Country ARTISTS & MUSIC Murphey's 7th WestFest Corrals 40,000 COUNTRY...... Gill, Cowboy Arts Headline Labor Day Weekend Event BY GERRY WOOD The following night, Murphey and Though threatening weather bit Bill Miller performed material from into the attendance figures the last COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. - their powerful new albums. Miller's two days, Saturday lured a record Cradled by the Colorado Rockies, new Warner Western release, "The one -day total of 18,000. WestFest CORN! Michael Martin Murphey's seventh Red Road," should establish him as expanded its physical area, adding annual WestFest drew some 40,000 one of the most talented new acts in equestrian demonstrations and a by Lynn Shults fans to the Copper Mountain Re- country- and -western music, while 17- teepee Indian village that of- sort for four days and nights of mul- Murphey's ode to outlaws, "Rhymes fered everything from talks on folk- IT WAS A 15 -week trip to the top of the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart ticultural music, dancing, dining, Of The Renegade" (also on Warner lore to demonstrations on how to for "Holdin' Heaven" (2 -1), by Tracy Byrd. The song, Byrd's first No. 1, was and browsing through booths offer- Western), could be the crowning make fry bread. The mountain -man co- written by Bill Kenner and Thom McHugh and produced by Tony Brown. ing southwestern art, foods, and achievement of his distinguished camp was more vibrant than ever, Byrd joins John Michael Montgomery and Toby Keith as the breakthrough handicrafts. Titled "A Tribute To pop, country, and western career. with its medicine show, crafts, and artists of '93, and each of the artists' labels showed great patience in nurturing The Art, Culture, And Music Of The Sept. 5 Cowboy & Indian colorful characters. the breakthrough tracks. In Byrd's case, it appeared he had lost his chance The Old And New West," the Sept. Music And Poetry Gathering was a A WestFest also was held in June at the No. 1 spot when "Ain't Goin' Down (Til The Sun Comes Up "), by Garth 3 -6 event was presented by Justin hit with the audience, and an hour- at Red River, N.M., and event pro- Brooks, raced ahead of him to No. 1 last week. And while both tracks contin- Boots. long E -Town Radio Show, featuring ducer Bob Burwell is scouting other ued to gain airplay detections, Byrd was strong enough to overtake Brooks The Saturday, Sunday, and Mon- Murphey, Miller, and guests, was potential sites for 1994 WestFests. and capture his first No. 1. Brooks slips to No. 2, but keeps his bullet. day concerts started at 11 a.m. on taped for presentation on National "Reno and Los Angeles are possi- the stage at the foot of the giant, Public Radio. bilities," Burwell says. "We've had THE MOST ACTIVE TRACK on the singles chart is "Reckless" (40-25) by gentle, and green ski slope, and A new attraction -Celebrity offers all the time to do them, but Alabama, followed by "Mercury Blues" (63 -52) by Alan Jackson; "Almost showcased the talents of country Breakfast Trail Rides with Don it's hard to find the perfect situation Goodbye" (42 -36) by ; "Let Go" (15 -12) by Brother Phelps; acts such as Vince Gill, Larry Edwards, Red Steagall, and Wad - to pull them off. You have to have "That Was