Remember when sleeping was just that?  Sleeping!  We would just lay down and in a few minutes it was the next morning.  Well it seems for many, if not all of us, those glorious days are over.  So many things now affect our sleep, and almost all of it is self-inflicted.

I maybe the wrong person to ask for sleeping advice, I've been getting up at 230Am for the past 4 decades to do morning radio, and I sleep when I can, and many times when I need to.  But it you're normal on schedule, here is a very cool article to check out

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Sleeping Guide - Seems We Need This

Lotta Leavin' Left To Do - Dierks Bentley  -  2005

This song for me is what Dierks Bentley is REALLY all about.  I have talked with some close to Dierks over the years at various concerts backstage and they all say his real, true musical love is deep country and the like.  I am a big fan of Dierks and when I hear him sing this song from the insanely great Modern Day Drifter album, I believe every fiber of it. This suits him perfectly musically. He also sounds right at home singing it and has the perfect musicians playing on it.  This is very Waylon Jennings inspired and has that wonderful "life on the road feel" to it.  For some, the feel and title may have a slight highly confident air to it, but it's more honest than anything else.  This song went to number three on the charts, and should have been a number one. 

Last Week #45

One of the real challenges to making a great piece of meat at home as opposed to a really nice restaurant is the tenderness of the meat. Buying a GREAT steak at your favorite meat market is all well and good, you just don't want to mess it up when you get it home.  Well, this works - read below, give it a whirl and up your meat game!

Enjoy

The Secret To Tender Meat!

Son Of A Sinner was a huge hit for Jelly Roll on the country charts going number one.  Waylon Jennings' grandson in many ways seems incredibly different than his grandad. But a deeper dive shows maybe not as much as first thought.  Waylon came in from the outside and shook things up in country with a far newer sound, a far different look and attitude in his era, and he was not accepted right away -  but of course things changed.  Jelly Roll does the same.  Both share the DNA of being good singers of "soul searching songs."  Jelly Roll's first hit was a powerful autobiographical anthem, that was deeply personal and spoke to millions in similar situations.  His new song does it again.  Should be noted the eras are amazingly different as is country music overall, but there are some things that will always ring true in country and with country fans.  As with Waylon, and now Jelly Roll, we should listen to the message first   -  before we do anything else.  It takes guts to be different. Incredibly honest, vulnerable and powerful.  -  I Need A Favor

Here's Waylon  -  Two Autobiographical And Outside Of The Box Songs Both Big Hits

Waylon - Shine

Waylon - Are You Ready For The Country  (He even asks, "Are you ready for me?")

Jelly Roll - New Song  -  I Need A Favor

Grab a coffee and take a Sunday Morning Listen!

In case you missed some of my articles from this week!

Sunday Morning Song 2/12

Eat Of The Week

50 Favorites From 40+ Years #45

How Often Should You Wash That?

Country Music Memory Lane - Guilty Pleasures 2

Wynn At The Movies 2-17

Box Office Results - Magic Mike (8.2 Million)

New This Week - AntMan and the Wasp / Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 4K

Titanic – 25th Anniversary -  Was Third at the Movies this weekend (Story)

Movies On The Way  - The Flash / Cocaine Bear / Creed 3 / 65 / Tranformers / Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 / Fast X / Indiana Jones  

New Little Mermaid  - Trailer this week, and the release date is May 23 - Live Action 

 Vin Diesel - Will return for a fourth Riddick movie. Riddick: Furya  (Story)

Fast X Trailer - Had 295 million views - in its first 72 hours, according to Variety. The film hits theaters on May 19th

Rotten Tomatoes – Has named Top Gun Maverick the best movie of 2022  (Story) 

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

Also - My 50 Favorites Over 40+ Years This Week #49 (Link)

Plus - My Sunday Morning Song 2/12  (Link)

Country has a long history of songs that bring listeners together from many formats that are just fun to listen to. These "guilty pleasures" songs that you may love privately, but not really want to admit in front of a bunch of people with varying musical tastes at the bonfire.  I say go for it, it's a huge part of our history.  Over a few articles in the coming weeks, I'm going to feature some Guilty Pleasure Songs from the last 43 years I've been in Country Radio.  This is week two.

