The Music That Built Me, Volume 19 - Something Special, Indeed!

You know that old saying about Lays’ Potato Chips, and not being able to eat just one? Well, you could make the same argument about the music of the artist that will be featured on the October 7 edition of “Crazy Chucky’s Country Classic Corner.” His name is George Strait.

His first album, Strait Country, was released just a few months after the inauguration of Ronald Reagan. On the disc, Strait alludes to the success of “Dallas,” the number one show on television on “Friday Night Fever.” So, it’s been a while. Since then, the Texan has released twenty-eight additional studio albums – most recently Cold Beer Conversation, which hit stores last week. Among his fans, there has been an ongoing debate – which album is his best?

Just like with Lays, it’s hard to pick just one. I think you could take 29 fans and get 29 different answers. Arguments could be made for Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, Ocean Front Property, Easy Come, Easy Go, or It Just Comes Natural. Then, of course, there’s Right Or Wrong, Number Seven, Carrying Your Love With Me, or Troubadour. As for me, it’s a tough question – one that I don’t have the answer….But, as part of “The Music That Built Me” series, I do have to pick one….so…we’ll go with something special. No, seriously. Something Special.

His fifth studio disc, released in 1985, contained two number one singles – the title cut and “The Chair.” The latter has endured as one of his most popular songs of all time, likely influencing more than a few pick-up lines along the way. But, as great as those songs were, there some equally brilliant moments on the album.

“Last Time The First Time” and “Dance Time In Texas” both had that classic swing style that was so much a part of his sound back in the 80s, “Lefty’s Gone” was a bittersweet remembrance of a country legend, and “Haven’t You Heard” still stands as one of his all-time strongest performances.

Join me on Wednesday, October 7, as we shine the spotlight on Something Special. As always, the show is brought to you by Tennessee Properties.

Oops….I forgot Beyond The Blue Neon!

The Music That Built Me, Volume 18 - Final Touches from a Country Legend

Saturday, June 5, 1993.

That’s a day that I will remember in my career for as long as I live. I had just gotten to WDKN for my marathon 9am-10pm shift on Saturday. I was sitting and talking with Joe Webster, who was on the air before me, when I answered the phone. The call was from a listener, who was inquiring about the death of Conway Twitty.

It was early still, and I guess I was pretty groggy. Conway Twitty dead? It didn’t seem fathomable. Jones? Haggard? Jennings, perhaps? With everything that those three legends had been through, hearing of their passing – while definitely a tragedy – wouldn’t have been too unexpected. But, Conway Twitty? He seemed to be in great health, really didn’t have his demons as some of the other performers of his time did, and the man was still having hit records. “She’s Got A Man On Her Mind” was a top-30 record in 1991, and he had just hit number one that same year with “I Couldn’t See You Leavin,” so though the industry was changing fast…..he was still very much a contemporary artist.

So, I started digging around a bit. Now, this was before internet, and at the age of 19, I really didn’t have any contacts I could call – so I went to the well of country music knowledge as I knew – and still know it – WSM Radio. I tuned into Kyle Cantrell’s weekly oldies show, and found out that it was indeed true. Conway had passed away that morning at the age of 59.

Because of the programming of WDKN at the time – 9am was “The Medical Hour,” 10am was “Swap and Shop,” and 11am was “Dot and Dusty,” I didn’t break the news on air until noon, and began playing a lot of his music that afternoon. It was my first instance with changing programming due to an artists’ passing. Now, let me say…I had played his music before. I wasn’t someone who all of a sudden became a fan of someone after their death. I remember my Sunday School teacher, Miss Pearl Johnson, asking me what I wanted for Christmas one year growing up – Burns was a small congregation, so individualism was a little more possible! – and I told her The Best of Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. Sure, enough…I got it….though, I am pretty sure that “Lead Me On” wasn’t in the Sacred Selections from the Church hymnal.

