If you missed any of my articles this week from WQMX.com here's a good chance to get caught up. Grab a coffee and ear buds and thanks for reading and listening every day!

It's A New Day

Eat Of The Week

50 Most important Songs 1980-Today - #44

Forgotten Jukebox - RC-24

The Mega Star Series - Ray Charles

BROWNS - Planes, Trains And Once Automobiles

Wynn At The Movies And More!

Box Office Results  - #1 - Argyle

#2 - Lisa Frankenstein

#3 - The Beekeeper

New This Week –  Bob Marley: One Love /  Madame Web (Marvel)  / Drift  / The Taste Of Thing

The Bob Marley – Biopic - $12 million on Wednesday. Breaking a decade-old revenue record for Valentine’s Day occurring midweek.

Taylors Era Movie - It will premiere on Disney+ on March 15th! 

Slowest Non-Covid - Weekend ever at movies

Taylor Swift - Will direct a movie she wrote as soon as the Era's tour is over

Travis Kelce - He's makes his debut as a film producer. March 9^th - My Dead Friend Zoe

Record - The New Deadpool / Wolverine trailer is the most viewed ever in a 24 hour period 365 Million

 The Oscars - Getting a new category. Beginning with 2026's Academy Awards, for Achievement in Casting. 

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

Also - 50 Most Important Country Songs 1980 – Today #44  (Link)

February was Black History Month, and all month I featured artists that contributed greatly to country music over the years.  It was great to look back on these amazing artists and showcase them.  In case you missed any of them, here is a recap of who was featured and where.

The Mega Star Series - Charley Pride

The Mega Star Series - Ray Charles

The Mega Star Series - Lionel Richie

Country Music Memory Lane - Big Al Downing

Forgotten Jukebox - Seven Spanish Angels

Forgotten Jukebox - Stuck On You

Forgotten Jukebox - Too Many Times

Forgotten Jukebox - Deep River Woman

50 Most Important Country Songs 1980 - Today - #45

Big Al Downing was a very talented artist, and a very interesting story that is little known, but should be. Here's a guy that played venues all over the world for decades, in front of millions of people, and never had any real charting success.  I remember playing BAD at my first station or two, and I remember seeing him on TV on tons of shows. But what an incredible career he had.

Big Al was a sizzling rockabilly piano player and that talent alone got him regular appearances at the Grand Ole' Opry and great concert halls everywhere.  I never met Al Downing, but by all accounts he was a hugely liked man and performer to all. He was a band member early in his career for the amazing Wanda Jackson. He also was a great song writer and early on wrote songs for Fats Domino and later for others like Tom Jones.  He then became a wonderful music producer well into the late 1990's for many in Nashville.

This Has Been Recorded By Many  - Written By Big Al

He was a much respected member of the country music community.  He did chart a few songs mostly in the late 1970's.  He had two top 20 hits back to back, Mr Jones, and Touch Me, both off the Big Al Downing album which enjoyed good commercial and great critical success.  As a result of that he was nominated for Best New Artist of 1980 by the ACM. He was also nominated for the ACM Single Of The Year for Mr. Jones.  Plus Billboard Magazine's New Artist of The Year & Single of The Year Awards for that same year.  All of this 20 years after breaking into the music biz. Mr. Jones is considered by some as one of the most poignant and powerful story songs we've ever had.

This Song Was Loved - Powerful

Big Al Downing performed world wide for most of his adult life, and was a fixture on Television on shows like Hee Haw, and American Bandstand With Dick Clark.  He's in the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame as well.  He was a sensational musician and a pretty darn good songwriter. And even though his charting success was limited, his contribution to country is not. 

The Story Behind The Story  - Fans Loved This Song

His start in the music business was from the 1950's and lasted until the early 2000's.  He helped integrate country music along with Ray Charles and helped pave the way for others that followed.  His single, Mr. Jones was a much loved song we played for a good long while, I remembered getting lots of calls for that song early on in my career.  And that Big AL Downing album, is really terrific.

Big Al Downing left behind great songs, great performances and a great legacy.   Al Downing passed away in 2005 at the age of 65.

For More On Black History Month click here for more information from our sister station (WAKR)

Deep River Woman - Lionel Richie & Alabama  - 1986 -  (Album - Dancin' On The Ceiling)

In 1986 Alabama was on top of world and so was Lionel Richie.  They were each dominating their respective charts that were seemingly miles apart.  But after Richie got on the country charts with Stuck On You, this was the next step.  This Richie penned gem of a song was about perfect.  Alabama was loved by about everyone no matter what your musical preference was, and so was Richie. Their harmonies on this song are legendary, as it sounded as if they had been singing together forever.  This song was a work of art in the fact too, it sounded like a song each one might have recorded independently of each other under different circumstances.  To me, that is the key to any attempted duet, is it a good song, or an attempt to make a big song out of an average one?  But lucky for us, they did it as a duet that went to #10 on the country charts.  This song was also redone on Richie's 2012 masterpiece album, Tuskegee with Little Big Town and is terrific as well.  I'll include both versions below.  But in 1986, with two musical giants meeting in the studio to record this amazing record, was the stuff of legends.

