Country Universe – A Country Music Blog

2012 CMA Awards: Staff Picks & Predictions

Sunday, October 28th, 2012

While the rest of the country fixates on “Nashville,” the 46th annual Country Music Association Awards air live from Music City with equal drama and ridiculousness November 1 at 7 p.m. CST. The CU staff picked and predicted the awards below. Chime in with your thoughts, and check back for our live blog on Thursday night!

Entertainer of the Year 

2012 CMA Nominations

Wednesday, September 5th, 2012

The list of nominees for the 46th annual Country Music Association Awards has been released.  Eric Church had a big breakthrough this past year, and such is reflected in the nominee list – Church leads the pack with five nominations.  Power couple Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert follow with four each, including a shared Song of the Year nod for their co-write “Over You.”

What’s your take on this year’s field of CMA nominees? Whose nominations were deserved, and whose were not? Who got snubbed? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

The live presentation airs Thursday, November 1 at 8pm Eastern on ABC-TV.  The Country Universe Staff Picks & Predictions will be released the week of the show.  Feel free to join us on show night for some live-blogging fun!

Entertainer of the Year 

• Jason Aldean
• Kenny Chesney
• Brad Paisley
• Blake Shelton
• Taylor Swift

Who’s in:  Kenny Chesney
Who’s out:  Keith Urban

No real surprises here.  This year we swapped out Urban for Chesney, but all of these nominees have been here at least once before.

Female Vocalist of the Year

• Kelly Clarkson
• Miranda Lambert
• Martina McBride
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood

Who’s in:  Kelly Clarkson
Who’s out:  Sara Evans

Well, I was hoping for some new blood in this category, and that’s definitely what I got.  Pop crossover star Kelly Clarkson scores her first nomination in the Female Vocalist field, displacing Sara Evans.  There will likely be some amount of upset over Clarkson receiving such an accolade, as she had one #21-peaking country hit in the past year with “Mr. Know It All,” but has yet to release a full-length country album.  And…that makes her one of the top five leading female vocalists in the country format?  Okay…

Male Vocalist of the Year

• Jason Aldean
• Luke Bryan
• Eric Church
• Blake Shelton
• Keith Urban

Who’s in:  Luke Bryan, Eric Church
Who’s out:  Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley

Bryan and Church’s recent career strides are rewarded with their first nominations in the always-competitive Male Vocalist race.

Vocal Group of the Year

• The Band Perry
• Eli Young Band
• Lady Antebellum
• Little Big Town
• Zac Brown Band

Who’s in:  Eli Young Band
Who’s out:  Rascal Flatts (!!!)

Eli Young Band scores a pair of huge radio hits, and thus squeezes out a former staple of the Vocal Group race.

Vocal Duo of the Year

• Big & Rich
• Love and Theft
• Sugarland
• The Civil Wars
• Thompson Square

Who’s in:  Big & Rich, Love and Theft
Who’s out:  Montgomery Gentry, Steel Magnolia

New Artist of the Year

• Lee Brice
• Brantley Gilbert
• Hunter Hayes
• Love and Theft
• Thompson Square

Who’s in:  Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, Love and Theft
Who’s out:  The Band Perry (won), Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Chris Young (So, everyone except Thompson Square)

Album of the Year (Awarded to artist and producer)

• Luke Bryan, Tailgates and Tanlines
  Produced by Jeff Stevens and Mark Bright
• Eric Church, Chief
  Produced by Jay Joyce
• Miranda Lambert, Four the Record
  Produced by Frank Liddell, Chuck Ainlay, and Glenn Worf
• Dierks Bentley, Home
  Produced by Brett Beavers, Luke Wooten, and Jon Randall Stewart
• Lady Antebellum, Own the Night
  Produced by Paul Worley and Lady Antebellum

Song of the Year (Awarded to songwriters)

• Eli Young Band, “Even if It Breaks Your Heart”
  Written by Will Hoge and Eric Paslay
• Blake Shelton, “God Gave Me You”
  Written by Dave Barnes
• Dierks Bentley, “Home”
  Written by Dierks Bentley, Dan Wilson and Brett Beavers
• Miranda Lambert, “Over You”
  Written by Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton
• Eric Church, “Springsteen”
  Written by Eric Church, Jeff Hyde and Ryan Tyndell

Single of the Year (Awarded to artist and producer)

