What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 9, 2012: Hear Ronnie Dunn in Tulsa or Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights in Oklahoma City
Ronnie Dunn
Today’s featured events:
CATOOSA – Hear country music star and former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn play at 8 tonight at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, 777 W Cherokee.
“Tulsa is a great music town – and it was a crazy town in the day,” said Dunn in the concert announcement. “So Tulsa was this crazy mix-match of music styles at the time, and it was all there and very much alive. Live music was really important, and the club scene there was hot.
“So for someone like me, it was the perfect place to learn your chops.”
Dunn cites all the musicians who lived in Tulsa in the late ‘70s, including Leon Russell and Eric Clapton, as an inspiration to launch his career in northeast Oklahoma.
After following Tulsa drummer Jamie Oldaker to Nashville, Tenn., Dunn submitted a demo that won the Marlboro Country Music Contest, which set in motion the events that led to the formation of Brooks & Dunn. Included on the demo were the future hits “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and “Neon Moon.”
During his 20-year run as half of Brooks & Dunn, Dunn and musical partner Kix Brooks sold more than 30 million albums, charted 20 No. 1 singles, earned 27 Academy of Country Music awards, 17 Country Music Association awards and two Grammys. The collection of ACM and CMA awards are the most for any act in country music history.
Last June, Dunn, an Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame member, released his self-titled solo debut. The album peaked at No. 1 on the country charts and features the singles “Bleed Red” and “Cost of Livin’.”
For more information, go to www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com.
Since the Dunn show is sold out, here is another featured event:
Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights
Hear Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights at 7 tonight at the Conservatory, 8911 N Western.
In April 2010, the Dallas-based rock band released its major-label debut album “Pardon Me,” a collection of genuine throwback, blues-based rock ‘n’ roll reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Lenny Kravitz.
Since, the Northern Lights have made their late-night TV debut on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” performed at the Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits festivals, headlined Relix magazine’s party at the South By Southwest Festival and covered Zeppelin’s “Bring It on Home” for Revolver, one of several magazines to feature the band.
The Northern Lights also have beamed onto television as shows like “Friday Night Lights,” “Criminal Minds,” “CSI: Miami” and “Boardwalk Empire” have featured their music.
For more information, go to www.conservatoryokc.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Ronnie Dunn “Let the Cowboy Rock”
Country music star and former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn has released the video for his song, “Let the Cowboy Rock,” the raucous anthem from his 2011 self-titled solo debut album.
The video features Blake Knowles, a pro steer wrestler who is ranked 10th in the world. The crew shot most of the video in Pendleton, Ore., to capture the true cowboy culture.
They production also shot scenes in Oregon, too, at Crabby’s Underground Saloon, and some at the Stage in Nashville. But some of the best scenes are the ones that bookend the video — of Dunn walking through the desert with his guitar in his hand.
“We were in Salt Lake City, out on tour, and the Bonneville Salt Flats are not far from there. So before the gig, we just took off to shoot some pictures of me walking across the flats. We’re just kind of winging it,” Dunn said on RonnieDunn.com, “That’s really Clint Eastwood acting, isn’t it?” And even though he was making it up as he went along, he wanted to make sure it looked cool. “We keep everything fairly stylized, like with my guitar down low. That’s kind of my pistol,” he said.
-BAM
13 Days of Oklahoma Music: Ronnie Dunn goes solo
The 13 Days of Oklahoma Music continue here at BAM’s Blog, as we look back on the musical milestones state artists experienced in the past year as 2011 draws to a close.
Following the breakup of Brooks & Dunn in 2010 after two decades of hit-making, former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn embarked on a new career as a solo artists this year.
His self-titled debut album was released in June, and the lead-off single, “Bleed Red,” broke into the top 10 on the Billboard country songs chart.
His second single, “Cost of Livin’” became a top 20 hit, but more than that, the affecting story-song about a veteran trying to get a job – any job – captured the zeitgeist of these tough economic times.
-BAM
Ronnie Dunn returning to Tulsa to play Feb. 9 Hard Rock show
For two decades, former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn was half of country music’s most successful duo. When Brooks & Dunn disbanded in 2010, Dunn realized he had unfinished business in a career as a solo artist that started in Tulsa in the late 1970s.