A River" (35 -27) by ; "She Used To Be Mine" (38- Stewart, Guy Clark, Toby Keith, die Mitchell -was popular enough the infrastructure, and a partner 35) by Brooks & Dunn; "Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox" (8-5) by Joe Dif- Lee Roy Parnell, Tish Hinojosa, the to sell out each morning, and might like Copper Mountain Resort to fie; "Only Love" (6-3) by Wynonna; "What's It To You" (9-6) by Clay Walker; Gibson /Miller Band, and Radney be expanded to include nighttime make it work." and "My Second Home" (59 -48) by Tracy Lawrence. Foster. campfire rides next year. Western performers included ALBUM SALES CONTINUE to be soft except for the No. 1 country title, cowboy poets Waddie Mitchell and "In Pieces" by Garth Brooks. Retail sales of the album dropped by almost Baxter Black, country & cowpoke 22 %, down from first -week sales of slightly more than 404,000 units to this music veteran Red Steagall, the week's 316,000 -plus units. "" (16-13), by Mark Chesnutt, is the Sons Of The San Joaquin, John week's Greatest Gainer. Capturing the Pacesetter award is the self-titled de- McEuen, Don Edwards, and trick but by Clay Walker (27-19). Albums significantly improving their positions in rider and roper J. W. Stoker. a down market are "Confederate Railroad" (9 -7) by Confederate Railroad; Native Americans taking the "Hard Workin' Man" (12 -9) by Brooks & Dunn; "Haunted Heart" (35-33) by stage included Bearheart, a man of Sammy Kershaw; and "In This Life" (38 -35) by Collin Raye. wisdom and wonder; the brilliant singer and composer Bill Miller; the MORE THAN 1,100 RADIO STATIONS have responded to Compact Disc Morning Star Dancers; and Robert Express's "Positive Country" CDs. The three -disc mailout contains 48 gospel/ Mirabal, who touched on the eclec- country tracks by artists associated with both musical communities. The CDX tic and bonding nature of the West - package is the first of its kind to attempt to fuse the country radio format Fest, commenting, "This music has with contemporary Christian. It is designed to help get stations started by no prejudice; it has no boundaries." giving them a programming outline for Sunday mornings. Included on the disc Murphey, the creator/mentor of are tracks by country artists Glen Campbell, Stephanie Davis, Steve Gatlin, WestFest, also was the star per- Kathy Mattea, Paul Overstreet, and Ricky Skaggs. Also included are Bar- former, appearing all three days. bara Fairchild, Terri Gibbs, Margo Smith, Billy Walker, and the Whites, His shows were highlighted by an all of whom gained success as country artists prior to concentrating on Chris- inspired performance with the Col- tian music. From the Christian community come the likes of Grammy and orado Springs Symphony Orches- Dove award winners and nominees Steven Curtis Chapman, Bruce Carroll, tra, under the dazzling direction of the Fox Brothers, and others. Christopher Wilkins, who was dressed in formal cowboy finery. NASHVILLE'S WSIX IS NO. 1 on Sunday mornings. The station began pro- The lush symphonic background gramming what it calls country gospel in March '93. Its rating for the 6 a.m. - added a new dimension to Mur - 10 a.m. period jumped from a 10 share to more than 16, placing WSD( at No. phey's tales of the West. 1 in that