Top 30 90s Country Countdown: 10-1

     We have reached the Top 10 in our countdown, and yet it still feels like there are at least 100 to go.  What are your favorites that you've seen so far?  Are there any that you have never heard of?  There's more where that came from.

#10:  "Lucky In Love" by Sherrie Austin

     Keith Urban is probably the first to come to mind when you think of Australian country stars, but Kacey Chambers, Jamie O'Neal, and this beauty also hail from Down Under.  Some of you may recognize her as Pippa McKenna from The Facts of Life or Lady Penelope from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.  Her first album was released in 1992 when she was part of a duo called Colourhaus, but Sherrie made a name for herself in the middle of 1997 with this first single from her album, Words, and maintained a mainstream run through 2003, when her highest charting single, "Streets of Heaven" was released.  Like with Rhett Akins, most of her recent years in the music industry involved writing for other stars like Danielle Peck, George Strait, and Tim McGraw/Faith Hill for their duet, "Shotgun Rider."  In 2011, she released her first album in eight years, Circus Girl, my personal favorite by her.

#9:  "Something That We Do" by Clint Black

     It's the second single off of his 1997 release, Nothing But The Tailights and peaked at #2 on the US country charts.  I also want to go ahead and point out that he has signed with the Thirty Tigers label, and is set to release his first studio album since 2005's Drinkin Songs and Other Logic.

#8:  "If I Never Stop Loving You" by David Kersh

     
     Kersh's run of releasing music is identical to James Bonamy's.  He made his debut in 1996, recorded two albums, and nothing more was released from him after 1998.  In 1999, Kersh began dealing with voice issues.  In 2005, there was another problem, and he left this message for his fans on his website:

"My heart is just not in the music business anymore. I can't deal with all of the BS that goes on in this industry now. Nothing is in my control anymore and it all just makes me a miserable person."

     This is the title track for his second album, and was his last Top 10 hit.  The album has a few familiar songs, like the Eric Clapton hit, "Wonderful Tonight," "Hello Walls" by Faron Young, and "I Breathe In, I Breathe Out," which was made famous by Chris Cagle three years later.  The actual music video for this is on www.davidabbott.net if you are interested in seeing it.  It's a cute video that features a scene where he and his girl are throwing hay at each other.  His videos have eluded me for the longest.  "Goodnight Sweetheart" has finally been uploaded to www.videodetective.com, and "Wonderful Tonight" still has yet to see an upload.  

#7:  "I Said A Prayer" by Pam Tillis

     Garnering a #12 spot, this is so far the last Top 20 hit for the daughter of Hall of Famer Mel Tillis, and was the first single from her 1998 release, Every Time.

#6:  "Everywhere" by Tim McGraw

   
     Tim McGraw was my first favorite singer.  Back when I was three, I used to always dress in denim and a cowboy hat like he did in his video for "I Like It, I Love It," which was my favorite song of his.  Like with his friend, Kenny Chesney, I prefer his 90s material to his more current stuff.  Nowadays, my favorites by him include "Maybe We Should Just Sleep On It, "All I Want Is A Life," "Just To See You Smile," and this title track to his fourth album, which earned a #1 spot on what was known at the time as the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now called Hot Country Songs.)

#5:  "Big Love" by Tracy Byrd

     The first of two Tracy's to appear on our countdown.  Hailing from Texas, he's known as one of the Beaumont Boys, the other two being Mark Chesnutt and Clay Walker.  Tracy produced a big multitude of hits during the 90s and the first half of the 2000s, including "Holdin Heaven," "Heaven In My Woman's Eyes," and "I'm From The Country."  He also is known for his covers of the Johnny Paycheck classic, "Someone To Give My Love To," and the Freddie North single, "Don't Take Her She's All I Got," which Paycheck also covered.  I went with this fun and upbeat cover song from his 1996 album of the same name (Chris Ledoux recorded it for his 1994 album, Haywire ).  It peaked at #3 in the US, and at #5 in Canada.  Both the album cover and the music video show beautiful scenery to illustrate the narrative.

#4:  "Better Man, Better Off" by Tracy Lawrence

     And now the other Tracy.  I really wanted to pick "Can't Break It To My Heart," but went ahead with this touching single from his 1997 release, The Coast Is Clear.  The biggest thing that country fans may recognize is that his trademark 90s mullet and mustache are no longer present.

#3:  "Nothin but the Wheel" by Patty Loveless

     One of two favorite songs by her (the other being "Can't Get Enough").  A beautiful ballad about trying to drive someone off the mind, this one got snubbed compared to the other singles she released from her 1993 album, Only What I Feel.  It landed at #20 in the US while "Blame It On Your Heart," "You Will," and "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" landed respectively at #1, #6, and #3.

#2:  "Fly (The Angel Song)" by The Wilkinsons

     "26 Cents" would be on the vast majority of countdowns if The Wilkinsons were included.  It's a great one in its own right, and is similar to Carrie Underwood's "Don't Forget To Remember Me," but this one needs more love, at least here in the US.  It was #15 here, but was #1 in Canada.  Their career arc is reminiscent of Paul Brandt, where they are considered one-hit wonders by many in the US who have heard of them, but they are superstars that are still going strong in their home country, even having their own television show.  Amanda and Tyler are now their own duo, Small Town Pistols, and have recently released their second album, Pistology.

#1:  "I Don't Call Him Daddy" by Doug Supernaw

     This one has been a favorite since I was five, and especially given the way life has been, has grown on me more as I have gotten older.  It involves one of those situations where the boy's parents are divorced and he does visitation with his dad every so often.  It was first recorded by Kenny Rogers in 1987, and then released by Supernaw as his only #1 in 1993.

     Ladies and gentlemen, that wraps up our Top 30 90s Country Countdown.  I imagine all of you are shocked that the likes of Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Billy Ray Cyrus, etc weren't included.  Hey, not all country countdowns are equal.  It was agonizing leaving off names like Boy Howdy, Sons of the Desert, John Michael Montgomery, and Sammy Kershaw.  There's a lot of interchangeability.  Next up, Ms. Torres will be showing us what made her Top 30 80s Countdown.  Will we some Wham?  Paula Abdul?  Madonna?  Stay tuned to find out!  Until then...