Greatest Hits Vol. II (Alabama Album)
''Greatest Hits Vol. II'' is the second compilation album by American country music band Alabama. The album was released by RCA Records in 1991, and has since been certified platinum for sales of 1 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America. As with Alabama's first greatest hits album, ''Greatest Hits Vol. II'' includes many of the band's biggest hits of the 1980s, a decade in which they sold millions of albums, had 26 No. 1 singles on ''Billboard magazines Hot Country Singles chart and won the "Entertainer of the Decade" honor from the Academy of Country Music. Seven of the album's 10 songs went to No. 1 between 1982–1989; three of them – "Take Me Down", "Dixieland Delight" and "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)" – are presented here in their original album-length versions, while "The Closer You Get" is presented in its single-edit form and "Fallin' Again" in its shorter LP edit. Two of the album's three new tracks were released as singles, " Then Again" and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Alabama (band)
Alabama is an American country music band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama, in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and his cousin Teddy Gentry ( bass, backing vocals). They were soon joined by another cousin, Jeff Cook (lead guitar, fiddle, and keyboards). First operating under the name Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Nashville for a record deal. Alabama's biggest success came in the 1980s, where the band had over 27 number one hits, seven multi-platinum albums and received numerous awards. Alabama's first single on RCA Records, "Tennessee River", began a streak of 21 number one singles, including " Love in the First Degree" (1981), " Mountain Music" (1982), "Dixieland Delight" (1983), " If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" (1984 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dixieland Delight
"Dixieland Delight" is a 1983 song written by Ronnie Rogers, and recorded by American country music band Alabama. It was released in January 1983 as the lead-off single from their album '' The Closer You Get...'', which was released in March of the same year. The song would reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs list amongst the release of the album in April of 1983. After its release, the song became a college football tradition within the Southeastern Conference, most notably within the Alabama Crimson Tide football fanbase. Background and writing Songwriter Ronnie Rogers, who previously had hits with Ed Bruce, Dave Dudley, Tanya Tucker and others, recalled to country music journalist Tom Roland that the idea for "Dixieland Delight" came to him while driving on U.S. Route 11W, a rural highway through Grainger County, Tennessee.Roland, Tom, "The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits" (Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991 ()), p. 349-350 The song ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Take Me Down
"Take Me Down" is a song recorded by American country music band Alabama. It was released in May 1982 as the second single from Alabama's album '' Mountain Music''. Written by Exile band members Mark Gray and J.P. Pennington, the song was originally recorded by Exile in 1980. The Exile version was released as a single, but failed to become a major hit, although it reached number 102 on the US Bubbling Under chart and number 11 in South Africa. However, it was not until Alabama released the song that it was the group's seventh number one on the country chart. In addition to its success on the country charts, the song fared modestly well on pop radio, reaching No. 18 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Single and album edits The single edit to "Take Me Down," released for retail sale and radio airplay, is about 1:10 shorter than the full-length album version. Excised from the single version: * The second refrain; the song immediately proceeds from the second verse into the bridge. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Roger Murrah
Roger Alan Murrah (born November 20, 1946) is a songwriter and independent music publisher who has written hits for artists including Waylon Jennings, Alan Jackson, Al Jarreau, and Alabama."Indie Publisher Spotlight:Mentoring Role Helps Murrah Music Thrive" Kevin Zimmerman, BMI ''MusicWorld'', June 27, 2006. Biography Early life Roger Murrah was born on November 20, 1946, in .Career After working in the late 1960s as a staff writer, he opened his own studio in[...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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High Cotton (song)
"High Cotton" is a song written by Scott Anders and Roger Murrah, and recorded by American country music group Alabama. It was released in July 1989 as the third single from the album '' Southern Star''. The song was one of four singles on the album to reach number one on the Hot Country Singles chart. Content The song is a reminiscence of the youth of the narrator, who explains how his younger days were so good, and how he didn't realize how the times would change. ''"We didn't know that times were lean / Around our house the grass was green / It didn't seem like things were all that bad."'' The song references some the morals and customs characteristic of religious farming families, especially during the olden days, such as taking Sunday as a strict day of rest, whether or not there was work that could be done. The whole fourth stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bob McDill
Robert Lee McDill (born April 4, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, active from the 1960s until 2000. During his career he wrote or co-wrote 31 number one country hits. His songs were also recorded by popular artists of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, including The Grateful Dead, Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, Anne Murray and B. J. Thomas. His movie credits include ''Primary Colors'', ''The Thing Called Love'', ''Texasville'' and the documentary ''Grizzly Man''. In addition to four Grammy nominations, McDill received Songwriter of the Year awards from Broadcast Music Incorporated, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and the Nashville Songwriters Association International. In October 2012, McDill was awarded ASCAP's Golden Note Award in recognition of his "extraordinary place in American popular music." In September 2015 he received the Academy of Country Music's Poet's Award for lifetime achievement. He is the author of two books: ''Tales of the Old River Ro ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Song Of The South (song)
