Country Singles Jubilee 8.03.09: Top Ten Favorite Country Bands Edition
Posted by Jasper Jones on 08.03.2009
This week is another Top Ten list! This time we countdown the Jubilee's favorite country bands! What band made number one? Did your favorite country band make the cut? Only way to find out is to step inside!
Welcome back, Jubileers! I had so much fun with last week's Top Ten Country Duets Edition that I decided to to do another Top Ten this week. This week will cover my Top Ten Favorite Country Bands. First of all, I need to explain a couple of guidelines for inclusion on this list.
1. No southern rock bands. This includes any bands you can hear on your average classic rock radio station. This disqualifies bands like The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynryd, The Eagles, etc.
2. In order to qualify as an actual band, the band must consist of at least three or more people. This disqualifies any country duo such as Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland, Montgomery Gentry, etc.
3. The band cannot be a number of solo artists thrown together. This disqualifies Trio, The Highwaymen, Old Dogs, etc.
4. No bluegrass bands. This disqualifies The Del McCoury Band, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Foggy Mountain Boys, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, etc. Although a column about great bluegrass bands does seem like a good idea for the future. Would anyone else be interested in that?
4. Rascal Flatts are here-by disqualified because they suck.
With that out of the way, lets jump right into the countdown!
MUSIC TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Top 10 Favorite Country Bands
Honorable Mentions
The Kentucky Headhunters
I had no idea that the Kentucky Headhunters' roots spread all they way back to the 60s or that they were days away from being signed to Sawn Song Records, a label founded by Led Zeppelin, but the death of John Bonham intervened and the label closed. Interesting what you can find once you really research a band. The Kentucky Headhunters, even with its revolving door members, have racked up a couple of Country Music Association (CMA) awards and even a Grammy over their forty plus years together. I've been a fan of the band since their "Dumas Walker" days back in the late 80s/early 90s. However, the band has never been better than they are right now. I think they've finally found the perfect line-up, even if the general public hasn't caught back onto them yet. Some of the more notable Kentucky Headhunters songs that you might know includes "Dumas Walker", "Oh Lonesome Me", "Walk Softly On This Heart of Mine", and "Too Much Too Lose".
Trent Summar & The New Row Mob
I imagine that not too many people reading this column know who Trent Summar &The New Row Mob are, and that's a real shame. Trent Summar writes some of the best progressive country stuff out there today. The current band consists of former members of Hank Flamingo, The Georgian Satellites, and The Ozark Mountain Daredevils. They haven't had much commercial success, but they have scored one song on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. Back in 2000 their cover of Albert Hammond's "It Never Rains In Southern California" reached Number 74 on the chart. Band leader Trent Summar has written songs recorded by other country artists like Billy Currington, Gary Allen, and Jack Ingram. Some other great songs by Trent Summar & The New Row Mob include "Never Really Loved Her Anyway", "New Money", and "Paint Your Name in Purple".
The Statler Brothers
Most people scoff at me when I tell them that I enjoy The Statler Brothers, but its their loss. The band, named after a facial tissue, have been together since 1955. They originally started off as a gospel group who drifted off into country music territory more than once. Original Statler Brothers member Harold Reid claims that their success stems from the fact that they brought gospel harmonies to country music. I tend to agree. The band had a stronghold on the CMA Vocal Group of the Year award from to 1972 to 1984, losing the award only on three occasions. Popular American novelist Kurt Vonnegut claimed The Statler Brothers were "America's Poets". Famous Statler Brothers songs you may know include "Counting Flowers On The Wall", "Do You Remember These", "The Class of '57", and "Hello, Mary Lou". The band has been retired since 2002, but their influence will be felt for years to come.
The List
10. Cross Canadian Ragweed
Their Wikipedia page calls Cross Canadian Ragweed "an American red dirt, Texas music quartet". I couldn't have said it better myself, even though the band is actually from Oklahoma. Cody Canada and the boys are as American and as grassroots as they come. The band's initial success came from heavy airplay on college radio stations even before their first album hit the shelves. They've enjoyed some mainstream and commercial success with their last three albums all peaking in the Top 10 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. A couple of Major League Baseball players use Cross Canadian Ragweed songs as their intro music, and Dierks Bentley's 2007 Number 1 hit "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)" mentions the band "rockin' on the radio". The band's latest album Happiness and All Other Things is due out this fall. Some of their best songs include "Alabama", "Sick and Tired", "Fightin' For", "Carny Man", and "Look At Me".
