is High (And So Am I)”
    5. Justin Townes Earle, “Can’t Hardly Wait”
    6. Waylon Jennings, “Dreaming My Dreams With You”
    7. Miranda Lambert, “Me And Your Cigarettes”
    8. Bruce Robison, “Lifeline”
    9. Tammy Wynette, “‘Til I Get It Right”
    10. Alison Krauss & Union Station, “We Hide & Seek”

  16. 1. Wynonna Judd – “No One Else On Earth”
    2. Sawyer Brown – “The Race Is On”
    3. Shania Twain – “You Win My Love”
    4. Garth Brooks – “The Beaches Of Cheyenne”
    5. Trisha Yearwood – “Where Are You Now?”
    6. Tim McGraw – “Not A Moment Too Soon”
    7. Faith Hill – “You Give Me Love”
    8. Dixie Chicks – “The Long Way Around”
    9. Lee Ann Womack – “I Hope You Dance”
    10. Martina McBride – “Blessed”

  17. 1. Shania Twain – “From this Moment”
    2. Miranda Lambert – “Gunpowder and Lead”
    3. Rascal Flatts – “I’m Moving On”
    4. Tim Mcgraw – “It’s Your Love”
    5. Sugarland – “Stay”
    6. Brad Paisely – “Welcome to the Future”
    7. Trisha Yearwood – “The Dreaming Fields”
    8. Dixie Chicks – “Not Ready To Make Nice”
    9. George Strait – “I Saw God Today”
    10. Garth Brooks – “To Make You Feel My Love”

  18. “Doesn’t Anyone Hurt Anymore” – Travis Tritt
    “Rain on a Tin Roof” – Julie Roberts
    “Julianna” – Emma Jacob
    “Brand New Rag” – Rodney Crowell
    “Man I’m Trying to Be” – Ronnie Bowman
    “Now That You’ve Met Molly” – Georgia Middleman
    “Boulder to Birmingham” – Emmylou Harris
    “If We Ever Make It Home” – Wade Bowen
    “Good Ole Boys Like Me” – Don Williams
    “Moonshiner” – Allison Moorer

  19. “Wine Me Up” – Lorrie Morgan
    “I Want To Know What Love Is” – Wynonna
    “Only In My Mind” – Reba
    “You Burned The Bridge” – Patty loveless
    “Try Me Again” – Trisha Yearwood
    “The Grass Is Blue” – Dolly Parton
    “When The Lights Go Down” – Faith Hill
    “I’m Not The One” – Shelby Lynne
    “Roll Me Back In Time” – Sara Evans
    “Angels Working Overtime” – Deana Carter

    I tried to represent a wide variety of different styles within country music, which I feel is something that radio should do, but rarely does.

  20. “Callin’ Baton Rouge” – The Oak Ridge Boys
    “Almost A Memory Now” – Blackhawk
    “Southside of Lonesome” – Chely Wright
    “The River and the Highway” – Pam Tillis
    “Jesus and Gravity” – Dolly Parton
    “We Were In Love” – Toby Keith
    “Tonight” – Sara Evans
    “Love In The First Degree” – Alabama
    “Reasons Why” – Nickel Creek
    “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter” – Reba

  21. “Restless” AK+US
    “Heaven Help Me” Wynonna
    “Roll Me Back In Time” Sara Evans
    “You Lie” Reba McEntire
    “Turn It Loose” The Judds
    “Shine” Dolly Parton
    “The Song Remembers When” Trisha Yearwood
    “In Terms Of Love” SHeDAISY
    “Stealing Kisses” Faith Hill
    “Top Of The World” Dixie Chicks

    …It’d be hard to just choose ten. I’d love to DJ my own radio station!

  22. This is a hard one…

    1. Charlie Robison – Nothin’ Better To Do
    2. Patsy Cline – Sweet Dreams
    3. Catherine Britt – Too Far Gone
    4. The SteelDrivers – Heaven Sent
    5. Eddy Arnold – Make The World Go Away
    6. The McClymonts – Finally Over Blue
    7. Dixie Chicks – Top Of The World
    8. Reba McEntire – What Haven’t I Heard From You
    9. Carrie Underwood – Before He Cheats
    10. Dwight Yoakam – The Back Of Your Hand

  23. Ok im assuming these songs dont have to be singles so here we go….
    1.Country Girl-Dottie West
    2.Monday Morning Church-Alan Jackson
    3.Quittin Time-Mary Chapin Carpenter
    4.Try Me Again-Trisha Yearwood
    5.He Walked On Water-Randy Travis
    6.For the Good Times-Ray Price
    7.Hold Me-K.T. Oslin
    8.Statue of a Fool-Ricky Van Shelton
    9-Long Time Gone-Dixie Chicks
    10.Over My Shoulder-Patty Loveless

