About YHalf – Of us feel good about returning to a movie theater (Cinamasafe)  

Today - The Conjuring / Spirit Untamed / Vivo

Next Week  - Loki  -  On Disney Plus-  June 9 - Series

Box Office Results - A Quiet Place 2 - 57 million this weekend and Cruella - 21 milion, best box office in over a year and the weekend brought in 100 milion 

Cruella 2 – Disney wants Glenn Close to play her in the next installment  (Story)

Indiana Jones 5 - The filming begins this week - Indiana Jones 5 will be released July 29, 2022. (Story)

Seth Rogen - Confirms that his movie reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will open on August 11th, 2023  (Story)

Hallmark - Will be airing Christmas movies every Thursday and Friday night  (Story) 

Each “Friend” - Was paid 2.5 million for the Reunion for HBO Max. Negitiations slowed down the process. ALSO they are paid 20 million each year in royalties  (Story)

This Weekend – Check out my Country Music Memory Lane (link)

Jordan Davis and Luke Bryan performed the song "Buy Dirt" from Jordan's new EP of the same name, on the TODAY Show this morning: 

With school coming to an end more students will have to worry about their next meal.

Fight Summer Hunger | Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank (akroncantonfoodbank.org)

Summer Food Sites thru Akron Schools. 

Find more details on Summer Meals for Kids just Click Here.

“I didn’t realize how many kids are at home alone, cooking and fending for themselves.” -Kelly

Read more about how New Philadelphia's Blessings in a Backpack program is feeding 850 kids a month here: https://t.co/A8eFaLoYg1 pic.twitter.com/9DOxohfKVY

— ACRFoodbank (@ACRFoodbank) May 18, 2021

If you love baseball, there is a place in Cleveland that is totally worth seeing.  The home of the Indians for many years during the glory days is League Park at East 66th and Lexington and it's still there.  I went there a few years ago to see it, and it was great.  It's not ALL there, but some of it is, and it's walk through history.

Click Here - Website and GREAT film footage!

It is now The Baseball Heritage Museum and it really should be seen.  How lucky we are to have a piece of real baseball history right here.  It was built in 1891 and redone years later. It was the home of the Indians and numerous other teams and leagues and even the early NFL in the the 1920's and 30's. 

Check out their website and go down and walk through history this summer!

This week is part two of my Country Music Memory Lane series dedicated to songs that made a huge impact on listeners in the first minute of the first radio play.  These are rare, as they make the studio phone ring immediately on the air, with listeners asking, "What is this song, and who is that??, I love this song!!"  

These are some of the songs I remember doing exactly that in my 41 year career so far.  There are others, but they are very rare.  And I am hoping there are more recorded as time goes on!  (If you missed part one, ClICK HERE)

Part TWO -

Daddy's Hands  -  Holly Dunn   -   (1986)

I was doing mornings at WRMZ in Columbus when Holly Dunn released two songs off the album, Holly Dunn, (My Feature On Her)  with little success. But this song was a gigantic hit with listeners.  Somehow this only went to #7 on the charts, but listeners loved this song from the first play. She wrote this for her dad who was a minister and this became one of the most believable songs we've ever had. This is a very powerful song for many people who have sung it, or simply love to hear it.  Holly also established herself with this song that she was here as a traditionalist and she was right on time.  She became a leader in real country music, running off a nice run of hits.  If I had to choose one singer to sing a sad, or hurtin' country song, it would be her.  This was a big song still lives in the hearts of country fans today.

Only Here For A Little While  -  Billy Dean  -  1990

Billy Dean  (My feature on him) really hit us right in the feels with this song when it came out. It was extremely catchy, and it had a message that just made you feel good.  Dean was an underrated artist of the 1990's and this was his real breakthrough.  This had a feel of country, and a gospel feel that was undeniable.  There is a long line of successful songs in our format that have followed that formula. This song made people happy, hopeful and plus this sounded great on the air. 

Any Man Of Mine  - Shania Twain  - (1995)

I remember when this song came out when I was doing the morning show at WPCV in Lakeland, Florida - when we all met Shania Twain. This was not her first song, but it was her second, and this was a gigantic hit. Plus, this song had an amazingly well done video that really helped propel this to incredible heights. Shania had the natural ability to record songs that for some reason no one was even slightly offended by. This playful, but honest and direct song was presented in a way that was inviting to anyone as were most of her songs.  The ending of this song is also insanely memorable as she chants out dance steps that everyone still knows by heart, and you generally sing with as it plays all these years later.  This song was right on time as line dancing was really taking off then too.  This launched her to her incredible 90's run as she became the second largest selling artist of the decade.

Blue  - LeAnn Rimes  - (1996)

The phone was ringing about a minute into this song as this talented 13 year old was singing this incredible traditional country song. Yes, this is very reminiscent of Patsy Cline and fans heard and loved that. Some knew that she was a teen, others were astonished when they learned that. Her voice was of course well beyond her age much like Tanya Tucker (My article on her) many years earlier. I have always maintained if she would have stuck with traditional country, or similar, exclusively -  the sky would have been her limit.  Should be noted, her branching off to a more pop sounding career did work out fine.  This is how we all learned about LeAnn Rimes, hard to think she now is almost 40.  This is an incredible song.

