We talk to our guy in Nashville, Jimmy Carter, every weekday morning and he had news of a couple of my favorite guys getting in trouble over the weekend.  Both in my humble opinion… are ridiculous.

First, Toby Keith gets some fan complaints for dropping the f-bomb a few times at a recent show.  Remember when considering bringing your children to any concert, it’s an adult putting on shows for other adults.  There is always a chance for PG-13 language.  Toby’s comments were in regards to the need for support of our troops fighting overseas.

Then, there’s the final Kenny Chesney show of the tour.  The acoustics were terrible as they can very often be in the big arenas, so people want refunds?  Are you kidding me?  And the complaints that there was too much drinking?  This happens at ALL shows.  With all due respect, join in or stay home.  There was actually a person who said, “Gary Allan drinking Jack Daniels on stage broke my heart.  He was the person I came to see.”  OMG!  Are you for real?  So he takes a swig of JD in celebration on the last night of the tour, big deal!  These performers are not there to be the moral compass for America.  They are simply there to entertain people by singing their hit songs… and they did just that.

I took my daughters to go see The Turtles when they were in concert last summer here in Denver.  We left after 3 songs partly because of the language and mostly because of the numerous drug references.  I was not personally offended, but it was not the place for my kids.  People need to lighten up.

I’m a big fan of Country music!  I love Carrie and Kenny and Tim, and I also love the classic stuff.  That’s why I wanted to share this list with you.  Bilboard magazine’s Hot 100 chart recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and I have listed the Top 50 Country songs of their first 50 years.  There’s some great ones on this list!

1  THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS
Johnny Horton

2  LADY
Kenny Rogers
 
3  YOU’RE STILL THE ONE
Shania Twain  
 
4  ARE YOU LONESOME TO-NIGHT?
Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires  
 
5  RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN’ ON MY HEAD
B.J. Thomas
 
6  RHINESTONE COWBOY
Glen Campbell
 
7  BREATHE
Faith Hill  
 
8  TOM DOOLEY
The Kingston Trio
 
9  BIG BAD JOHN
Jimmy Dean
 
10  HE’LL HAVE TO GO
Jim Reeves  
 
11  ISLANDS IN THE STREAM
Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton
 
12  HONEY
Bobby Goldsboro  
 
13  THE STREAK
Ray Stevens
 
14  STUCK ON YOU
Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires  
 
15  THE THREE BELLS
The Browns
 
16  IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE
Conway Twitty
 
17  ODE TO BILLIE JOE
Bobbie Gentry
 
18  THE BALLAD OF THE GREEN BERETS
SSgt Barry Sadler U.S. Army Special Forces
 
19  EL PASO
Marty Robbins
 
20  BIRD DOG
The Everly Brothers
 
21  BEFORE THE NEXT TEARDROP FALLS
Freddy Fender  
 
22  9 TO 5
Dolly Parton
 
23  I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT
Eddie Rabbitt
 
24  LAST DATE
Floyd Cramer
 
25  THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL
Charlie Rich
 
26  THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA
Vicki Lawrence
 
27  AMAZED
Lonestar
 
28  DON’T IT MAKE MY BROWN EYES BLUE
Crystal Gayle  
 
29  BABY DON’T GET HOOKED ON ME
Mac Davis
 
30  ANNIE’S SONG
John Denver
 
31  (HEY WON’T YOU PLAY) ANOTHER SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG
B.J. Thomas
 
32  QUEEN OF HEARTS
Juice Newton
 
33  HARPER VALLEY P.T.A.
Jeannie C. Riley
 
34  LET YOUR LOVE FLOW
Bellamy Brothers
 
35  SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDERS
John Denver
 
36  YOU NEEDED ME
Anne Murray
 
37  I CAN HELP
Billy Swan
 
38  I HONESTLY LOVE YOU
Olivia Newton-John
 
39  PLEASE MR. PLEASE
Olivia Newton-John
 
40  HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW
Olivia Newton-John
 
41  NORTH TO ALASKA
Johnny Horton
 
42  CONVOY
C.W. McCall
 
43  SPIDERS & SNAKES
Jim Stafford
 
44  SOUTHERN NIGHTS
Glen Campbell
 
45  THE WAY YOU LOVE ME
Faith Hill
 
46  BLUE BAYOU
Linda Ronstadt
 
47  WHEN WILL I BE LOVED
Linda Ronstadt
 
48  WICHITA LINEMAN
Glen Campbell
 
49  THANK GOD I’M A COUNTRY BOY
John Denver
 
50  LET ME BE THERE
Olivia Newton-John

To see the list and even hear some clips of the songs, click HERE.  I’m not sure how they compiled the list and I think they may have a left a few great songs out.  Feel free to comment and add your favorites to the list.

