Six Feet, DJ, Titanic August 3, 2009
Posted by glanzerr in baseball, dexter, dj, tv.Tags: country music, dj, frances conroy, history, how i met your mother, michael c. hall, museum, peter krause, profile event center, shipwreck, six feet under, thunderstorm, titanic
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Six Feet Under
Lauren and I have been pounding through the TV series on DVD lately, putting our Best Picture project on hold until the winter months. As I mentioned before, we’ve been watching Six Feet Under, the HBO series that ran from 2001-2005. The main reason why I chose that series is because we’re such big fans of Dexter, and Michael C. Hall was one of the main actors in Six Feet.
So far, after seven 52-minute episodes, we are really enjoying the show and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our next DVD in the mail today to continue the first season. I learned that the star of the series, Peter Krause, is a native of Alexandria, Minnesota and went to Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter. My favorite character on the series so far is actually the mother, played by Frances Conroy, who just so happens to play Barney’s mother in an episode How I Met Your Mother, the other series we’re following right now.
DJ
Saturday night I was back at the Profile to DJ another wedding dance. This was one of the easiest all-around dances I’ve ever done. I arrived at 5:30, hung around till 6:30 before the first guests started arriving, played some cocktail music for another hour, and finally close to 8:00 the couple arrived. They did a receiving line and then started dinner after 9:00, which means the waiting staff had the food ready to go about two hours prior and had to keep it all warm. The dance finally kicked off around 10:00, and was over by 1:00. The couple preferred country, making my job all the easier. One of the groomsman told me it was the best music selection he’d ever heard at a wedding dance, which was a nice compliment.
Titanic
Sunday, we sat down to watch the Twins/Angels game, but the Twins quickly fell way behind and I lost interest and needed to get out of the apartment, so Lauren and I headed to St. Paul to the Science Museum to see the Titanic exhibit. We watched a fairly interesting movie on the iMax amphitheater and then walked through the exhibit, which included over 600 artifacts from the Titanic which had been lying on the bottom of the Atlantic for 90 years.
It was all very interesting, but the coolest part was an actual large piece of the front of the ship that was on display several feet behind a knee-high glass wall. The sign specifically said “PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH” but we were the only ones in this particular room at the time, so I leaned as far over the wall as I could and took a swipe at the Titanic, but I missed. I quick glanced around again and heard someone coming, so I took a second lunge over the wall with my arm and my finger finally made contact with the Titanic. I felt like touching the Titanic was something that I’d never ever have the chance to do again, and probably not very many people have done, so I risked getting kicked out of the exhibit to do it… and glad I did!
Rain
And for the first time all summer long, we actually had a really good thunderstorm late last night around bedtime. There was lightning, thunder, and fairly heavy rain. I was beginning to think we’d go an entire year without one good storm, which would have severely disappointed me. I still find it very odd that the hottest day so far in 2009 was May 17.
Done… for Now October 12, 2008
Posted by glanzerr in dj, work.Tags: country music, dj, engagement, hudson krogman, work
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Saturday afternoon, I packed up the car with DJ equipment one final time and headed 17.7 miles northeast to the Shoreview Community Center to DJ a wedding ceremony and reception. The wedding was small—only 75 people total—and the bride and groom had no additional wedding party.
Things got off to a rough start right off the bat when I was setting up, testing out the music, and the mother of the bride (the only other person in the room besides me) heard a country song playing. The music was so quiet she really had to stop and concentrate, but once she realized it was Randy Travis playing, I was in for it. “What is this?! Didn’t my daughter tell you absolutely no country whatsoever?! Are you trying to ruin our day? Turn it off!!!!!” “I’m sorry ma’am, I’m just testing the levels, I didn’t even realize anyone else was in the room.” “Well I’m here and I can hear it and it’s making me sick… TURN IT OFF!!!!”
This is from the bride’s side of the family, who despite admitting the groom’s side was big country fans, asked that no country be played, and any requests must go directly through them. This bride was actually really funny and nice, but she and her mother were violently offended by the thought of country music ruining their big day.
