Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Countdown Part III: Songs 476-485

Another week has passed and we are back with another installment of BORN Country's Top 505 Country Singles of the 90's! While I stated at the beginning that these songs aren't exactly in an order from favorite to least favorite, there will definitely be more well known songs the further we get down to it. I have also decided that the last 50 spots WILL be reserved for my absolute favorites of the decade, so that will be exciting!... In about a year! haha.

Here we go! Another 10 from the list! As always, comment below, follow the blog, share it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other way that you can think of! Help get the word out to other readers! Enjoy!

BORN Country's Top 505 Country Singles Of the 1990's!!!

485. Aaron Tippin - Working Man's PH.D
Album: Call Of The Wild
Year: 1993

During every one of his live shows (Non-acoustic), Tippin puts together a bicycle, piece by piece, on stage while performing this song in order to donate it to Toys For Tots. Although he has long lost count, his bike donation count is long past the 1,000 gift point. Very cool!



484. Lorrie Morgan - Watch Me
Album: Watch Me
Year: 1992

Lorrie Morgan had a steady run of hits throughout the 90's. Morgan was married to late country legend, Keith Whitley until his tragic passing. They're son, Jesse Keith Whitley is currently recording and attempting to break into the country music scene.

 

483. Doug Stone - Born In The Dark
Album: Faith In Me, Faith In You
Year: 1995

Shortly after Stone's #12 charting single, he suffered a nearly fatal heart attack in 1995, follow by a mild stroke in 1996. Despite few attempts since, battles with his personal life have kept him from much touring or recording since.



482. Sammy Kershaw - She Don't Know She's Beautiful
Album: Haunted Heart
Year: 1993

Despite hitting the Top 40 Country Billboard chart 23 times throughout the 90's, this is Kershaw's only #1 song in his career. However, this will NOT be the only time we see Sammy on this list!



481. Brooks & Dunn - A Man This Lonely
Album: Borderline
Year: 1996

I've stated elsewhere numerous times that Ronnie Dunn possesses the best voice in country music history. This song right here, is a prime example.



480. Pam Tillis - Shake The Sugar Tree
Album: Homeward Looking Angel
Year: 1992

Daughter of country legend Mel Tillis, Pam is another artist on this list with only one #1 single, despite having released a handful of successful singles. This song went to #3 though, being one of her most successful radio hits.



479. Dixie Chicks - I Can Love You Better
Album: Wide Open Spaces
Year: 1997

Dixie Chicks hit country radio strongly with their very first single in 1997. "Better" went to #7 on the Hot Country Billboard charts. The Chicks would go on to release 6 more singles in the 90's, which all would top their debut song.

 

478. Marty Stuart - Tempted
Album: Tempted
Year: 1992

Marty Stuart is a top contender on my "To see perform live" bucket list. Amy and I missed him by only one day during our trip to Nashville this past January, at the Opry. We plan on another trip down there soon, so we'll have to plan accordingly!



477. George Strait - So Much Like My Dad
Album: Holding My Own
Year: 1992

George Strait took the 2nd single from "Holding My Own" to #3 on the Billboard Hot Singles chart in 1992. Even when a song is this good, I suppose they can't ALL be #1's!



476. Chris LeDoux - Life Is A Highway
Album: One Road Man
Year: 1999

If you missed my post the other night, this past Monday was the 10 year mark since the sad passing of country and rodeo legend, Chris LeDoux. As the majority of his radio releases failed to reach even the top 40, this one was no different, topping out at #64. Despite chart performance, LeDoux's version of this Tom Cochrane hit is INFINITELY superior to the dreadful cover by Rascal Flatts in 2006.




There you have it! 30 songs into the list! I sure hope everyone is having as much fun reading about and revisiting the songs on this list as I am!

I have a pretty wild work schedule this week, so hopefully I will get to put in another mid week blog entry before the next edition of the countdown. Amy and I will be seeing another 90's country legend in concert NEXT week, so I can't wait to tell everyone about that one! HUGE bucket list concert!

As always, I thank you for reading and hope you will comment below and of course share the blog on all social media outlets! Help me get this blog out there, please! My Twitter and Instagram handles are below, so follow me there as well! Once again, thanks for reading and I hope to see you again next Sunday!!!

-Arthur Born
Twitter: @arthurborn
Instagram: @arthur214
#iwasBORNcountry

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Chris LeDoux, The Dixie Chicks, Billy Dean

It's a little later than I planned, but as I promised yesterday on social media, I'm back with a mid(ish) week blog entry!!! I'm just looking to cover a few topics relevant to the week and country music, this evening. Don't forget, this Sunday with feature another 10 songs on my list of the top 505 songs in country music from the 90's!!!