As the news organizations began to pick up the story, it was reported that Twitty had just finished an album for MCA. Don Cook, who was red-hot at the time due to his success with Brooks and Dunn, produced the album – which was moved up on the release schedule to August.

That album was titled Final Touches. I think sometimes when a public figure leaves us, there is a tendency to sentimental-ize their last work, and think of it as among their best – simply due to the timing. But, with this album, it wasn’t quite that way. Cook had taken the Twitty formula and made a great record. Not that his sound was dated in any way, but there is no doubt in my mind that had he been around to promote it, he could have had some major hits here. The title track and “An Old Memory Like Me,” ironic titles notwithstanding, were flawless performances, and cuts like “Two Timin’ Two Stepper” and “You Oughta Try It Sometime” were as fresh and as hip as anything on the radio at that time. Perhaps the best song on the album was “I Don’t Love You,” which was a masterpiece of a song – on par with anything he ever recorded – layered with a huge contradiction of sorts.

The release of Final Touches kind of came and went. I never really understood why there wasn’t that deep of a push on the record at the time. The battle for his estate – which in my opinion, slowed the promotion of his legacy – hadn’t even started yet, so there was no reason for it. But, as an album – I don’t know if Twitty did one better. Tune in on “Crazy Chucky’s Country Classic Corner” on Wednesday, September 30 – as we look back at this underrated album and tip our hat to “The Best Friend A Song Ever Had.” Show time is 1pm, and the program is brought to you by Tennessee Properties.

The Music That Built Me, Volume 17: The Key

If there was ever a Country performer who made it simply look easy, it would undoubtedly have to be Vince Gill. He can sing, pick, and write with such an ease that you simply have to stand back in amazement. I have been a Gill fan for a long time, and the record that made me that way was one of his early cuts for RCA – “Let’s Do Something.” I don’t think it was a top ten hit, but it had such a swagger that he pulled off so well – and a pretty good harmony singer named Raitt.

A few years later, Gill hit the big time by switching to MCA and releasing a record that has become a standard – “When I Call Your Name.” The album of the same title remains one of my favorites. That song propelled him to the A-List, where he stayed throughout the 1990s. Whether it was an uptempo song like “What The Cowgirls Do” or a beautiful ballad like “Go Rest High On That Mountain,” Gill touched the masses with his music – earning fans around the world with his heartfelt approach.

I loved the When I Call Your Name album. I likewise loved the These Days box set, and when I want to hear true greatness….I listen to his collaboration with Paul Franklin titled Bakersfield. It might be my favorite album of this century – so far. But, none of those albums are what I am going to be featuring on the September 23 edition of “Crazy Chucky’s Country Classic Corner.” That distinction belongs to 1998’s The Key.

At the time of its’ release, Country Music was going through yet another identity change. Many were lamenting about the influx of more pop-laden sounds as being the norm inside the genre. (Sound familiar?) In the middle of his peak years at radio – Gill turned away from a contemporary sound, and made an album that showcased exactly what made Country Music classic in the first place.

I remember being in radio when the first single “If You Ever Have Forever In Mind” was released. It was so different from anything out there. Pretend that Owen or Chet left the tape machine running on Patsy Cline or Jim Reeves, respectively, and you get the idea. It was such a beautiful and expressive tip of the hat to the “Nashville Sound,” And, it only got better. “My Kind of Woman, My Kind of Man,” a duet with Patty Loveless was a throwback to the days of Porter and Dolly, “I Never Really Knew You” a pre-Bakersfield nod to the Buckaroos (featuring some piercing harmonies from Sara Evans), and “Let Her In,” which I think is one of the best compositions of his career.

The Key was an album that Country Music needed at the time of its’ release. It was a reminder of what made the format – and its’ songs so great – from a man who might very well be the best singer we’ve ever had in the format. The Key will be the featured album on “Crazy Chucky’s Country Classic Corner” on September 23 from 1-3pm on WNKX 96.7 FM in Centerville. The show is brought to you by Tennessee Properties.