Beyond that, the night was actually a pretty good succcess. I played the processional and recessional songs for the actual ceremony, which took place in the very same place as the dance, so I didn’t have to move the equipment. The crowd was small but kept the dance floor hopping all night. But as with any small crowd who has to sit in one room for eight or nine hours, the dance died around 10:45 and I was allowed to leave by 11:30. I made off with a $50 tip and headed home happy. I am done for now, but I did agree long ago to DJ the Joe Allen / Krista Sullivan dance in May 2009.
In other news, the other job (the full-time one) was chaotic this week. So as not to get in any trouble, I will not mention the company name or any specifics, but a couple new products are coming out next week, and Josh and I were asked Thursday, with an already huge pile of work, to produce all of the marketing materials for one of the new products to have ready for the sales team Monday morning. My Thursday and Friday were insanely busy, but I think we’ll have everything ready to go. In the past when I’ve been asked to produce the new photos, webpage, spec sheet, e-mail blasts, etc., I’ve been given at least two weeks to complete the activities.
So my weekends are free for a little while. I’m taking advantage of that next weekend by heading home for the nephew Hudson’s baptism. Not that I would ever make such a big deal of a baptism, but it’s a reason to go back and see what’s shakin’ on the farm. Jordan has also agreed to take some engagement photos. Then we can get our little write-up in the Clark County Courier!
Top 100 Country Artist Countdown: #1-25 September 19, 2008
Posted by glanzerr in random.Tags: alabama, billy ray cyrus, brooks & dunn, country music, diamond rio, dierks bentley, garth brooks, john anderson, josh turner, kenny chesney, sawyer brown, sugarland, tim mcgraw, travis tritt
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**Note: As of this morning, Sat. Sept. 20, I must admit I forgot to put Toby Keith on the list. He was going to be in the top 5! So, put Toby in there right in front of Brad Paisley…
Finally, the end of my big countdown that has spanned several months! While I had the list created, I needed to write a little blurb about all the groups/singers. Here they are, the top 25!
23. David Lee Murphy — Nick will tell you his favorite song of all-time is “Dust on the Bottle.” But could Nick tell you off the top of his head who sings that song? I’ll ask him now. Nick? Nick! Who sings “Dust on the Bottle?” Hmm… all I hear is some rustling coming from his bedroom. I’ll take that as he doesn’t know.
John Michael Montgomery
18. John Michael Montgomery — What’s a wedding dance without someone requesting “Sold,” that song about John Michael’s trip to the county auction? My personal fave was definitely “Life’s a Dance” and I believe it cracked my all-time Top 100 Songs countdown.
Diamond Rio
8. Diamond Rio — One of the first cassettes I ever owned was Diamond Rio “Close to the Edge,” featuring the chart-topper “In a Week or Two.” I saw them play at the SD State Fair in 2000 in front of an embarassingly small crowd. They ended up playing bits and pieces of songs and were off the stage in an hour flat.
Randy Owen of Alabama
1. Alabama — And that leaves Alabama at #1. 40-some #1 hits over the 80s and 90s was very impressive. They essentially dominated the country industry in the 80s. Every damn song hit #1! The first song I remember hearing on the radio was “Old Flame” in 1986. Then in 1992, Dusty and I were requesting “I’m in a Hurry” on KDLO, and a year later, we wrote our own version of “Cheap Seats.” I saw them at the State Fair in 1999 or so. If I had to pick a favorite song, it would either be “Old Flame” or “Sad Lookin Moon.”
Tuesday Night Assorted News August 26, 2008
Posted by glanzerr in baseball, random, work.Tags: black hills, country music, labor day, lauren poulter, microboards, minnesota twins, roscoe, stir fry, vegetables
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It’s late on Tuesday evening, and Lauren, Roscoe, and I are chilling on the couch, watching the Twins play their most difficult opponent this season, the Seattle Mariners. Despite the Mariners owning the league’s worst record, they’ve played the Twins extremely tough in seven games in August, and have jumped out to an early 2-0 lead tonight. The Twins are in the middle of their longest road trip in nearly 40 years due to the Republican Convention being in town, and their road record is nothing to brag about. The team really needs to go at least 7-7 in these 14 road games to stay in the race, I believe. I have a really bad feeling about tonight’s game though. I’m going to guess 9-1 Mariners.
