My introduction to this week's tune came from my Camelot Music days and a young woman who worked for me, who, when I initially interviewed her for a job, told me the only kind of music she didn't care for was Country. After a few years of working in the store, she discovered that Country Music had a lot to offer and began asking me to open numerous country artists for our in-store-play selections. This week's song was from one of those artists, and a hell of a song it was.
Doug Stone (born Douglas Jackson Brooks) was born in 1956 in Marietta, Georgia, and had his musical debut at the ripe old age of seven when he sang with Loretta Lynn. His auspicious start was not, unfortunately for him, a sign of early success, and Stone played numerous local events and gigs while working as a mechanic before a record label manager discovered him singing at a VFW hall. His debut album was released in 1990 at an age (thirty-four) when most music artists are well into their careers. Stone quickly made up for lost time and scored a number of hits over the next five years; sadly, a heart attack in 1995 and a minor stroke in 1996 slowed his career. Stone would come back in the late nineties and continues touring (as well as the occasional acting part) to this day. For his career, Stone has released ten studio albums and 33 singles (with eight #1's on Billboard's Hot Country Singles Chart). He has also been nominated for a Grammy Award (in fact, for this week's featured tune).
Fun Fact: Once he was offered a recording contract, Doug Brooks changed his name to Doug Stone because he was worried that people might confuse him with Country superstar Garth Brooks.
"I'd Be Better Off (in a Pine Box)" was the first single from his first album, the aptly entitled Doug Stone. The song would reach #4 (with a bullet!) on the Country singles chart, while the album would peak at #12 on the Top Country Albums Chart.
As regular readers (both of you) know, I readily admit that Country Music isn't for everyone, but if there was ever a song to make one a fan of country music, this ballad is it. Stone sings the tale of a man who realizes that the one-time love of his life is in love with the man she's now with, and that he will never share his love with her again. You can hear the sound of heartbreak in Stone's vocals, which, at least for this particular song, rank right up there with George Jones at his best. And while the lyrics won't make anyone forget Edna St. Vincent Millay, they capture quite remarkably the everyday heartaches of everyday folks like us. Even in 1990 it was a throwback to the best of what Country Music had been, and most likely, will continue to be.
Lyric Sheet: "I said the night you left me/Nothin' worse could ever happen/But seeing you with someone else proved that I was wrong..."
Enjoy:
Republican = Traitor
Peace,
emaycee
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