“It’s begining to look a lot like Christmas…”  Sing it if you know it!  I love Christmas music!  My girls do, too.  They each have Christmas CD’s that you may hear playing anytime after Labor Day.

We got into a discussion on the air this morning about what constitutes “good” Christmas music.  Much like the Christmas tree entry below, Jesse is a purist and only likes the classics.  Not me!  I get excited about the new music that comes out each year.  Granted, I still prefer the standards, but I’m always willing to hear new spins on celebrating Christmas.

And how long does it take for something that isn’t a Holiday music staple to become one?  Where would we be without “Please Come Home for Christmas” by the Eagles or “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Vince Vance & the Valiants. “Thank God for Kids, Pretty Paper, Christmas Cookies…” the list goes on and on!

The rest of the crew was making fun of me because I like the Taylor Swift remake of Wham’s “Last Christmas”.  I LOVE THIS SONG!  I’m so glad someone finally updated and remade this song.  To me, it’s a classic!  The guy from Savage Garden did a version on one of Rosie O’Donnell’s Christmas CD’s(I’m embarrassed to say I have them both.).  Of course there is a great version of “Santa on the Rooftop” with Trisha Yearwood on there, too.

So go ahead and belt out “Jingle Bells”. I’ve got great versions by everyone from Tracy Byrd to Barry Manilow & En Vogue.  Don’t be surprised though if I break into a little Wham or even “The Chimney Song”.

Happy Holidays!

I’m not a huge fan of Jeff Foxworthy’s show, “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader”.  Like most primetime quiz shows, I think they take too long to answer the questions and drag the show on far too long.  The bright part of this show is that Foxworthy uses his ample repertoire of redneck humor to rip on the contestants. What really bugs me is that most contestants start with the early grade questions and use up all their “cheats” leaving them with the harder questions and no help.  It’s FRUSTRATING to watch!

Kellie Pickler was on the show last night - looking fabulous, I might add.  As I watched Kellie, it got me thinking.  Kellie has gotten a reputation stemming all the way back to the American Idol days of not being the brightest bulb.  I disagree.  As the saying goes, I think she may be “crazy like a fox”.  She’s a talented performer and a descent song writer, so who’s to say she’s not smarter than the general public gives her credit for?

A few points to ponder… Her innocence and (for lack of a better word) simple demeanor make her very likeable and make her stand out from the crop of other new female artists.  Also, who is Kellie Pickler’s idol?  Dolly Parton!  Ask yourself, when you see Dolly, and hear her talk - do you not see the similarities?

As for me, I’m going to continue to think Kellie Pickler is beautiful, talented, and a lot smarter than you think.

So Jimmy Carter, our Nashville correspondent, was talking with Jesse and I like he does every weekday morning at around 5:50 and 7:50 and he was talking about a review that Keith Urban got from a recent show.  The reviewer said that Keith put on a really good show “but don’t call that country!”

On a quick side note: Jesse and I have commented on the air about the “concert reviewer” subject many times on our show.  I have a good deal of respect for people who write columns, it’s not easy to come up with material to fill what the newspaper industry calls the “news hole” every day.  I do take issue (pun intended) with newspapers sending people who are not fans of a certain music genre out to see a show by one of its artists.  For example, I’ve been playing country music on the radio since the late 80’s and I could not possibly give a good and unbiased review of a concert by Slipknot.  The same holds true for the Yngwie Malmsteen loving concert reviewers being sent to country shows.  Can I get an amen?