time period for the first time in its history. PD Doug Baker says, Several peripheral activities were Family Album. RCA Records' Aaron Tippin, third from left, celebrates the "Here we are in the middle of the Bible Belt. Christian music is on some of among the highlights of the Labor platinum certification of his "Read Between The Lines" album with his mother, the stations, but no one is combining country and gospel. We decided to give Day weekend festival. The West - Mary, and daughter, Charla. At right is Thom Schuyler, RCA's VP of Nashville it a whirl. The response has been amazing." Fest Ball And Art Preview Sept. 3 operations. showcased the best in Western art.

COUNTRY SINGLES A -Z

34 I FELL IN THE WATER (W.B.M.. SESAC /Extra Innrags, Foreshadow, BMI) CLM ASCAP /Judy Judy Judy, ASCAP /Sony Tree, BMI) PUBLISHERS /PERFORMANCE RIGHTS /SHEET MUSIC SESAC /Warner -Tamerlane, BMI /Jeff Stevens, BMI) 12 MASTER OF ILLUSION (Tillis Tunes, BMI) 62 TEXAS TATTOO (Nocturnal Eclipse. BMI/Union County, WBM 52 MERCURY BLUES (B -Flat. BMI/Tradition BMI) BMI /BrahmSongs & Careers -BMG. BMI) HL

11 IF I DIDN'T LOVE YOU (Warner- Tamerlane. BMI/ 59 MOONLIGHT DRIVE -IN (Coburn, BMI /Nocturnal Eclipse, 9 THANK GOD FOR YOU (Travelin' Zoo, ASCAP/Beginner. TITLE (Publisher - Licensing Org.) Sheet Music Dist. 41 DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR MAN IS (Artist Vision, Minnesota Man, BMI /Bob White, ASCAP) WBM BMI) ASCAP) WBM 2 AIN'T GOING DOWN (TIL THE SUN COMES UPI ASCAP /MCA, ASCAP /Maypop, BMI /Wildcountry, BMI) 68 I GOT A LOVE (Harlan Howard, BMI /Sony Tree. BMI) HL 43 MY BABY LOVES ME (Sony Cross Keys, ASCAP) HL 27 THAT WAS A RIVER (W.B.M.. SESAC /Long Acre, SESAC/ (Sophie's Choice. BMI /Sony Cross Keys, ASCAP /Major WBM /HL 56 I'LL CRY TOMORROW (WB. ASCAP /Rancho Bogardo, 48 MY SECOND HOME (Mike Dunn, ASCAP/Golden Reed, Great Cumberland. SESAC /Diamond Struck, BMI/ Bob. ASCAP/No Fences, ASCAP) HUCPP 58 EASIER SAID THAN DONE (Polygram Intl, ASCAP /St. ASCAP /Great Cumberland. BMI /Diamond Struck, BMI/ ASCAP /Sony Tree, BMI) HL Pateneck, BMI) WBM /CPP 36 ALMOST GOODBYE (Irving. BMI /PRS, BMI /Don Schlitz, Julien, ASCAP /Mighty Nice, BMI) HL Patenrick, BMI) WBM /CPP 28 NOTHIN' BUT THE WHEEL (Music Corp. Of America. 18 THIS ROMEO AIN'T GOT JULIE YET (Warner- Tamerlane. ASCAP /Hayes Street. ASCAP) CPP 11 EASY COME, EASY GO (0 -Tex, BMI /Acuff-Rose, BM)) 46 I'M NOT BUILT THAT WAY (Zomba. ASCAP /G.I.D., BMI /Brand New Town, BMI /Old Wolf, BMI) WBM /HL BMI/Taxicaster. BMI /Pickanbo. ASCAP) WBM 69 AMERICAN HONKY -TONK BAR ASSOCIATION (EMI CPP /HL ASCAP) CPP 14 NO TIME TO KILL (Blackened, BMI) CPP 8 A THOUSAND MILES FROM NOWHERE (Coal Dust April, ASCAP/The Old Professor's, ASCAP) 38 EVERY LITTLE THING (Sony Cross Keys, ASCAP/ 4 IN THE HEART OF A (WB, ASCAP /Warner- 7 ONE MORE LAST CHANCE (Benefit, BMI /Sony Cross West, BMI /Warner -Tamerlane, BMI) WBM 47 A BAD GOODBYE (Blackened, BMI) CPP Tortured Artist, ASCAP /Bash, ASCAP /This Big. ASCAP) Tamerlane, BMI /Brupo. BMI) WBM Keys, ASCAP) HL /WBM 21 TRASHY WOMEN (Rhythm Wrangler. OMI /Groper, BMI) 23 BEER AND BONES (Acuff -Rose, BMI /Lazy Gator. BMI) HL 37 IT SURE IS MONDAY (EMI Blackwood. BMI /Linde 3 ONLY LOVE (Careers -BMG. BMI /Murrah, BMI /Tom 51 TRUE BELIEVER (Careers -BMG, BMI /Whistling Moon CPP 65 EVERY TIME I ROLL THE DICE (Irving. BMI/ Manor, BMI) WBM Collins, BMI) HL/CPP Traveler, BMI) HL 24 THE BUG (Chanscourt. ASCAP /Almo. ASCAP) CPP Hardscratch, BMI /WB, ASCAP/East 64th, ASCAP) 49 IT'S YOUR CALL (Starstruck Writers Group, ASCAP/ 39 ON THE ROAD (Polygram Intl. ASCAP/Ranger Bob. 73 TWO STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION (Circle South. 