All of these songs were big hits during their time and run, so let's look back at a few this week.  These will be fun revisit and hear again.  Week 2 -  Guilty Pleasure Songs Part One

No Order....

Brand New Girlfriend  - Steve Holy  - 2006

Steve Holy had some success before this song, that was very different than this song.  He had songs like, The Hunger that I loved, but had marginal success.  Good Morning Beautiful in 2001 was a big hit going number one.  There was then a long distance between that and this.  This song went number one in 2006 and was instantly loved by everyone who heard it.  It's fun, and its generally silly message resonated with about everybody.  There is always room for a song like this on the charts, where bonfire-goers can throw back a few and sing to their hearts content as loud as they want to.   Fun song!

Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus -  1992

Yeah I know, you didn't like this song, no one did.  That's why we all know every word and every lick.  This album, Some Gave All,  sold 20 million copies world wide.   It also is the ONLY country debut album to debut at number one, and it stayed on the top ten album chart for 43 weeks.   This song clearly went number one. I was the PD and Morning Personality at KLIK In Jefferson City when this song came out, and we were one of the first stations to play this. I heard it, and I knew it was different enough and had a chance to be a hit.  This was passed on by the the Oak Ridge Boys, but ended up where it probably belonged.

Elvira - Oak Ridge Boys -  1981

So, the Oaks passed on Achy Breaky Heart and in years to follow, they openly admitted is was a major error.  They didn't like the words "Achy Breaky" and had been recording lighter, fun songs for some time, and wanted different.  Speaking of the former, this gigantic hit from 1981 went number one Country, and scored very high on the pop charts.  This song had been around since 1966 and was a minor hit for writer, Dallas Frazier then, and Rodney Crowell did a version in 1978.  But it took the Oaks and Richard Sterban's booming bass voice to make it known in every house on earth.  This was on the charts when I was at WLRO in Lorain, Ohio where I played it before I got into country, and it was still on the charts when I was went to WOBL in Oberlin, Ohio IN Country. 

Well, this seems to be a conversation that always sparks lively debate, how often certain things should be washed.  I'm not an expert, but if you get into it with certain people, they are!  I'm no germophobe, but I think we can all for the most part figure out when it's time for certain things to be washed. 

In case you're confused - Read below....

How Often Should You Wash That?

I love career changing songs.  I have always been attracted to them as they alter the direction of an artist, and they always seem to be the ones we really remember, along with their debut song.  Toby had been around for a few years and was having good success.  But when this song and album came out, we met the Toby we would all elevate to Superstar status.  His image had changed and the sound was newer and a bit sharper.  This song would become a gigantic catch phrase with country fans and fans that would have nothing to do with us.  This song works from both the man and woman perspective, depending on who's singing it.  It's not offensive, it's just direct and to the point. There is a tongue-in-cheek element to it as well. This song became an uptempo break up anthem, and it still loved today all these years later. A career changing five week number one song.

Last Week #46

Other Articles I've Written Featuring Toby Keith

Other Articles Featuring Toby Keith

For the past few years I've been writing my Country Music Memory Lane Series and my Mega Star Series.  They post here on Thursdays and will continue to do so.

Over the past 42 years I've played Country Music continuously on the radio. I am NOT saying these are the BEST songs, just the ones I enjoy the most.

Let's say this up front, there is nothing wrong with Egg Plant Parm!  I am more drawn to the Veal Parm as a rule, but when an Egg Plant recipe comes up like this one, I'm goin' in!  Let's face it, when you "parm" about anything it's bound to be great, so let's dive in here. Even if you are a "veal leaning parmer"  like me.

This Looks Amazing - Delish