If you’ve followed my Top 100 Country Artists Countdown, you’ll have to wait a while longer. I have the top 25 list completed, but now need to write a little blurb about each. I thought the first 3/4 of the list was pretty well-written, but I haven’t gotten in the “zone” yet when trying to complete my list. I have to be in just the right mood so I can plow through it. Maybe over the weekend.
Speaking of the weekend… no, never mind, that’s too far away yet. I have no idea what we’ll do over my big three-day weekend. A few ideas have been thrown around, like going to the Black Hills, or as Lauren just mentioned, going to Toronto. But I think we’ll wind up sticking around here, saving our pennies. I could make a trip home to claim my birthday present, but we’ll be right back there again at the end of September for Carpenter Bash V. This year’s attendees are still very much up in the air. There are only four I can say for certain are coming–me, Lauren, Jason, and Nick. No one else has 100% said yes. By the way, besides me, only Patrick and Jason can say they’ve been to each of the first four Bashes.
The big excitement of the week at work has been the launch of the new website. Well, the continued preparation of the launch, anyway. Josh and I have been spending every waking minute at the office entering products, writing copy, gathering spec, troubleshooting, redesigning, linking things… but I understand it will finally go live sometime between now and tomorrow morning. Check out www.microboards.com for the new, bright, flashy site. If you check and see a dingy purple and gray site, it hasn’t switched over yet.
Lauren and I made a quick bike ride over to the Wedge tonight to grab a few odds and ends. Lauren has been suffering from a terrible toothache all day and figured she could only eat soup. I picked up some beef intended for stir fry, and mixed it in with an assortment of our many CSA veggies which turned out pretty tasty. And that’s where we are now. The Twins just blew a good chance to tie the game, and I’m slightly angry.
Country Artist Countdown: #50-#26 August 11, 2008
Posted by glanzerr in random.Tags: alan jackson, bucky covington, charlie daniels band, clint black, collin raye, countdown, country music, dwight yoakam, gary allan, hank williams, joe diffie, joe nichols, johnny cash, josh gracin, kenny rogers, little texas, lonestar, montgomery gentry, neal mccoy, nitty gritty dirt band, phil vassar, rascal flatts, restless heart, trace adkins, tracy byrd, willie nelson
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Gettin' nitty and gritty.
49. Phil Vassar — If you sing a song about drinking beer in the summer, you qualify as an accomplished country artist. But unlike most drinking singers, Phil only drank six-packs of his favorite frosty brews in “Six-Pack Summer.” He’s the Ryan Glanzer of country singing drinkers—he knows to cut it off before he gets too sick.
48. Rascal Flatts — Patrick once referred to the ultra-popular country group as Rascal Gay. Clever, I know. But while their music appears to be targeting females and non-manly men, RF has managed to draw a pretty wide audience with songs about girls fighting cancer.
47. Willie Nelson — Willie stood me up at WeFest last year, inexplicably not showing the final show with Toby Keith. Okay, it turned out he was on his deathbed, but still. Respected as he is in the industry, I only know of a few Willie tunes, including his ever-famous “On the Road Again.”
46. Neal McCoy — Neal was the Seinfeld of country singers, naming his songs simple titles like “The Shake” and “The Wink,” much like “The Junior Mint” or “The Soup Nazi” or, hey, “The Wink.” Short, and to the point. I was always secretly disappointed that in “The Shake,” he mentioned Bismarck, North Dakota, when I thought Huron, South Dakota would have fit better.
45. Collin Raye — Few could make grown men shed tears like Collin, weeping about a note his grandpa wrote for his grandma back in 1923. Okay, I also was a big fan of that heart-wrenching song, which I think “The Notebook” got its story from.
44. Bucky Covington — What has former Idol contestant Bucky got that Carrie doesn’t besides a penis? Some really awesome songs, that’s what! Like “It’s Good to Be Us.” Bucky may have been born to a mother who smoked and drank, but he turned out okay.
43. Bryan White — Look at iTunes on my laptop, and you’ll see Bryan White’s “Somebody Else’s Star” is the most-played song. Do not let that fool you. I accidentally went to sleep with that song on repeat and it played precisely 134 times while I slept.
He just looks uncomfortable...
