Uncle Rock's Blog

Big Ol Changes

2009-03-17T13:41:00.003-04:00

Howdy Coal Country! Well, well, well...if you have been hiding under a rock (no pun intended) I will let you know that there have been some BIG OL CHANGES on the BIG OL MORNING SHOW. Tia has moved on to our rock station Z-Rock 107.5, she is hosting an evening drive show from 3pm-6pm Monday thru Friday. Jammin' Jamey is my new PIC (partner in crime) on the Big Ol Morning Show. I know that it is gonna take some getting used to, but change is good! Just hang in there while we work the kinks out of the show! Now on to the good stuff.....Let's hear it again for Keith Urban and Taylor Swift, last week's song and album champions. They continue to top the Billboard country charts with "Sweet Thing" & Fearless, respectively. Conditions are similarly static farther down the charts. There are no new albums and just four new songs to report. The latter are Billy Currington's "People Are Crazy" (No. 48), Holly Williams' "Keep the Change" (No. 56), Toby Keith's "Lost You Anyway" (No. 57) and Phil Vassar's "Prayer of a Common Man" (No. 60).Re-entering the albums chart are Phil Stacey (No. 49), Randy Travis' Around the Bend (No. 71), Playlist: The Very Best of John Denver (No. 73), Patty Loveless' Sleepless Nights (No. 74) and One Flew South's Last of the Good Guys (No. 75).It bears noting that Swift's Fearless sold more than 52,000 copies in this its 17th week out, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and is very close to reaching total sales of 3 million units. For more than a year now, Swift has been the country record industry's most triumphant story.Completing the Top 5 albums list are Robert Plan and Alison Krauss' Raising Sand, Darius Rucker's Learn to Live, the Zac Brown Band's The Foundation and Taylor Swift, in that order.The No. 2 through No. 5 songs are Rucker's "It Won't Be Like This For Long," Brooks & Dunn's "Cowgirls Don't Cry" (with Reba McEntire), Toby Keith's "God Love Her" and George Strait's "River of Love."Strait's Classic Christmas made the greatest sales gain this week, more than doubling the number of copies it moved across the scanner the week before. Santa never sleeps. Until next time,

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY....????

2009-02-16T10:08:00.003-05:00

Well I gotta tell ya Coal Country, in my 31 years of life I have never celebrated Valentines Day. Until 2009, as Bob Segar says I "turned the page"! Was it awesome? HECK YEAH! I don't want to get too personal so I will leave it at that...now on to the good stuff! Dierks Bently strides in like a conqueror this week to take command of both Billboard's country album and country songs charts. Bentley's Feel That Fire CD topples Taylor Swift's Fearless from the throne it has occupied for the past three months, while his latest single -- also dubbed "Feel That Fire" -- ends the two-week tenure of Blake Shelton's "She Wouldn't Be Gone" It's worth noting too that Feel That Fire debuts at a very strong No. 3 on Billboard's all-genre listing of the week's 200 best-selling albums. There are four other first-time albums: Wynonna's Sing Chapter 1 (sweeping in at No. 5), Willie Nelson and Asleep At The Wheel's Willie & the Wheel (No. 15), Colt Ford's Ride Through the Country (No. 64) and Aaron Tippin's trucker tribute, In Overdrive (No. 73). Tim McGraw's Let It Go re-enters the chart at No. 74.Only two new songs have come aboard: Justin Moore's "Small Town USA" (No. 55) and Jamey Johnson's "High Cost of Living" (No. 60). Matt Stillwell's "Shine" returns to action at No. 58.Swift's Fearless slips to No. 2, but her self-titled collection (now 120 weeks on the chart) hangs in at No. 3. Darius Rucker's Learn to Live moves up to No. 4 to round out this edition's Top 5 albums. Trailing Bentley within the Top 5 songs list are Kenny Chesney and Mac McAnally's "Down the Road," Keith Urban's "Sweet THANG", Toby Keith's "God Love Her" and Shelton's "She Wouldn't Be Gone," in that order. More pushing and leapfrogging on the charts when we next meet. Until then,

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

Big Ol Game Day!!!!

2009-01-29T05:43:00.003-05:00

Well Coal Country, I gotta tell ya...I can't believe it's time for the Super Bowl! I clearly remember watching the first week of NFL action while on vacation in the Orient. It is hard to believe that it is all over this Sunday, so anyways for the record, I'm going with the Steelers by 8 points (don't call Vegas or anything). Don't forget the Big Ol Game Day Countdown Show only on WXCC 96.5 this Sunday from 4pm - 6pm! Now on to the good stuff...Mark it up as 10 straight weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's county albums chart for Taylor Swift's Fearless. It's also the current bestseller on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, holding Beyonce's I Am ... Sasha Fierce firmly at No. 2.While Swift all but installs seat belts to keep her grip on the throne, another breather of rarefied air, Alan Jackson, ambles to No. 1 on the songs chart with his self-penned "Country Boy" The one new album this week is Undone: A Musicfest Tribute to Robert Earl Keen, a multi-artist collection that comes aboard at No. 66.Returning albums are George Strait's 22 More Hits (No. 58), Patty Loveless' Sleepless Nights (No. 62), Sara Evans' Greatest Hits (No. 68), the eponymous Randy Rogers Band (No. 71) and Keith Anderson's C'Mon! (No. 74).The highest charting new song is Carrie Underwood's cover of Randy Travis' "I Told You So." It enters at No. 37. Travis' original recording of the song (a composition he also wrote) reached No. 1 on June 11, 1988, after an 18-week sojourn up the chart.Here's a tad more history: Songs in the second through fifth position that long-ago week were the Desert Rose Band's "He's Back and I'm Blue," Tanya Tucker's "If It Don't Come Easy," the Gatlin Brothers' "Love of a Lifetime" and Don Williams' "Another Place, Another Time." How many of these can you hum? Only two artists on the chart that week are also on this week, almost 21 years later: George Strait and Reba McEntire. No surprise there.One more archival bit: The song that achieved the highest entry point that week of June 11, 1988, was The Judds' "Give a Little Love."OK, back to now. This week's other newly arriving songs are Lady Antebellum's "I Run to You" (No. 50), Carrie Underwood's "The More Boys I Meet" (No. 52), Chuck Wicks's "Man of the House" (No. 59) and Keith Anderson's "She Could've Been Mine" (No. 60).Bunching up behind Fearless in the Top 5 albums, in descending order, are Taylor Swift, Sugarland's Love on the Inside, the Zac Brown Band's The Foundation and Rascal Flatts' Greatest Hits, Vol. 1.In the Top 5 songs, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban's "Start a Band"" drops from the summit to No. 2. Blake Shelton's "She Wouldn't Be Gone" arches from No. 9 to No. 2. Billy Currington's "Don't" holds at No. 4 for the second week, and Dierks Bentley's "Feel That Fire" sprints from No. 8 to No. 5.Tim McGraw's "Nothin' to Die For" makes the week's greatest advance, vaulting from No. 31 to No. 24.

Will Taylor tumble or Alan anchor? Tune in next week. Until then,

Uncle Rock

--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

IS IT REALLY 2009?????

2009-01-14T09:30:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year Coal Country! Well I gotta tell you, 2009 started out REEEEEALLLY BAD for Ol Hop Along Rock....My Tennessee Titans were defeated by the refs 13-10 in the AFC Playoffs. Trust me gang, I was there and the officiating was HORRIBLE! But anyways, lets get to the good stuff, Country Music News. How about that? Christmas goes away and the charts light up. There are eight new songs on the Billboard chart this week and another eight re-entries. Album wise, Taylor Swift is still queen. Her new CD, Fearless, tops both the country and the all-formats list. Sugarland's "Already Gone" is now the nation's No. 1 country song. Trace Adkins' "Marry for Money" is the highest-debuting single, coming in at No. 49. The remaining first-timers are Trent Tomlinson's "That's How It Still Oughta Be" (No. 51), Richie McDonald's "How Do I Just Stop" (No. 53) and Craig Morgan's "God Must Really Love Me" (No. 54).Also Point of Grace's "I Wish" (No. 55), Steve Azar's "You're My Life" (No. 57), Crystal Shawanda's "My Roots Are Showing" (No. 58) and Rehab's "Bartender Song," featuring Hank Williams Jr (No. 60).The returnees are Josh Gracin's "Telluride" (No. 45), Little Big Town's "Good Lord Willing" (No. 46), Jessica Andrew's "Everything" (No. 47), Melissa Lawson's "What If It All Goes Right" (No. 48).And Jamie O'Neal's "Like a Woman" (No. 50), Matt Stillwell's "Shine" (No. 52), Steve Holy's "Might Have Been" (No. 56) and Tracy Lawrence's "You Can't Hide Redneck" (No. 59).There aren't any new albums this week, but NBC Sounds of the Season: The Julianne Hough Holiday Collection vaults from No. 16 to No. 2 in what must surely be its last surge of the season.In its seventh week out, Randy Houser's Anything Goes also takes a giant step, stretching from No. 56 to No. 38.Six albums stage comebacks: McDonald's I Turn to You (No. 66), Playlist: The Very Best of Johnny Cash (No. 68), Keith Anderson's C'mon (No. 69), Patty Loveless' Sleepless Nights (No. 70), Randy Owen's One on One (No.73) and Playlist: The Very Best of John Denver (No. 74).Rounding out the Top 5 albums are Taylor Swift, Sugarland's Love on the Inside and Rascal Flatts' Greatest Hits Volume 1, in that order.Songs No. 2 through No. 5 are Rascal Flatts' "Here," Brad Paisley and Keith Uran's "Start a Band," the Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" and Montgomery Gentry's "Roll With Me." You look exhausted. Let's stop right here.

Until next time,

Uncle Rock

--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

Christmas is gone already???

2008-12-27T09:18:00.003-05:00

If your Christmas wish was that my blog would finally stop effusing about Taylor Swift, prepare to grit your teeth. Her blonde perkiness still prevails -- and without mussing her hair -- as 2008 slides into the dustbin of publicity statistics. Thus let it be noted that Swift's Fearless not only crowns Billboard's country albums chart this week for the fifth consecutive time but also rockets back to the top of the magazine's all-genre listing, elbowing aside Britney Spears' Circus in the nicest possible way.For the second week, Montgomery Gentry's "Roll With Me" holds the No. 1 spot on the songs chart.No new country albums surface this week although a couple return: Tim McGraw's Limited Edition: Greatest Hits: Volumes 1, 2 & 3 (at No. 61) and Bill & Gloria Gaither with Homecoming Friends' Bill Gaither Presents: Country Bluegrass Homecoming, Volume One (No. 73). Obviously, the department of snappy titles was out to lunch when these two verbal mutants were minted.Four new songs make their bow: Carrie Underwood's "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (No. 54), Josh Gracin's "Telluride" (No. 58), Faith Hill's "Little Drummer Boy" (No. 59) and Steve Holy's "Might Have Been" (No. 60).The remaining Top 5 albums, in descending sequence, are Hill's Joy to the World, Elvis Presley's Christmas Duets, Rascal Flatts' Greatest Hits, Volume 1 and Taylor Swift.Nipping at Montgomery Gentry's heels in the Top 5 songs are Rascal Flatts' "Here," the Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried," Sugarland's "Already Gone" and Brad Paisley and Keith Urban's "Start a Band." The rest is silence. Until next time,

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

HO HO HO....and all that jazz!!!!!

2008-12-12T08:51:00.002-05:00

HAPPY HO HO HO COAL COUNTRY! Five fresh Christmas carols twinkle onto the latest Billboard country song chart, while Taylor Swift's Fearless and the Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" continue as the No. 1 album and song. It's the third straight week at the top for Swift and the second for ZBB. Trace Adkins'X (Ten) is the highest debuting album, coming aboard at No. 7 on first-week sales of nearly 37,000 copies. The only other new album is Elvis Presley's Collector's Edition: Elvis Inspirational Memories, which bows at No. 70.The re-entries are Faith Hill's The Hits, encoring at No. 48, and Waylong Jennings & the 357's Waylon Forever (No. 75).Charting highest among the new Christmas songs is Rascal Flatts' "Jingle Bell Rock" (No. 45). Also arriving from Flatts are "White Christmas" (No. 52) and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (No. 58). Rounding out the holiday sentiments are Hill's "A Baby Changes Everything" (No. 57) and the Presley/"THE LOVELY" Carrie Underwood/Ball (hey it's Christmas, it doesn't hurt to dream) duet, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (No. 60).The remaining new songs are Swift's "White Horse" (No. 37) and Jessica Andrews' "Everything" (No. 59).Albums No. 2 through No. 5, in that order, are Hill's Joy to the World, Sugarland's Love on the Inside, Presley's Christmas Duets and the unsinkable Taylor Swift, which has now been on the chart for 110 weeks. Trailing "Chicken Fried" in the week's Top 5 songs are Tim McGraw's "Let It Go," Montgomery Gentry's "Roll With Me," Rascal Flatts' "Here" and Sugarland's "Already Gone." Here's a tip for those loan-seeking car companies: Try Kenny Chesney! Until next time,

Uncle Rock

--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it....you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

PS Check out Uncle Rocks Blog this weekend for the Top 10 Country Albums of 2008!!!!

Taylor Swift is FEARLESS!!!!!

2008-11-24T10:59:00.003-05:00

Now we know why Taylor Swift called her new album Fearless. It has absolutely thumped the competition, selling 592,304 copies its first week out, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and thus landing at the top of both Billboard's country and all-genre Billboard 200 charts. To put it another way, Swift sold approximately one-sixth of all albums purchased in the U.S. last week. Compounding the good news for the blonde tsunami is the fact that her latest single, "Love Story," is spending its second consecutive week at No. 1 on the country chart. It's a good thing the holidays are upon us. We chroniclers of the music scene can use the down time to discover new superlatives to apply to Swift's runaway success. Two other new albums grace the charts: a various artists compilation called Country Love Songs (breaking the ribbon at No. 59) and Kevin Costner & Modern West's Untold Truths (squeaking in at No. 75). Returning titles are George Strait's 22 More Hits (No. 70) and Emmylou Harris' All I Intended to Be (No. 71). There are three new songs to note: Kellie Pickler's "Best Days of Your Life" (No. 56), Rodney Atkins' "It's America" (No. 57) and Emerson Drive's "Belongs to You" (No. 60). Directly following Swift's new entry within the Top 5 albums are Rascal Flatts' Greatest Hits, Volume 1 Kenny Chesney's Lucky Old Sun, Sugarland's Love on the Inside and -- OMG! -- Taylor Swift's Taylor Swift. The remaining Top 5 songs (also in descending order) are the Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried," Montgomery Gentry's "Roll With Me," Tim McGraw's "Let It Go" and Sugarland's "Already Gone."George Strait's "River of Love," which he performed on last week's CMA Awards show, takes a big leap from No. 45 to No. 33. OK, can we agree that Fearless has left us breathless? Until next time,

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

CMA Music Awards....ITS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

2008-11-10T09:12:00.002-05:00

Anyone who listens to the Big Ol Morning Show knows the story of "Awesome & Affordable Barbie", well my Haileigh Bug celebrated her 7th birthday this past weekend and guess who showed up "The new & improved Awesome & Affrodable Barbie 2". Just another crazy weekend in Rockyville. I hope that you all got to check out the Big Boy Toy Show 2008 at the Expo Center in Pikeville, we had a blast and pictures are on the way to coalcountry965.com. Be sure to tune in the Big Ol Morning Show this week for your chance to win tickets to the New Years Eve Bash at the Expo by participating in Rocky & Tia's Masterpiece Theatre. Now on to the good stuff...COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS! Toby Keith boots out the competition this week to plop his new collection -- That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy -- atop Billboard's country albums chart. His fellow Oklahoman, the most unfellow-like Carrie Underwood, remains at No. 1 on the songs chart for a second turn with "Just a Dream."This week's listings are fairly bursting with new arrivals. Right behind Keith's album at No. 2 comes Rascal Flatts' Greatest Hits, Volume 1. Joey & Rory's The Life of a Song sweeps in at No. 10. Time Life's full and abridged versions of Hank Williams' The Unreleased Recordings bow at No. 42 and No. 49, respectively.Then there's Johnny Cash's America soundtrack CD at No. 50 and Reba McEntire's 50 Greatest Hits ringing the bell at No. 67. Dan Evans' Goin' All Out checks back in at No. 39. Faith Hill's Joy to the World is the highest-charting Christmas album of the week. It jumps from No. 10 to No. 6.Four songs are charting for the first time: Martina McBride's "Ride" (No. 43), Jeremy McComb's "Cold" (No. 58), Jamie O'Neal's "Like a Woman" (No. 59) and Keith's "That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy" (No. 60).Songs staging comebacks are Kenny Chesney's "Down the Road" (No. 38) and Whiskey Falls' "Load Up the Bases (The Baseball Song)" (No. 55).The No. 3 through No. 5 albums, in that order, are Chesney's Lucky Old Sun, Sugarland's Love on the Inside and Taylor Swift's self-titled debut.Trailing directly behind Underwood on the songs chart are Taylor Swift's "Love Story," the Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried," Tim McGraw's "Let It Go" and Keith's "She Never Cried in Front of Me." Now back to election withdrawal. Until next time,

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

HAPPY TURKEY!!!

2008-11-02T16:43:00.003-05:00

Howdy Coal Country! Can you believe that it is November?!?!?!? Let me be the first to tell you "HAPPY TURKEY"! It has been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks for Ol Uncle Rock and all I can say is "It is what it is!" With that being said, lets get down to business. Kenny Chesney's Lucky Old Sun is Billboard's top country album for the second week, and Carrie Underwood's "Just a Dream" floats in to the No. 1 berth on the songs chart. The big surprise is that Hank Williams III's latest CD, Damn Right, Rebel Proud, outsells better-publicized new albums from chart veterans Lee Ann Womack and Craig Morgan.Damn Right, Rebel Proud is this period's highest debuting album, checking in at No. 2 with Nielsen SoundScan-confirmed sales of nearly 20,000 copies. Womack's Call Me Crazy swoops in at No. 4, while Morgan's That's Why arrives at No. 8.The week's other new albums are Waylon Jennings & the 357s' Waylon Forever (No. 28), Julianne Hough's EP, NBC Sounds of the Season: The Julianne Hough Collection (No. 60) and Anne Murray's Christmas Album (No. 71).There are six first-time songs, led by Toby Keith's "God Love Her," which bows at No. 49. The others are Sarah Buxton's "Space" (No. 54), Jewel's "Till It Feels Like Cheating" (No. 57), Dean Brody's "Brothers" (No. 58), Matt Stillwell's "Shine" (No. 59) and James Otto's "These Are the Good Old Days" (No. 60).Completing the Top 5 albums list are Sugarland's Love on the Inside (No. 3) and Taylor Swift (No. 5).Songs No. 2 through No. 5 are Keith's "She Never Cried in Front of Me" (last week's champion), Taylor Swift's "Love Story," Chesney and the Wailers' "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" and Tim McGraw's "Let It Go."Good advice, Tim. Until next time,

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

Country Music, Buy Voraciously and indiscriminately!