• Jason Aldean, “Dirt Road Anthem”
  Produced by Michael Knox
• Blake Shelton, “God Gave Me You”
  Produced by Scott Hendricks
• Dierks Bentley, “Home”
  Produced by Brett Beavers and Luke Wooten
• Little Big Town, “Pontoon”
  Produced by Jay Joyce
• Eric Church, “Springsteen”
  Produced by Jay Joyce

Musical Event of the Year

• Alan Jackson and Zac Brown Band, ”Dixie Highway”
•  Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, ”Feel Like a Rock Star”
•  Willie Nelson featuring Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson and Jamey Johnson, ”Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die”
•  Taylor Swift featuring the Civil Wars, ”Safe and Sound”
•  Lionel Richie and Darius Rucker, ”Stuck on You”

Music Video of the Year (Awarded to artist and director)

• Eric Church, “Springsteen”
  Directed by Peter Zavadil
• Kenny Chesney, “Come Over”
  Directed by Shaun Silva
• Miranda Lambert, “Over You”
  Directed by Trey Fanjoy
• Little Big Town, “Pontoon”
  Directed by Declan Whitebloom
• Toby Keith, “Red Solo Cup”
  Directed by Michael Salomon

Musician of the Year

Sam Bush
Paul Franklin
Dann Huff
Brent Mason
Mac McAnally

100 Greatest Men: #48. Kris Kristofferson

Friday, July 6th, 2012

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List

Though his Hall of Fame career has now stretched several decades, Kris Kristofferson will forever be defined by his legendary songwriting in the late sixties and early seventies.

An intellectual of Swedish descent, Kristofferson’s father was in the U.S. military, and as a result, he moved around quite a bit while growing up.   His twin passions were writing and rugby, and he pursued both vigorously while completing his undergraduate studies in California.   He earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, and while studying there, he gained distinction in boxing, and more importantly, he began writing songs.

He briefly pursued a performing career while in England, with hopes that success could help him toward his real goal of publishing a novel.   When this was unsuccessful, he succumbed to family pressure and joined the army in 1960.   Five years later, he left the army, which resulted in estrangement from his family, and he arrived in Nashville to pursue his songwriting craft full time.

The cuts came slowly, but after having a few chart hits by artists like Dave Dudley and Roger Miller, he became established around town.   As the sixties turned into the seventies, Kristofferson’s pen became legendary, thanks to a string of hits for other artists.   Sammi Smith’s recording of “Help Me  Make it Through the Night” won him a Grammy for Song of the Year, while he earned the CMA trophy for “Sunday Morning Coming Down” (Johnny Cash) and the ACM trophy for “For the Good Times” (Ray Price.)  Janis Joplin, who Kristofferson had dated for some time, found her greatest success after her death, as her recording of Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee” topped the pop singles chart for several weeks.

Kristofferson’s notoriety as a writer piqued enough interest in him to lead to a successful singing career of his own.  He had several well-received albums for Monument, two of which sold gold.   Radio was mostly indifferent to the projects, with the glaring exception of his stunning #1 hit, “Why Me”, in 1973.

While he continued to sing and write songs, Kristofferson’s career took a surprising turn toward Hollywood, and he became a legitimate film star, winning a Golden Globe for Best Actor starring opposite Barbra Streisand in A Star is Born.   He also had successful musical collaborations with his wife, Rita Coolidge.   Meanwhile, Nashville stars continued to record his songs, with friend Willie Nelson even recording a platinum-selling tribute album in 1979.

His last major success as a recording artist came in 1985 as part of the supergroup The Highwaymen with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson.   That same year, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, while the Country Music Hall of Fame elected him in 2004.

Over the past two decades, he has continued to release albums of self-written material, while continuing to tour and appear in various films, including a prominent role in the Blade trilogy.
Essential Singles:

• For the Good Times (Ray Price), 1970
• Sunday Morning Coming Down (Johnny Cash), 1970
• Me and Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin), 1971
• Help Me Make it Through the Night (Sammi Smith), 1971
• Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends (Bobby Bare), 1971
• Why Me, 1973
• The Highwayman (with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson), 1985

Essential Albums:

• Kristofferson, 1970
  
• Me and Bobby McGee, 1971
• The Silver Tongued Devil and I, 1971
• Jesus Was a Capricorn, 1972
• To the Bone, 1981
• Broken Freedom Song: Live From San Francisco, 2003

Next: #47. Rodney Crowell

Previous: #49. Toby Keith

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List

100 Greatest Men: #49. Toby Keith

Wednesday, July 4th, 2012

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List

After first finding success as a smooth country balladeer, Toby Keith got in touch with his sense of humor and aggressive bravado.  The combination made him one of the biggest country stars of the new century.