Restless Heart is a band that I believe most music fans have seemed to forgotten. Their old stuff is barely played on country radio and the band never gets mentioned on CMT or GAC. This is shocking because they were really good and really successful in the late 80s and early 90s. When I was a kiddo, I used to think professional wrestler Shawn Michaels was a Restless Heart fan because he nicknamed himself "The Heartbreak Kid" after one of their songs. Give me a break. I was naive. They racked up one Number 1 album and six Number 1 songs between 1986 and 1988. Even though success eluded them in the mid to late 90s, the band continued to release albums until their break up in 1998. However, the boys got back together in 2003 and have since released two new albums. Some of their best stuff includes "(Back To) The Heartbreak Kid", "The Bluest Eyes In Texas", and "When She Cries".
8. Lonestar
Lonestar is not one of my more favorite country bands, but the group's success cannot be denied. Since the band's inception in 1992, the boys in Lonestar have racked up nine Number 1 songs and two Number 1 albums. Form a about 2000 to 2004, the band was all over radio. Chances are that if you listened to country radio for more than twenty minutes, you'd hear at least one Lonestar song. A little known fact about the band is that John Rich of Big & Rich was an original member. He split from the group back in 1998 to pursue a solo career. Lonestar has recently suffered another set back. Longtime lead singer Richie McDonald has left the band to pursue a solo career too. He'd been replace by Cody Collins, but he's yet to be tested. Some of the best Lonestar tracks include "No News", "Amazed", "My Front Porch Looking In", and "When Cowboys Didn't Dance".
I hadn't started taking The Dixie Chicks seriously until recently and have discovered that I actually really like them. Yes, Natalie Maines has a big, ugly mouth and should have never gotten involved in politics, but who cares? That has nothing to do with their music. They've sold over 30 million albums in the United States , making them the best selling female group in the country. That's pretty damn impressive! The girls seemingly busted onto the scene in 1998 out of nowhere with huge hits like "Wide Open Spaces" and "There's Your Trouble". Since then they've scored four Number 1 albums and seven Number 1 hits. Every one of their albums since their mainstream debut in 98 have reached Number 1. Other great Dixie Chicks songs include "Goodbye Earl", "Sin Wagon", "Travlen' Soldier", and "Cold Day In July".
Sawyer Brown is another band that time has tried to erase. Did you know that they've never broken up and have continued to release records? Their last was 2005's Mission Temple Fireworks Stand. It didn't do so well commercially, but it was pretty good. The title track, with guest artist Robert Randolph, is totally awesome. Sawyer Brown's front-man Mark Miller, might be the greatest front-man in country music. He constantly seems to be having the best time of his life. Just through his voice and inflexion, he can make a mediocre song good. The coveted Number 1 album achievement has alluded Sawyer Brown so far, but that hasn't stopped the band from scoring three Number 1 songs and nineteen Top 10 hits. They've always been a good-time band with songs like "Drive Me Wild", "Thank God For You", and "Betty's Being Bad". However, they could knock a sad ballad out of the park when they wanted. Songs like "The Walk", "Gypsies On Parade", and "All These Years" still send shivers down my back.
5. Confederate Railroad
Country bands must be a thing of the past because here is another one that has seemingly fallen by the wayside. Of course, Confederate Railroad always did seem like the bastard child of country radio. They came across like Randy Quad, the crazy redneck uncle with a heart of gold, in those National Lampoon movies with Chevy Chase. I've been a fan of theirs since I can remember. One of the first cassettes I ever owned was their 1994 album Notorious. I got to see them open up for George Jones a couple of years ago, and judging by their thirty minute performance, I'd pay to see them in concert. It would be well worth twenty-five bucks or so to hear Danny Shirley and the boys sing "Trashy Women", "Elvis and Andy", and "Queen of Memphis". In fact, I think Danny Shirley has one of the most underrated voices in country music. He can cut it up on comical tracks like "Daddy Cut the Big One" and then break your heart with "Three Verses" without ever skipping a beat. They aren't the most decorated band in country music, but I'd most definitely take Confederate Railroad over most modern country acts any day.
