Monday 1/23/23 10am ET: Feature Greatest Hits LP: Alabama – Greatest Hits Volume II (1991)

Greatest Hits Vol. II is the second greatest hits package released by the American country music band Alabama. The album was released by RCA Records October 8, 1991, and has since been certified platinum for sales of 1 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America.

As with Alabama’s first greatest hits album, Greatest Hits Vol. II includes many of the band’s biggest hits of the 1980s, a decade in which they sold millions of albums, had 26 No. 1 singles on Billboard magazine’s Hot Country Singles chart and won the “Entertainer of the Decade” honor from the Academy of Country Music. Seven of the album’s 10 songs went to No. 1 between 1982–1989; three of them – “Take Me Down”, “Dixieland Delight” and “Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)” – are presented here in their original album-length versions, while “The Closer You Get” is presented in its single-edit form.

Two of the album’s three new tracks were released as singles, “Then Again” and “Born Country”, both of which were top 5 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

1. “Born Country 3:19
2. “Then Again 3:43
3. “Dixieland Delight” 5:22
4. “Lady Down on Love” 3:57
5. “The Closer You Get)” 3:38
6. “Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)” 4:20
7. “Fallin’ Again” 7:40
8. “Song of the South” 3:15
9. “High Cotton” 3:00
10. “Take Me Down” 4:53
11. “Hats Off 3:55

Jeff Cook – background vocals
Teddy Gentry – bass guitar, background vocals
Randy Owen – lead vocals
Sam Bush – fiddle, mandolin
John Catchings – cello
Bill Cuomo – keyboards
Connie Ellisor – violin
Jim Grosjean – viola
Craig Krampf – drums, percussion
Josh Leo – electric guitar
Carl Marsh – keyboards, string arrangements
Biff Watson – acoustic guitar
John Willis – electric guitar

Wednesday 11/9/22 10am ET: Classic Greatest Hits LP: Alabama – Greatest Hits (1986)

Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits package released by the American country music band Alabama. The album was released by RCA Records in January 1986, and has since been certified platinum for sales of 5 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America.

By the mid-1980s, Alabama had become the most dominant act in country music. During the first half of the decade, the Fort Payne, Alabama-based group had 18 No. 1 songs in as many single releases (discounting their 1982 Christmas single, “Christmas in Dixie”). They had released six multi-platinum albums and had won many awards from the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music.

Alabama’s first greatest hits album includes eight of their hit singles; seven of those reached No. 1 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart between 1980 and 1985. The eighth song of that group was “My Home’s in Alabama”, widely considered by fans to be their signature tune (despite only reaching No. 17).

The album contains two new tracks. Of these, “She and I” was the only single release, and it became the band’s 19th No. 1 song in April 1986. The other song, “The Fans”, is Alabama’s ode of thanks to their fans. It was played in the 1993 DieHard 500 during the pre-race ceremonies to dedicate the now-deceased Davey Allison.

1. “She and I” 5:18
2. “Mountain Music” 4:12
3. “Feels So Right” 3:37
4. “Old Flame” 3:12
5. “Tennessee River (live version)” 8:06
6. “Love in the First Degree” 3:18
7. “40 Hour Week (For a Livin’)” 3:21
8. “Why Lady Why” 4:11
9. “The Fans” 4:54
10. “My Home’s in Alabama (live version)” 8:27

In Memoriam: Jeff Cook (1949 – 2022)

Jeff Cook of Alabama performs during the All for the Hall concert on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. The concert is a benefit for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Jeffrey Alan Cook (August 27, 1949 – November 7, 2022) was an American country music artist. He was best known for being a member of the band Alabama, in which he contributed on guitar, fiddle and other musical instruments.

Jeffrey Alan Cook was born in Fort Payne, Alabama, and is of English and Native American descent, Cook was a graduate of Fort Payne High School and Jacksonville State University. He obtained a broadcast engineer license three days after his fourteenth birthday, and worked at a local radio station as a disc jockey while still in high school.

Cook co-founded the band Wildcountry, along with his cousins Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry, in 1972 (the name was changed to Alabama in 1977). He contributed lead as well as backing vocals, lead guitar, keyboard, and fiddle to the group’s productions. Since the band ceased active production and performance in 2004, Cook has formed the groups Cook & Glenn and the Allstar Goodtime Band, with which he performed.

In addition to his performance work, Cook founded Cook Sound Studios, Inc., in his native Fort Payne, and also established radio station WQRX-AM, which he later sold, in adjacent Valley Head, Alabama. Cook is also noted for his culinary endeavors, having operated a restaurant and marketed his own sauce.