One of the few acts with primarily country roots to still get radio play, Keith cut his teeth on the music of Bob Wills and Merle Haggard while growing up in Oklahoma.   Though he always made time for performing music, his first professional pursuits were in the oil fields and in semiprofessional football.

When both avenues were effectively closed for him, he pursued his music full-time, touring honky-tonks and recording demo tapes and sides for indie labels.  One of his tapes led to a deal with Mercury Records, and it contained self-written songs which would become huge hits once sent to radio.  He was a star out of the gate, reaching #1 with his first single, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy.”  The 1993 hit would go on to become the most played song of the nineties.

Keith became a reliable star, consistently selling gold and platinum and scoring radio hits, but he felt limited by his image as a ballad singer in the same vein as Vince Gill.   In 1999, he left Mercury for Dreamworks.   His second single for them, “How Do You Like Me Now?!” , rebranded him as a tongue-in-cheek, cocky showman, and it set the stage for him to reach superstar status.

He won the CMA trophy for Male Vocalist in 2001, but he truly hit the pinnacle of his fame the following year when he released “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American.)”   It laid the foundation for two consecutive albums selling over four million copies, and complete domination of the radio dial, with several multi-week #1 singles that became signature songs for Keith.

His massive success led to him opening up his own label, Show Dog Records, which now has a partnership with Universal Music.   Keith’s record sales slowed with the new label, but overall he’s doing better because of his larger financial stake in the label and the success of his restaurant chain Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill.

Most recently, Clancy’s Tavern became his first album in three years to earn a gold certification, and his first in six to produce three top ten radio hits.   “Red Solo Cup”, a novelty song from the set, has become Keith’s biggest single in years, and as a result, exposed him to a new, younger audience.

Essential Singles:

• Should’ve Been a Cowboy, 1993
• Who’s That Man, 1994
• How Do You Like Me Now?!, 1999
• Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American), 2002
• Beer For My Horses (with Willie Nelson), 2003
• I Love This Bar, 2003
• As Good as I Once Was, 2005
• Red Solo Cup, 2011

Essential Albums:

• Toby Keith, 1993
  
• Dream Walkin’, 1996
• Pull My Chain, 2001
• Unleashed, 2002
• Shock’n Y’all, 2003

Next: #48. Kris Kristofferson

Previous: #50. Don Williams

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List

Favorite Songs By Favorite Artists: Shania Twain

Tuesday, May 29th, 2012

It’s about time somebody did a Favorite Songs feature on Shania, isn’t it?  I was going to save this article for after we finished covering Shania in our Retro Single Review series, but I decided I just couldn’t wait that long.

Her astounding commercial success speaks for itself, as does her heavy impact on popular music, but I remain of the opinion that Shania Twain doesn’t get nearly enough credit for the artist she was – as a songwriter, or as a vocalist.  Her songs were clever, sassy, fun, and often tapped into deep wells of substance underneath all the catchiness.  Her distinct perspective was revolutionary for her time.  As an interpretive singer, she had a strong knack for finishing off her lyrical creations through her nuanced, dynamically layered performances.  Twain’s remarkable talent combined with Mutt Lange’s musical vision made her one of the biggest record sellers in history.  Ever since her heyday, countless young female stars have attempted to emulate her, but the magic Twain herself created with her delicious pop-country confections remains unreplicated.

I tend to become obsessed with one favorite Shania Twain song, and then move rapidly to another, so it’s not easy to assess which songs are my all-time favorites.  I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’ll be doing a lot of second-guessing after this article runs (though I’m fairly confident that my top three selections are set in stone).  At any rate, it will still be a fun look back on all the memorable tunes Shania gave us over the years, while also shining a spotlight on a few lesser-known tracks that we might have forgotten about.  As always, feel free to share your own favorites in the comments section.

#25

“Party for Two” (with Billy Currington)

Greatest Hits – 2004

I have at times referred to this song as a “guilty pleasure,” but then I realized that it’s such a great fun record that I don’t really feel guilty at all about loving it.  Silly “sexy in your socks” line aside, “Party for Two” is fun flirty tune that Twain and Currington sell with charm and enthusiasm.  Though more of a pop song than a country song, “Party for Two” is best heard in its country mix, as the pop version with Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath tries a little too hard to sound pop, demonstrating that Shania often sounded best when still keeping a toe in country territory.  “Party for Two” served as Twain’s last Top 10 country hit to date.

