I'm a Member of the Country Club

My friends sometimes forget that I grew up on a ranch and that I was raised listening to Country Music.  I'm talking about the likes of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon & Willie, and other legends.  My parents like to forget that I have also always been a rocker at heart as I was also a major fan of  KISS, AC/DC, Metallica, and many others that annoyed Mom & Dad.  I still go to rock concerts (allbeit old bands that are from the 70s & 80s) whenever I get the chance - and especially if the tickets are free or really, really cheap..

Travis Tritt is one of those artists who is the best of both worlds to me.  He is a Country Music star who knows how to rock!  I have been a fan of his since the late 80s when I first saw him in concert.  I thought he was a real cutie (a short one, but a cutie!).   He had lots of great music videos that told wonderful stories that really stuck with you.  My #1 song on my list below has a heart-wrenching video that I always envision when I hear the beautiful song. 

The reason I'm going on about Mr. Travis Tritt is that we got to go see him in concert this past Friday night.  I received four free tickets from the local casino where he was playing.  I went with Hubby, Dad & a family friend.  The Ant stayed with Mom for the evening so we could have a great night out (love ya lots Auntie!). 

We had such a nice time!  The music was fantastic.  They played for just over two hours straight.  I think one of our favorite parts was when the band took a break and Travis stayed out "unplugged" and sang by himself while playing his guitar.  He was solo for about 20 minutes or so and it was awesome. 

I was laughing at Dad because he never remembers who sings what songs on the radio.  I kept telling him he'd probably recognize most of the tunes and he didn't believe me (or anyone else who told him the same thing).  When we were eating dinner after the concert he told us he was amazed that he knew most of the songs!  He really enjoyed himself and so did we.  It was wonderful for Mr. MoonCat and I to have an evening out of the house.   

(My) Top Ten Travis Tritt Tunes

10.   Here's A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)

09.   Country Club

08.   Help Me Hold On

07.   Anymore

06.   Ten Feet Tall & Bulletproof

05.   T-R-O-U-B-L-E

04.   Take It Easy

03.   Foolish Pride
02.   I'm Gonna Be Somebody
01.  Tell Me I Was Dreaming

Still A Cutie!!!

Photos are from http://www.gactv.com/

My Big Mouth

I posted Wednesday about 80s rockers Night Ranger still being one of my favorite bands. I thought I would share one of my not-so-impressive moments regarding them. I was lucky enough to meet these guys back in 1988. They were doing a charity gig in Modesto, CA and I was fortunate to win tickets to a meet & greet before the concert.

I was really jazzed & couldn't wait for my chance to talk to them and get their autographs. The guys were all really nice and pretty cute too.. Being that I was a (then) cute little 20 something, I got to spend extra time talking with each of them and taking photos. (I wish I could find them after all of these years, but I think they may have given up the ghost during all of my moves..)

Anyway, I was really excited when lead singer Jack Blades asked my opinion of the new album. I had been listening to the CD day & night so I felt that I could give him a pretty good appraisal. We chatted about it for a few minutes and then he asked me about one song in particular. I told him that it was not my favorite, in fact my least favorite on the disc but it was ok. He asked why & I explained that the words just didn't mesh with the tunes as well as some of the songs for me. He was so cool, thanked me for my honesty, and said that it was refreshing to get an frank opinion instead of just a bunch of trite comments. He gave me a hug and kissed my cheek (whoo hoo) and I moved on to talk to one of his band mates.

As we drove over to the concert venue, I looked over what the guys had written to me on my CD insert/cover. My euphoria took a very quick nosedive when I came to the list of tracks. By each song is the name(s) of the songwriter.

IMAGINE how I felt when I noticed that the song Jack Blades had asked me about was one written solely by him. I felt so BAD! I don't like to hurt people's feelings if I can help it at all! I wouldn't have been quite so brutally honest with my critique if I had known it was his sole creation. He was so gracious and sweet though, I was very impressed (and mortified after the fact). Maybe that is one of the many, many reasons I still enjoy the heck out of these guys after all these years.

YOU CAN STILL ROCK IN AMERICA!!!

Go here to learn more about this great Bay Area band.

Top 100 Songs of 1984 - Rocktoberfest!!