42. Charlie Daniels Band — When Charlie played the fiddle against the devil in Georgia, he may have won and out-played the devil, but the devil cursed him with a neck bulging very uncomfortably out of his tight flannel shirts. Charlie may be my biggest competition for gross sweat per minute.
41. Joe Nichols — Joe and his woman problems. First he runs into a devil driving a Coupe de Ville down in Brokenheartsville, then his wife drinks too much tequila, listens to Bon Jovi (“Livin’ on a Prayer,” not “Make a Memory”) and takes off her clothes in public.
40. Lonestar — Lonestar crossed the daunting line between country and pop with 2000’s mega hit “Amazed.” What I was so amazed with was how popular the song was. Yeah, it was alright, but I still thought “No News” was their best work.
39. Gary Allan — Last year at WeFest, the doctor from Florida who I rode to Detroit Lakes with wanted nothing more than to sleep with Gary Allan. When I got back from the concert, she was in a tent with Steve passed out on top of her. Steve 1, Gary Allan 0.
38. Trace Adkins — All badonkadonks aside, Trace puts on a pretty good show. I should know, I’ve seen him twice now! Some of his older stuff like “Every Light in the House Is On” is arguably listenable to even the Marcie Glanzers of the world.
37. Joe Diffie — Long before Case IH tractors were sung about by Craig Morgan, Joe was out preaching the word of John Deere, at least the color John Deere green anyway. From colors of tractors to aliens landing at the mall (“Third Rock from the Sun”) Joe had all topics covered.
36. Alan Jackson — All due respect, Dorrie, but Alan is mostly just okay to me. I’m still not sure what he was thinking when he agreed to sing “Chatahoochee” at the first ever ESPY awards, when his mic didn’t work and all you could hear were his backup singers.
35. Kenny Rogers — Not only did Kenny pitch a perfect game for the Rangers in 1994 vs. the Angels, but he also sings some mean country. Much like his perfect outing, he just knows when to hold and fold ‘em. He still can get it done today, with jams like “Can’t Unlove You.”
Hank, why do you drink?
34. Hank Williams, Jr. — Thank God he’s a country boy and thank God for ABC keeping his career alive for all those years with custom Monday Night Football songs each week.
33. Montgomery Gentry — So they shoot caged bears in northern Minnesota, big deal. They made up for it by mentioning the Vikings in their 2007 hit “Lucky Man.” I later heard a version of the song where they replaced the Vikings with the Packers. Maybe there was a different version for each market? Smart!
32. Tracy Byrd — Though no relation to baseball player Marlon Byrd, Tracy stunned the country world with the 90s most popular slow song, “Keeper of the Stars.” He later decided to drink wine made from ripe watermelons and do a dance based on them.
31. Restless Heart — They really are restless. Ten years after they fizzled with their last real album, they attempted a comeback and one of their songs reached #29 on the charts. But in all fairness, they had some of the best slow songs of the late 80s and early 90s!
30. Clint Black — I never realized what an odd name Clint is until I started looking at Clint Black’s name. Dusty used to have a Clint Black tape and our favorite song was “When My Ship Comes In.” It dealt with Clint’s ship coming in.
Classic.
29. Johnny Cash — Seeing Walk the Line really opened my ears to Johnny’s style. Not coincidentally, ”Walk the Line” is my favorite song of his as well. Especially when it played at the beginning of the movie and all the jailbirds were stomping and clapping, shaking the prison, waiting for Johnny to take stage.
28. Josh Gracin — Seriously, Idol contestants. You want to hit it big someday? If you crack the top 12, just start singing country. Gracin made it big. So did Carrie, Bucky, Kellie, etc. I saw Josh Gracin in concert for free in 2006 in Minneapolis with Geiszler, who can agree we were idiots that night.
27. Little Texas — Being Little Texas is still waaay bigger than being a Little Big Town. If you’ve never seen the 90s haircuts of the Little Texas singers, check it out. It was worse than the 80s.
26. Dwight Yoakam — If you hate country music, no doubt you will hate Dwight Yoakam, the voice that defines the term “twang.” Personally, I used to hate him, but I’ve learned to accept, and even like some of his songs.