#24

“Blues Eyes Crying In the Rain” (with Willie Nelson)

Willie Nelson & Friends – Live and Kickin’ – 2003

Twain’s pop sensibilities certainly have no ill effect on her ability to tackle a traditional country classic with grace and ease, as evidenced by her beautiful cover of this beloved Willie Nelson hit, accompanied by the man himself.

 

#23

“Ka-Ching!”

Up! – 2002

Though largely known for her lighthearted frivolous side, “Ka-Ching!” – a deft takedown of commercial materialism – shows that Twain was still perfectly capable of addressing relevant social themes.

#22

“It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing”

Up! – 2002

Though known for her positivity, Twain could still be surprisingly effective at conveying heartbreak.  Such is demonstrated by this Top 20 hit in which the protagonist strives to maintain optimism as she moves on after a breakup.  Still, the title hook shows that her heavy emotional pain remains constant.

#21

“Love Gets Me Every Time”

Come On Over – 1997

Hey, if you’re going to write a silly, cheesy song, you might as well do it thoroughly and shamelessly.  “Love Gets Me Every Time” combines a hillbilly catchphrase with an unshakable two-step-friendly musical hook to make a delightful ditty that just never seems to get old.

 

#20

“Coat of Many Colors” (with Alison Krauss & Union Station)

Just Because I’m a Woman:  Songs of Dolly Parton – 2003

It’s easy to see how Twain’s own impoverished upbringing might give her a special connection to this classic song, and to its timeless theme of love and family being worth far more than material possessions.  Indeed, “One is only poor only if they choose to be.”  Twain delivers the revered Dolly Parton lyric with authenticity and deep sincerity, while the unique touch of Alison Krauss’s backing vocal elevates the record further.

#19

“You Win My Love”

The Woman In Me – 1995

Written by Twain’s then-husband/producer Mutt Lange, this is the only song on Twain’s last three studio albums that she didn’t have a hand in writing.  The lyric is full of clever automobile-related metaphors, while the driving arrangement and the “Rev it up, rev it up ‘til your engine blows” hook practically beg to be blasted out one’s car windows.

#18

“That Don’t Impress Me Much”

Come On Over – 1997

The sentiment is clear:  Shania Twain is not impressed by guys who are overly impressed with themselves.  One part sing-along, one part spoken word, with some steel guitar and cowbell hooks thrown in, it all adds up to one heck of a fun record.

#17

“Shoes”

Desperate Housewives soundtrack – 2005

It may have been recorded for a soundtrack, but make no mistake about it:  A song that compares finding the right man to finding the ideal footwear, noting that “Some you can’t afford, some are real cheap, some are good for bummin’ around on the beach” is classic Shania.  A clever song loaded with humorous double entendres, “Shoes” is good for a chuckle any day.

#16

“(If You’re Not In It for Love) I’m Outta Here!”

The Woman In Me – 1995

The dance-friendly beat is hooky and infectious, but the content runs deeper.  At the heart of the song is a confident female protagonist who refuses to be taken advantage of.  If the guy’s not in it for love… she’s outta here.  This chart-topping hit established Twain’s distinct songwriting point of view, while helping to power her The Woman In Me album to 12x platinum sales.

#15

“I’m Gonna Getcha Good!”

Up! – 2002

Not really much to say about this one except that, as far as great pop-country hooks go, they don’t come much catchier than this.

#14

“Nah!”

Up! – 2002

A kiss-off tune that’s not nearly as bitter as such songs usually are, but that doesn’t make it any less delicious.  Twain almost seems to casually enjoy the moment of letting her no-good ex know that she’s done being mistreated by him.  She admits “I miss you now and then, but would I do it all again?”  The band abruptly stops playing as if to await her answer:  “Nah!”  Ouch.

#13

“Home Ain’t Where His Heart Is (Anymore)”

The Woman In Me – 1995

It’s a shame this song didn’t make a bigger dent in history.  I’ve always considered it one of Twain’s most subtly moving performance as the female narrator mourns the deteriorating state of her marriage; while the song offers no full resolution of the story, save for Twain hoping “If we could only find that feeling once again… If we could only change the way the story ends.”

#12

“Don’t Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)”

Come On Over – 1997

Because it makes me happy.  So there.

