This month as we begin a new year, I am going to share  -  as we revisit my Country Music Memory Lane - Mega Star Series.  These are artists that are on the top shelf of stars of recent past.  The true Mega Stars of our format over our recent past.

This week we star off with Super Group  - Alabama.  We owe them an awful lot, as they really kept Country in the limelight during a time of real transition - from pop country to more traditional.

Super Group - Alabama

I'll Give You All My Love Tonight  - The Bellamy Brothers  -  1989 -  (Album - Crazy From The Heart)

As the Bellamy Brothers topped my 50 Favorites From 40 Years list with, Let Your Love Flow, seems fitting they also have a song in the Forgotten Jukebox.  This song is absolutely wonderful from a very different time.  This album, to me their best, and this was one of the big singles from it.  The Bellamy's recorded a lot of really great music in the 80's and 90's and were always on the charts with some 20 number one songs.  This was Top 5 and got a lot of airplay.  At this time, country was shifting far more traditional, and as you listen to this, you'll see this is not.  But what this is, is good.  Some of the Bellamy's music was hard to categorize, but it was always very good music.  They still tour and still play.

My Full Profile On The Bellamy Brothers

#50 -Don't Rock The Jukebox - Alan Jackson - 1991

This was Jackson's second number one early in his career.  It was also The Country Song Of The Year from Billboard in 1991, and propelled Alan Jackson to heights not yet seen.  This song solidified Jackson as a real force in Country and as a result of this huge song, he essentially went in on a 17 year run of #1's and top five's that is enviable. This song was immensely popular for about every reason a song is.  It was right on time and it's who Alan Jackson is at his core.  Fans sensed that, and gravitated to him in droves.  He will appear a couple more times on this list as his contribution to us is huge and immeasurable.  But even though this was not his first big hit, it was the one that made him a superstar.  Still gets played, still loved, still a great country song!

My Full Profile On Alan Jackson

In case you missed some of my articles this week from WQMX.com  let's get you caught up!

Thanks for reading and listening every day?!

BROWNS - The Blessing

New Year- Long Feature Starts Next Week!

50 Favorites From 40+ Years Total Recap!

BROWNS - Guys Like Joe

Wynn At The Movies And More!

The Browns continue to win and you can start making your playoff plans.  Tonight the Jets come to town for a Thursday Night Game. The players don't like this short week stuff, and I will be glad when it's over and Joe Flacco is still upright and not hurt. The Jets have a great, physical defense that could make things tough on the Browns.  But the Browns should win this game.

Lots of talk on social media about the Browns and Flacco.  Lots of "Too many interceptions,"  and that kind of thing.  Granted, I am not thrilled about those either.  But we're throwing the ball about a thousand times a game and asking a guy who was just Netflixing on his couch to do it.  I'd love to see more balance.  There's also some of "The other QB's were successful too, let's not forget that.."  Truth is, we have forgotten that.  Not because we meant to, it's not top of mind this minute.  Plus, those many of those games were won by the lights out defense.

Be all that as it may, Flacco is here, he's in charge and this is his team right this second. Flacco is the perfect example of what I have felt for years.  I know, he is not the "New kind of QB,"  that's in vogue right now.  A guy that can pass, rush the ball, and make extreme plays that are great for Sportscenter or YouTube, or for some young network play-by-play guy to scream at the top of his lungs some stupid catch phrase he hopes ends up on those platforms for eternity.  Flacco in many people's minds is a throw-back.  Truth is, he's not at all.  He's the kind of guy who wins championships in this league. Big, tall pocket passers who extend a play just enough and most important of all, they stay healthy.  The list of these QB's is long, Brady, Montana, Bradshaw, Manning, Sims, Staubach, Mahomes to a degree, Williams, Elway, Roethlisberger, Favre, Rodgers, ......and Flacco. And a ton more.

The Browns sort of fell into this whole thing.  I'm not at all sold of them thinking Flacco was going to play much, or be this good. Truth is, Flacco has surprised everyone.  But the Browns came into this season with the Superbowl on their minds. And they also came into this season with a big question of how would the guy at the controls play.  And to add to that, a backup that was well over his head.  And another guy that had a limit, signed out of need.  The organization was not fair to any of them or the rest of the team, or us fans.  I was confounded at the time this was their plan.  Then injuries, bad play and a season starting to slip away, they called Flacco when there were ZERO options left to them.

What is happening now has everything to do with knowledge of human beings and I will not give the Browns organization that credit. The PLAYERS were looking for a leader, and with Flacco playing so well, these guys want to follow him.  They bought in, and are going with Joe no matter where this goes. And why not?  He is EXACTLY what this team needed.  It is so clear the PLAYERS were looking for his kind of leadership, and they started following him from the first play of the Rams game.  I also have never seen Stefanski so relaxed and happy as he is now.

How far can this team go?  As far as the great defense will take them.  Sure Flacco is playing well right now, and he does have championship pedigree. I have no doubt that Flacco will play as well as can be expected.  And if he does that, and this defense does what it can do, the Browns are a very tough draw in the playoffs, especially how the AFC is shaking out right now. The road to get to this point has been riddled with bones real difficulty and setbacks and still, here we are.