Charlie Daniels was inducted into The Grand Ole Opry on January 24, 2008. What's wrong with that statement? Why the hell did it take them this long to inducted the legendary Charlie Daniels into The Grand Ole Opry? Josh Turner made it into the Opry before him. That's seven ways from sundown messed up. Anyways, The Charlie Daniels Band, commonly referred to as CDB, has been kickin' around since 1971. Success didn't come their way though until they had a huge hit in 1979 with "The Devil Went Down To Georgia", which would eventually become a pop culture phenomenon. Chances are any random person you ask on the streets knows "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". CDB was one of the first country acts I really, really got into. I absolutely love their early stuff. After about 1990, Charlie Daniels became a born again Christian, got soft, and decided to change lyrics to his old songs. After that, I had no use for him or his band. Old classic like "Uneasy Rider", "Caballo Diablo", "The Legend of Wooley Swamp, and "El Toreador" are what put them this high on the list.
3. The Oak Ridge Boys
I have no earthly idea why I like The Oak Ridge Boys as much as I do. I'm telling you right now, I am one different breed. I can remember being little tyke and begging my mother to play "Elvira" on the old turntable my parents used to have. When I got older and was allowed to handle the vinyl myself, I discovered other Oaks songs that I learned to love like "American Made", "Ya'll Come Back Saloon", and "Ozark Mountain Jubilee". My favorite Oaks period is the original William Lee Golden years between 1977 and 1984. However, one of my all time favorite Oaks songs is "Gonna Take A Lot of River" and it came from the period when the late Steve Sanders had replaced Golden in the group. The band ousted Golden because he didn't fit their image. He had a "mountain man" look because he had stopped shaving his beard. He later rejoined the band in 1996. Poor Sanders wound up committing suicided over problems with his ex-wife and depression in 1998. The Oaks haven't had much success since about 1990, but that hasn't stopped them at all. In fact, they just released a new album in 2009 called The Boys Are Back, which includes a cover of The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army". All in all, The Oaks have scored three Number 1 albums and seventeen Number 1 songs.
2. Diamond Rio
Diamond Rio has been consistently producing excellent music since the band formed in 1984. I've been a Diamond Rio fan since I heard their first big hit single, 1991's "Meet In The Middle". I believe that they are genuine music fans who record what they feel like recording, opposed to what the label wants them to record. They've got sad songs like "One More Day". They've got happy songs like "Unbelievable". They've got silly songs like "Stuff". They've even got crazy, off the wall stuff like "It's All in Your Head". Diamond Rio is a band that is not afraid to record what they want to record. You've got to respect that. To date, the band has racked up five Number 1 singles, but have yet to achieve a Number 1 album. Despite that, the band ruled the 90s. During that decade they had sixteen Top 10 hits and dominated the radio when it came to country bands.
There only band that can even be considered number one when it comes to top country bands is Alabama. Alabama is the predecessor to the modern country band. Before them there had been groups of people singing country music like The Carter Family, but never before had there been a "country band" that included a singer, drummer, guitarist, and bassist like a rock band. They played everything including country, gospel, rock, and pop. This gave them a wide fan-base which is directly responsible for their immense success. They've sold over 70 million records to date. That is simply unfathomable! Alabama has scored thirty-two Number 1 songs and eleven Number 1 albums to date. I know that the official word is that the band is retired, but music is a lot like professional wrestling. No one really retires. Their songs have pretty much become country music standards. Songs like "Tennessee River", "Song of the South", and "Mountain Music" will be covered by aspiring artists and average Joes on karaoke from here to eternity. Alabama is the measuring stick that all other country bands are compared to, and they've earned it.
That's it for this week! Country bands seems to be making a small comeback with The Zac Brown Band, The Lost Trailers, The Eli Young Band, and other acts like them now on the scene. Here's hoping that they make a full scale comeback. Until then, keep meeting me in the middle and always play me some mountain music!