This past Monday, March 9th, marked 10 years since the unfortunate passing of rodeo and country music legend, Chris LeDoux. Some of you reading this may not be familiar with this man's work, but you should absolutely look into changing that. After winning many prizes in rodeo, LeDoux retired from the sport in 1980 to focus on his music career. Between 1971 and 1990, he wrote, recorded and sold his own music, completely independent from any label or marketing! He sold his records out of the back of his truck at rodeos and concerts! Incredible!

After mention in Garth Brooks' first single "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" LeDoux finally decided to take advantage and sign to a major label. While seeing very little radio support throughout the 90s, Chris continued producing music with 9 more studio albums before his passing in 2005 with Cholangiocarcinoma at the age of 56.

In 2005, Garth Brooks briefly came out of retirement to release a tribute song to his long time friend, "Good Ride Cowboy". As I said before, if you are unfamiliar with LeDoux's music, check it out. You will not regret it. A few songs will be popping up in the 90's countdown!!!


* 2 years and a day short of LeDoux's passing marks another memorable date in country music history. On the first date of their Top Of The World Tour, The Dixie Chicks were set to perform their hit, "Travelin' Soldier" in London, England. Lead vocalist, Natalie Maines stepped up to the microphone, and as most know, notoriously stated the following:

"Just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas."

This statement lead to many fans turning away from the Chicks and the majority of the nation's radio stations followed suit. I've always been a fan of the Dixie Chicks and still enjoy their music today. I'm certainly not here to make political posts, but I hadn't realized that it had been 12 years since the now famous incident. I do wish the Chicks were able to make a comeback, as I believe country music NEEDS strong female acts, but it seems to be a case in which we will not see in a long time, if ever.


* On a lighter note, last weekend, Amy and I had the chance to see 90's country star Billy Dean perform at Keystone Elementary School in Lagrange, OH. The concert was held in charity to raise money for the local fire department. Billy played the majority of his hits throughout his acoustic set, including "We Just Disagree","If There Hadn't Been You", my favorite, "Billy The Kid" and many more. we lucked out with a last minute meet & greet with Billy before he went on. Despite being a bit rushed due to his needing to take stage, he came off as a very polite and kind guy. I would definitely see him perform again! This event takes place every year, and somehow I've been sleeping on it big time. Previous performers included Shenandoah, "Little" Jimmy Dickens, Collin Raye, Doug Stone and many others! 


That about wraps it up for me tonight! I'm still working on the 10 songs for Sunday's 505 post, so stay tuned for that! Please comment below! Who remembers Chris LeDoux? Thoughts on the Dixie Chicks? Share, follow, Tweet, reblog, etc. and please help get BORN COUNTRY out to those who will enjoy it!!! I'm working on more features for the future along with the countdown of my 505 Favorite Country Singles of the 90s! 

Thanks for reading!

-Arthur Born
Twitter: @arthurborn
Instagram: @arthur214
#iwasBORNcountry







Sunday, March 1, 2015

The Countdown Begins!

It's finally time! As promised, today's entry marks the beginning on my countdown of the 505 best country singles of the 90's! I decided to bump it up 5 extra songs just in the case that I missed something while making my list!

Originally, I intended for this list to be in order from my favorite to least favorite of the songs I chose.  However, after months of attempting to find an order than I felt content with, I decided that instead, I would choose 10 songs a week at random and post them. I think this will also allow me to bring everyone a more solid list each week, featuring a mix big hits and more obscure songs.

Before we start, here are the rules I gave myself when picking songs:

1.They must have been a single released to radio. If this rule wasn't set into place, the list would only have room for Garth, Alan Jackson, George Strait and Brooks & Dunn. As great as that would be, that's not the idea here!

2. All songs must have been released to radio between January of 1990 and December of 1999. Obviously. Some songs may have been released on earlier or later albums, but as long as they hit the airwaves between the dates, they are fair game.


So, we might as well dive right in and get this list going! Please comment below! Let me know what songs you remember, love or hate, never heard of, whatever it is! Don't forget to follow the blog and find me on Twitter!

BORN Country's Top 505 Country Singles Of the 1990's!!!

505. Diamond Rio - This Romeo Ain't Got Julie Yet
Album: Close To The Edge
Year: 1993

The video for this song by one of the 90's greatest country bands has got it all. Huge feathered hair, key-tars, sparkly clothing, etc. "Romeo" reached #13 on the Billboard Country Charts.