But when you know guys like Joe, I think the real key is this. Putting the Browns way aside for a minute.  HE has landed right where HE is supposed to be right now, and that's making all the difference.  For any of us in life, it settles us in our center when we know we are in the right place in the world, at the right moment, for the right reasons, with the right person.  And right now, that's the peace Joe Flacco is experiencing.

How on earth, did we get so lucky?

Box Offic4 Results - Aquaman  (28 Million)

#2 – Wonka

#3 - Migration

New Major January Movies -   Night Swim  /  Mean Girls  /  The Beekeeper /  I.S.S. /  The Book Of Clarence

Budget For Aquaman – Was 200 Million

This Weekend –  My 50 Favorites Over 40+ Years  - Year Long Recap Final  - (Link)

Each year Sarah and I pick our Top Five Country Songs for the year. And this year is no exception!

Here are my Top Five - And why!

        /  Waylon kind of driving under beat and a slick lyric line, this is as stone cold country as it gets right now.

         He's always great, but when Dierks gets the right song, with the right rhythm, I feel it's mandatory listening.

#5  - Tennessee Orange  - Megan Maroney

        I loved this song the first time I heard it. Country, visual, honest, from the heart, positive and makes you feel good.

Here is the FINAL Month of my 50 Favorites From 40 Years series.  It has this month and every month from the last year from 50 to 1!

Thanks for reading and for listening everyday!

December

#3 Startin' With Me - Jake Owen

#2 I'm No Stranger To The Rain - Keith Whitley

#1 Let Your Love Flow - Bellamy Brothers

November Recap

October Recap

September Recap

August Recap

July Recap

June Recap

May Recap

April Recap

March Recap

February Recap

January Recap

We will start a new year-long series TOMORROW about the 50 Most Important Songs In Country Music since 1980, when I basically came into the format.

Last year I featured My 50 Favorites, which is very different than this. Those were just personal favorites I have played over the decades on the radio. These are songs that all have a place and story in country. This list will look very different than last years.

There will also be more artist repeating on this list. I will feature one song a week, and tell you why this song is important and what role it played in our history. Plus the contribution that song and or artist made with it. This list is not a popularity contest, but I will list them 50 to 1 based on their effect they had on country music.  Many of these songs are certainly NOT my favorites, but their importance cannot be denied.

These are the songs that shaped country for decades to come, and still do today. To be on this list songs had to be released from 1980 to today. Starts Tuesday January 2, 2024

Our Browns pulled out another one, coming back to beat the Bears keeping dreams alive. This week it's on to Houston with the upstart Texans.  This game features the NFL's youngest QB, CJ Stroud and the NFL's Oldest, Joe Flacco.  Should be a great game that both teams need to win.

I have been watching Browns football a long time and for my money, Joe Flacco is the best thing that has happened to the Browns in ages.  He's the right man, in the right place at the right time.  No, I'm not caught up in the moment.  Flacco is a legit leader, good guy and has the perfect mind set and demeanor to guide the Browns through whatever football rapids lay ahead.  These guys want to play for him, they want to protect him, and they are feeling they can win  - with him!  I haven't seen this in orange and brown since Bernie Kosar was wearing those colors with that slingin' hash sidearm motion serving darts to Webster Slaughter.   The Browns needed Joe Flacco far more than they ever dreamed for every reason there is.  His presence here is remarkable and quite frankly has restored everything to the franchise temporarily.

Now the stage is set and the niceties have been thrown about, there is one thing that has to happen if the Browns are going to move forward, especially with all the injuries and setbacks.  Kevin Stefanski, and Andrew Barry have never stepped on an NFL field and the time has come to learn their role.  Being fair to them, they have never been here before like this.  Sure, the 2020 season with a very young Baker was fun, but Mayfield needed guiding as he was a green as they were, and it worked to a degree. But now, it's different.

Flacco is a Superbowl Winner and MVP.  He's an adult, with a high IQ for big games having played in a ton of them.  They need to stay out of Flacco's way, and let him do what he has done before.  Flacco is a character guy, he makes younger players better, and he makes veteran players feel like pros again.  He instills confidence, quiet and calm. And I have NEVER seen Kevin Stafanski look as happy, or smile as much, or be as engaged as he has been since Flacco has been here. That to me is very loud. Now it's time to leave Joe alone and let him be the champion he is, because you are never an ex-Superbowl champ.

Think about it, when was the last time the Browns had a champion professional QB at the controls during a big season with so much on the line? Otto Graham?  Frank Ryan?  Probably yes.  It's been that long -  or so.  So here's the plan.  Coach up that defense, school the special teams, and get those guys to block like crazy and let Flacco do the rest.  No more stupid play calls, or backyard trickery.  And yes, please stop with the special DTR package plays, because if he turns it over in a crucial situation you'll look like fools. The Wildcat to Hunt too, please stop.  It's adult swim time of the season. 

Recognize right this minute you HAVE the best guy guiding your team you could possibly have and that includes Watson.  And if this season ends with a Superbowl win or a sad yet unwritten ending for the Browns, I'm with Joe Flacco.  And no matter which one of those things happen, the Browns are done with him in a few more weeks, as they will be discard him and the wheel will be handed back to the injured Watson as we start over.  And Flacco knows that.  Again -  Total character guy.

Please Browns, understand under these circumstances that Joe Flacco is a blessing.  Stand clear, watch and learn.