Red Steagall, singing the classic “Jerry’s Bar’n’Grill”, a great fiddle and steel rodeo song from the 70s. Red can take credit for discovering one of the greatest country talents of the last 30 years: Reba McEntire.
Red has had three careers running at the same time: the one as a songwriter, which made him coin over 200 compositions, several of which became hits by other artists; as a singer, Steagall had some major hits in the 70s, like this one “Jerry’s Bar’n’Grill”. He was also an author of poetry about the West, turning him into a modern cowboy balladeer.
He was born in Gainesville, Texas, and became a bull rider at rodeos in his teen years. A serious illness back in his time, Polio got hold of him and he had to recover his strength in his arms by playing the guitar as therapy. He formed his first band still at university playing in clubs around Los Angeles. Even though his successful career started in the 60s by having artists such as Ray Charles and Nancy Sinatra playing his music, it wasn’t until the 70s that he turned towards country music.
Steagall was a regular guest at rodeos, and while he was performing at the National Rodeo Finals in Oklahoma City in 1974, he spotted a young singer named Reba McEntire who was appearing with her family. Reba had been chosen to sing the National Anthem at the beginning of the show, and she did it so well that he got her to record a demo and made sure that it was heard by anyone who could do McEntire some good, which resulted in her being signed to a recording contract while still in her teens.
In 1980, he decided to leave Nashville and took up residence at his ranch near Fort Worth. We’ll say goodbye to this wonderful honky tonk and western swing singer from Texas with a couple more songs from the 70s: Tight Levis and yellow ribbons, talking about the attire of cowboys wearing Levi jeans, and Lone Star beer and Bob Wills music, two important iconic references for Texans: the national beer called Lone Star, as the state, and the western swing music of the most important singer that the State of Texas ever breeded: Bob Wills.
Clay Blaker is probably best known as the writer of half a dozen songs recorded by his great friend of George Strait. Clay and George started their careers not very distant apart in years, but Clay became a more popular regional entertainer, publishing only 4 albums, whereas George has published some 30 albums and has Ybecome a national mainstream attraction.
We’ve listened to his great voice here in “Lone Star Beer and Bob Wills music”. He was born in Houston, like Red Steagall, near Almeda, Texas. His parents loved both swing bands and country music. Hence, his most important influences are Glenn Miller and Ernest Tubb.
His music is also influenced a bit by Hawaii, as early in the 70s he tried to pursue a career as a surfer in the island of Maui. To finish, we’ll say goodbye to Clay Blaker listening to a couple more songs: Heart of Glass, and Goin’ Home to Texas.
The late Texas legend Doug Sahm produced this wonderful album by Ed Burleson called “My Perfect World”, including Lloyd Maines at the steel guitar.
Burleson, a descendant of General Edward Burleson, a war hero from the Texas independence Battle of San Jacinto, was born on June 10, 1969. Burleson's father was a salesman, so Burleson grew up in various locales around Texas -- Garland, Denison, Conroe, El Paso -- as well as in Tulsa, OK. Burleson eventually settled in Lewisville, TX, where he was on the high school rodeo team. It was traveling to rodeos and listening to small-town radio that introduced him to Texas music. Burleson won a rodeo scholarship to Hill College in Hillsboro, TX, and it was there that he first started learning guitar. Upon graduation, he acquired a knee injury that needed surgery. While recovering, his love for playing country music grew. He first started playing at a newcomer's showcase at the Three Teardrops Tavern in Dallas. The owner told Burleson if he could put a band together, he could play every Thursday night. (The drummer for that band was his father, Richard Burleson.) Burleson's first CD was 1997's Comin' Around. One night at the Broken Spoke Saloon in Austin, Burleson gave a copy of the album to Doug Sahm, who was so impressed that he became Burleson's manager. Sahm also polished up the CD and released it on his fledgling Tornado Records label. That effort, 1999's My Perfect World, hit number four on the Americana charts. From that album we’ll listen to two more wonderful songs, “No Closing Time”, making reference to the closing time of the bar, and “It all started and eded with you”, where Ed makes reference to a love relationship going wrong and lingering in the feeling.
Country singer and songwriter Jon Pardi, born and raised in Dixon, California, found himself enjoing country music early in life, falling in love with great voices such as that one of George Jones, George Strait, or Hank Williams Jr. He started writing at the age of 12, and joined his first band at 14.
Country music was the only thing thing Jon wanted to do, and started playing regional clubs and bars once he gratuated from high school. After graduating from college he moved to Nashville in 2008, pursuing a dream, which he fulfilled 18 months after arriving in Music City. Pardi signed a recording deal with Capitol Records, releasing in the spring of 2012 his first single “Missin’ You Crazy”. His debut album arrived 2 years later with his “Write you a song”, peaking at number three of the country albums. Pardi’s sophomore album, California Sunrise, appeared in June 2016, from which we have listened the beautiful “She Ain’t in it”, a song where he receives a call from a friend who asks him about how he was doing, and we get to understand that he has been dumped by his girlfriend and he is doing alright provided her name isn’t mentioned in the conversation.
We’ll say goodbye to Jon Pardi by listening to a great honky tonk song called “Paycheck”, a ode to receiving your salary and spending part of it in having a good time.
On February 21, the duet formed by Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn unveiled the track listing for their latest album, which will see the light on April 5th. In addition to previously released songs such as “Believe” with Kane Brown, Books & Dunn released their collaboration with Luke Combs on “Brad New Man”, which we have just listened to, and with Jon Pardi on “My Next Broken Heart”, which we will now listen to, and from which we have just revised his album “California Sunrise”.
Brad Paisley paying respects to Brooks and Dunn with “My next broken heart”, when Brooks and Dunn decided to go their separate ways and Nashville remember tpart of their legacy thru different singers singing their songs.
In this case Brad Paisley sings their unforgettable “My next Broken Heart”. Speaking of which, Brad Paisley sings one for the perpetually unlycky in love with his new single “Bucked Off”, released some days ago. The song is Paisley’s first release since the 2017 single “Heaven South”, which appeared on his long play “Love and War” that some editions ago was revised in this same show. Penned by Paisley, Chris DuBois and Kelley Lovelace, “Bucked Off” is an upbeat mediation on the riksks of dating, making the comparison that putting oneself in that vulnerable situation feels like riding a bull at the rodeo. In the song, Brad comments that George Strait song on the jukebox suggests it’s a worthwile endeavor in spito of the pain one may have to endure along the way, mentioning such classics by George as “Marina del Rey” and “I can still Make Cheyenne”.
The song is the first taste of an album Paisley says he’s working on, but is just four or five songs into. He promises he’ll continue to keep one foot planted in the past with the other leading the genre forward.
Chris DuBois and Kelley Lovelace helpd Paisley write this song, as I said before, and it was debuted during the 2018 CMA Awards and immediately released to radio. The singer didn’t provide a timetable as to when this next studio album might be released, and next month will mark the 2nd anniversary since his last studio album was released.
Just to finish the show, we’ll listen to “Bucked off”, and we’ll remember George Strait’s songs mentioned in Brad’s song: “Marina del Rey”, from 1982’s sophomore album by Strait, “Strait from the Heart”, and “I can still make Cheyenne”, epic cowboy song about a cowboy rider who is abandoned by his wife, who is tired of his being away in competitions most of the time.
Comentarios