#11

“Leaving Is the Only Way Out”

The Woman In Me – 1995

The only song on any of Twain’s albums on which she takes sole writer’s credit, this is one of her best songs, as well as one of her countriest.  The refrain “If cryin’ is the only way into your arms, then leavin’ is the only way out” is nothing short of heartbreaking.

#10

“You’ve Got a Way”

Come On Over – 1997

Though I would recommend steering clear of the hokey Notting Hill pop remix, “You’ve Got a Way” remains one of Twain’s most beautifully understated, sincere performances on record, with the acoustic arrangement allowing her to positively shine.

#9

“Forever and For Always”

Up! – 2002

A gem of a love song with an effortlessly endearing melody and a deeply heartfelt performance on Twain’s part.  Though the song was remixed into an international pop smash, it remains best heard in its country form, in which Twain’s sentiments are driven home by subtle, beautiful strains of banjo and steel.

#8

“Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under”

The Woman In Me – 1995

Right out of the starting gate, Shania’s first major hit, and first Lange-produced single release, delivers a powerful punch of her priceless personality.  With a bouncy fiddle-driven production, silly rhyme schemes involving the names of the cheating lover’s mistresses, and the delightfully cheesy bridge (“So next time you’re lonely/ Don’t call on me/ Try the operator/ Maybe she’ll be free”), “Whose Bed” is both shamelessly campy and tons of fun as a result.

#7

“Is There Life After Love”

The Woman In Me – 1995

A rare thematic venture on Twain’s part to the wrong side of cheating.  She regrets her tryst, but regrets coming forward and confessing it even more, bemoaning “You gave me forgiveness, but you could not forget/ I should never have told you what I’ll live to regret.”

#6

“Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”

Come On Over – 1997

Well of course!  Who could leave out one of Shania’s most energetic, free-spirited, entertaining performances of her career?

#5

“Dance with the One That Brought You”

Shania Twain – 1993

An early Twain record from the days before she was singing her own self-written material, “Dance with the One That Brought You” marries twain’s beautifully nuanced vocal performance to a charming Gretchen Peters lyric and a gorgeous piano and steel-driven waltz of an arrangement.  It just might be one of Twain’s best moments on record, and yet Mutt Lange had absolutely nothing to do with it.  Who’da guessed?

#4

“You’re Still the One”

Come On Over – 1997

I love this song so, so much.  An unabashedly sincere vocal, shimmering production, and a lyric that encapsulates the firm commitment, pride in having overcome obstacles, and deep, genuine love of a couple that has remained together against all odds and expectations.  While I’ve long believed that commercial success does not equate to quality, I still say that this song was a massive hit because it deserved to be a massive hit.  A timeless, universal sentiment that touched pop fans and country fans alike, “You’re Still the One” is pure pop-country perfection.

#3

“No One Needs to Know”

The Woman In Me – 1995

The best country songs are those that rely, not on words themselves, but on the feelings that the words and melodies tap into.  “No One Needs to Know” absolutely radiates with the giddiness and joy of a newfound love that only the narrator herself is to know of (which suggests that Taylor Swift is not kidding when she cites Twain as a major influence).  The infectious, stripped down acoustic arrangement, complete with dobro and steel chords, is a pure and simple delight.

#2

“Up!”

Up! – 2002

Twain has long been known for her incessant positivity – a consistent thread that ran throughout the Come On Over and Up! albums in particular, but was nowhere more concentrated than on the title track of Up!  It comes as a fist-pumping pop-anthem on the red disc; a sprightly banjo rocker on the green disc.  “Up!” is a hugely lovable ball of energy either way.  The production pulses with urgency as it underscores Twain’s spirited performance.  No matter what it is that’s got you down, Twain shouts “Up!  Up!  Up!  There’s no way but up from here!” until she has you believing it too.

#1

“Any Man of Mine”

The Woman In Me – 1995

Is there any other song in her catalog that so thoroughly sums up everything one could love about Shania Twain?  The energy of this performance leaps out your speakers, along with boot-stomping rhythm, the awesome fiddling, and all the signature Twain wit in the humorous lyrics.  I’m not the least bit ashamed to admit that the line dance breakdown just might be my favorite part.

It was a bold artistic move and a substantial risk at the time of its release, yet it helped blaze a trail that female country artists are still following today.  But even when bringing it down to a personal, individual level, there are simply few other Shania Twain songs, hits or not, that put a skip in my step like this one does.  Shania’s cheeky delivery makes me smile.  The lyrics make me laugh.  The beat makes me want to dance.  Any way you look at it, this song hits me just right.