15 CALLIN' BATON ROUGE (Combine, ASCAP /EMI 44 FALLIN' NEVER FELT SO GOOD (Patrix Janus, ASCAP/ Burch Brothers. BMI) ASCAP) HL BMI /On The Wall. BMI) Blackwood, BMI) WB. ASCAP) WBM 57 JANIE BAKER'S LOVE SLAVE (EMI Blackwood. BMI/ 5 PROP ME UP BESIDE THE JUKEBOX (IF I DIE) 55 WE GOT THE LOVE (WO, ASCAP/Rancho Bogardo. 32 CAN'T BREAK IT TO MY HEART (Loggy Bayou, ASCAP/ 61 GOD BLESSED TEXAS (Square West. ASCAP /Howlin' Linde Manor, BMI) WBM ( Ink. BMI /Texas Wedge. ASCAP) HL ASCAP/Great Cumberland, BMI /Diamond Struck, BMI/ Mike Dunn. ASCAP /JMV. ASCAP) WBM Hits, ASCAP) CPP 66 JUST ENOUGH ROPE (New Haven, BMI /Tom Collins. 50 QUEEN OF MY DOUBLE WIDE TRAILER (EMI Patenrick, BMI) CPP /WBM 33 CHATTAHOOCHEE (Mettle Ruth, ASCAP /Seventh Son, 45 THE GRAND TOUR (Al Gallico, BMI /Algee. BMI) CPP BMI) Blackwood, BMI /Linde Manor, BMI) WBM 40 WE'LL BURN THAT BRIDGE (Sony Tree, BMI) HL ASCAP /Sony Cross Keys, ASCAP) HL/WBM 31 HALF ENOUGH (Englishtown. BMI /Longitude. BMI /Moan 20 JUST LIKE THE WEATHER (Famous. ASCAP/Loyal 25 RECKLESS (WB. ASCAP/Jeff Stevens, BMI /Warner- 30 WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN (Square West, ASCAP/ 54 A COUPLE OF GOOD YEARS LEFT (MCA, ASCAP /Gary & Stars, BMI) WBM /CPP Dutchess, ASCAP /Lazy Kato. BMI) HL /CPP Tamerlane, BMI /Flying Dutchman, BMI) Howlin' Hits, ASCAP) CPP Burr. ASCAP) HL 15 HE AIN'T WORTH MISSING (Songs Of PolyGram. BMI/ 67 KISS ME IN THE CAR (Great Cumberland. BMI /Diamond 22 RENO (Supernaw, ASCAP) 6 WHAT'S IT TO YOU (Stroudavarious. ASCAP /]Kids, 53 COWBOY BOOGIE (Judith, BMI) Tokeco, BMI) HL Struck, BMI /Kicking Bird, BMI) 71 SHAME SHAME SHAME SHAME (BMG, ASCAP/Judy ASCAP/EMI April, ASCAP) CPP /WBM/HL ASCAP/ 16 A COWBOY'S BORN WITH A BROKEN HEART 14 HE'S MY WEAKNESS (Gloria Sklerov, BMI /Robin Tapp. 70 LAY AROUND AND LOVE ON YOU (Sony Cross Keys. Judy Judy. ASCAP /Harlan Howard. BMI /Sony Tree, BMI) 26 WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT (Polygram, (Farrenuff, ASCAP/Full Keel, ASCAP /Curb, ASCAP/ BMI /ABC Circle, BMI) ASCAP /Royalhaven, BMI) HL Ranger Bob. ASCAP/Unichappell, BMI) HL Farren Curtis. BMl/Mike Curb, BMI) WBM 1 HOLDIN' HEAVEN (Tom Collins, BMI/Music Corp. Of 12 LET GO (Dickie Brown. ASCAP) 35 SHE USED TO BE MINE (Sony Tree, BMI) HL 10 WORKING MAN'S PH.D (Acuff -Rose. BMI /Careers- 19 DOES HE LOVE YOU (PKM. ASCAP /Golden Reed, America, BMI) HUCPP 13 LOOKING OUT FOR NUMBER ONE (Sony Tree. BMI /Post 64 SMALL PRICE (MCA, ASCAP /Music Corp Of America, BMG. BMI /BMG, ASCAP /Mickey Hiter, ASCAP) HL /CPP ASCAP /New Clarion, ASCAP) 29 HURRY SUNDOWN (Warner -Tamerlane. ASCAP /Zomba. Oak, BMI /WB, ASCAP /East 64th. ASCAP) WBM /HL BMI) 63 DOWN ON MY KNEES (BMG. ASCAP) HL BMI /WB, ASCAP /Denny Henson, ASCAP) WBM /CPP 42 MAMA KNOWS THE HIGHWAY (Uncle Pete, BMI/ 60 SOMETHING'S GONNA CHANGE HER MIND (BMG,

BILLBOARD SEPTEMBER 25, 1993 45 www.americanradiohistory.com