2008-10-23T09:57:00.003-04:00

Howdy Coal Country! Let's dive right into this weeks Country Music Charts! While Tim McGraw has made it clear he objects to his record company releasing his Greatest Hits 3 collection, he can take some comfort in the fact that the new CD is this week's top selling title on Billboard's country albums chart. It sold just over 44,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, to make its bow at the summit.It may also bring a grin to McGraw's bearded face to see that his old horse-heisting co-defendant, Kenny Chesney (remember that caper?), holds the No. 1 spot on the songs chart for the second week via his recording (with the Wailers) of "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven."Better still, there's a lot of new music to report: six first-time albums and nine fresh songs.Coming onto the albums chart at No. 7 is Dan Evans' freshman effort, Goin' All Out. You may remember Evans as a contestant on The Biggest Loser: Couples TV series. Other newcomers are George Strait's Classic Christmas (No. 46), Big & Rich's Big & Rich's Super Galactic Fan Pak 2 (No. 54), the soundtrack to the Billy Graham biopic, Billy: The Early Years (No. 70) and the collective McGraw's Limited Edition: Greatest Hits: Volumes 1, 2 & 3 (No. 72).This week's highest-debuting song is Brooks & Dunn's "Cowgirls Don't Cry," rolling in at No. 40. Then there's Gary Allan's "She's So California" (No. 45), Juianne Hough's "My Hallelujah Song" (No. 51), Jimmy Wayne's "I Will" (No. 52), The Lost Trialers' "How 'Bout You Don't" (No. 54), Chesney's "Ten With a Two" (No. 56), Keith Anderson's "Somebody Needs a Hug" (No. 57), the Randy Rogers Band's "In My Arms Instead" (No. 58) and Sara Evans' "Low" (No. 59).Chesney's "Got a Little Crazy" returns to the songs chart at No. 60.Following McGraw, in order, within the Top 5 albums are Sugarland's Love on the Inside, Darius Rucks's Learn to Live, Kellie Pickler (last week's No. 1) and Taylor Swift (still in the Top 5 after 103 weeks).Songs No. 2 through No. 5 are Toby Keith's "She Never Cried in Front of Me," Carrie Underwood's "Just a Dream," Rucker's "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" and Kid Rock's "All Summer Long."This is your season to keep the music industry alive. Please buy voraciously and indiscriminately.

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!!"

Mr BS and the guy that is full of B.S.!!!

2008-10-11T23:44:00.003-04:00

Howdy Coal Country! I hope that you all had a chance to check out the Blake Shelton & Miranda Lambert concert at the East Kentucky Expo Center in Pikeville this past Saturday (10/11/08), the show was GREAT! Absolutely no "down time" on the stage, no intermission....just 3 hours of fun and country tunes. Don't forget that Willie Nelson will be playing the Expo on Friday Dec 5th. Also, tickets on sale this Saturday (10/18/08) for the New Years show featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd and Trace Adkins. There's plenty of entertainment coming locally and with gas prices dropping, enjoy it while it lasts! Well, on to country music charts. Kellie Pickler plants her flag atop Billboard's country albums chart this week with her second CD, a self-titled collection. On the songs side, Kenny Chesney rolls into No. 1 with "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven."There are five other new CDs to report: Faith Hill's Joy to the World (bowing at No. 6), Craig Morgan's Greatest Hits (No. 16), Wade Bowen's If We Ever Make It Home (No. 29), Cherryholmes III: Don't Believe (No. 48) and Mary Chapin Carpenter's Come Darkness, Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas (No. 62).First-time songs are Jack Ingram's "That's a Man" (No. 47),Jessica Simpson's "Remember That" (No. 55) and John Michael Montgomery's "Forever" (No. 57).Continuing its rapid climb is Taylor Swift's "Love Story." It arrives at No. 9 at this, it's fourth week out.There are no re-entering albums or songs.Trailing in order behind Pickler on the Top 5 albums list are Sugarland's Love on the Inside, Darius Rucker's Learn to Live, Swift's self-titled debut and the various artists anthology, NOW That's What I Call CountrySongs No. 2 through No. 5 are Rucker's "Don't Think I Don't Think About It," Toby Keith's "She Never Cried in Front of Me,"Carrie Underwood's "Just a Dream" (making its Top 5 debut) and Kid Rock 's "All Summer Long."Do you think there'll be any bailout money left over for the record companies?
Only time will tell....Until next time, I am

Uncle Rock

HOW BOUT EM TITANS!!!!!

2008-10-05T19:19:00.002-04:00

I know this is supposed to be a music blog....but I have to take a moment and brag on MY Tennessee Titans! We are 5-0 on the season, that is the best start in franchise history (even in the Houston Oilers days). So to all the haters....HAHAHAHHAHAA! Now on to country music. For the second week in a row, Darius Rucker tops both Billboard's country songs and country albums charts. His winning song is "Don't Think I Don't Think About It," while his triumphant album is Learn to Live.But there are a few new wrinkles. The Randy Rogers Band shakes up an otherwise clotted Top 5 albums list by blasting its self-titled album into the No. 3 slot. The only other new CD is Old Crow Medicine Show's Tennessee Pusher, which bows in at No. 7.Re-entering the albums chart are Richie McDonald's I Turn to You (at No. 37), Dolly Parton's Backwoods Barbie (No. 60) and Playlist: The Very Best of Roy Orbison (No. 73).Alan Jackson's "Country Boy" is the only newcomer to the songs chart. It lands at No. 43. Carolina Rain's "American Radio" returns to action at No. 60.The other Top 5 albums, in descending order, are Sugarland's Love on the Inside, Taylor Swift's self-titled debut and Jessica Simpon's Do You Know. Songs No. 2 through No. 5 are Kenny Chesney's "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, Toby Keith's "She Never Cried in Front of Me," Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" and Jimmy Wayne's "Do You Believe Me Now."Swift's "Love Song" springs from No. 18 to No. 11 in its third week out.Where are all those new albums we've been hearing about? Until next time...I am,

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it....you gotta LIVE IT!!!!"

Country Music Charts for 9/28/08

2008-09-28T21:09:00.002-04:00

And everyone thought I was crazy when I suggested that we go to Coal Country & More...OK, Darius Rucker, we get the message.The former frontman for Hootie & the Blowfish dramatically asserts his hillbilly creds this week by scoring both the top album and top song on Billboard's country charts. The album, which debuted at No. 1 with first week sales of more than 60,000 copies (according to Nielsen SoundScan), is Learn to Live and the song "Don't Think I Don't Think About It."Four other albums make their first chart curtsy: the Elit Young Band's Jet Black & Jealous (at No. 5), Kristy Lee Cook's Why Wait (No. 8), The Imus Ranch Record by various artists (No. 11) and Eric Durrance's Angels Fly Away (No. 70). How Great Thou Art: Gospel Favorites From the Grand Ole Opry, another multi-artist collection, returns to the chart at No. 66.Only two new songs rear their lyrical heads: Dierks Bentley's "Feel That Fire" (No. 49) and Darryl Worley's "Tequila on Ice" (No. 56). Taylor Swift's "Love Story" catapults from No. 25 to No. 18 in just its second week on the chart.Completing the Top 5 albums list in the No. 2 through No. 4 slots are Sugarlands Love on the Inside, Jessica Simpson's Do You Know (which was last week's No. 1) and Taylor Swift.The No. 2 through No. 5 songs are Kenny Chesney's "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven," Jimmy Wayne's "Do You Believe Me Now," Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" and Toby Keith's "She Never Cried in Front of Me." Who knew that the future of country was rock?

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!!"

Back from vacation!!!

2008-09-22T06:20:00.003-04:00

Howdy Coal Country! I know it has been a while since my last blog but I have been on vacation and trying to get back to normal in the week returning from the Orient! I won't bore you with all of the details, all I will say is it was a "life changing experience"! I am as American as apple pie, but given the opportunity...I would jump on a plane in a heartbeat for another vacation! Well, lot's of changes in the country music charts since my last post...Fans have given newly-minted hick chick Jessica Simpson a hearty thumbs up by making her country debut effort, Do You Know, the top seller on this week's Billboard country albums chart. And, after falling back for a week, Jimmy Wayne's "Do You Believe Me Now" bounces back to No. 1 on the songs list.Aside from these two noteworthy surges, little else is exploding. Patty Loveless has the only other new album. Her much-anticipated (and roundly praised) Sleepless Nights enters the chart at No. 13.There are three first-time songs, led by Taylor Swift's "Love Story," which bows at No. 25. Also making their entries are Joey & Rory's "Cheater, Cheater" (No. 57) and Whitney Duncan's "When I Said I Would" (No. 59).Falling in behind Simpson within the Top 5 albums are Sugarlandss Love on the Inside, the multi-artist collection NOW That's What I Call Country, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride, all in that order.The No. 2 through No. 5 songs are Brad Paisley's "Waitin' on a Woman," Darius Rucker's "Don't Think I Don't Think About It," Kenny Chesney's "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" and Kid Rock's "All Summer Long."No songs or albums make chart comebacks this week.If only the stock market could be this calm. Until next time,

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

Getting ready for Labor Day!!!

2008-08-28T09:51:00.002-04:00

Howdy Coal Country! Well, summer is coming to a close and we are going to end the 96 Days of Hot Summer Fun with a BANG! This Monday from 2p-6p be sure to check out Southern Fried Labor Day on the Tri-States Coal Country 96.5! Not many changes in the country music charts this week. Rack up another week at the top of the Billboard charts for Sugarland's album, Love on the Inside, and Taylor Swift's single, "Should've Said No." Additionally, Swift's song "Change," lately featured in the Olympics broadcasts and slated to appear on her next album, enters the country songs chart this week at No. 57 and simultaneously surfaces on Billboard's Hot 100 pop music chart at No. 10.Scoring the highest country album debut this period is the soundtrack recording from Beer for My Horses. It clops in at No. 17. The only other new CD is Johnny Cash's The Gospel Music of Johnny Cash, bowing at No. 57. Re-entering are Lyle Lovett and His Large Band's It's Not Big It's Large (No. 74) and Playlist: The Very Best of Dolly Parton (No. 75).The other new songs are Dierks Bentley's "Sweet & Wild" (No. 51), this week's highest vaulting newcomer, and Jake Owen's "Don't Think I Can't Love You" (No. 60). Although his current single, "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" has already climbed to No. 13 in just three weeks, Kenny Chesney also sees some debut action with "Got a Little Crazy" (No. 59).Filling out the Top 5 albums list, in descending order, are Swift's Taylor Swift, Heidi Newfield's What Am I Waiting For, Swift's Beautiful Eyes and Toby Keith's 35 Biggest Hits.Parading directly behind Swift within the Top 5 songs are Keith Urban's "You Look Good in My Shirt," Keith Anderson's "I Still Miss You," Jimmy Wayne's "Do You Believe Me Now" (his highest charting song since "Stay Gone" peaked at No. 3 in 2003) and Brad Paisley's "Waitin' on a Woman."More chatter when there's more matter. Until next time,

Uncle Rock

--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

Bash & Splash Today @ The Williamson Swimming Pool

2008-08-18T10:04:00.004-04:00

Howdy Coal Country! I gotta tell you, I am getting all jacked up about vacation! I will be leaving for China on Sept 4th, but don't worry Tia will be hosting the Big Ole Morning Show the following week and I will be calling in during the show a couple of times...FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET! If you are looking for something to do this afternoon, join the Tri-States Coal Country 96.5 for the Bash & Splash at the Williamson Swimming Pool from noon until 4pm. There will be lots of food, games, refreshments and a Big Ole Coloring Contest. We are going to see who can color Tia and I in the Big Ole Morning Show Logo! The winner will have their picture posted on coalcountry965.com! Now on to the country music news....Sugarland holds onto the country album crown this week with Love on the Inside, and Taylor Swift reaches the summit of Billboard's country singles chart with "Should've Said No." There's a lot of new music to sing about, too. Let's start with Heidi Newfield, who catapults to No. 2 on the album list with her first solo CD, What Am I Waiting For. Following right behind her at No. 3 is Keith Anderson's second major label collection, C'mon! And, just to keep the blood rushing, Jamey Johnson storms in at No. 6 with his new package, That Lonesome Song.We haven't felt this much excitement since Ms. Swift got her driver's license.Leading the parade of newly-charting songs is Trace Adkins' "Muddy Water," washing in at No. 45, and trailed by Melissa Lawson's "What If It All Goes Right" (No. 49), Blake Shelton's "She Wouldn't Be Gone" (No. 52) and Justin Moore's "Back That Thing Up" (No. 55).With predictable velocity, Kenny Chesney's new single, "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven," leapfrogs from No. 22 to No. 15 in only its second week out.Rodney Carrington's King of the Mountains re-enters the album chart at No. 67, and Clay Walker's Fall edges back on at No. 75.Completing the Top 5 albums bloc, in descending order, are the two Swift CDs -- Taylor Swift and Beautiful Eyes.Lined up behind Swift in the Top 5 songs queue are Keith Urban's "You Look Good in My Shirt," Sugarland's "All I Want to Do," Keith Anderson's "I Still Miss You" (his highest charting single to date) and Brooks & Dunn's "Put a Girl in It."OK, it's your turn. I bought the last round. Until next time,

Uncle Rock

--"if you wanna make it you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

Sid Hatfield Again!!!!

