Top 50 Country Hits of 1983 with Ron Kovacs

Join Ron Kovacs with the Top 50 Hits of 1983 on RadioMaxMusic 2 – Classic Countdown Channel  http://radiomaxmusic.com/classicpopup.html

In Memoriam: Whitey Shafer (1934 – 2019)

Sanger D. “Whitey” Shafer (October 24, 1934 – January 12, 2019) was an American country songwriter and musician. He wrote numerous hits for stars such as George Jones, Lefty Frizzell, and George Strait.

Born and raised in Whitney, Texas, Shafer’s musical career began in his hometown of Whitney where he played in a school band. In the following years he toured the U.S., performing with, among others, the then-unknown Willie Nelson. In 1967 Shafer moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he signed with the Blue Crest Music Publishing Company. There he wrote two songs for George Jones, “Between My House and Home” and “I’m a New Man in Town”, along with many other tunes for lesser-known acts. Shafer signed contracts with Musicor and RCA as a singer, but he was never as successful as he was as a songwriter.

In the early 1970s Shafer signed an exclusive contract with Acuff-Rose Music. In the following years he wrote many songs which went on to become successful on the U.S. country charts, including several No. 1’s. His songs included “The Baptism of Jesse Taylor” for Johnny Russell, “Tell Me Lying Eyes Are Wrong” for George Jones, and a series of hits for Moe Bandy. He had a longstanding friendship with Lefty Frizzell, whom he had met at his record label. He and Frizzell wrote the song “That’s the Way Love Goes” together, a hit for Johnny Rodriguez and also Merle Haggard in 1983; they also wrote “I Never Go Around Mirrors” (which Frizzell recorded in 1973 and turned into a top 25 country hit a year later) and “Bandy the Rodeo Clown” for Moe Bandy, which became a major hit shortly after Frizzell’s 1975 death. After Frizzell’s death Shafer wrote the tribute song “Lefty’s Gone” recorded by George Strait for his Something Special album.

Three divorces helped him with his song writing in the 1980s when Shafer wrote “Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind” (1985; with Darlene Shafer) and “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” (1987; with his fourth wife Lyndia J.). Both of these were No. 1 hits for George Strait, and both were nominated for CMA’s Song of the Year.[3] “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” was also nominated for a Grammy Award, for Best Country Song (lost to: Paul Overstreet & Don Schlitz for “Forever and Ever, Amen”).

In the middle of the 1980s Shafer released two albums, I Never Go Around Mirrors and So Good for So Long, containing his greatest hits. In 1989 Keith Whitley chose the Shafer penned, “I Wonder Do You Think of Me”, as the title track and the first single released after Whitley’s death and went to No. 1. Also in 1989 Shafer was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Shafer continued to write for musicians such as John Michael Montgomery, Lee Ann Womack, and Kenny Chesney. In 2004, Shafer’s recording of “All My Ex’s Live In Texas” appeared on the soundtrack to the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. – Wikipedia

Monday 9pm: Feature Country Artist – Montgomery Gentry

Montgomery Gentry is an American country music duo consisting of vocalists Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, both natives of Kentucky. Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry began performing in the 1990s as part of two different bands with Montgomery’s brother, John Michael Montgomery. Although Gentry won a talent contest in 1994, he reunited with Eddie Montgomery after Gentry was unable to find a solo record deal, and Montgomery Gentry was formed in 1999. The duo was known for its Southern rock influences, and collaborated with Charlie Daniels, Toby Keith, Five for Fighting, and members of The Allman Brothers Band.

Montgomery Gentry released six studio albums for Columbia Records’ Nashville division: Tattoos & Scars (1999), Carrying On (2001), My Town (2002), You Do Your Thing (2004), Some People Change (2006), and Back When I Knew It All (2008), and a Greatest Hits package. These albums produced more than twenty chart singles for the duo on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including the number 1 hits “If You Ever Stop Loving Me”, “Something to Be Proud Of”, “Lucky Man”, “Back When I Knew It All”, and “Roll with Me”. Ten more of their songs reached the top 10 on the country charts, including the number 3 hit “Gone”, the most played country song by a duo in 2005. Tattoos & Scars, My Town, and You Do Your Thing are all certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. In 1999, they were awarded Favorite New Artist—Country at the American Music Awards. Both the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association named them Duo of the Year in 2000, an award for which they have been nominated by both associations in every year since. In 2009, they were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.

On September 8, 2017, Gentry died in a helicopter crash in Medford, New Jersey, where the duo was scheduled to perform that evening. – Wikipedia

Thursday 6pm: Top 50 Country Hits of 1999 with Ron Kovacs

Join Ron Kovacs Live 6pm ET for the Top 50 Country Hits of 1999

Thursday 6pm: Top 50 Country Hits of 1998 with Ron Kovacs

We continue through the 90’s with 1998 and the Top 50 Country Hits of the year.  Live with Ron Kovacs on RadioMaxMusic. 

Friday 8am: Top 50 Country Hits of 1997 with Ron Kovacs

Join Ron Kovacs Live with the Top 50 Country Hits of 1997