Near the end of the '90s, the Dixie Chicks were one of the hottest country acts in the country...if not the world. Things changed in 2003 when the band's lead singer Natalie Maines told a European audience the she was ashamed President George W. Bush was from Texas and voiced opposition to US involvement in the impending Iraq War. The result was a backlash felt from coast to coast: country music radio stations shunned the band and its music, some organized stunts where bulldozers demolished the band's CDs, sponsors pulled from the group's tour, and Maines fielded numerous death threats including many who threatened to shoot her while she performed on stage. It took the group a while to get over the hoopla and, when the dust settled, the band even released the song "Not Ready to Make Nice". One could argue that Maines took the proverbial bullet for numerous acts who followed with their own criticism of Bush, the Iraqi War and, later, Donald Trump.
Phil Collins, Elton John, and Gloria Estefan dominated Adult Contemporary radio back in the 1980s and '90s, yet have disappeared from modern radio. Seemingly, the only time you ever hear them is at the grocery store or your local CVS. This blog remembers the music, the stories and the quirky characters from my days working in Adult Contemporary radio.