On Feb. 9, Dunn is returning to the city where it all began when he plays The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa. Tickets start at $65 and go on sale Dec. 29.
“Tulsa is a great music town – and it was a crazy town in the day,” said Dunn in the concert announcement. “So Tulsa was this crazy mix-match of music styles at the time, and it was all there and very much alive. Live music was really important, and the club scene there was hot.
“So for someone like me, it was the perfect place to learn your chops.”
Dunn cites all the musicians who lived in Tulsa in the late ‘70s, including Leon Russell and Eric Clapton, as an inspiration to launch his career in northeast Oklahoma.
After following Tulsa drummer Jamie Oldaker to Nashville, Tenn., Dunn submitted a demo that won the Marlboro Country Music Contest, which set in motion the events that led to the formation of Brooks & Dunn. Included on the demo were the future hits “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and “Neon Moon.”
During Brooks & Dunn’s 20-year run, the duo sold more than 30 million albums, charted 20 No. 1 singles, earned 27 Academy of Country Music awards, 17 Country Music Association awards and two Grammys. The collection of ACM and CMA awards are the most for any act in country music history.
In June, Dunn, an Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame member, released his self-titled solo debut. The album peaked at No. 1 on the country charts and features the singles “Bleed Red” and “Cost of Livin’.”
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa is off of Interstate 44 at exit 240. Ticket prices and information on upcoming shows are available online in The Joint section of www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com. The Joint box office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. All guests must be 21 years of age or older.
-BAM
Love’s Travel Stops giving away $5 gift card with Ronnie Dunn’s album, also giving away a signed guitar
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores are helping fans of country music superstar and former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn with the “Cost of Livin.’”
According to RonnieDunn.com, the Oklahoma City-based fuel station chain is giving away a $5 Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores gift card with the purchase of Dunn’s album.
Love’s also is giving away an autographed Ronnie Dunn guitar to one lucky fan. You can enter this contest by texting “RDguitar” to 41411. The contest ends on Monday. For full contest rules, go to Mylovesstores.com/contestrules.
Dunn released his self-titled solo debut this after after 20 years as part of the superstar duo Brooks & Dunn. “Ronnie Dunn” features the timely top 20 hit “Cost of Livin’.”
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Ronnie Dunn sings the National Anthem before Game 3 of the World Series
Country music star Ronnie Dunn performed a great rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Game 3 of the World Series Saturday in Arlington, Texas
The Texas native and former Tulsan also performed the National Anthem prior to the Dallas Cowboys’ home victory against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
Game 6 of the World Series was delayed tonight due to rainy weather in St. Louis, where the Cardinals and the Texas Rangers will resume play at 7:05 p.m. Thursday. The game will air on Fox. The Rangers lead the series 3-2.
-BAM
Ronnie Dunn, Thompson Square and more added to slate for ACM Honors
Ronnie Dunn (AP file)
Thompson Square
Former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn and husband-and-wife duo Thompson Square, which includes Miami, OK, native Keifer Thompson, have been added to the list of participants for the fifth annual ACM Honors program set for Sept. 19 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., reports CMT.com.
Presented by the Academy of Country Music, the event celebrates the special honorees and non-televised category winners from the 46th annual ACM Awards, which took place in April in Las Vegas. Joe Nichols will host the event.
Those being honored include special award recipients Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire, both Oklahoma natives, John Dorris, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, Tom T. Hall, Taylor Swift and the film “Country Strong.” Hank Cochran will be honored posthumously. The event also will recognize winners of the MBI (musician, bandleader, instrumentalist) and industry categories. Brooks, who lives in Owasso, is not expected to attend, according to CMT.com.
Joining Dunn among the presenters are broadcaster Ralph Emery, Laura Bell Bundy and John Michael Montgomery. In addition to Thompson Square, the newly announced performers include Rodney Atkins, Randy Houser, Jerrod Niemann, Jack Ingram, Lee Ann Womack, the Isaacs, the Whites and songwriter Dean Dillon.
Check out the list of honorees after the break.
Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Ronnie Dunn, Point of Grace nominated for Inspirational Country Awards
Carrie Underwood (AP file)
The ICM Faith, Family & Country Awards Top 5 finalists were announced this week in 22 key categories, advancing the presentation of the 17th Annual Inspirational Country Music Awards in award ceremonies set for Friday, Oct. 28 at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
The ICM Faith, Family & Country Top 5 ballot, as determined by first round membership voting by the members of the Inspirational Country Music Association, includes a stellar array of major names in a broad cross section of categories that include entertainer, new artist, song, songwriter, group, duo, musician, radio, radio station, film, television honors and more.
Major artist nominees on the Top 5 ballot for this year’s ICM Faith, Family & Country Awards include Checotah native Carrie Underwood, former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn, country trio Rascal Flatts, which includes Picher-bred Joe Don Rooney, and Christian trio Point of Grace, which includes Norman native Denise (Masters) Jones. Other major artist nominees include Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry, The Roys, Josh Turner, Jeff Bates, Randy Travis, The Grascals, Ricky Skaggs, The Oak Ridge Boys Guy Penrod, The Isaacs, and George Strait.
Film honors finalists include a competitive field highlighted by family rated major box office contenders including “Soul Surfer,” which marked Underwood’s feature film acting debut, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” which included the end credits theme “There’s a Place for Us,” co-written and recorded by Underwood,” and “Pure Country 2: The Gift,” starring Bray native Katrina Elam.
Top 5 finalists in all categories will now be presented to the membership in final round voting that will end on Sept. 30. Awards will be announced at the Oct. 28 awards presentation.
The 2011 ICM Faith, Family & Country Awards continue as the highpoint finale of Inspirational Country Music Week, an event presented by the Inspirational Country Music Association. This year’s planned schedule will run Oct. 24-28 in Nashville and as in past years is expected to draw a broad cross section of industry, music fans, broadcast media, and artists in a well-orchestrated showcase of music and seminar related activities.
Nashville’s Millennium Maxwell House Hotel will serve at the host location for ICM Faith, Family & Country Week with a planned Appreciation Luncheon during the week for media and participants set to be held at the historic Wildhorse Saloon. The awards will serve as the culmination of the week and are for the first time this year are being staged in the unique world-class setting of the opulent Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville.
Inspirational Country Music Association Executive Director Jason Higgins said in a news release: “We feel this year’s presentation will bring the ICM Faith, Family & Country Awards to a new level of recognition within the industry, from the scripting of the show itself to the list of nominees, to the level of presenters, and special guests still to be announced. Working with our host charity, Tennessee Breast Cancer Coalition, promises to offer a very compelling element of humanitarian importance to the event.”
After the break, the 2011 Top 5 ICM Faith, Family & Country Awards nominees are listed in alphabetical order within each category. Those with Oklahoma ties are marked with an *:
Entertainer
Chuck Day
Johnny Lee Cook
Ricky Skaggs
Steve Richard
Tommy Brandt
Male Vocalist
Chuck Day
Greg McDougal
Guy Penrod
Jeff Bates
Tommy Brandt
Female Vocalist
Kali Rose
Laura Dodd
Mary James
Nicole Hope
Sharon Parks
Vocal Duo
Amanda Fessant featuring Tommy Brandt
Branded
Bruce & Betsy Mullen
Joey+Rory
The Roys
Vocal Group or Band
Corey Brooks Band
Last Light Band
*Point of Grace
Sunday Drive
The Springs
Mainstream Inspirational Country Song
*Bleed Red – Ronnie Dunn
*I Won’t Let Go – Rascal Flatts
If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away – Justin Moore
That’s Important to Me – Joey+Rory
The Breath You Take – George Strait
Mainstream Country Artist
