Behind the Song How Exile’s “The Closer You Get” Traveled to Alabama A drive-through billboard gave J.P. Pennington the title. He and Mark Gray gave Exile a song that traveled through Don King and Rita Coolidge before becoming an Alabama No. 1. By Jared Ingersol · 5 min read
Behind the Song How Exile’s “I Don’t Want to Be a Memory” Began a Hitmaking Partnership After Mark Gray left the session, J.P. Pennington and Sonny LeMaire kept working. Their first song as a two-man team became Exile’s second country No. 1, with a guitar solo born on Terry McMillan’s harmonica. By Jared Ingersol · 5 min read
Behind the Song How Bull*hit Hour Became Patty Loveless’ “Jealous Bone” Every Wednesday morning, Steve Bogard and Rick Giles gave themselves an hour to talk before they tried to write. One innocent story, one perfectly country phrase and one guitar lick later, they had a song Patty Loveless made sound dangerous. By Jared Ingersol · 5 min read
Behind the Song BEHIND THE SONG: "Time Marches On" A bumper sticker in Alabama, a theory about old men's waistbands, and a country single that put dementia and a one-line grave on the radio — and drew, by Bobby Braddock's own count, more reaction than anything he'd ever written. By Generation Country, Jared Ingersol · 11 min read
Behind the Song BEHIND THE SONG: "Fishin' in the Dark" Two melodies on a motel tape recorder, a party at Wendy Waldman's, and a hit with no bass guitar on it — with new interviews from Jim Photoglo and Josh Leo. By Jared Ingersol, Generation Country · 8 min read
Behind the Song BEHIND THE SONG: "Bless the Broken Road" The Dirt Band recorded it first, a decade before the Grammy — and played it at the very last show, with Jaime beside his father. By Jared Ingersol, Generation Country · 11 min read
Behind the Song Behind The Song: "She Thinks His Name Was John" In the summer of 1994, in the middle of a country radio dial full of sunshine and tailgates, Reba McEntire released a single about a woman dying of AIDS. No major country star had ever done it. By Generation Country · 10 min read
Behind the Song Behind The Song: "How Do You Like Me Now" "How Do You Like Me Now?!" — Toby Keith From How Do You Like Me Now?! (DreamWorks Records, November 2, 1999) By Generation Country · 7 min read
Behind the Song BEHIND THE SONG: "Seminole Wind" (John Anderson) John Anderson PassesJohn Anderson, the unmistakable country singer behind “Swingin’,” “Wild and Blue,” “Straight Tequila Night” and “Seminole Wind,” has died at By Generation Country · 5 min read