OklahomaRock.com continues top 100 Oklahoma country songs countdown; BAM's Blog reveals its top 10
A version of this column appears in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To see Nos. 21-11 on my list of top 21 Oklahoma country songs, click here.
OklahomaRock.com counts down the top 100 country songs with state ties
BAM column: Website is revealing the list throughout the month of August.
From mainstream mega-stars and red dirt rebels to singing cowboys and sharp-penned songwriters, Oklahoma has birthed, bred or nurtured numerous influential country music makers.
Throughout August, OklahomaRock.com is counting down the top 100 songs from our fair state’s many and varied country artists.
“Hopefully, it’ll open up some people’s eyes to how rich our musical history is. People know about Reba and Vince and Garth, but they don’t necessarily know about some of the ‘smaller’ artists or ones that have been forgotten about,” said Ryan LaCroix, intrepid founder/owner/editor of OklahomaRock.com, who is releasing the top 100 countdown in conjunction with state magazine Oklahoma Today’s September/October issue, which will focus on country music.
“It’s more or less a showcase, and that’s kind of what OklahomaRock does. We try to showcase more of the up-and-coming artists, but we try to just keep a pulse of what’s going on in Oklahoma and with Oklahoma artists. And this will be a little bit of what’s going on now and a lot of what has gone on in the past that people might not know about,”
To compile the list, LaCroix consulted with state experts such as disc jockeys, musicians and journalists, including yours truly; polled the public on Twitter and Facebook; and consulted chart rankings and non-Oklahoma-specific greatest country songs lists.
At LaCroix’s request, I developed a list of my 21 favorite Oklahoma country songs. Last week, I unveiled Nos. 11 to 21, and here is my top 10:
10. “How Do You Like Me Now?!” recorded by Toby Keith, written by Keith and Chuck Cannon.
Be honest, we’ve all wanted to smugly crow this question to at least one person who gave us short shrift, and Keith’s bravado and brashness are perfectly suited for such vicarious vengeance.
9. “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On,” recorded by Mel McDaniel, written by Bob McDill.
Heaven help us, but this catchy number gets stuck between your ears tighter than those blue jeans. Nah, it can’t help it.
8. “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” written and recorded by Vince Gill (with Ricky Skaggs and Patty Loveless).
Follow