The critic in me respects it.  The fan in me adores it.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I think it’s time for some kicking, turning, and stomp-stomping…

100 Greatest Men: #56. Bobby Bare

Monday, April 9th, 2012

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List

With a career that has spanned seven decades, Bobby Bare’s body of work has made him one of the genre’s most influential and critically acclaimed recording artists.

Raised in poverty by his widowed father, Bare was on his own by age fifteen.  He built his own guitar and played in a Springfield, Ohio band before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a music career full-time.  His first single, “The All-American Boy”, was recorded under the name Bill Parsons.  It became a surprise pop hit, reaching #2 in America and the top thirty in England.

His pop career was short-lived, thanks to being drafted into the army.  When he returned from service, he resumed performing under his own name, pursuing a singing and songwriting career in the pop music field.  He shared an apartment with Willie Nelson and toured with some big pop acts, before turning his attention to country music in the early sixties.

Chet Atkins signed him to RCA in 1962, and he had a string of  big hits for the label, including classics like “Detroit City”, “The Streets of Baltimore”, and “500 Miles Away From Home.”  Bare began incorporating elements of the folk music scene into his music, and by the end of the decade, he’d established a reputation for tackling challenging material on record, including the controversial “(Margie’s at) the Lincoln Park Inn.”

A brief stint on Mercury Records in the early seventies continued the streak of critically acclaimed albums, but he returned to RCA shortly thereafter. It was on that label that he released the landmark album Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends, and Lies.  The double album showcased the songs of Shel Silverstein, including the #1 hit, “Marie Laveau” and a duet with his son on “Daddy What If?”  Thus began a fruitful partnership with Silverstein that resulted in more critically acclaimed albums, though none of them would approach the commercial success of their first collaboration.

As the seventies progressed, Bare became aligned with the Outlaw movement, and by the early eighties, he was drawing on the catalog of writers such as Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt.  After releasing his 1983 album Drinkin’ From the Bottle, Singin’ From the Heart, Bare took more than a decade off from recording. In recent years, he has returned to prominence through the Americana scene, and is now viewed as one of the forefathers of that fledgling musical movement.

Essential Singles:

• Detroit City, 1963
• 500 Miles Away From Home, 1963
• The Streets of Baltimore, 1966
• (Margie’s at) the Lincoln Park Inn, 1969
• How I Got to Memphis, 1970
• Daddy What If? (with Bobby Bare, Jr.), 1974
• Marie Laveau, 1974

Essential Albums:

• Detroit City and Other Hits, 1963
  
• 500 Miles Away From Home, 1963
• (Margie’s at) the Lincoln Park Inn, 1969
• This is Bare Country, 1970
• Bobby Bare sings Lullabys, Legends, and Lies, 1973
• Down & Dirty, 1980

Next: #55. Roy Clark

Previous: #57. Kenny Chesney

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List

100 Greatest Men: #59. John Anderson

Sunday, March 18th, 2012

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List

As one of the finest new traditionalists of the eighties and nineties, John Anderson pushed the boundaries of country music without sacrificing its distinctive heritage.

Like many of his contemporaries, Anderson grew up on both country and rock and roll.  He was a teenager when Merle Haggard led him to the genre, and what he heard was enough to motivate him to move to Nashville.  He did construction work around town, including putting the roof on the new Grand Ole Opry in the early seventies.  Over the next few years, he made a name on the club scene, which soon earned him a recording contract with Warner Brothers.

The label patiently worked him as a singles act, and as he gained traction at radio, they released his self-titled debut in 1980.  Its honky-tonk, traditional sound stood in stark contrast to the pop-flavored country that dominated the day.  With his second album, John Anderson 2, he solidified himself as a leader of the nascent new traditionalist movement, covering Lefty Frizzell and Billy Joe Shaver alongside original songs.

Still, it was the pop-flavored “Swingin’” which earned Anderson his greatest notoriety in the eighties.  The million-selling single earned Anderson the CMA award for Single of the Year, and was the peak of his years with Warner Brothers.  By the time he left the label in the late eighties, he’d scored twelve top ten hits.  But despite the fact that the sound he’d brought back to the forefront was all over country radio, he struggled for airplay and the critical acclaim of his early years faded away.

Then, a stunning second act.  Anderson signed with BNA Records in 1991, and staged a major comeback with the #1 hit, “Straight Tequila Night.”  It served as the anchor to the 1992 album Seminole Wind, which earned rave reviews and double-platinum sales.   Anderson was nominated for every major industry award, with the most attention going to the title track,  a poignant environmental plea for the protection of the Florida Everglades.