504. John Anderson - I Fell In The Water
Album: Solid Ground
Year: 1993

John Anderson, probably best known for his huge success with "Swingin'" in 1982, found a touch of radio success in the early 90's. While "Water" climbed up to #13 on the Billboard Country charts, Anderson was only able to pass that point again 2 more times in his long career.



503. Alan Jackson - There Goes
Album: Everything I Love
Year: 1997

I'll throw this out here: Alan Jackson is my all-time favorite artist of any genre. You will be seeing a lot of his songs on this list. "There Goes" THAT. 



502. David Kersh - If I Never Stop Loving You
Album: If I Never Stop Loving You
Year: 1997

This is a perfect example of "How did this guy not blow up?!" I think this is such a solid song and is s strong representation of what radio country should sound like. Unfortunately, after this single hit #3 on the Billboard Chart, Kersh never broke the Top 20 again despite being active in the industry until 2005.



501. Tim McGraw - Can't Be Really Gone
Album: All I Want
Year: 1995

Slowing it down a bit, we come up on one of the MEGA stars of country music. Although McGraw hasn't been doing much for me with his output over the last few years, his 2014 duet with wife Faith Hill, "Meanwhile Back At Mama's" was easily one of the best songs of the year. "Gone" peaked at #2 on the Billboard Charts.



500. Faith Hill - This Kiss
Album: Faith
Year: 1998

Speaking of Faith Hill, why not? The best memory that I have connected to this song, is when my dear friend Laurel sang it at the 8th grade talent show waaay back in 1998. While there was not instrumental version available and you could barely hear her singing along, it may be the only time I've ever experienced Laurel singing along to a country song, ha! "Kiss" reached #1 on the Country Charts and even hitting the Top 10 on the Hot 100 Chart, covering all genres. The video though... Real weird.



499. Mark Collie - Even The Man In The Moon Is Crying
Album: Mark Collie
Year: 1992

I'll admit, that I don't know much of Mark Collie's career, almost at all. Despite still being active in the country music industry, this was one of only two singles of his that hit the Top 10 on the Billboard Country Chart. I remember hearing this song on my AM/FM alarm clock at night, fairly often, but that is the extent of his career that I am familiar with.



498. Joe Diffie - Texas Sized Heartache
Album: Greatest Hits
Year: 1998

Man, what a talent. While Joe Diffie was huge in 90's, he should've been even bigger and still huge today. No, he's older and he doesn't LOOK like the guys who survived into present day country music like McGraw and Chesney, but he sure deserves more credit than mention in a Jason Aldean track. I thought for sure that Aldean's "1994" would blast Diffie back into the spotlight, as least for one single, but, nothin. Amy and I did get to see Diffie perform with Mark Chestnutt in late 2014, and he was awesome! Great to see these guys still chugging along despite getting no love from country radio.



497. Billy Ray Cyrus - Busy Man
Album: Shot Full Of Love
Year: 1998

Okay, I have a theory about Billy Ray's career, but I'm not going to talk about that quite yet. I believe the guy had some strong talent and got swallowed by his own success. We'll touch base on this later.



496. George Strait - If I Know Me
Album: Chill Of An Early Fall
Year: 1991

King George. While Alan Jackson is indeed my all-time favorite, George Strait has hands down shown the strongest longevity in country music possibly in the history of the genre. Strait has always been on the radio, and along with his newer recordings, he is one of the very, very few artists who still has his older catalogue titles getting airtime. Legendary.




Well, there we have it! 10 songs down and 495 left to go! The list will continue next Sunday. Please, please comment below, follow the Blog here on Blogger. Share iwasBORNcountry.blogspot.com on Twitter and Facebook! Let me know below what you like and dislike about the list!

I can't wait for feedback! Thanks for reading! Another general blog will be coming in a couple days! Thanks!

-Arthur Born
Twitter: @arthurborn
Instagram: @arthur214

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Record Convention, Neal McCoy, 90's Country/a.k.a. "Old Shit"

Hello again! I meant to get this thing rolling much earlier today, but I just woke up from a long Coricidin induced slumber as I'm dealing with a little bit of a bug this weekend. However, I didn't want to disappoint anyone by missing my second post as I planned it! I'm just going to touch on a few things, then its back to bed for me.