* 1. When Doves Cry - Prince
* 2. What's Love Got To Do With It - Tina Turner
* 3. Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
* 4. Footloose - Kenny Loggins
* 5. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) - Phil Collins
* 6. Jump - Van Halen
* 7. Hello - Lionel Richie
* 8. Owner Of A Lonely Heart - Yes
* 9. Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr.
* 10. Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
* 11. Missing You - John Waite
* 12. All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
* 13. Let's Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams
* 14. Dancing In The Dark - Bruce Springsteen
* 15. Girls Just Want To Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
* 16. The Reflex - Duran Duran
* 17. Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper
* 18. Jump (For My Love) - Pointer Sisters
* 19. Talking In Your Sleep - Romantics
* 20. Self Control - Laura Branigan
* 21. Let's Go Crazy - Prince & The Revolution
* 22. Say It Isn't So - Daryl Hall & John Oates
* 23. Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins
* 24. Joanna - Kool & The Gang
* 25. I Just Called To Say I Love You - Stevie Wonder
* 26. Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell
* 27. Break My Stride - Matthew Wilder
* 28. 99 Luftballons - Nena
* 29. I Can Dream About You - Dan Hartman
* 30. The Glamorous Life - Sheila E.
* 31. Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry
* 32. Stuck On You - Lionel Richie
* 33. I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues - Elton John
* 34. She Bop - Cyndi Lauper
* 35. Borderline - Madonna
* 36. Sunglasses At Night - Corey Hart
* 37. Eyes Without A Face - Billy Idol
* 38. Here Comes The Rain Again - Eurythmics
* 39. Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
* 40. Sister Christian - Night Ranger
* 41. Drive - Cars
* 42. Twist Of Fate - Olivia Newton-John
* 43. Union Of The Snake - Duran Duran
* 44. The Heart Of Rock 'N' Roll - Huey Lewis & The News
* 45. Hard Habit To Break - Chicago
* 46. The Warrior - Scandal
* 47. If Ever You're In My Arms Again - Peabo Bryson
* 48. Automatic - Pointer Sisters
* 49. Let The Music Play - Shannon
* 50. To All The Girls I've Loved Before - Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson
* 51. Caribbean Queen - Billy Ocean
* 52. That's All - Genesis
* 53. Running With The Night - Lionel Richie
* 54. Sad Songs (Say So Much) - Elton John
* 55. I Want A New Drug - Huey Lewis & The News
* 56. Islands In The Stream - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
* 57. Love Is A Battlefield - Pat Benatar
* 58. Infatuation - Rod Stewart
* 59. Almost Paradise - Mike Reno & Ann Wilson
* 60. Legs - ZZ Top
* 61. State Of Shock - Jacksons
* 62. Love Somebody - Rick Springfield*
* 63. Miss Me Blind - Culture Club
* 64. If This Is It - Huey Lewis & The News
* 65. You Might Think - Cars
* 66. Lucky Star - Madonna
* 67. Cover Me - Bruce Springsteen
* 68. Cum On Feel The Noize - Quiet Riot
* 69. Breakdance - Irene Cara
* 70. Adult Education - Daryl Hall & John Oates
* 71. They Don't Know - Tracy Ullman
* 72. An Innocent Man - Billy Joel
* 73. Cruel Summer - Bananarama
* 74. Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung
* 75. Give It Up - K.C.
* 76. I'm So Excited - Pointer Sisters
* 77. I Still Can't Get Over Loving You - Ray Parker Jr.
* 78. Thriller - Michael Jackson
* 79. Holiday - Madonna
* 80. Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us - Ollie And Jerry
* 81. Nobody Told Me - John Lennon
* 82. Church Of The Poison Mind - Culture Club
* 83. Think Of Laura - Christopher Cross
* 84. Time Will Reveal - Debarge
* 85. Wrapped Around Your Finger - Police
* 86. Pink Houses - John Cougar Mellencamp
* 87. Round And Round - Ratt
* 88. Head Over Heels - Go-Go's
* 89. The Longest Time - Billy Joel
* 90. Tonight - Kool & The Gang
* 91. Got A Hold On Me - Christine McVie
* 92. Dancing In The Sheets - Shalamar
* 93. Undercover Of The Night - Rolling Stones
* 94. On The Dark Side - John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band
* 95. New Moon On Monday - Duran Duran
* 96. Major Tom (Coming Home) - Peter Schilling
* 97. Magic - Cars
* 98. When You Close Your Eyes - Night Ranger
* 99. Rock Me Tonite - Billy Squier
* 100. Yah Mo B There - James Ingram & Michael Mcdonald

I'm sure you're wondering WHY I would give you this great list? Well, as I mentioned during my KEVIN BACON / FOOTLOOSE lovefest, my 25th High School Reunion is in 2 weeks and on top of all of the other THINGS going on in my life, I'm on the committee! I am currently (during the wee hours of the morning) working on our music list for the evening and thought I'd share some nostalgia from the 80s with all of ya! I took the liberty of highlighting/bolding the artists and their songs that I was fortunate/unfortunate as the case may be, of getting to see live in concert.

I will admit that Night Ranger is still, to this day, one of my favorite groups! What is fun about this is that I saw them, Pat Benatar, and Rick Springfield all last summer in concert (along with several others that aren't on this Top 100 list). They were mostly all still great.

Long live 80's Music..