New singer Mark McGuinn really doesn’t look much like LeAnn Rimes, but, boy,
do he and the young diva have a lot in common. Back in’96 when LeAnn made her
debut, Curb Records decided “the Light In Your Eyes” would be the first single. They
sent it to radio with a sample of her debut album’s other songs. Radio latched onto
“Blue” instead launching LeAnn’s career into the stratosphere. Several singles later,
“The Light In Your Eyes” finally saw the light of day. When Mark’s label, VFR Records,
sent his song “That’s A Plan” to radio earlier this year, their plan was to have it be the
first single from Mark’s fresh sounding, debut album (you have to check out this CD).
Radio said, “yeah that song is really cool - but another track, ‘Mrs. Steven Rudy,’ is
hot, hot, hot.” Bingo! Mark’s got a top 40 hit right out of the box, and it’s still climbing.
Now about Mark’s look... he’s an intriguing dude who’s attire would not be out of place
in a jazz jam session. And since, he always wears a backwards-turned leather cap, He’s a
new kind of Hat Act.
Chanting "Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!" hundreds of fans welcomed singer Mark McGuinn to WDEN-FM's Cherry Blossom Street Party Saturday, March 24, in Macon, GA. The crowd was referring, of course, to McGuinn's debut single, "Mrs. Steven Rudy," which moves up to the No. 13 spot in Billboard next week. Radio has embraced "Mrs. Steven Rudy" with such fervor that VFR has pushed up the release date of McGuinn's self-titled album to May 8. McGuinn co-wrote 11 of the 12 songs in the new collection, including the lead single.
LONESTAR ADDS BANJO TO NEW CD
The Dixie Chicks get credit for bringing the banjo back to contemporary country music, and the guys of Lonestar are doing the same for their upcoming new album. Turns out Keech Rainwater has been a banjo picker for years. Keech told us, "I've been playing banjo since high school. My senior year in high school is when I got my first banjo. Plinked around and taught myself how to play it -- not really well -- but then through the years I've just jammed around with it and just...I'd be...when I lived in Dallas I'd be out of a job, for a band would break up, and I'd be out of a job for like a month. I'd do nothing but play banjo, you know. So I got a little better and a little better and I actually got to play on this last, our new album." Rainwater's banjo pickin' will be heard on a tune called "Unusually Unusual."
Unusually Unusual is Written by Mark McGuinn
-Neil Haislop