Top Country Artists: #51-70 July 28, 2008
Posted by glanzerr in Uncategorized.Tags: aaron tippin, bon jovi, country music, craig morgan, jason aldean, little big town, marty stuart, rodney atkins, sammy kershaw, sara evans, taylor swift
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75. Mary Chapin Carpenter — No, I didn’t rank her ahead of the other women just because her last name is my hometown, though that didn’t hurt her any. MCC hit it big with some mid-90s songs like “I’m Feelin’ Lucky” and “Passionate Kisses.”
74. Steve Wariner — Possibly the shortest country song of all-time, I’ve always been a big fan of “Burnin’ the Roadhouse Down.” Seriously, it was like 1:59 I think. Couldn’t come up with another verse Stevie Boy?
Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt, close as usual
73. Marty Stuart — Back in my lowly days of watching TNN country videos in the early 90s, I think I thought Marty and Travis Tritt were gay together. They always sang with each other and seemed so utterly happy. “High on a Mountain Top” is Marty’s best.
72. Ricochet — Hard to believe these guys are still around. Haven’t heard much from them since “Daddy’s Money.” I checked their website, and they didn’t have long hair like I remembered. Maybe I’m confusing them with Little Texas.
71. Billy Currington — I was supposed to see Billy C in concert with Jason Aldean and Trace Adkins in Mankato a couple years back, but it was winter and Billy’s tour bus went off an icy road near Chicago and he missed the show. Still like “Good Directions.”
70. Trisha Yearwood — Jordan used to be a big fan of “She’s in Love with the Boy” in the early 90s. That was a pretty good song come to think of it. Now Trisha’s in love with a boy named Garth Brooks.
69. Carrie Underwood — Carrie is really close to breaking the barrier, but she still has too many annoying songs, like “All American Girl.” I was quite the fan of hers on Idol back in the day, and even voted a few times in the early rounds, especially after 80s week.
68. Kentucky Headhunters — Only here, on this list, would the Kentucky Headhunters rank ahead of Carrie Underwood in anything. But it probably won’t be for long. I don’t know how long “Dumas Walker” and “Honky Tonk Walkin” can hold up.
67. SheDaisy — The least manliest name for a country group possibly ever, SheDaisy had a smash hit “Tonight I’m Just Me” in 2000 which might be the only country hit about schizophrenia and multiple personalities.
What kinda gone are we talkin' 'bout?
66. Chris Cagle — Is he gone for good, or just getting started? Chris Cagle’s “What Kinda Gone,” if I had to pick right now, would be my favorite new song in 2008. He’s a recovering alcoholic and general all-around bad boy. I think the kinda “gone” he’s talking about is the real gone. I don’t think that broad’s comin’ back for him.
65. Martina McBride — Pretty tolerable, not too annoying. These are some of the terms I’d use to describe one of country’s leading ladies, Martina McBride. And she’s been just slightly unannoying for long enough to get some real cred’ here on the list.
64. Vince Gill — Back in the 90s, women adored Vince and his boring melodramatic songs. He won CMA awards one after the other, much to my amazement and chagrin. Today things have cooled down for Vinny. One song I will remember is “What the Cowgirls Do.” He was probably referring to himself as to what the cowgirls do.
63. James Otto — Maybe the greatest palindrome-named singer of all-time, Otto has already struck big with “Just Got Started Lovin’ You.” Notice how country songs like to spell words how they say them—”lovin’” instead of “loving?”
62. Luke Bryan — All Luke’s friends say that he started shooting doubles when you walked in. Why did you do that? Why would you drive poor Luke Bryan to alcoholism!
61. Chris Ledoux — Probably the only people who think Chris Ledoux is a better country singer than Garth Brooks are the Ledoux family and Garth Brooks. I wonder if Cadillac Ranch still exists?
60. Billy Dean — Do you miss Billy the Kid or the slightly younger Billy Dean who sang that hit song about himself fifteen years ago?
59. Aaron Tippin — Mom would likely slit her wrists before listening to Aaron howling “Lookin’ for my bluuuuu—aahhhh—hoooo, ahhhh—-hoooo—-ahhhh—-hoooo angel.” But I always thought that was a good song… unless of course there was something wrong with my radio!
58. Jason Aldean — If Jason Aldean is from a Hicktown, then I must be from the town where the Hicktown sewage is pumped… or something. I don’t think Macon, Georgia, with a population of 229,000+ can be considered a hicktown!
57. Craig Morgan — Craig took a stand for farmers everywhere when he yelled at city folk to stop honking their horns as he drove his International Harvester down the highway at 3mph. He also boosted FFA sponsorships by 400% as he bellered about his sons who take part in the farming program.
56. Bon Jovi — We’re talking strictly as country artists here, so Bon Jovi isn’t quite where you’d expect. Believe it or not, when my favorite rock band turned country, I actually lost interest in them. Maybe it was because the music wasn’t very good. Hmm.
55. Rodney Atkins — If Rodney’s first album is any indication, kids could get the wrong message. He sings about his son wanting to be just like him, but also plans on holding a gun to the head of anyone who tries to date his future daughters.
The legendary Sammy Kershaw.
54. Sammy Kershaw — Who else can sing a song about a Vidalia onion and get taken seriously? Sammy rocked the country charts in the 90s with weird songs about honky tonks in America and girls that don’t know they’re beautiful, though time and time he told them so.
53. Sara Evans — A real fine place to start with decent female artists is apparently in the early 50s. No female soloist ranks higher than Taylor or Sara! Somehow, Sara Evans slipped through the cracks and came out with some real good music, including “Suds in the Bucket,” a song Simon Cowell once scoffed at, thinking the song was about soap.
52. Taylor Swift — A difficult challenge, but males in their 20s are actually not made fun of for listening to Taylor Swift, who has defied all odds by turning in hit after hit after hit on her debut self-titled album. That’s going to be very tough to live up to when the time comes for her second album!
51. Little Big Town — Not very often you see a group mixed of males and females, and especially when all are prominent singers. LBT has gained some critical acclaim with “Boondocks” and “Bring It on Home.” I wonder what little big town they’re referring to—Huron, SD, perhaps?
Top 100 Country Artists: 76-100 July 24, 2008
Posted by glanzerr in Uncategorized.Tags: countdown, country music, faith hill, george jones, mark wills, shania twain, top 100, trent tomlinson, wade hayes
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Cowboy up, y'all, for my latest countdown!
It’s an all-new countdown! This time I’m counting the top 100 country music artists, according only to me. Amazingly, I could only think of 110, so just about anyone I could think of made the cut, even some that I really don’t care for.
100. Faith Hill — She may not be bad looking, but she’s my least favorite popular country singer of our time. Not to be sexist, but there aren’t many female country singers I like to begin with. And I can’t think of a single song of hers where I wouldn’t turn the station if it came on. If I had to pick, best song would probably be “Mississippi Girl.”
99. Lee Greenwood — Everybody knows Lee for one song and one song only, but it’s so damn popular and every time they played that during the seventh inning stretch at the Metrodome and I swayed back and forth with friends screaming it, I always got chills. I am referring, of course, to “God Bless the USA.”
98. Reba McEntire — Probably the most prominent female country singer of the last twenty years, and I still don’t care for her music. Like Faith, she just doesn’t do it for me. But as you will see later, it is possible for a couple female acts to rank high. One tolerable Reba song is “I’d Rather Ride Around with You.” Her music is probably still better than her sitcom, though.
97. Kellie Pickler — Kellie played the crowds watching American Idol with her dumb blonde act. At the time I thought she was really that innocent, but now I think it was all an elaborate act that landed her fame and fortune as a real country singer. Can’t say I’ve heard many of her songs, but there was that tear-jerker “I Wonder.”
96. Radney Foster — Who??, you’re probably asking. I don’t remember much about Radney (not Randy) Foster other than he looked suspiciously like Eric Clapton and he only had one big hit that I can remember. That song was “Nobody Wins,” which I distinctly remember hearing over and over again on the bus in 1993.
95. Shania Twain — Notice a trend here? All of country’s biggest female acts are already out of the running! Actually, I think I dislike Shania more than Reba or Faith Hill, especially her many annoying songs about not being in it for love. She does have one song that I like, though, called “No One Needs to Know.”
Ronnie Milsap, the greatest blind country singer.
94. Ronnie Milsap — Bonus points for Ronnie because he’s blind. Again, I can only think of a couple songs he sings, but I like them both. “Smoky Mountain Rain” is probably the most popular, followed by “Stranger in My House.”