- This morning, despite feeling ill, I went to the Northeast Ohio Record/CD Convention in Fairview Park, OH with a few friends this morning. While they didn't find much, and a lot of stuff was overpriced, I scored some pretty great classic country deals on vinyl! Loretta Lynn, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Flatts & Scruggs, Kris Kristofferson, Charlie Daniels Band and, what I am most excited about, a copy of Waylon Jennings: Honky Tonk Heroes! 8 solid records for around $20.



- Last Saturday, in celebration of my 31st birthday, Amy took me to see 90's country superstar, Neal McCoy at the Dusty Armadillo down in Rootstown, OH. Via Twitter, the manager of the venue hooked us up with some meet and greet passes. Despite it typically a 90 minute or so drive, due to the crazy snow we have been getting up here, it took nearly 3 hours! We arrived just in time to meet Neal before he went on stage, and he was awesome! I brought along a copy of his CD "You Gotta Love That" from 1995 for him to sign. I could see that he was happy to see it as he signed the cover. Neal said "Daaaang boy, that right there is some old shit! You have good taste!" I told him that I've been listening to his music for many, many years. "You'd have to be, cuz, boy, this is some old shit! Then again, all of our shit is old." He had a good laugh about that one, ha! 

After our photo, he asked us where we were from and thanked us for coming out. As we were leaving the tent, he said "Hey! Let me know when the wedding is!" Ha! I responded, "Will do!"



- Next, the "project" that I mentioned in my first blog last week: This past Christmas marked 20 years since the day I received my first CD player/stereo and CD from my parents. It was a Sony bookshelf stereo (with remote!) and Garth Brooks - The Hits. I had loved listening to country music on my AM/FM alarm clock every night before bed, but this changed the game completely. I joined Columbia House and BMG multiple times over (Yes, at 10 years old) and CDs came pouring in. Brooks & Dunn, George Strait, Alan Jackson, everything! 

I only really knew the music that played on the radio. To this day, 90's country music is still my absolute favorite. Yeah, the 70s had Waylon & Willie, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, etc., but we are talking Little Texas, David Lee Murphy, Shenandoah, Sawyer Brown! 

"Who?" some of you are maybe asking. Or, some of you may be thinking, "I loved those guys!" Well, I have done a lot of digging and even more listening over the past few months and while its not completely finished, I have compiled the 500 BEST country radio singles from 1990-1999!!! Each week, I will share a handful of songs, some well known and some long forgotten, and hope to bring back memories or bring lesser known artists to your attention for the first time! A lot of these guys and gals are still going, recording and touring, despite lack of radio support. I hope to get it started by next Sunday's post, so stay tuned!

- Now, I'm going to live up to the mostly untrue classification of country fans, and watch WWE's Fastlane Pay-per-view in bed, while I snack on some treats that Amy dropped off while I was in my Coricidin coma. 

Please leave comments, share the blog and keep an eye out for another post around mid-week!




-Arthur Born
Twitter: @arthurborn
Instsgram: @arthur214
#iwasBORNcountry

Thursday, February 19, 2015

"I was BORN country!"

Welcome!

Being that you are here reading the very first post on this new blog, it's probably safe to bet that you know me personally. For those few that do not, I will start with a little intro.

My name is Arthur Born (See what I did with the blog title there?) Other than minor stints in NYC and Los Angeles, I have spent the majority of my life here in the northern farming region of Ohio. I grew up in 4H, raising cattle for the county fair, playing on my uncles' farms, riding dirt bikes and 4 wheelers, etc. The typical farm kid stuff.

One thing that has pretty much been a constant as far back that I can remember, is country music. My parents never played it at home much that I can recall, as they grew up on the classic rock of the 70's, but somehow, I found myself gravitating towards it.

Recently, I decided that I wanted to start writing again after I dumped the hobby around 2009. What better topic I thought, than the music I love and listen to everyday? Sure, there are probably thousands of blogs on the same topic, but this would be MINE. I won't pretend that I know what I'm talking about from the technical side of music, but I will write about the things I like and don't like. Will we agree? Not likely all of the time, but I feel like I have a pretty good way of looking at the genre.

I'm planning on starting with one or two posts a week, as i don't want to get myself too jammed up right at the start. More than likely, I'll be posting on Sundays and another day. This coming Sunday, I will write about the Neal McCoy show (Incredible!) I attended this past weekend at the Dusty Armadillo in Rootstown, OH for my 31st birthday with my girlfriend Amy. ALSO, I have a huge project I have been working on for a few months that I'm excited to share here.

I don't know much about this blogging stuff, HTML, etc, but I'll try to spruce the thing up as i learn. Bear with me!



-Arthur Born
Twitter @arthurborn
Instagram @arthur214
#iwasborncountry