Buddy Jewell
*Carrie Underwood
Jeff Bates
Joey+Rory
Josh Turner
Inspirational Country Song
I Wonder What God’s Thinking – The Roys
I’ll Stand Up And Say So – Chuck Day
Loves Gotta Go Somewhere – Steve Richard
Someday Soon – Ricky Skaggs
That’s What Freedom Costs – Russ Murphy
Songwriter (tie in category)
Chuck Day
Greg McDougal
James Payne
Paul Staggs of Branded
Russ Murphy
Tommy Brandt
Legend/Pioneer Award (This award has already been determined from these Top 5)
Fox Brothers
Melanie Walker
Oak Ridge Boys
Randy Travis
Ricky Skaggs
Video
Hello World – Lady Antebellum: Capitol Nashville, Director-Roman White
I Am Strong – The Grascals w/Dolly Parton: BluGrascal Records , Director-David Corlew
If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away – Justin Moore: Valory Music Co., Director-Peter Zavadil
If I Die Young – The Band Perry: Republic Nashville, Director-David McClister
*Mama’s Song – Carrie Underwood: Arista Nashville, Director-Shaun Silva
New Artist
Aubree Bullock
Chuck Hancock
Kali Rose
Lucas Hoge
Renee Spencer
Musician
Dennis Agajanian
Doyle Lawson
Greg McDougal
Jayc Harold
Ricky Skaggs
Comedian
Barry McGee
Chonda Pierce
Jeff Treece
Johnny Lee Cook
LuLu Roman
Radio Personality
J.R. Pitsenbarger
Leon Joplin
Mona Faith
Rich Miller
Scott Perkins
Radio Station
Inspirational Country Radio Network
KABF-Little Rock, AR
WCWV-Summersville, WV
WSM AM 650 – Nashville, TN
WTYS- Marianna, FL
Inspirational Bluegrass Artist
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Nathan Stanley
Ricky Skaggs
The Isaacs
The Roys
Youth In Music (tie in category)
Aubree Bullock
Hannah Faith
Matthew Wacaster
McDougal Kids
Renee Spencer
Voices of Glory
Music Evangelist
Corey Brooks
Greg McDougal
Johnny Lee Cook
Russ Murphy
Tommy Brandt
“Faith, Family & Country Movie”
Country Strong
*Pure Country 2: The Gift
Secretariat
*Soul Surfer
*The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Television Network
Daystar
Gospel Music Channel
Great American Country
TBN
TCT Networks
-BAM
Do Something Awards to air Thursday, feature Oklahoma celebrities
From left, Tulsa native Ryan Tedder, frontman of the band OneRepublic, performs onstage with B.o.B during the taping of the Do Something Awards on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011, in Los Angeles. The awards show will air at 8 p.m. Thursday on VH1. (AP Photos)
David Spade, left, and Olivia Munn, who was raised in Oklahoma City, are seen onstage during the taping of the Do Something Awards on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011, in Los Angeles.
From Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Do Something Awards to air Thursday, feature Oklahoma celebrities
Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire and Ronnie Dunn are among the nominees, Olivia Munn is a presenter, and Ryan Tedder and OneRepublic are performing.
Several Oklahoma celebrities will perform, present and compete for awards when the 2011 Do Something Awards air at 8 p.m. Thursday on VH1.
Oklahoma country music stars Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire received a Do Something Award nomination in the concert category for their May 25-26 tornado benefit shows in Durant. The shows raised $500,000 for tornado relief efforts in the small southeast Oklahoma town of Tushka, where an EF3 tornado hit the evening of April 14, killing two women, injuring more than 40 people and destroying 150 homes, businesses and public buildings, including the school.
All five nominees in the concert category were country music events, including “Music Builds: The CMT Disaster Relief Concert,” featuring former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn, Hank Williams Jr., Alabama, Lady Antebellum and many others.
NBC’s hit freshman series “The Voice,” which features Tishomingo resident Shelton as one of its four superstar coaches and included Chockie-bred McEntire among its first-season celebrity advisers, is nominated for the Do Something Award Reality TV Show Award.
Oklahoma City-raised and University of Oklahoma-educated TV star Olivia Munn has been picked as a presenter for the awards show, along with Kristen Bell, Nick Cannon, Jon Cryer, Victoria Justice, Adam Lambert, Mario Lopez, Rose McGowan, Keke Palmer and Lauren Potter.