93. Van Zant — At one time a few years ago, it appeared Van Zant was going to be the equivalent of Big & Rich, but after their one big hit “Help Somebody,” but I haven’t heard much of them since. Maybe somebody should help them resurrect their career.
92. George Jones — Considered a legend by many, Old George is a bit before my time. I made fun of his 90s video for “I Don’t Need No Rockin’ Chair,” but eventually came to like his rendition of “Finally Friday.”
91. Waylon Jennings — Like George Jones, many country purists would be apalled to see Waylon at #91, but I don’t know a lot of his music. Everyone should know his famous “Good Ole Boys,” used as the theme song to Dukes of Hazard.
90. Oak Ridge Boys — Again, I spent more time making fun of the Oak Ridge Boys than I did enjoying their music, but you have to admit their ability to harmonize is pretty catchy. “Elvira” and “My Baby Is American Made” are classics!
89. Sheryl Crow — I think technically Sheryl Crow counts as a country artist because I saw her perform at WeFest. Well, we at least know she’s a person and not a real crow. I wouldn’t say I’m a big fan, but some of her stuff is catchy, like the new “Love Is Free.” It’s that damned overplayed “Picture” duet that takes her down a few notches.
88. Leann Rimes — Boy was America crazy about little 15-year-old Leann Rimes back in the 90s, but boy did her act get old fast! She gets some points for teaming up with Bon Jovi recently, otherwise her best song was “Can’t Fight the Moonlight.”
87. LeeRoy Parnell — All it takes for LeeRoy to get revved up is a tender moment. And just to make sure no one cuts the “e” sound short on his first name, he added a second “e.” And capitalized the “R.” Okay, got it LeeRoy.
86. Shenandoah — Church on Cumberland Road, Next to You Next to Me. I guess two semi-hit songs is good enough for 86th.
85. Lady Antebellum — Much like the Barenaked Ladies, here’s a group that’s put out some great singles in their first half-year on the radio, including the popular “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore,” despite not actually being ladies. I predict we’ll be hearing plenty more of them in the future, male or female.
84. Dixie Chicks — Ugh.. The Dixie Chicks also really annoy me, but are leaps and bounds above Faith, Shania, etc. The pudgy lead singing girl is funny looking, but if you look closely, so are the two taller, plain girls.
83. Gretchen Wilson — Gotta respect Gretchen Wilson, working so hard to get to the top. She’s one hard-drinkin’ tough-fightin’ broad I wouldn’t mess with, but I haven’t been a huge fan of her music. Her recent song “One of the Guys” was pretty listenable.
82. Chad Brock — Chad said “Yes!” I said “Wow.” He said “When?” I said “When are you going to come out with another good song?” Chad was left speechless.
Does anyone but me even know who Wade Hayes is?
81. Wade Hayes — Wade was making a name for himself back in the late 90s with hits like “Old Enough to Know Better.” Maybe he’s old enough to stop wasting his time in mediocrity.
80. Dolly Parton — Aside from a couple big songs like “9 to 5″ and “Islands in the Stream,” I didn’t know much Dolly until her recent week on American Idol. She still looks very fake, but probably better than she would at her current age if she wasn’t fake.
79. Jack Ingram — Jack’s hit it big recently with a couple #1 hits like “Wherever You Are” and “Maybe She’ll Get Lonely.” Will probably never make it much higher on my list but he’s good for a solid hit every couple years. Is it just me or to people whose last names start with vowels get forgotten easily?
78. Eddie Rabbit — Eddie definitely moves up a few spots thanks to Weezer mentioning him in their new song “Heart Songs.” That Eddie really does love a rainy night, and probably Easter too.
77. Trent Tomlinson — Possibly the younger brother of Chargers running back Ladainian Tomlinson, Trent sings about how he doesn’t want a woman he’s dating to get drunken than him. Excellent song.
76. Mark Wills — Back in 2000-something, Mark Wills hit it big with “Nineteen Something,” in which he recalled random events from the 70s, 80s, and 90s but couldn’t remember what year they happened in exactly. Check out the old RG.com Year in Reviews, Mark! I know what happened when!
