This
week has been one of reflection for me in a lot of ways. After
debating it for a while, I decided to sign up for a membership of
Amazon Music this week. After a few days, I can tell you that it’s
$7.99 that I don’t think I will regret spending for a while. For a
fan of music, it’s like being a kid in a candy store – without
having to worry about where you store the CD’s. (Yes, I am still
old-school in how I listen to music.) I have been typing every name
into the search engine I can – from iconic legends to one or
two-hit wonders – and have only stumped it once! (Thankfully,
YouTube satisfied my need to hear “Kissing The Wind” by
singer-actress Nia Peeples. Don’t ask!) I am late to the party on
tech stuff. I was recently given an Amazon Echo, and while I haven’t
done anything with it yet – it is at least out of the box. Learning
new technology scares me! But, I will say that I am a very satisfied
customer! I still will likely buy music or need CD’s for radio
purposes, but it’s a very cool thing!
Of
course, Amazon Music made headlines last year when it announced that
it would be the digital home for Garth Brooks. So, naturally –
Garth was one of the first names I looked up while walking around the
trail in Centerville. I wasn’t quite prepared for the emotions that
I felt. As someone who has been in this business for a long time –
1991 – it’s easy to forget that long before I was doing this for
a living, I was – and still am – a fan. Just like with the music
of Taylor Swift and today’s generation, there was NO bigger event
in the 1990s than a Garth Brooks release day. During my WDKN days, we
even did a lunchtime remote at Walmart when his 1998 The Limited
Series box set was released. Even last year, when he released a
box set through Target, I drove from Centerville to Spring Hill at
7am in the morning to be there when the store opened at 8. His music
served as much of the soundtrack to my 1990s, a fact that is easy to
forget because so much is made of his overwhelming Soundscan numbers.
Simply put, his music was that good – and then some.
If
there is any album that means more to me than any other Brooks disc,
it would have to be Ropin’ The Wind. Released in 1991, this
album was a very important one in my music history. I remember during
Homecoming week 1991 – my Senior Year at Dickson County High, if
you walked around the parking lot on Cougar Hill, you would hear
album cuts such as “Cold Shoulder,” “Burning Bridges” and the
western epic “In Lonesome Dove.” The students who were staying
late that week working on floats were not just listening to the hits
from the album on the radio. They had the tape in their decks. That
was a big moment for me, as you were looked down upon for being a
Country Music fan back then. And, by our senior year, the theme of
the Homecoming Pep Rally for our class was the CMA…..standing for
the Cougar Music Awards. Between that and the arrival of a new
classmate from Texas named John Rich, you weren’t made fun of by
the Gooch Brothers (they did that to everyone….probably even each
other!) or told you were going to Hell by “Jesus” for listening
to anything other than Christian Music. (An inside thing for members
of the Class of ‘92). It was a great moment in time.
But,
more importantly, that album was about the music. Songs like “Rodeo,”
“Shameless,” and “The River” just seemed to sound bigger than
anything else that had been out to that point….and then, there was
“What She’s Doin’ Now.” While the song does bring someone to
mind – someone who has done very well with her life, and always
treated me with respect – that’s not that important. The song was
– and is – one that I would put with any song from any decade as
far as emotional vulnerability and performance. It ranks in my Top
Five favorite songs of all time, and will always do so. Though it’s
been twenty-six years since the album was originally released, and
I’ve played music from it countless times since then, hearing it
again through the ears of a fan was something that shook me up this
afternoon. It made me grateful for the music that affected me – and
the life that I’ve been blessed enough to live. That seventeen-year
old kid who was so awkward about everything back then – and now, to
a large degree – has had the chance to meet Garth a couple times
before. One day, I would love to tell him how much that music –
that album in particular – has meant to me. Some people think of
music as a disposable item. Thank God that for me, it matters as much
now as it did when I attended my first Fan Fair in 1987, when Ropin’
The Wind came out in September 1991, or now.
And,
that leads me to now. Sometime this week, I will have passed my
1,500th article for Billboard. Ironically, this milestone
takes place six years to the week of my first one. I am humbled and
honored to still get to do what I love at the level I do it at.
That’s not being cocky or arrogant. I can’t do anything else.
Music – though I’ve never played it – is my life, my passion,
my friend, and stirs my soul like nothing else. With that being said,
I do feel the need to acknowledge a few people who have been
instrumental in the past six years!
Beville
Dunkerley – My career would probably have never gotten off the
ground were it not for you. You have my respect and my friendship –
and my appreciation.
Tye
Comer – Thank God I didn’t delete the email that you sent me six
years ago, thinking it was nothing more than a marketing email. Your
belief in me has been one of my greatest blessings.
Marc
Schneider – My first supervising editor. You showed me the ropes,
and from you I learned so much – such as the art of spacing your
articles out. Thank you. I’m glad our paths cross from time to time
at .Biz
Serena
Kappes – In maybe the most challenging time of my six years, you
challenged me as no one ever before. I mean that in a good way.
Through you, I learned about going deeper than the talk points or the
new album. I appreciate you.
Joe
Lynch – In the past year, you have given me an abundance of freedom
and confidence to sometimes delve outside of the Top 40. I credit my
pieces on Bobby Osborne and Jon Walmsley to your belief and
confidence in me. I hope I never let you down!
Matt
Medved – Thank you so much for your belief in me, and all of the
opportunities as of late. I don’t take them for granted! Here’s
to more!
Taylor
Weatherby – I can’t say that I know you that well – yet. But, I
appreciate working with you, and your passion for Country Music. I
know the feeling!
Thom
Duffy – Though I don’t get to work with you on a daily basis, you
have always been in my corner, and I appreciate you using me from
time to time on special projects. You are class personified, and I
respect you immensely.
Here’s
to the next 1,500! I’ll keep those pitches coming!