Performers include Demi Lovato, Foster the People and OneRepublic (featuring Tulsa-born frontman Ryan Tedder) with B.o.B.
The Do Something Awards, hosted by “Glee” star Jane Lynch, were taped Sunday at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles but will air Thursday night. The awards are devoted to boosting volunteerism and honoring commitment to social change among young people. In addition to announcing the celebrity winners, one young “do-er,” aged 25 or younger, will receive a grand prize of $100,000 for their cause.
For more information, go to www.DoSomething.VH1.com.
-BAM
Video: BAM’s Blog top 21 Oklahoma country songs
Ryan LaCroix, intrepid founder/owner/editor of OklahomaRock.com, has compiled a list of the top 100 Oklahoma country songs, and he is unveiling five songs from the list every weekday through Wednesday, Aug. 31, when the top five will be revealed.
To compile the list, LaCroix consulted with state experts such as disc jockeys, musicians and journalists; polled the public on Twitter and Facebook; and consulted chart rankings and non-Oklahoma-specific greatest country songs lists.
He was kind enough to consider me an expert and ask me to share my list of favorite Oklahoma country songs. I revealed my list over the past two Fridays in columns that you can read here and here. For your convenience, here is the top 21 list all together, with a video of my all-time favorite Okie country song:
1. “Oklahoma Breakdown,” recorded by Stoney LaRue, written by Mike Hosty.
I’m a red dirt girl at heart, and this foot-stomping tribute to making romance country-style never fails to make me smile. I could listen to it all day; truth be told, I probably have put it on a daylong loop at least once or twice.
2. “Friends in Low Places,” recorded by Garth Brooks, written by DeWayne Blackwell, Earl Bud Lee (with a third verse penned by Brooks).
Not only is “Friends in Low Places” one of the biggest country songs ever by THE biggest country artist ever, it’s one of the songs that brought me back to country music in the 1990s.
3. “Fancy,” recorded by Reba McEntire, written by Bobbie Gentry.
There’s a reason that Reba uses this as the encore for her shows and has for years. This Southern gothic tale of a white-trash girl determined to become a lady by any means necessary crackles with power, especially with the Chockie-bred belter’s mighty drawl behind it. Dress Reba in a floor-length spangled red gown and play the memorable video, and it’s an epic encore.
4. “If You See Me Getting Smaller,” written by Jimmy Webb, recorded by Waylon Jennings; also recorded by Webb with Willie Nelson.
Elk City native Jimmy Webb wrote a slew of great country hits in the 1960s and ’70s, but “If You See Me Getting Smaller” remains my favorite. I used to think it was because I prefer the vocal stylings of Waylon Jennings to those of Glen Campbell, who cut Webb’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Wichita Lineman” and “Galveston.” But when I heard Webb’s 2010 retrospective album “Just Across the River,” I still preferred “If You See Me Getting Smaller” to the others. This wistful song simply speaks to me.
5. “Kerosene,” recorded by Miranda Lambert, written by Lambert and Steve Earle.
We learned later on that she was made of “Gunpowder & Lead” and got to hear her softer side while touring “The House That Built Me,” but this scorching revenge yarn established the future Tishomingo resident as country music hottest firebrand.
6. “Skyline Radio,” recorded Cody Canada & The Departed, written by Tom Skinner.
Since I so dig the red dirt, I couldn’t imagine this list without a contribution from Cross Canadian Ragweed or new iteration The Departed, and I considered Ragweed favorites like “Alabama” and “Sick and Tired.” But This track from The Departed’s Oklahoma songwriters tribute “This Is Indian Land” gives you the fine songwriting of Skinner with the appealing vocals of Canada. Just try not to smile when you hear it.
7. “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma,” written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, Larry Collins and Sandy Pinkard; recorded by David Frizzell and Shelly West; covered by Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.
This ballad from the 1981 movie “Any Which Way You Can” is quite possibly the best country song with an Oklahoma reference in the title. which is saying something if you really think about it. When the future Mr. and Mrs. Shelton performed it on a TV special, their chemistry was apparent, and they gave the original version a run for its money.