Anderson maintained momentum with the follow-up album, Solid Ground, which sold gold and included three big hits.  For the rest of the nineties, his success at radio was less consistent, and he scored his last significant chart action with “Somebody Slap Me”, a top thirty hit that was his first release for Mercury Records.

The new millenium brought a well-received collaboration with John Rich, with the resulting album, Easy Money, earning Anderson’s strongest reviews since Seminole Wind.   More recently, Anderson co-wrote Rich’s single, “Shuttin’ Detroit Down.”  In addition to maintaining a hectic touring schedule, Anderson is currently preparing a new studio album, slated to include guest appearances by Haggard and Willie Nelson.

Essential Singles:

• I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Someday), 1981
• Wild and Blue, 1982
• Swingin’, 1983
• Straight Tequila Night, 1991
• Seminole Wind, 1992
• I Wish I Could Have Been There, 1994

Essential Albums:

• John Anderson 2, 1981
• Wild & Blue, 1982
• All the People are Talkin’, 1983
• Seminole Wind, 1992
• Solid Ground, 1993
• Easy Money, 2007

Next: #58. Carl Smith

Previous: #60. Don Gibson

100 Greatest Men: #64. Jerry Reed

Sunday, March 4th, 2012

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List

A first class singer, songwriter, and musician, Jerry Reed’s talents ran far deeper than his tongue-in-cheek persona might have indicated.

Born and raised in Georgia, Reed played guitar from an early age. Music brought him comfort and structure during a childhood of instability. By the time he was out of high school, he was already signed to Capitol Records.   Though he released several singles over the next few years, it was his songwriting and guitar playing that first earned him notice.

Throughout the late fifties and the sixties, his songs were recorded by Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, Johnny Cash, Brenda Lee, and others.  He also became an in-demand session guitarist, with a career highlight being the sessions he played with Presley, who feel in love with Reed when he heard his 1967 single, “Guitar Man.”

A strong working relationship with Chet Atkins led to a contract with RCA and further raised Reed’s profile.  By the late sixties, Reed was getting critical notice for his own records.   He had his big breakthrough in 1970, when “Amos Moses” became a gold-selling pop and country hit.   In 1971, ‘When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” became his first #1 country single and another big pop hit.

Throughout the seventies, Reed matched popular singles and albums with high profile media exposure.  He was a regular on Glen Campbell’s television show, and he appeared in several films.   His greatest notoriety came as Cledus Snow in the wildly popular Smokey and the Bandit film series.   “East Bound and Down” was recorded for the soundtrack of the first film, and became one of his biggest hits.

Reed’s recording career had a second wind when he released the 1982 album The Man with the Golden Thumb.   Often rated as his strongest studio album, it featured the classic hit “She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft).”  Reed quickly followed with the hit album, The Bird.  The title track had him mimicking both George Jones and Willie Nelson, and the album also featured a hit cover of the Creedence Clearwater Revival song, “Down on the Corner.”

The nineties brought a fun collaboration with Mel Tillis, Bobby Bare, and Waylon Jennings, a live album dubbed Old Dogs.   Reed also starred as the coach in the box office smash, The Waterboy.    Illness sidelined him as he aged, and he passed away in 2008 due to complications caused by emphyzema.

Essential Singles:

• Guitar Man, 1967
• Amos Moses, 1970
• When You’re Hot, You’re Hot, 1971
• Lord, Mr. Ford, 1973
• East Bound and Down, 1977
• She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft), 1982

Essential Albums:

• The Unbelievable Guitar and Voice of Jerry Reed, 1967
  
• Nashville Underground, 1968
• Me & Chet (with Chet Atkins), 1972
• Lord Mr. Ford, 1973
• The Man with the Golden Thumb, 1982

Next: #63. Clint Black

Previous: #65. Asleep at the Wheel

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List

100 Greatest Men: #65. Asleep at the Wheel

Saturday, March 3rd, 2012

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List

It’s an old saying that Ray Benson most certainly would agree with: “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.”

Asleep at the Wheel has undergone many lineup changes since it was formed in 1970 by Benson, Lucky Oceans, and Leroy Preston.  They were joined shortly thereafter by Chris O’Connell, a female singer.  They started out as a country band, but their sound was forever changed by Merle Haggard’s tribute album to Bob Wills.  Since hearing that seminal album, they’ve been devoted to both the preservation and development of Western Swing.