  24. “Ecleciticism Run Rampant” is my motto here:

    1. I CAN’T HELP IT IF I’M STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU–Linda Ronstadt
    2. BORN TO RUN–Emmylou Harris
    4. ARE YOU STILL IN LOVE WITH ME?–Tift Merritt
    3. FOLSOM PRISON BLUES (LIVE/1968)–Johnny Cash
    4. WHAT’S MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS (HAS MADE A LOSER OUT OF ME)–Jerry Lee Lewis
    5. LOVE IS A ROSE–Linda Ronstadt
    6. SIN WAGON–The Dixie Chicks
    7. GENTLE ON MY MIND–Glen Campbell
    8. LYIN’ EYES–The Eagles
    9. A WEEK IN A COUNTRY JAIL–Tom T. Hall
    10. JOLENE–Dolly Parton

  25. Long time lurker here first time posting. =D
    So here is my bizarre taste in music, 10 of my favorite songs that I think would sound good shoved together in radio format:

    1.Easy From Now On ~Miranda Lambert
    2.Portland Oregon ~Loretta Lynn & Jack White
    3.Flowers on the Wall ~The Statler Brothers
    4.Streets of Bakersfield ~Dwight Yoakam & Buck Owens
    5.Me and Bobby McGee ~Waylon Jennings
    6.Highway 40 Blues ~Ricky Skaggs
    7.Lodi ~Creedence Clearwater Revival
    8.End of the Line ~The Traveling Wilburys
    9.The Stories We Could Tell(Live) ~Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
    10. Doolin-Dalton/Desperado(Reprise) ~Eagles

    Sigh, 10 songs never to be played on my local “TweenyPopper” country station.

  26. “Please Remember Me” – Tim McGraw
    “Who Invented the Wheel?” – Trisha Yearwood
    “Nobody Drinks Alone” – Keith Urban
    “Tony” – Patty Griffin
    “Choices” – George Jones
    “You’d Think He’d Know Me Better” – Bobbie Cryner
    “I Thought I’d See Your Face Again” – Sara Evans
    “Mine All Mine” – SheDaisy
    “You’ll Be There” – George Strait
    “Back When We Were Beautiful” – Matraca Berg

  27. If you think you have a weird playlist, check mine out. Here is my playlist:

    1. Oh Boy-Buddy Holly And The Crickets
    2. La Bamba-Ritchie Valens
    3. Little Darlin’-The Diamonds
    4. The Black Velvet Band-The Irish Rovers
    5. El Paso-Marty Robbins
    6. Waiting For A Train-Jimmie Rodgers
    7. How Your Love Makes Me Feel-Diamond Rio
    8. I’m Movin’ On-Hank Snow
    9. Rock On Rockall-The Wolfe Tones
    10. I Fought The Law-The Bobby Fuller Four

  28. Darren, Any playlist with Little Darlin’ can’t be all bad. It’s my favorite uptempo Doo-Wop song. I love to try to sing along with the “ai yiyiyiyi’s …” , the “bump, bump di wadi wadi’s”?, then there’s the spoken part in the middle and the ending of a lot of words with “a” – “a-hoop-a, hoop-a, hoop-a, well-a” and “my dear-a, I was wrong-a”, et ceter-a. They don’t make lyrics like that any more. Eat you heart out Jamey Johnson.

  29. Sold American- Kinky Friedman
    Why Can’t He Be You- Patsy Cline
    Nothing Takes the Place of You- Asleep at the Wheel
    Sad Situation- Skeeter Davis
    Wine Women and Song- Loretta Lynn
    Don’t Take Your Guns to Town- Johnny Cash
    Don’t it Make You Wanna Dance- Bonnie Raitt
    A Six Pack to Go- Hank Thompson
    I Never Will Marry- Linda Ronstadt & Dolly Parton
    Galveston- Glen Campbell

  30. 1. Nothin’ Wrong With That – Jack Ingram
    2. Where Is My Castle – Connie Smith
    3. Easy Come Easy Go” – Hayes Carll
    5. Me and Bobby McGee – Waylon Jennings
    6. Southside of Lonesome – Chely Wright
    7. I’m Not The One- Shelby Lynne
    8. Delta Dawn – Tanya Tucker
    9. I Hope You Dance – Lee Ann Womack
    10. Makin’ believe – Emmylou

    DJ News

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