Sorry, back to Keith Urban.  I first met Keith as part of The Ranch at the Riverside Ballroom* in Green Bay, WI, late October ‘97.  He was opening for Ty Herndon at the time and a relative unknown.  He is the same today as he was then, shy, unassuming, polite.  The kind of guy you walk away from thinking “what a nice guy.  I hope he does well.”  I had a chance to hang out with Keith, Jerry and Peter for a while before the show.  What a great group of guys, excited to be out making music and having fun.  I’ll never forget that show.  I’ve seen many three piece bands in my day, but I have never seen one that was able to make so much wonderful noise with so few people.  I was blown away and a dedicated Keith Urban fan from that day forward.  I still pull out that Ranch CD from time to time and listen to it.  It’s great music.  Keith sure has come a long way.  I’ve seen him in concert many times in the last ten years and he’s never failed to impress me.  I think his songwriting is unique and spot on for what country fans are looking for in the new millennium.

It’s fitting that Keith has a new Greatest Hits package coming out next week as I write this blog.  It’s great to see an artist that has done so much for the country format reach such an impressive milestone.  Congrats, Keith… and many more!

I leave you with this Keith Urban memory.  Any of you who have listened to Jesse & I on the WOLF have probably heard me say this, but Keith Urban is one of the single greatest guitar players of all time.  During that show with the Ranch, I saw Keith play “Devil Went Down to Georgia” ALL ON GUITAR!  It was amazing!  I found this video of him playing the song so you could see it, too.  The hair is shorter, and there are a few less tattoos, but he sure could wail.  Check it out!

*As an interesting side note, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper played The Riverside Ballroom on February 1, 1959.  They headed to Clear Lake, IA that night, and would all be dead 24 hours later.

The Country Music Association Awards are the premiere awards show for our format.  I look forward to watching it every year and seeing how far off the “industry” is from my own picks.

I’m writing this as I watch the show and I’m impressed, so far!

Random Thoughts on the show:
Rascal Flatts sounding much better than usual!
Darius from Hootie and the Blowfish sitting next to Clay walker?
What was Marty Stuart doing there?
Loved the marching band with Brad Paisley for “Online”.
The whole “no host” thing is clunky.
Why do they keep flashing on Sheryl Crowe?
I’m glad Vince Gill was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He’s a class act!
Reba, who looked fabulous, sings with LeAnn and not Justin Timberlake?  Was he unavailable?
Jessica Simpson looks like she’s terrified!
The Vince Gill underwear adds are hysterical!
Is black the new black? Everyone is wearing it tonight. Maybe cuz it’s slimming. LOL.
Highlight of the night for me? Taylor Swift saying winning the Horizon Award was the highlight of her Sr. year.  She’s going to be a superstar!
Little Big Town does a song that’s four years old?  I dig it, but there’s newer material from them.
Apparently it’s vogue to say how much you like Alison Kraus.  Whatever.
Jennifer Nettles blew me away with her performance of “Stay”!  My wife called her outfit “unfortunate” though.
God, I’m jealous of Brad Paisley!  His wife is SOOO HOT!
Is it just me or does Kenny look uncomfortable not wearing a t-shirt or tank top?  Are those dress slacks?
Is it bad that I like it when they cry?
Around the time the Eagles performed, they seemed to get the sound right.  Everyone since then has sounded really good!
Kid Rock could have at least walked past the shower on his way to the show.  For crying out loud!
I am SMOKING Jesse James in our CMA picks! Whoo-Hoo!
Apparently the writers strike has affected the jokes.  OMG!
Brad Paisley is the coolest guy ever. I’m so glad he won Male Vocalist!
Gary and Jamie Foxx used to be roommates? I didn’t know that!

We’ll have complete post coverage on the air Thursday morning.  I’ve got to get up for work in four hours… goodnight.

I have been a big fan of Brad Paisley since the first day I met him.  He was a brand new artist just signed to the same record label as Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Diamond Rio and others.  These guys don’t make mistakes and it was apparent from the beginning that Brad was soon to follow in the superstar steps.

Brad’s introductory song was called “Who Needs Pictures”, and he came into my office and played that song, “He Didn’t Have to Be”, and the song that solidified me as a fan… “Me Neither.”  Brad has always had the ability to transition between poignant ballads like “She’s Everything” or “Whiskey Lullaby” and catchy, fun songs like “I’m Gonna Miss Her” and “Online”.

Brad’s newest release is a song called “Letter to Me” which takes a look back at all the things you’d like to tell yourself if you could go back in time.  Brad proves himself an excellent storyteller once again with this song which is sure to be another be hit.  Listen for “Letter to Me” on 92.5FM The WOLF!

P.S.: If Brad tells you the first place I took him when we met was Hooters… not true!