Wade Hayes is back with real country music
Wade Hayes will soon release a new album and this is great news. Signed to Columbia Records in 1994, Wade Hayes made his debut that year with his gold-certified album Old Enough to Know Better.
Its title track, which was also his debut single, reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and three more singles from it all reached Top Ten as well. Hayes’ second album, 1996’s On a Good Night, was also certified gold, although its No. 2-peaking title track was the only Top 40 hit from it.
When the Wrong One Loves You Right, his third album, produced two more singles, including the No. 5, “The Day That She Left Tulsa (In a Chevy),” although he left the label by 1999.
A year later, he signed to the Monument roster, where he released Highways & Heartaches. This album produced no Top 40 country hits, however. In 2003, he founded the duo Mchayes with Alan Jackson’s fiddle player Mark Mcclurg.
The duo charted one single on the country charts and recorded one unreleased album for the Universal South label. He joined the backup band for former Alabama lead singer Randy Owen in the late 2000s, and self-released Place to Turn Around in 2009.
In December 2011, Hayes was diagnosed and publically battled with Stage IV colon cancer. He has been in remission since June 2012.
Now the artist is back with a new project of very traditional country songs. The new collection is for the diehard fans of traditional country music. It offers great songs, some originals as well as two covers and a lot of steel guitar. It sounds like real country music should.
This new album will follow up the 2015 project Go Live Your Life. It sounds fresh and authentic, with a definite reverence to the roots of country music. Here is cut-by-cut commentary that Wade Hayes included in his press release:
“‘Can’t Get Close Enough to You,’ is a song I wrote with Clint Ingersol years ago. I think I did it once at a writers’ night and had totally forgotten about it. My friend Helen Neal asked me about recording it for this project as she had remembered it all these years. I’m glad she did because it’s one of my favorites on this album.
“‘Full Moon Summer Night,’ is a song I wrote with Mark Collie. I literally got the idea one night standing outside looking at the sky and smelling the honeysuckle. It brought back some wonderful memories of being young. Mark was awesome to write with.
“‘I Wish I Still Drank,’ is a song I wrote after a friend of mine told me one of the funniest true stories I’d ever heard — I knew I had to write a song around it. Lee Roy Parnell was actually there when it happened, so naturally, I had to have him play the slide solo on it. He killed it.
“‘What You Need From Me,’ is a song I came across years ago when I was trying to get my friend Megan Mullins another deal of her own. She’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever met. The people we met with played us the song and ask us to work it up for them. I fell in love with the song years ago and finally got the chance to record it with Megan.
“‘We Needed the Rain,’ is a song a friend of mine Alicia sent to me, and I loved it from day one. It was written by Chris Stapleton, and I really got to stretch out vocally for me.
“‘Old Country Song,’ the title track was written by my old friend and writing partner Roger Springer. Mike Owens sent me the song and I knew I had to record it. This song is brilliant in my opinion.
“‘All I Know,’ was also written by Roger and Tim. I heard the song again when I was down in Oklahoma visiting Roger at his theater and ask him if I could cut it on this record. I had forgotten how much I liked it!
“‘Julia,’ was one of my favorite Conway songs written by my first producer Don Cook and John Jarvis. Megan and I were backstage warming up and we started singing it out of the blue. I really just enjoyed singing and playing it. I never forgot how I enjoyed it that day and decided to record it. It’s another one of my favorites on their project.
“‘She Knows Me,’ is another song I wrote years ago, and always kinda liked what it said. Don Cook suggested after hearing it one day that I do an uptempo version of it, so I rewrote it and did just that.
:‘Going Where the Lonely Go,’ is one of my favorite Hag tunes. His passing was still pretty present in my mind when we were cutting so I decided to do it. It is also special to me because my favorite guitar picker in town and I are trading solos on the end. His are the good ones.”
Father’s Day Jamboree Country music fans know by now that The Country Music Appreciation Jamboree series is committed to keeping local country music alive. The idea of having such an event came with local country singer Bobbi Dee and her musician partner, Stan Mckelvey.
A Father’s Country Music Appreciation Jamboree will be held in Burroughs Falls on Saturday, June 10, 2017 from 1-7 p.m. Tickets will be $10 in advance, $12 at the door.
The lineup is, Classic Country, Keepin it Country Band, and also the Country Swingers. Along with live entertainment and talent, a Father’s Day buffet is included with the price of admission.
Anyone can help and volunteers are greatly needed, so if you want to get involved, they would love to hear from you! Please email at bobbideemusic@gmail.com. To get your tickets you can reach Gale at 819-876-7376.