Long Black Train  - Josh Turner  - (2003)

I had been here at WQMX for a few years when this song hit the air! No one knew who Josh Turner was then, but they sure did after they heard this song. This is another mix of country and gospel, but this also has a hint of Johnny Cash both in voice and in beat.  This song was way different and really cut through, plus that big baritone, well trained voice really got him noticed right out of the gate.  This song - as much as any song we have featured in the past two weeks was blowing up the phone as it played the first time.

OK, so I know that Memorial Day Weekend is over, and we all ate very well, but there is plenty of good grilling season left to go. 

This website is really fun, so is Susie the woman who runs it, and everything we have ever made from this site has been first rate.  This Mac And Cheese was fantastic, and so are her grilling lessons and tips.

Mark and save this site, she really know her stuff, from the grill to amazing sides.

Hey, Grill, Hey

Florida Georgia Line were guests yesterday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and sang "Always Gonna Love You": 

They will be making a stop at Blossom Music Center on Friday, October 1st, with Russell Dickerson, Lauren Alaina, and Blake Redferrin! Tickets go on sale Friday, June 4th at 10am!

Today being Memorial Day we are all thinking food, family, fun, baseball and the usual stuff for a 3 day holiday weekend. Go Tribe, and yes I will have another burger.

But of course it's a day to remember those.  My dad was not killed in WWII, but he did serve.  I know we remember those who gave theirs so we can have ours today.  You may or may not know we have a very special place right in our own backyard that does exactly that.  The Western Reserve National Cemetery is in Rittman/Seville area just a few miles from here in Medina County.  When I discovered it a number of years ago, it got me thinking.

My friend Don's father was a veteran and he was placed here after he died, and I had no idea it was there.  My dad died in 1978 and at that time he stated he wanted no fuss, or grave or anything.  I think he was angry at life being cut short, first by the war, and now lung cancer at 53. So we honored his wishes as he was cremated with no marker anywhere.  But after I saw Rittman, I had to do something.

I got thinking that he lived through extraordinary times and that there needed to be some place on this planet with his name on it, that showed he was here.  I figured we honored his wishes for 35 years, and now it was time for something greater than just his name spoken in the wind.  So, I found his papers and records from WWII and got him a stone in Rittman.

I am proud he is there, and proud of his service. And I am humbled by the thousands of others in Rittman (It's on Rawiga Road, just outisde of Seville and Rittman) and in the 154 other National Cemeteries across America.  

Thank you  - for your everything.

Looking for something to do Memorial Day Weekend.  Check out the zoo.

The Akron Zoo will unveil Wild Asia, Saturday, May 29th.  The new area will be home to the 3 returning Red Panda Sisters - 

Coco, Lulu and Penny.  You can make your reservations for the grand opening now.

Up until this year, the most impressive winning streak on earth belonged to Father Time.  In fact, he was undefeated. But finally, as of Sunday, he has suffered his first loss.

When Tom Brady won the his seventh Superbowl in February at the age of about 43, he landed some nice body blows to Father Time and FT was staggering around.  Brady and his incredible feat was the talk of the entire country. 43 in the NFL is unreal even if you're a kicker. A man, playing the toughest position in all of sports at the pro level and able to get the win for Tampa Bay.  Football being a team sport is fact, and there were naysayers saying "It's a team game...blah blah."   Yeah, YEAH.  

OK, that is true and I get it. I don't agree with it, but I hear your argument.  But that is not the case for the amazing Phil Mickelson this past weekend.  Golf is the most individual of sports.  It is also the hardest game on earth to play well.  There is no other game that can only be played and not won. The course always wins. There has never been a perfect round of golf played and there never will be.  PGA records of 59, or 58 are incredible, but "perfect" would be 50. Birdie on every hole and eagles on the par 5's.  Will never happen.

Phil played at almost 51 years old against men half his age in the PGA Major Championship and won it. The oldest player to ever win a major. No one 50 plus, not Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tiger (not 50 but gaining on it) , not any of them ever did it.  It was simply incredible, and it was great to see.  It was also nice to see fans of all ages love on him the way they did.  I know it got a bit out of hand there are the end, but the passion they felt for his feat was refreshing to see. Phil did a whole lot of people a whole lot of good. He proved that people older than the cool people still have value and can still do amazing things. Lot to be learned there.  He also reminded us that there is still room for good in the world as he brought us together, as I can't imagine anyone with a heart that actually still beats rooting against him Sunday.

With Father Time staggering around since the Superbowl hoping for the bell to ring, and get a rest in the corner between rounds, Phil stepped forward and finished him off with one mighty blow that put him on the canvass, at least for this fight. Father Time finally beaten!  Father Time will recover and yes, will go on another long, seemingly unending winning streak, but because of Tom, and now Phil's amazing feats, Father Time is no longer undefeated.

Now, he just only has the greatest winning percentage of all time.  Let's all follow Phil and go after Father Time. All of us, no matter what your age is, 25 or 55.  Start your race against him, he is a tough foe.

Thanks, Phil!