When I was a sophomore in high school, I applied to be a volunteer at The Vinny, a charity golf tournament hosted by Vince Gill to benefit the Tennessee Junior Golf Association.  I was just learning the sport and wasn’t familiar with many professional golfers. But I loved country music and had seen photos in Country Music Magazine of some of my favorite stars playing in The…

Fans of The Office will remember Andy Bernard’s prescient quote from the series finale: “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”  Though sincere in his gratitude for his time at Dunder Mifflin, Andy’s feelings are colored by the emotion of the evening. Nostalgia has that effect on us.  The ‘90s…

I didn’t know The Judds’ music until I knew they were walking away from it.  Garth and Reba had just introduced me to a new kind of country — a twang different from what my dad played — when Naomi and Wynonna Judd told the world that Naomi’s devastating hepatitis C diagnosis was forcing her into early retirement. Whether I watched their press conference live on…

When Patty Loveless had a big hit with “Blame It on Your Heart” in 1993, I was in middle school and just starting to fall in love with country music. With its fiddle, steel guitar, and tongue-twisting chorus, the song was an early favorite of mine. I couldn’t help but tap my toes and sing along.  But when I bought Only What I Feel,…

Travis Tritt My parents have never tolerated vulgar language. When I was a kid, I allegedly asked my oldest brother what the hell he was doing, prompting our mom to send me to timeout under the kitchen table. While I don’t remember the incident, I’m certain I didn’t hear that phrase at home.  So when Travis Tritt released “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)” in 1992, I was uncomfortable with the chorus. But Travis’s smirking delivery and the song’s infectious melody made…

Alan Jackson One middle school summer, my cousin Sarah and I caught a ride home with our Meme after the fireworks at our aunt’s Fourth of July pool party. I climbed into the backseat of her Buick LeSabre while Sarah rode shotgun. On a country road, we sang Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee” at the top of…

Garth Brooks  Blame it all on my roots, I showed up in boots  With the opening line of his hit single celebrating the value of having “Friends in Low Places,” Garth Brooks changed country music forever and cemented his place in its history.  I was in fifth grade and had no idea what the lyrics meant. Still, I sang every word with as much…

Clint Black In 1989, a quartet of new artists ushered in an era of country music that built on the neo-traditional sounds of Randy Travis, Ricky Skaggs, Reba, and George Strait and led to an unprecedented boon for the genre. Their rising tide of success would lift countless boats in the sea of ‘90s country and earn them…

‘Tis the season to take a break from the routine and celebrate the holidays. I’ll get back to my usual artist spotlight next time, but today I want to share some of my favorite Christmas songs recorded by (mostly) ‘90s country artists.  I’ve established a couple of rules for the playlist.  Rule No. 1  I’m only including artists that were actively recording or performing in the 1990s.…

I grew up hearing my parents, alumni of the University of Tennessee at Martin, talk about the great concerts they attended on campus when they were students. UT Martin is much smaller than our state’s flagship campus, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, but it pulled in some big acts back in the day.  The school hosted fewer concerts when…