Cook toured in 2022 with Alabama for their 50th Anniversary tour. On April 11, 2017, Cook disclosed that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease four years earlier and stopped touring regularly with Alabama in 2018 and died from complications of the disease.

Sunday 8/14/22 1pm ET: Feature LP: Alabama – American Pride (1992)

American Pride is the fourteenth studio album by the country music band Alabama, released August 11, 1992 by RCA Nashville. It included the singles “I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why)”, “Take a Little Trip”, “Hometown Honeymoon” and “Once Upon a Lifetime”. “I’m in a Hurry” was a Number One hit for the band, while the other singles all reached the Top Five on the U.S. Billboard country charts. “Between the Two of Them” was later released as a single by Tanya Tucker from her 1994 album Fire to Fire.

Brian Mansfield of Allmusic rated the album three stars out of five, saying that it did not have any “surprises”. The album was their first not to hit the Top 10 of Billboard Country Albums chart and peaked at No. 11. It ranked at No. 46 on the Billboard 200.

“Take a Little Trip” 3:17
“Hometown Honeymoon” 3:18
“Once Upon a Lifetime” 4:14
“You Can’t Take the Country Out of Me” 2:58
“I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why)” 2:50
“Richard Petty Fans” 3:35
“Homesick Fever” 3:53
“Between the Two of Them” 3:58
“American Pride” 4:42
“Sometimes Out of Touch” 3:36
“Pictures and Memories” 3:41

Jeff Cook – electric guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on “Pictures and Memories”
Teddy Gentry – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on “Sometimes Out of Touch”
Mark Herndon – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Randy Owen – electric guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals on “Sometimes Out of Touch” and “Pictures and Memories”
Richard Bennett – acoustic guitar on “Pictures and Memories” and “Sometimes Out of Touch”
Sam Bush – fiddle on “Hometown Honeymoon”
Bill Cuomo – keyboards
Conni Ellisor – string arrangements and violin on “Between the Two of Them”
Jim Grosjean – viola on “Between the Two of Them”
Larry Hanson – acoustic guitar on “Pictures and Memories” and “Sometimes Out of Touch”
Craig Krampf – drums, percussion
Bernie Leadon – acoustic guitar on all tracks; mandolin on “Hometown Honeymoon”; banjo on “You Can’t Take the Country Out of Me”; hi-strung guitar and tiple on “I’m in a Hurry”
Josh Leo – electric guitar and tremolo guitar on “Take a Little Trip”; electric guitar on “You Can’t Take the Country Out of Me”, “I’m in a Hurry” and “Homesick Fever”; guitar solo on “You Can’t Take the Country Out of Me” and “I’m in a Hurry”
Chris Leuzinger – acoustic and hi-strung guitar on “Take a Little Trip”; electric guitar on “Pictures and Memories” and “Sometimes Out of Touch”
Ted Madsen – violin on “Between the Two of Them”
Carl Marsh – synthesizer bass on “Hometown Honeymoon”; synthesizer strings on “Once Upon a Lifetime”; synthesizer on “I’m in a Hurry”, “Pictures and Memories” and “Homesick Fever”; synthesizer harp on “Between the Two of Them”
Bob Mason – cello on “Between the Two of Them”
John Mattick – grand piano on “Richard Petty Fans”
Steve Nathan – keyboards
“Raoul” – tick-tock on “I’m in a Hurry”
Dan Toler – guitar solo on “Homesick Fever”
Biff Watson – acoustic guitar; hi-strung guitar on “Take a Little Trip” and “I’m in a Hurry”; grand piano on “I’m in a Hurry”; classical guitar on “Between the Two of Them” and “Richard Petty Fans”
John Willis – electric guitar; acoustic guitar on “Between the Two of Them”

Wednesday 8/3/22 9pm ET: Feature LP: Alabama – Cheap Seats (1993)

Cheap Seats is the fifteenth studio album by the American country music band Alabama, released October 12, 1993 by RCA Records. It produced the singles “Reckless”, “T.L.C. A.S.A.P.” and the title track. Of these, “Reckless” was the band’s final Number One hit on the Billboard country charts until 2011’s “Old Alabama”, and “The Cheap Seats” was the band’s first single in fourteen years to miss Top Ten of the charts. Alabama produced the album along with Josh Leo and Larry Michael Lee, except for “Angels Among Us”, which bassist Teddy Gentry produced.

The album reached 16 on the Billboard Country Album Charts. It also reached number 76 on the Billboard 200.

“Still Goin’ Strong” 3:00
“T.L.C. A.S.A.P.” 3:33
“Katy Brought My Guitar Back Today” 3:09
“On This Side of the Moon” 3:28
“The Cheap Seats” 3:53
“Reckless” 3:15
“That Feeling” 3:21
“This Love’s on Me” 3:02
“Clear Water Blues” 4:05
“A Better Word for Love” 3:43
“Angels Among Us” 4:09

Jeff Cook – lead guitar, fiddle, vocals
Teddy Gentry – bass guitar (all tracks except “This Love’s on Me”), vocals
Mark Herndon – drums, percussion, vocals
Randy Owen – rhythm guitar, vocals
Sam Bush – fiddle, mandolin
Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitar
Bill Cuomo – piano, keyboards, Hammond B-3 organ
Jim Horn – saxophone on “Still Goin’ Strong”
Dann Huff – electric guitar
Bill Hullett – acoustic guitar
Marcus Hummon – harmonica on “The Cheap Seats”
Kirk “Jelly Roll” Johnson – harmonica on “Clear Water Blues”
Craig Krampf – drums, percussion
Bernie Leadon – acoustic guitar, banjo
Josh Leo – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
George Marinelli – electric guitar
Carl Marsh – synthesizer strings
Jim Nelson – saxophone on “This Love’s on Me”
Larry Paxton – bass guitar on “This Love’s on Me”
Charles Rose – trombone
Brent Rowan – electric guitar
Biff Watson – acoustic guitar
John Willis – electric guitar, acoustic guitar; talk box guitar on “Clear Water Blues”; electric sitar on “This Love’s on Me”

Tuesday 12/14/21 12pm ET: Artist Countdown: Alabama Top 30 Hits

Alabama is an American country and Southern rock band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama, in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and his cousin Teddy Gentry (bass, backing vocals). They were soon joined by another cousin, Jeff Cook (lead guitar, fiddle, and keyboards). First operating under the name Wild Country, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Nashville for a record deal.

Alabama’s biggest success came in the 1980s, where the band had over 27 number one hits, seven multi-platinum albums and received numerous awards. Alabama’s first single on RCA Records, “Tennessee River”, began a streak of 21 number one singles, including “Love in the First Degree” (1981), “Mountain Music” (1982), “Dixieland Delight” (1983), “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)” (1984) and “Song of the South” (1988). The band’s popularity waned slightly in the 1990s although they continued to produce hit singles and multi-platinum album sales. Alabama disbanded in 2004 following a farewell tour and two albums of inspirational music but reunited in 2010 and have continued to record and tour worldwide.

The band’s blend of traditional country music and Southern rock combined with elements of bluegrass, folk, gospel and pop music gave it a crossover appeal that helped lead to their success. They also toured extensively and incorporated production elements such as lighting and “sets” inspired by rock concerts into their shows. The band has over 41 number one country records on the Billboard charts to their credit and have sold over 75 million records, making them the most successful band in country music history. AllMusic credited the band with popularizing the idea of a country band and wrote that “It’s unlikely that any other country group will be able to surpass the success of Alabama.”

Alabama was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019 and were awarded with the first ever Life Time Achievement Award from this institution.

Tuesday 6/1/21 2pm ET: Sounds of The 80’s

Featuring tunes from David Lee Roth, Southern Pacific, Ray Parker Junior, Kathy Mattea, Whitney Houston, Queen, Paula Abdul, Carlene Carter, Police, Ramones, Oak Ridge Boys, Honeymoon Suite, Alabama, Genesis and more. . . 2pm – 6pm ET

Friday 6/26/2020 12am ET: Feature LP: Alabama – Southern Star (1989)

Southern Star is the twelfth studio album from country music band Alabama, released in 1989. The album produced four singles, “Song of the South”, “High Cotton”, the title track and “If I Had You”, all of which reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles charts between 1989 and 1990.

“Song of the South” – 3:12
“Down on the River” – 3:05
“High Cotton” – 3:02
“‘Ole’ Baugh Road” – 3:53
“The Borderline” – 4:34 (Features Charlie Daniels providing co-lead vocals)
“I’m Still Dreamin'” – 3:01
“Pete’s Music City” – 3:35
“Southern Star” – 3:11
“If I Had You” – 3:35
“She Can” – 3:39
“I Showed Her” – 4:26
“Barefootin'”- 2:48
“Dixie Fire” – 3:58

Thursday 5/21/20 12am ET: Feature LP: Alabama & Friends (2013)

Alabama & Friends is a tribute album to American country rock group Alabama. It was released on August 27, 2013 via Show Dog-Universal Music. The album includes two new tracks, “That’s How I Was Raised” and “All American,” performed by Alabama.

The album debuted at No. 8 on Billboard 200, and No. 2 on Top Country Albums, selling 32,000 copies in the United States in the first week.

