,' r , , J 11 ,i; 1 1 1 1 l l/: s1 f l 1 1 í T 1, I 1>jl /lri 11/1 1 J1111111 1 J J 1 1 1 J> 1 A 1 1, CROSSIN DIXON ,1 ,;i;;i,iíJJ J J J /. / J l l l l I 1 1 1,j /: J 1 ) J / l "` . 1 J J / , / , 1 . f J J T J J, l i J i J f ; T i/ { } J J " f J. {- 1, } J / f f . i 1 i 1 i- ü ,f > J J I 111 }.. J i J í A 1 i 1 í l J/'")( f f t I. I. >, / 1, J J { ) / 1 J I J J J J J J TÌ J i J. J J 1 1 J J J J 1 f1 1 J f T 1 I/' 1 J The Country Chart Warms Up To Working 1 ! { J P I J Groups, Seasoned On The Road ,,, Scan the list of singles that reached the top 10 of Billboard's country chart in 1977 and you won't see one song from a band. Ten years later, supergroup Al- .J abama, which came on the scene in the late '70s, was joined by Highway 101, {f, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Restless Heart, Exile and the Desert Rose Band. In 1997, Alabama was surrounded by a smaller group of hit bands: Diamond Rio, and Sawyer Brown. Today the cycle appears to be on the uptick. Emerson Drive, which scored two top five singles earlier in the decade, recently had its first No. 1 with "Mo- ments." Cole Deggs & the Lonesome, Whiskey Falls, the reformed Little Texas, Crossin Dixon, the Randy Rogers Band and Flynnville Train have either recently been on the charts or are about to be. Are Nashville labels trying to fill a void? After all, Alabama has retired, Dia- 43Y.KEN TUCKER mond Rio doesn't have a label, and Lonestar is looking for a new lead singer and a record deal. Broken Bow Records GM Brad Howell, whose label is taking Crossin Dixon to radio now, says it's just the cyclical nature of the music business. "Labels were identifying a hole in the market at the same time," he says. "I don't think one Nashville label is introducing a new band to counter what another label is doing -that certainly wasn't the case with us."

COLI_ DI_(á(áS Cole Deggs says the band has played note on this album." "We've just been playing honky - ond Mercury album. The band's & I II_ LOI_SOIVII_ for eight people in Tyler, Texas, one The band's first single, "Last Good tonks and clubs most of our lives." goal, Rogers says, is to "make rec- Five -piece band Cole Deggs & the night and 4,000 in Houston a few Time," peaked at No. 47 on Hot First single "Guitar Slinger" rep- ords that we believe in and that we Lonesome is fronted by Cole Deggs nights later "When the thing's done, Country Songs in April. A second resents the band's fusion of coun- can stand behind and leave behind.

and comprises Cole's brother Shade I want to say I played everywhere I single, "INowhere Than Somewhere," try and Southern rock, or "aggres- We want to leave behind 15 -20 rec- on bass, brothers Jimmy and David could to get this thing done," he says. is at radio, and the band will tour with sive country" as Miller describes it. ords-a whole life's work. That's our Wallace on keyboards and lead gui- "You win them over one by one." Keith this summer. little mission statement as a group tar, respectively, and Florida native TILE RAN In' and as a family." Brian Hayes, who is known as "the FI_VN MVI I_I_IE TRAIN CROSSIN DIXON I«)GERS BAND referee," on drums. The Deggs Mississlippi -based Crossin Dixon Together for six -and -a -half years, the WHISKEY 1=AI_I_S brothers grew up in Lake Jackson, (above) is the result of a merger be- Randy Rogers Band has charted four Music aside, Whiskey Falls has more Texas, while the Wallaces hail from tween two bands. "After compet- singles on Hot Country Songs. But backing for its business than most Shreveport, La. ing against each other for five or six the roots country band's true meas- new acts do. Even before the group While Cole Deggs moved to years we decided, 'If you can't beat ure of success is touring. "We'll stay released its first single on Midas Nashville 13 years ago as a song- 'em, join 'em,' " singer Jason Miller out on the road and stay out on the Records, "Last Train Running," it had writer, the others performed in var- says with a laugh. In addition to road and stay out on the road," lead already built a network of sponsors ious bands until they all hooked up Miller, the band includes guitarists singer Randy Rogers says, not- a few years ago. Charles Grantham and Brandon ing that the group plays 250 Cole Deggs says it took some Hyde and drummer Michael Bole. dates per year. "We love that time to shape the group's sound, Flynnville Train's members -lead vo- While Miller handles most lead aspect of it. We're an actual which was influenced by the indi- calist Brian Flynn, lead guitarist parts, Grantham and Hyde also sing working American band." vidual members' tastes including Brent Flynn, bass player Tim Beeler, lead as well as background vocals. And despite that the band blues, rock, punk and country. "We rhythm guitarist Jeremy Patterson The band got its break when a carries his name, Rogers says, didn't know exactly what we were," and drummer Tommy Bales -have friend of Michael Knox, who pro - "We split the money even - he says. "It took us a bunch of gigs been playing Midwest fairs and fes- daces Jason Aldean, saw the band steven." The group, which in- to really get into the groove on what tivals since 2001. But despite steady open for Aldean in Huntsville, Ala. cludes bassist Jon Richard- we wanted to do." work and an independent album, the In turn, Knox brought it to Broken son, drummer Les Lawless, guitarist and support. Aamco, the American While the frontman co -wrote four band was ready to hang it up. "We Bow, which is also Aldean's label. Geoffrey Hill and fiddle player Brady Tailgater's Assn., Laborers' Interna- songs on the album, he resisted the were very pleased how everything Since the band had never pursued Black, put out four independent al- tional Union of North America, the temptation to cut only his songs. "If was going, but we were running out a recording contract, let alone bums before releasing the Radney National Hod Rod Assn. and even

this thing goes south, I don't want to of funds," Patterson says. "There's recorded in a state -of- the -art studio, Foster -produced "Just a Matter of NBC soap opera "Days of Our Lives" be fully to blame," he says with a laugh. only so much you can do in a region." the process of putting a record out Time" on Mercury Nashville in 2006. are all in the band's corner. That's First single "I Got More" is No. 26 Enter , who got a copy has been a learning experience. "It's The group will head back into the not by chance, it's by design. The on Billboard's Hot Country Songs of the band's album from producer all been quite a surprise," Miller says. studio in September to record a sec- band wanted to bring everything it chart, and the band's self -titled Richard Ycung of the Kentucky could to the table. "We realized the debut is due July 10. HeadHuncers. After flying the more we could do for ourselves, the Still early on in its touring career, Muncie, Ind. -based band to Las more that we could help our record Vegas for a showcase label, the more we could help our

at his I Love This Bar relationship with radio, the more club, Keith signed the we could give back to our fans," band to his Show Dog lead singer Seven Williams says. o Nashville label. Even though the band has been Produced by the together for less than two years, it's band, Young and David a family, according to Williams. Barrick, the Aug. 28 "We're like two sets of childhood release is a blend of brothers," he says. While Williams country, blues, jazz and Wally Brandt have been joined and rock. "We knew if at the hip since they grew up, we got to work with and Buck Johnson Toby we'd get to be (no relation) have a similar relation- ourselves," Patterson ship. The band either together or says. "WE played and separately wrote every song on its THE RANDY ROGERS BAND produced every single album, which it self-produced.

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