For More On Black History Month click here for more information from our sister station (WAKR)

Last Weeks Selection

My Mega Star Profile On Lionel Richie

WIth Alabama  - 1986

 With Little Big Town - 2012

Too Many Times  - Earl Thomas Conley And Anita Pointer - 1986

This was a moment.  In 1986 Earl Thomas Conley was one of country musics most successful artists. He was rattling off a long line of big hits and this is one of them.  He invited the incredible Anita Pointer of the R&B group The Pointer Sisters to sing on this very powerful duet, which was the title song of his new album.  ETC was way ahead of his time in country with his approach and sound, as he was always instituting new ideas and styles. This incredible duet with Pointer turned a lot of heads with her soaring vocals and powerful presence.  This was #2 on the country charts and in my view one of the best country duets ever.  This song reached people deeply and together they made the rounds for a long time appearing on all the Awards Shows, the talk shows and shows like Solid Gold.  They performed this song together on Soul Train, making Conley the first country artist to ever appear on that classic show.  There was also a TNN Concert Special honoring this remarkable moment.  This was a great example of two distinctively different sounds, styles and worlds marrying together and opening many eyes, ears and minds in and around country music.  Anita Pointer is the absolute star of this sensational duet that should live on forever.  This was perfection in about every way imaginable for all of us.

Both Anita and Earl have passed away - but this gem will always be here.

Song written by Micheal Smotherman / Tony McShear / Scott Page (Former member of Pink Floyd) 

For More On Black History Month click here for more information from our sister station (WAKR)

Last Weeks Selection

I put two versions of this in the article, to show the chemistry and affection between these two amazing performers. Worth a few listens  - Very heartwarming.

The reach of country music is enormous. There's a reason Nashville is called Music City as we have artists coming to town to pursue their goal of a country career or more accurately in many cases a certain country album or project.  Artists that are not necessarily country too like Motley Crew, The Beach Boys, The Eagles, Kelly Clarkson, Jessica Simpson, Cheryl Crowe, Elle King, Demi Lavato, Alison Krause, and many others come to mind all having different levels of success. 

Darius Rucker came to Nashville a number of years ago, sans The Blowfish, and has had tremendous success.  Ray Charles too years ago.  And in the 80's Lionel Richie had a country hit with Stuck On You,  then came back years later to record his country album, Tuskegee, which was a very big success.  Tuskegee is the historic city where Richie was born and the university where he graduated from.  The album is an absolute masterpiece.  I feel it's mandatory owning. 

Stuck On You  - Richies First Country Release

Tuskegee is a collection of 12 Richie hits that were remade with the biggest country stars and legends of the time in Nashville in 2012. The album to a degree followed the same formula as Ray Charles, Friendship album of the 80's, but the main difference was these were all established Richie hit songs where Friendship was a mix of material. The tracks were all re-recorded in Nashville to reflect a more country sound than the originals.  This album was far bigger than I think many were envisioning it would be. It became Richie's first number one album since the pop smash album, Dancin' On The Ceiling in 1986.  That's 26 years, and Tuskegee sold close to 2 million copies.  By any measure, it was a big hit.

With Jennifer Nettles - Awards Show Magic

I saw Lionel Richie perform at the Ryman in Nashville around the time of the release of this album.  He performed a songs from it, and was joined by Darius Rucker and hearing those two legends sing as Richie played the piano in the perfect Ryman setting was a real treat.  After all these years, he was in great voice and seemed excited about this project.  Richie is one of those artists that is so versatile and smooth, he sounds good singing about anything.

Darius And Richie  - This Version Of Stuck On You - Amazing

In 1984 when many country stations played Stuck On You, Richie fit right in with the sound of much of the pop country that was dominating the charts.  This was a long way from his days as the lead singer of The Commodores years earlier that gave us great classics like Brick House, Sail On, Easy Like Sunday Morning and Three Times A Lady.  The latter was remade by Conway Twitty in the early 80's and was a big hit going top 5.  Richie also teamed up with Alabama in 1986 and scored a top ten country duet hit, Deep River Woman, which is a fantastic song.

Big Hit With Alabama - Top 10  - Sensational Duet - Much Loved

Richie of course was a huge pop star that recorded a lot of albums over the course of his 40 plus year career.  But you may not know he also wrote the smash hit, Lady for Kenny Rogers which along with The Gambler became the song Rogers was most known for and is one of the most loved and biggest country hits of all time. It is safe to say the Lionel Richie was one of those artists that was just good for music in general. 

With Blake Shelton  - Just Terrific!

He was -  and is a prolific songwriter, a sensational vocalist, a very popular and much sought after performer to work with in the music business overall.  And by the way, all the songs I've mentioned in this article, Richie wrote.

With Willie Nelson  - Just Great! 

He's done it all, funk, soul, pop, and country. Lionel Richie a big contributor to many kinds of music, country included.

For More On Black History Month click here for more information from our sister station (WAKR)

OKAY - The game is over and everyone has gone home.  The house is trashed and today you're getting your home back in order, and that includes the fridge!  You have a ton of leftovers in there and don't know what to do with them exactly.  Well before you eat them boringly  - or throw them out, see what a few top chef's say you can, and should do with them to make them really tasty!

Chef's Suggestions For Your Leftover Party Food~!

It should be no surprise that George Strait is on this list, and he will return again a few times as he's one of the biggest stars we've ever had. This makes the list as it's one of his most loved songs and was in the movie, Pure Country which marked his acting debut as well.  That's what makes this so important, as George ventured into acting and made a splash on the big screen and we all saw him as we had never seen him before.  Strait has some 60 #1 songs, but this song struck people deep as it's just an honest, straight forward love song that tells it like it is.  The way of his career was very interesting.  He would have a bunch of big songs and #1 hits, and THEN a huge song like this that was seemingly asking for a position higher than #1.  That pattern went on for about 30 years.  This is loved, quoted and was a big wedding song for a lot of the 90's.  And today if you would ask most fans what are their 5 favorite Strait songs, this would be on most lists.  #1 of course, sold millions and made Strait many new fans and made the older ones happy yet again. This was George Strait in his real prime in every way, what a Mega Star!

Last Week #45

My Full Profile On George Strait - The Mega Star Series

Today's the end of the NFL season and in a few hours, we'll know who the champion is for 2023. And in about a week, we will hardly remember who that is and most of us won't care.  It's the new way we are about most everything now, the world is a new place over the past number of years and even the mighty NFL can't escape it.

Years ago today was all about football. The men, the game, the game plan, the offense, defense...blah blah..  Man, who cares?  Today has become about - today.  The pageantry, the music, the halftime show, the anthem, the TV, the betting, commercials, the party's and the food!  And this year who's dating Taylor Swift, whose very presence today at the game will more than likely ensure the largest TV audience ever to watch this TV show.  And that's what it is, a TV show.  It's not a game anymore.

Quick, who won the World Series last year?  NBA?  Last year's NFL champ?  Stanley Cup?  Indy 500, Daytona 500? Kentucky Derby?  I thought so, all that stuff is not near as important as it once was to fans or just people.  If the Browns were there today, we would feel differently. But they're not, so we really don't care. And that's the way it works now in sports.  Your team in?  You're in.  Your team out?  You're way out.  And the NFL can't run from it anymore.  If you live in Kansas City or San Francisco you're vested. If not, have you seen the new Doritos commercial? 

When the NFL lost the Lions from the playoffs, they lost the only real interesting football story they had left, as they would have garnered a lot of interest, as would the Browns if they could ever get there.  Do you care if Pat Mahomes wins another title?  Yawn.... Brock Purdy is a nice story as the last guy picked in the draft, but not nice enough. Most fans will tune in today to eat a pile of food, see friends they haven't seen in a while, catch Reba and Usher, and pound a few beers.  Others will run into the room to get a glimpse of Taylor going crazy over a great play her guy makes.

And tomorrow unless the officials totally screw up this game, the only thing we will really be talking about will be the commercials and what Jason Kelce was wearing after his brother scored a TD.  This is the new reality of this day.  People eating, using their phones, and waiting for two things. The halftime show with Usher then Gronk trying to kick a field goal again.  And second, more people checking to see it their wagers and betting parlays are paying off from the office pool or their betting site.

This is 2024. Stadiums everywhere are taking seats out so people can mill and walk around or simply stand at sporting events.  Stadium food and drink is pretty boujee and today it has become far more important to say you were there  - than acutally watching the game.  And that has transcended to your house too.  Our big football parties are simply social events now, and no one by and large really cares who wins today.  The TV's  are just kinda on and hey, everyone hold it down, the commercials are on.

I love football, but I don't care one bit who wins today.  Because when we're out, or when the "story"  is out, I'm out too. I'll just be downing ribs and wings.

Next year Browns / Lions?   Now that's a story.  But I don't think Taylor would fly in for that one.