The artists on the album also later performed a tribute concert in Nashville, Tennessee at the historic Ryman Auditorium. The show was filmed. The film was released on 2-disc DVD, titled “Alabama & Friends – At The Ryman”, on September 30, 2014 via Eagle Rock Entertainment.

1. “Tennessee River” (Jason Aldean) 4:22
2. “Love in the First Degree” (Luke Bryan) 3:23
3. “Old Flame” (Rascal Flatts) 3:12
4. “Lady Down on Love” (Kenny Chesney) 3:57
5. “The Closer You Get” (Eli Young Band) 3:38
6. “Forever’s as Far as I’ll Go” (Trisha Yearwood) 3:35
7. “She and I” (Toby Keith) 3:56
8. “I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why)” (Florida Georgia Line) 2:51
9. “That’s How I Was Raised” (Alabama) 3:40
10. “All American” (Alabama) 3:13
11. “My Home’s in Alabama” (Jamey Johnson) 6:37

Tuesday 11pm ET: Feature LP: Alabama – For The Record (1998)

For the Record is a 44-track greatest hits package released by the American country music band Alabama.

The album chronicles the biggest hits from Alabama released between 1980 and 1998. The lineup includes all 33 of their Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles & Tracks No. 1 singles, as well as other songs which reached number one on the former Radio & Records (now Mediabase) charts; each of the non-Billboard No. 1 hits made the top 5 on that chart.

Three new tracks are also included. Of these, “How Do You Fall in Love” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in late 1998. The follow-up single, “Keepin’ Up”, reached the Top 20 in early 1999, while “Five O’Clock 500” was not released as a single.

All of the greatest hits are presented in their single/radio edit forms; in some cases, the songs were nearly two minutes shorter than their original album versions.

“Five O’Clock 500” – 3:36
“Keepin’ Up” – 3:05A
“How Do You Fall in Love” – 3:00
“Tennessee River” – 3:02
“Why Lady Why” – 3:09
“Old Flame” – 3:10
“Feels So Right” – 3:35
“Love in the First Degree” – 3:18
“Mountain Music” – 3:38
“Take Me Down” – 3:43
“Close Enough to Perfect” –3:33
“Dixieland Delight” – 3:56
“The Closer You Get” – 3:37
“Lady Down on Love” – 3:57
“Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)” – 3:43
“When We Make Love” – 3:36
“If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)” – 3:22
“(There’s A) Fire in the Night” – 3:57
“There’s No Way” – 4:11
“40 Hour Week (For a Livin’)” – 3:18
“Can’t Keep a Good Man Down” – 3:39
“She and I” – 3:34
“Touch Me When We’re Dancing” – 3:41
“”You’ve Got” the Touch” – 4:15
“Face to Face” – 3:00
“Fallin’ Again” – 3:59
“Song of the South” – 3:11
“If I Had You” – 3:33
“High Cotton” – 3:00
“Southern Star” – 3:08
“Jukebox in My Mind” – 3:39
“Forever’s as Far as I’ll Go” – 3:33
“Down Home” – 3:27
“Here We Are” – 2:51
“Then Again” – 3:43
“Born Country” – 3:19
“I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why)” – 2:48
“Once Upon a Lifetime” – 4:13
“Hometown Honeymoon” – 3:18
“Reckless” – 3:19
“Give Me One More Shot” – 3:29
“She Ain’t Your Ordinary Girl” – 2:53
“In Pictures” – 3:33
“Sad Lookin’ Moon” – 3:33

Tuesday 4pm: Sounds of The 80s

This week on The Sounds of The 80s we feature tunes from:  Leslie Pearl, Whitesnake, Chicago, Pretenders, David Bowie, Pebbles, Wham!, Erasure, Billy Idol, Alabama, John Mellencamp and more . . . 

Tuesday 4pm: Sounds of The 80s

This week on Sounds of The 80s we feature music from:  Toto, Kenny Loggins, Prince, Dan Fogelberg, Gloria Estefan, Robin Williams, Blues Brothers, Elton John, Billy Joel, Peter Cetera, Alabama, Romeo Void and more . . .

Tuesday 8pm: MaxMusic 21st Century – 2001

More music from 2001 – featuring Colin Hay, Sheryl Crow, Elton John, U2, Bee Gees, Alabama, Gloria Estefan, Steve Forbert, Smash Mouth, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Trace Adkins, Craig David and more…

Friday 12pm: Songs of The States

We start with Alabama as we feature the music about the states.  Join us every Monday thru Friday at noon.  How many versions of Sweet Home Alabama will be played?  

Alabama is a state in the United States. Its capital city is Montgomery. The largest city is Birmingham. It became a state in 1819.