Their debut album was released in 1973 by United Artists, but the band laid down roots in 1974 when they moved to Austin, Texas.  They recorded for a variety of major labels in the seventies and eighties, and had significant commercial success with four albums for Capitol.  The band became widely known for their outstanding live performances, and scored a few hits at country radio, too.

Early on in the band’s run, the lineup began to change, which has become a trademark of the band that has aided its incredible longevity.  The one constant has always been frontman Ray Benson, who has kept the band relevant through bringing in new talent regularly and through creative collaborations with other artists.  They’ve won a remarkable eight Grammy awards, including six for Best Country Instrumental Performance.

Their commitment to preserving the legacy of Bob Wills resulted in two widely hailed and warmly embraced tribute albums: 1993′s A Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, and 1999′s Ride with Bob.  The former earned a CMA nomination for Album of the Year, and the latter brought the band back to the country singles chart, thanks to unsolicited airplay for “Roly Poly”, a duet with the Dixie Chicks.

To celebrate Wills’ centennial, Benson starred in a touring musical called A Ride with Bob, where he played himself touring the life of Wills as his band plays along. The show received rave reviews, and one show was even attended by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

In 2009, almost three decades after the band first formed, they had the highest-charting album of their career with Willie and the Wheel, a collaboration with fellow Austin icon Willie Nelson.

Essential Singles:

• Choo Choo Ch’Boogie, 1973
• The Letter that Johnny Walker Read, 1975
• Route 66, 1976
• House of Blue Lights, 1987
• Red Wing, 1993

Essential Albums:

• Comin’ Right at Ya, 1973
• Texas Gold, 1975
• Asleep at the Wheel, 1985
• Ten, 1987
• A Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, 1993
  
• Willie and the Wheel (with Willie Nelson), 2009

Next: #64. Jerry Reed

Previous: #66. David Houston

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List

100 Greatest Men: #71. Johnny Paycheck

Friday, February 24th, 2012

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List

For casual fans of country music, Johnny Paycheck was a one-hit wonder who spent a good chunk of his life in jail.  For those who know better, he was the greatest of the Outlaw singers and the definitive honky-tonk voice of his time.

Born Donald Lytle in Ohio, he performed from age nine, and after a stint in the Navy, he pursued music full-time.  He quickly became known as a songwriter of high caliber and an in-demand tenor singer.   He toured with Ray Price and Willie Nelson, and was a major influence on George Jones as he was developing his signature style.

After scoring a minor hit under the name Danny Young, he adopted the stage name Johnny Paycheck.   Recording for Little Darlin’ in the late sixties, he made a series of crucial, hardcore country albums that stood in sharp contrast to the slicker Nashville sound recordings of the day.  While this wasn’t his most commercially successful work, the Little Darlin’ sessions are arguably the most significant traditional country recordings of the sixties, and laid the groundwork for the Outlaw movement that would follow the next decade.

Switching over to Epic, Paycheck found success at both radio and retail throughout the seventies.  While not a chart-topper, he regularly sent records to the top forty.  In the latter half of the decade, he broke through in a huge way, thanks to his signature song and only #1 hit: “Take This Job and Shove it.”   It became a working man’s anthem, and much like Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.”, its anthemic chorus led people to miss the actual content of the verses, as Paycheck never actually says the title to his boss.  It’s the inner rage of a man trapped at a job he’d like to quit.

Paycheck recorded a few more great albums and a handful of hit singles until 1985, when he was convicted of shooting and killing a man in a bar.  The subsequent appeals process distracted from his music, and he ended up serving a 22-month jail term.  He was later pardoned by the governor of Ohio.

Though he performed throughout the nineties, chronic illness limited his appearances by the turn of the century.  Paycheck died in 2003, and his friend and colleague George Jones absorbed the costs of his funeral and burial.

Essential Singles:

• Motel Time Again, 1966
• She’s All I Got, 1971
• Someone to Give My Love To, 1972
• Slide Off Your Satin Sheets, 1977
• Take This Job and Shove It, 1977
• Friend, Lover, Wife, 1978

Essential Albums:

• The Lovin’ Machine, 1966
• She’s All I Got, 1971
• 11 Months and 29 Days, 1976
• Slide Off Your Satin Sheets, 1977
  
• Mr. Hag Told My Story, 1981
• Modern Times, 1987

Next: #70. Ferlin Husky

Previous: #72. Vern Gosdin

100 Greatest Men: The Complete List