8. “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” written and recorded by Vince Gill (with Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless).
It’s hard to overstate Vince Gill’s talents as a songwriter, singer and musician, and he’s certainly crafted a bumper crop of great songs. But this majestic ode to a lost loved one soars high above the rest.
9. “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On,” recorded by Mel McDaniel, written by Bob McDill.
Heaven help us, but this catchy number gets stuck between your ears tighter than those blue jeans. Nah, it can’t help it.
10. “How Do You Like Me Now?!” recorded by Toby Keith, written by Keith and Chuck Cannon.
Be honest, we’ve all wanted to smugly crow this question to at least one person who gave us short shrift, and Keith’s bravado and brashness are perfectly suited for such vicarious vengeance.
11. “All-American Girl,” recorded by Carrie Underwood, written by Underwood, Ashley Gorley and Kelley Lovelace.
As an all-American daddy’s girl, I can’t resist this anthem, which highlights the big voice of Checotah’s sweetheart.
12. “You Can’t Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd,” written and recorded by Roger Miller.
Yes, I know it’s one of those funny novelty songs that tended to overshadow the Erick-bred artist’s true songwriting ability. But I really loved it as a kid, and it actually boasts a deeper message than it may seem on a casual listen. (On an only somewhat related side note, I’m not sure who had the nutsy idea to cast Miller as the rooster in the 1973 Disney animated version of “Robin Hood,” but his narration and songs totally made that movie for me, even as a kid.)
13. “A Little Rain Will Do,” written and recorded by Greg Jacobs.
Maybe it’s just the weather getting to me, but this modern-day Dust Bowl anthem just rings true.
14. “She’s in Love with the Boy,” recorded by Trisha Yearwood, written by Jon Ims.
The Future Mrs. Garth Brooks broke out with this ballad, capturing the determination and resilience of young love.
15. “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man,” recorded by Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn, written by Becki Bluefield and Jim Owen.
Oklahoma City resident Conway Twitty did some of his best work with Kentucky native Loretta Lynn, and this Canjun-flavored duet has become a country classic.
16. “Brand New Man,” recorded by Brooks & Dunn, written by Ronnie Dunn, Kix Brooks and Don Cook.
Former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn and Louisiana native Kix Brooks, who became the best-selling duo in country music history, made an auspicious chart-topping debut with this earnest, uptempo ballad.
17. “New San Antonio Rose,” written and recorded by Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys.
You can’t have a decent Oklahoma country music list without some Western swing on it, and if you’re spotlighting Western swing, you might as well feature the King of Western Swing. This classic enchants no matter who is doing the singing, and the list of stars who have sung it is pretty impressive.
18. “John Deere Green,” recorded by Joe Diffie, written by Dennis Linde.
As a sophomore at Lindsay High School in 1993, this funny story song seemed so true to life, like something that could happen any day if one of my schoolmates got their hands on enough beer and tractor paint.
19. “Back in the Saddle Again,” recorded by Gene Autry, written by Autry and Ray Whitley.
“Back in the Saddle Again” is like “Happy Birthday to You” or “Home on the Range” in that we sort of assume that it always existed. Like Autry’s other signature hit “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” it’s one of those songs that’s become so iconic it’s hard to comprehend that someone actually wrote it and initially recorded it. But the legendary singing cowboy did just that, and it became his signature song.
20. “Pt. 1/Never That Easy,” written and recorded by Green Corn Revival.
One could argue that the opening of the Weatherford-based band’s debut album “Say You’re a Sinner” isn’t really country, but I maintain that any musical number that so effectively invokes spaghetti Westerns and the plains of Custer County qualifies as country. Hey, it’s at least as country as Kid Rock, and he not only gets played on CMT, he has twice hosted the CMT Music Awards. I rest my case.
21. “Thank God and Greyhound,” recorded by Roy Clark, written by Larry Kingston and Earl Nix.
I had to add one more to my list after my recent interview with the charming Clark. This hilarious hit perfectly matches the Country Music Hall of Famer and longtime Tulsa resident’s quick-witted sense of humor.
-BAM
