Wyoming was really hard, and this is one of those days I wish Scott - a country music lover -was still writing for us. But I got it done.
Chris LeDoux - from Wyoming - got a slow start to his music career.
That's because he was a very successful rodeo cowboy. But he did start recording while he was active in rodeo - in 1979, he released his first single, and released a few more prior to his retirement from the rodeo in 1986.
This single, from 1991, was at the beginning of a string of minor country hits, which started in the early 1990s and continued for a few years.
Sadly, LeDoux passed away kind of young, only aged 56, of bile duct cancer. But his cowboy music lives on.
If you really want to hear LeDoux play what would be one of his signature songs - I mean, he was a rodeo cowboy, for Pete's sake - try this performance from 1997.
And huge hitmaker Linda Ronstadt is from Tuscon, Arizona.
She had a string of hit songs in the 1970s - her huge voice bringing life to songs that would be both pop and country hits. I'd say she was the Taylor Swift of her era... but literally every hit you know of hers is a cover.
This song is one of them. Originally recorded in 1958 by The Crickets - as in Buddy Holly and the Crickets - and written by Holly and Norman Petty, their version did not chart. Ronstadt took their song to the top 5 in 1977 (and to the country charts, too!), adding a bit of a bite and snarl to the song.
I have to be honest. I grew up hearing this version of the song, and when I heard Buddy Holly singing it, it felt wrong. This feels right.
Of course she performed the song live. Here she is with her band in 1980 - with the same snarl.
In a past life, this would have gone on Totally Covered. Or, maybe it did. But I don't really think of it as a cover.
Nicolette Larson was from Helena, Montana. She was a backup singer for many artists, including Neil Young.... and she and Linda Ronstadt both sang backup on his 1978 album Comes A Time, which featured this song (Larson did not sing backup on that song). Larson and Ronstadt have different recollections on how her version came to be. Ronstadt said - in 2013, in her memoirs - that she made the suggestion and Larson's producer was appreciative.
Larson's story is more colorful. Her recollection was that she found a demo version of the song on a tape on the floor of Neil Young's car.... and he gave her the song.
She took Young's melancholic song and turned it upbeat, with strings and horns.... and made herself a classic. Held until October 1978 - waiting to see if Neil would release it as a single (he did not - although it did end up being a B-side) - her version - her debut single - ended up being a top 10 pop hit, her biggest by far.
It wasn't easy to find a real live version of this song. A lot of her early ones were on TV and were lipsynced.
However, this performance from 1991 - six years prior to her untimely death - show that she still had it.
This live recording from 1978 is absolutely spectacular.
Sometimes, serendipity plays a role. Today is one of those days. And I am thankful for that!
Angel Abaya was born in Boise, Idaho, and joined the Boise music scene at the age of 18. She's definitely Idahoan...
Her latest (not really debut) album - Switcheroo - was released under the stage name Gelli Haha, because it moved from her earlier work (as Angel Abaya), which was guitar-driven pop, to more electronic, playful pop.
It was the right call. I have to say, I really enjoy this sound quite a bit, and the album is one of my favorites of the year.
This song is a highlight of the album, with it's overabundance of 's' words..... and let's be clear, the red aesthetic isn't just a stage persona - it's a lifestyle choice for her.
She has not performed live as Gelli Haha MUCH, but when she does, she leads with this song. Stick around for the rest of the performance, because it very well might be the most fun you'll have listening to music this year.
7 Seconds formed in Reno, Nevada during the rise of punk in 1980. Although there have been significant lineup changes, they're still around and still performing. And yes, Kevin Seconds and Steve Youth - the real life Marvelli brothers - are still there.
This song is from their 1984 debut album The Crew - regarded by many as one of the greatest hardcore albums ever recorded. And, really, it's raw and angry and energetic.... and somewhat stoic. Written by Kevin Seconds, it has an almost straight-edge feel.... but it ain't straight-edge.
So, this song was released in 1984.
Thirty years later, they performed it in Moscow with arguably more energy.
But if you know them before this post, you probably know them for their cover of the Nena classic song "99 Red Balloons" (yes, the English version).
It's spectacular.
This is the one song they can't not play. And it's always just as spectacular.
As Kevin says during this performance EARLIER THIS YEAR, they first performed this song in 1982.
In 2025.... 45 years after they formed.... it still sounds spectacular.
We're not talking about Phil Collins. We can discuss him another day.
Philip Bailey was born in Denver, Colorado, which is why he's here today. In his prime, he was known for a four octave vocal range - and served as one of the two lead vocalists for the legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire.
But he also had a solo career - and while he had a few hits, none eclipsed this collaboration with the Genesis drummer, which was a huge hit worldwide. The story behind this one is quite simple - Collins was also a pretty well-regarded producer, and he was hired to produce Bailey's 1984 album Chinese Wall. At the end of the sessions, Bailey asked Collins to co-write a song with him.... this song. They had a great time writing it, and so they recorded it right away (and you can actually hear in this video some of the raw sessions from that - which I love).
It ended up being just great just as they did it.
And, at this point, I'd usually overwhelm you with their individual live performances of the song.
Not today. This is #AmericanAutumn, not #UKNovember. So, here's Bailey performing the song live with Kenny Loggins. Kenny's just not as good a match - but Bailey's voice is fantastic.