2008-08-12T08:51:00.002-04:00

Well you guessed it Coal Country....it's that time again!The Matewan Massacre Reenactment is coming up Sept 27th in Downtown Historic Matewan @ 5pm.The Reenactment cast are hard at work with rehersals and public appearances....yours truly "Sid Hatfield" will be the guest speaker today 8/12/08 at the Williamson Rotary Club weekly meeting at the Brass Tree Rest. Now on to country music news and charts.....Sugarland has it all this week -- the top country album, the best-selling album overall and the No. 1 country song. It's the Georgia duo's strongest showing ever.Last week, Sugarland new album, Love on the Inside, soared straight to the summit of Billboard's country rankings. But Miley Cyrus relegated the album to second place on the all-format Billboard 200 list with her latest collection, Breakout. Now Sugarland has toppled Cyrus from that slot.Moreover, after an 11-week climb, Sugarland's current single, "All I Want to Do," has reached the peak of the country songs chart. Drinks for everybody!Taylor Swift continues to own the No. 2 and No. 3 album positions, respectively, with Taylor Swift and Beautiful Eyes. And her single, "Should've Said No," hangs in as the No. 5 song, dropping slightly from the No. 4 berth it occupied last week.There's just one new album this period -- Micky & the Motorcars' Naïve, which parks at No. 43. First-timers on the song chart are Kenny Chesney's "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" (checking in at No. 22); Billy Ray Cyrus' "Somebody Said a Prayer" (No. 53); Carolina Rain's "American Radio" (No. 57); and Kristy Lee Cook's "15 Minutes of Shame" (No. 58).Five albums and two songs return to the charts, the album titles being Chesney's Super Hits (No. 66), Playlist: The Very Best of Roy Orbison (No. 70), Hank Williams Jr.'s Hank Jr.: Collector's Edition (No. 71), Dan Tyminski's Wheels (No. 74) and Playlist: The Very Best of Willie Nelson (No. 75). Plus One Flew South's "My Kind of Beautiful" (No. 56) and Trisha Yearwood's "They Call It Falling for a Reason" (No. 59).Just behind Sugarland and Swift, Toby Keith's 35 Biggest Hits and Sugarland's Enjoy the Ride complete this week's Top 5 album list in that order. The No. 2 through No. 4 songs are Keith Urban's "You Look Good in My Shirt," Alan Jackson's "Good Time" and Brooks & Dunn's "Put a Girl in It."We don't see any album on the horizon that's likely to imperil Sugarland's or Swift's standing anytime soon. But we're keeping our eyes open. Until next time,

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

A MUCH BETTER WEEK FOR OL UNCLE ROCK

2008-08-05T08:39:00.001-04:00

Well I have to start this blog and say a "Big Ol Thank You" to all who said that prayer for Ol Uncle Rock.I had my daughters this weekend and we had a GREAT weekend. I understand that sometimes parents are just not meant to be together. However, I would love to meet the person who decided that it is fair for a father to only see his children 4 days per month. I am going to step down from my soapbox and just say that I had a much better week and I LOVE MY BABIES!!!! Do you realize that football season is finally here? That's right, the Hatfield McCoy Senior Bowl was this past Saturday and 100,000 watts of Marshall Thundering Herd football action starts on August 30th on WXCC! Now on to COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS.......How sweet it is! Sugarland scores the No. 1 country album and the No. 2 country song on the Billboard charts this week, toppling, at least for now, the tenacious Taylor Swift.Rocketing Sugarland to the summit is the duo's third Mercury Records album, Love on the Inside: Deluxe Fan Edition. It sold 314,000 copies its first week out, according to the Nielsen SoundScan count. That total also put the CD at No. 2 on the all-genres Billboard 200 list, just behind Miley Cyrus' Breakout, which sold 371,000 units.For the second week in a row, Alan Jackson's "Good Time" ranks as Billboard's No. 1 country song.Love on the Inside is the only new title on the current album chart. There are, however, four albums making a comeback: Larry the Cable Guy's Morning Constitution (re-entering at No. 54), Jeff Bates' self-titled project (No. 55), Little Big Town's A Place to Land (No. 61) and Rodney Carrington's King of the Mountains (No. 74).Montgomery Gentry's "Roll With Me" (No. 56) is the highest-ranking of the week's three new songs. The others are Randy Owen's "Like I Never Broke Her Heart" (No. 59) and Carter's Chord's "Different Breed" (No. 60).Rounding out the Top 5 albums are Swift's Beautiful Eyes and Taylor Swift (No. 2 and No. 3, respectively), Toby Keith's 35 Biggest Hits and Sugarland's Enjoy The Ride.Trailing Jackson's "Good Time" on the songs chart are Sugarland's "All I Want to Do," Keith Urban's "You Look Good in My Shirt," Swift's "Should've Said No" and Brooks & Dunn's "Put a Girl in It," in that order.With all this excitement, who needs the Olympics?

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it....you gotta LIVE IT!!!!"

A Tough Week for Ol Uncle Rock....

2008-07-25T08:04:00.002-04:00

Howdy Coal Country!I gotta be honest with ya gang, it's been a pretty rough week for Ol Hop Along Rock....you see I have two lovely daughters, who are my reason for living! The bad part is that I only see my daughters on weekends and without going in depth....I miss my babies!!! I believe in the power of prayer, so please say a Big Ol Prayer to help Uncle Rock get through some rough times. Moving right along, I would like to invite you to the Relay for Life this evening in West Williamson at 6pm. The money raised will go to a great cause, the American Cancer Society! Now on to the good stuff...COUNTRY MUSIC!!! We've got no big surprises on this week's country charts -- which just goes to show the limitation of lighting candles and muttering incantations. Taylor Swift's self-titled CD and Blake Shelton's single "Home" still occupy the high ground. Only a few fresh titles have broken through on either chart.The album making this week's biggest splash is the multi-artist collection, Country Sings Disney. It arrives at No. 15 and features tunes by such characters as Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Alison Krauss, Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts.Del McCoury's Moneyland, an assemblage of hard-time ballads from the likes of Merle Haggard, Mac Wiseman, Emmylou Harris and Patty Loveless, emerges at No. 51.New songs sweeping into the chart are Carrie Underwood's "Just a Dream" (No. 45), Lee Ann Womack's "Last Call" (No. 56), Little Big Town's "Fine Line" (No. 58) and Gretchen Wilson's "Don't Do Me No Good" (No. 59).Following Swift on the Top 5 albums list are Toby Keith's 35 Biggest Hits, Underwood's Carnival Ride, Alan Jackson's Good Time and Sugarland's Enjoy the Ride, in that sequence.Songs No. 2 through No. 5 are Jackson's "Good Time," Brooks & Dunn's "Put a Girl in It," Montgomery Gentry's "Back When I Knew It All" and Sugarland's "All I Want to Do."Guess we'll just have to leave it at that.
Until next time,

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

Country Music Charts

2008-07-16T09:58:00.002-04:00

A round of applause, please, for Blake Shelton as his version of Michael Bublé's "Home" scrambles this week into the No. 1 niche on Billboard's country songs chart. And speaking of home, Taylor Swift seems to have taken up permanent residence at the top of the albums chart. Her self-titled bundle of hits is still there in its 89th week.Swift claims yet another distinction this week: "Should've Said No," the fifth single from her debut album, has just reached No. 10, the first time a solo female artist has scored such an achievement since Billboard launched its country albums charts in 1964.All the new albums this week are re-packaged goods. Leading the parade is Playlist: The Very Best of Dolly Parton (No. 61), shadowed by other titles in the Playlist series: The Very Best of Willie Nelson (No. 63), The Very Best of Alabama (No. 68) and The Very Best of Lonestar (No. 75).Re-entering are even more Playlist releases: The Very Best of Johnny Cash (No. 47), The Very Best of John Denver (No. 52), The Very Best of Waylon Jennings (No. 54) and The Very Best of Roy Orbison (No. 64). Whiskey Falls' self-titled album returns at No. 71.There are only two new songs on the chart: Phil Stacey's "Old Glory" (No. 57) and the Road Hammers' cover of Del Reeves' 1965 smash, "Girl on the Billboard" (No. 60).After Swift's, the remaining Top 5 albums, in descending order, are Toby Keith's 35 Biggest Hits, Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride, Sugarland's Enjoy the Ride and Kenny Chesney's Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates.Trailing Shelton in the songs category are Alan Jackson's "Good Time," Montgomery Gentry's "Back When I Knew It All" (last week's No. 1), Chesney's "Better as a Memory" and Brooks & Dunn's "Put a Girl in It."Looks like we're in a musical drought. Until next time,

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

Hoping everyone had a great 4th of July!!!

2008-07-07T07:52:00.002-04:00

You know, in the past few weeks I have truly witnessed "community service"!Last week, it was the Matewan Rotary and the 59th Annual Magnolia Fair...this week it was the Belfry Vol. Fire Dept.!I had the pleasure of hanging out with the gang and helping raise money this past Thursday in South Williamson, it was called "Fill the boot and watch us shoot!", and later in the evening (pictured above lookin like a drown rat) yours truly was in the dunkin' booth!I gotta tell you, the water was COLD, but it gives you a good feeling when you lay your head down at night, knowing that you helped out a great cause!The 27th Annual Fireworks Celebration was dubbed "Thunder In The Valley" and it was just that!As always, the Belfry Vol. Fire Dept. went above and beyond the call of duty.Now on to this weeks country music news. While Taylor Swift continues to sit atop the Billboard country albums chart this week, presumably texting friends and looking over her shoulder for some really serious competition, Montgomery Gentry leapfrogs Blake Shelton to seize the summit of the songs list.Considerably farther down the mountain, we spy four new albums and two fresh tunes.That's the big picture. Here's the microscopic one: In spite of the several contenders who've had a No. 1 album for a week or so, the traction of Swift's eponymous debut package just won't relax. During the 88 weeks it's been out, the album has held the No. 1 niche for 22, a full quarter of its long chart life. Talk about a sunny summer!Veteran road warriors Montgomery Gentry can do some bragging, too. After keeping a relatively low profile the last few months, the duo has roared back with "Back When I Knew It All," the title cut from their new album. Two weeks ago, the song was at No. 6. Last week, it sprang to No. 3. Now this week it's crowing on top of the barn.The new albums are Reckless Kelly's Bulletproof, the week's highest debut at No. 22; Mark Chesnutt's Rollin' With the Flow (No. 35); the multi-artist collection Patriotic Country, Vol. 3 (No. 37); and The Road Hammers' Blood, Sweat & Steel (No. 50).Returning albums are Tim McGraw: Collector's Edition (No. 70); Trisha Yearwood's Greatest Hits (No. 71); and Ronnie Milsap's 16 Biggest Hits (No. 72).Songs cropping up for the first time are Toby Keith's "She Never Cried In Front Of Me" (No. 55) and Jewel's "I Do" (No. 60). The Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried" re-enters at No. 56.Brad Paisley's never-say-die single, "Waitin' on a Woman," persists in bounding up the charts, this week leaping from No. 34 to No. 26. It came on just three weeks ago at No. 51.Trailing Swift's album in the No. 2 to No. 5 spots, respectively, are Keith's 35 Biggest Hits, Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride, Jewel's Perfectly Clear and Sugarland's Enjoy the Ride.The remaining Top 5 songs, in the same order, are Shelton's "Home" (in its second week at No. 2), Kenny Chesney's "Better as a Memory" (coming off two weeks at No. 1), Alan Jackson's "Good Time" and Dierks Bentley's "Trying to Stop Your Leaving."Here's hoping you survived the Fourth without any patriotic sparkler burns.Until next time,

Uncle Rock
--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

A Great Week in Matewan!!!

2008-07-03T06:12:00.003-04:00

Hats off to the Matewan Rotary Club for another great Magnolia Fair! The Tri-States Coal Country broadcasted each night of the fair from 7pm till 9pm and I had a blast...I can't wait until 2009 and the 60th Annual Magnolia Fair! Before we get into the country music news, don't forget that the Belfry Vol. Fire Dept. will have their 4th of July Celebration tonight (7/3/08) at 10:05pm, yours truly will be in the dunkin' booth at 8pm to help raise money for the Belfry Vol. Fire Dept! Now on to my favorite thing...COUNTRY MUSIC! Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney bestride Billboard's country albums and songs charts, respectively, for another week, while Dan Tyminski and Rascal Flatts boast the week's top new CD and single.Also signing in with new music are Carter's Chord, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Marcel and Lee Brice.In its 87th week on the charts, Taylor Swift sold 27,000 albums to keep its perch at No. 1. By contrast, Tyminski's new CD, Wheels, moved a mere 2,700 copies to seize the No. 32 berth. (Tyminski, you may recall, is the steady sideman in Alison Krauss' band, Union Station, and lead singer of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? hit "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," a tune officially attributed to the mythical Soggy Bottom Boys.)Chesney's self-abnegating "Better as a Memory" continues its reign as the nation's most-played country song.Carter's Chord self-titled collection comes aboard at No. 59, while Howard's No Rules bows in at No. 69. Re-entering albums are Whiskey Falls (No. 46), Little Big Town's A Place to Land (No. 62), Clay Walker's Fall (No. 65) and Rodney Carrington's King of the Mountains (No. 75).Rascal Flatts lead the new-song arrivals with "Bob That Head" (No. 56), followed by Marcel's "I Love This Song" (No. 58) and Brice's "Upper Middle Class White Trash" (No. 60). (Marcel, whose last name is Chagnon, last graced the charts in 2002 with "Country Rock Star," when he was on Mercury Records. He is now signed to Lyric Street.)After Swift, the Top 5 albums, in descending order, are Toby Keith's 35 Biggest Hits, Jewel's Perfectly Clear, Emmylou Harris' All I Intended to Be and Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride.Directly behind Chesney on the songs chart are Blake Shelton's "Home," Montgomery Gentry's "Back When I Knew It All," Underwood's "Last Name" and Alan Jackson's "Good Time."Coming up fast is Keith Urban's "You Look Good in My Shirt," which flaps from No. 22 to No. 14.Stay cool. Somewhere somebody's recording a Christmas album. Until next time,

Uncle Rock

--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

96 Days Of Hot Summer Fun IN FULL SWING!!!

2008-06-14T20:42:00.004-04:00

I guess I should start this weeks blog by being honest...it wasn't as "eventful" as last week!I had the time of my life at the CMA Music Festival, but now it's back to reality.We had some very special guests on The Big Ol Morning Show this week, The Roys, Rebecca Lynn Howard and Homer Owens! OK, so Homer is on everyday but he's still "special".The 96 Days Of Hot Summer Fun is in full swing....so be sure to log on and register for a free Hot Summer Fun T-Shirt!Now on to the good stuff, this weeks country music news!If it ain't one blonde it's another. Following in the wake of such flaxen divas as "My Future Ex-Wife" Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift and Julianne Hough, golden-tressed Jewel rockets to No. 1 this week on Billboard's country albums chart with her first Nashville-oriented CD, Perfectly Clear. Simultaneously, Underwood rolls in to the top of the songs chart with "Last Name" a mere 13 weeks after it made its bow. Guess hat acts can't reign forever.It bears noting that Jewel seized the summit with first-week sales of only 47,662 albums, an indication of just how tepid the CD market has become.Other albums making their first showing are The Very Best of Neal McCoy (at No. 51), Dailey & Vincent by the bluegrass duo of that name (No. 57) and former Lonestar lead singer Richie McDonald's I Turn to You (No. 73). Shooter Jennings' The Wolf resurrects at No. 69.There are three new entries on the songs list: Randy Houser's "Anything Goes" (No. 56), One Flew South's "My Kind of Beautiful" (No. 57) and Lady Antebellum's "Lookin' for a Good Time" (No. 60). Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" pops back on at No. 58.Lining up behind Jewel in the Top 5 albums ranking are Taylor Swift, Toby Keith's 35 Biggest Hits, Underwood's Carnival Ride and Julianne Hough, in that order. Reba McEntire's Reba Duets makes a sprightly leap from No. 23, where it's rested for the past two weeks, to No. 12. (Now in its 38th week on the charts, Reba Duets earlier went all the way to No. 1.)After Underwood, the Top 5 songs sequence is, in descending order, Brad Paisley's "I'm Still a Guy," Rascal Flatts' "Every Day," Kenny Chesney's "Better as a Memory" and Blake Shelton's cover of Michael Bublé's "Home."We'll check next week to see if the CMA Music Festival and its attendant hoopla flexed any sales muscle!Until then,

Uncle Rock

--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!!"

CMA Fest Day 4

2008-06-09T03:14:00.002-04:00

Well you know the old saying "all good things must come to an end" and come to an end it did! I had an wonderful day 4 in Hitsville, I hit the Riverfront Early for T. Graham Brown, Rissi Palmer and Josh Gracin. After the show I went on music row to buy some "gifts" to bring back to The Big Ol Morning Show! The walk over the E Street Bridge was bittersweet because I knew it was almost over. It felt like Christmas if that makes any kinda sense...you know how you wait for weeks to open the presents on Christmas...and then you do....and it's all over! I have that feeling, that satisfied yet disappointed that it's over feeling. As I hiked across the bridge I thought that I should thank Thornhill GM Superstore for sponsoring the event and the WXCC management for having enough faith to send Ol Uncle Rock to bring you all the info. The night ended with a bang! Performing on the LP Field Vault Stage was Chuck Wicks, James Otto, Bucky Covington (funny story coming up about him on the show Tuesday morning), Randy Travis, Sara Evans, Billy Ray Cyrus (a couple of funny stories about him coming up Tuesday morning), Phil Stacey and wrapping up with Dwight Yoakam! Be sure to tune in Tuesday thru Friday for all the inside info on the 2008 CMA Music Festival. Until then,

Uncle Rock

--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"

CMA Fest Day 3 Pics

2008-06-08T01:34:00.003-04:00

CMA FEST DAY 3

Another eventful day in Nashville TN!

Alright to be totally honest, I slept in this morning! I recharged the batteries until about 10 or 11 this morning. Now, I've said it before and I'll say it again.....the only "bad" part of the CMA Music Festival is there is too much too do!" I wanted to have a chance to go to the Grand Ol Opry before I headed back to WV, so I went to Opry Mills mall and the Opry building. I arrived at the Riverfront Stage at around 3 and it was an excellent day time show! I saw Darryl Worley

He was all patriotic and sang "Have You Forgotten"...the crowd was lovin' it! Hey, do you remember little Billy Gillman? He had the single "One Voice".....well I saw his show and he is atleast 21 or so! I couldn't believe little Billy Gillman was that old (made me feel old)
My favorite at the Riverfront Stage Was Jeffery Steele. You might remember him from the single "Just The Way We Do It Round Here", but he has written some BIG hits.....My Town, What Hurts The Most, Speed, Chrome...the list goes on and on.

I even had a chance to meet and greet with Show Dog Nashville recording artist Mica Roberts!

But the night ended with a bang!!! The LP Field nightly concert featured Jason Michael Carroll, Craig Morgan, Little Big Town, Jamey Johnson, Rodney Adkins, Darryl Worley, Alan Jackson, Trace Adkins and Kenny Rogers. All in all it was an excellent day in Guitar Town. I feel like I am just hanging out with about 160,000 of my closest friends! Be sure to check out tomorrow nights blog for a review of CMA Fest Day4 and a CMA wrap up blog. Until then,

Uncle Rock

--"if you wanna make it, you can't fake it...you gotta LIVE IT!!!"