"Song of the South" is a song written by Bob McDill. First recorded by American country music artist Bobby Bare on his 1980 album ''Drunk & Crazy'', a version by Johnny Russell reached number 57 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' country chart in 1981. Another cover by Tom T. Hall and Earl Scruggs peaked at number 72 in 1982 from the album ''Storyteller and the Banjo Man''. A cover released in November 1988 by American country music group Alabama, from their album '' Southern Star'', reached number 1 on both the U.S. and Canadian country charts. Content The song tells the story of a poor Southern cotton farm-family during the Great Depression. "Cotton on the roadside, cotton in the ditch. We all picked the cotton but we never got rich." "Well, somebody told us Wall Street fell, but we was so poor that we couldn't tell." The song references President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal in the line, "The cotton was short and the weeds was tall, but Mr. Roosevelt's gonna save us all."' The ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Fallin' Again
"Fallin' Again" is a song written by Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Greg Fowler, and recorded by American country music group Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al .... It was released in March 1988 as the third and final single from their album '' Just Us''. It was a number-one hit in both the United States and Canada. Single and album versions Three versions of "Fallin' Again" exist: * The full-length version, included exclusively on CD and digital pressings of '' Just Us'', which clocks at 7:42 and closes with a jam session that lasts over three minutes before ending with Owen saying "We quit, man". * A much shorter version, included on LP and cassette pressings of the album, runs at 3:58. Half of the intro is excised; the line "I fall in and again" is deleted ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dave Loggins
David Allen Loggins (born November 10, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Musical career Loggins is best known for his 1974 song composition "Please Come to Boston", which was a No. 5 popular music success (No. 1 Easy Listening) in the U.S. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1995. He is the second cousin of singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins, although they had never met until later in their professional careers. Loggins also wrote the song "Pieces of April" for the band Three Dog Night, which was a Top 20 success during 1973. He has written material for Tanya Tucker, Restless Heart, Wynonna Judd, Reba McEntire, Gary Morris, Billy Ray Cyrus, Alabama, Toby Keith, Don Williams, Crystal Gayle, and the number one hits "Morning Desire" by Kenny Rogers and "You Make Me Want To Make You Mine" by Juice Newton. During 1984, he recorded "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do," a duet with Anne Murray, which scored number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Count ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)
"Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)" is a song written by Dave Loggins, and recorded by American country music band Alabama. It was released in January 1984 as the first single and title track to the band's album '' Roll On''. It was the group's 12th straight No. 1 single on the ''Billboard magazine'' Hot Country Singles chart. Content "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)" was the story of a trucker who drives an over-the-road semitrailer truck to support his wife and three children. In the song's first verse, the man (referred to only as "Daddy") leaves for a several-day trip through the Midwest. When the children gather around their mother in sadness, she says all they need to do is remember the song their father had taught them ("''Roll on highway, roll on along, roll on Daddy 'til you get back home, roll on family, roll on crew, roll on mama like I asked you to do''"); those lyrics serve as the refrain of the song. In some versions, the song begins with a CB radio call saying "How about ya, A ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mark Gray (singer)
Mark Eugene Gray (October 24, 1952 – December 2, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter and country music artist. He recorded both as a solo artist for Columbia Records and as a member of the country pop band Exile, of which he was a member between 1979 and 1982. Gray's solo career included three albums and nine singles, of which the highest-peaking is the No. 6 Tammy Wynette duet "Sometimes When We Touch", a cover of the Dan Hill song. Gray also co-wrote " Take Me Down" and "The Closer You Get", both of which were originally recorded by Exile in 1980 and later became Number One hits for Alabama. Other songs that Gray co-wrote include "It Ain't Easy Bein' Easy" for Janie Fricke and " Second Hand Heart" for Gary Morris. He died on December 2, 2016, at the age of 64. Discography Albums Singles References *Brennan, Sandra. Mark Grayat Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Closer You Get (song)
"The Closer You Get" is a song recorded by American country music band Exile. It was released in 1981. About the song "The Closer You Get" was written in 1980 by J.P. Pennington and Mark Gray, members of Exile. However, the song was not immediately recorded by Alabama. Two earlier versions were released as singles – the first by Exile (which failed to gain much attention) and singer Don King, whose version reached No. 27 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart in October 1981. In addition, Rita Coolidge recorded the song for her 1981 album, ''Heartbreak Radio'', and released her version as a single. Alabama's version differed substantially from King's acoustic version. According to country music writer Tom Roland, the song featured "distorted guitars, a more elaborate arrangement and an altered vocal sound." The end result was Alabama's tenth No. 1 song on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart. In addition, "The Closer You Get" registered enough airplay on Top 40 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |