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Class of 89 |
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Alan Jackson The Foundation Discography Patty Loveless Enduring Traditionalist Discography Alison Krauss Prodigy Discography Country Music Interests The story of the Class of 89 A Brief Synopsis of 90's Country Home Home |
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Black’s debut single “Better Man” shot up the charts and hit #1. Debut artists in Country Music usually took time to develop; rarely did they achieve such early success. If the success of Black’s debut single caught people by surprise, his debut album “Killin’ Time,” put them in shock. The title track followed “Better Man” to #1 and the album climbed to #1 on the Country album charts. By the end of 1989, it was gold (sales of 500,000). One year later it had sales past two million and produced four #1 singles and a top 5.
Black was more than a singer, he was a songwriter. Black wrote or co-wrote with Hayden Nicholas every cut on the album. The album would win unanimous critical praise for its traditional and yet updated feel. Black won the Country Music Association’s Horizon Award in 1989, and their Male Vocalist of the Year in 1990. The Academy of Country Music, in 1990, awarded Black its Male Vocalist, Single, Album, and New Male Vocalist of Year Awards. Black toured with super-group Alabama, his stature growing with each passing week. But by the end of 1990 he was surprised to find he had company, unexpected company at that.
Garth Brooks was from Oklahoma. A graduate of Oklahoma State, Brooks had first come to Nashville and stayed all of twenty-four hours. Dejected by the lack of interest, Brooks had returned to Stillwater, Oklahoma where he was developing a reputation as a multitalented entertainer. In 1987 he gave Nashville another try. Singing demos and selling cowboy boots, Brooks received his big break at Nashville’s fabled Blue Bird Cafe when Capitol Record executive Lynn Schults heard him performing a set there. Though Capitol had rejected Brooks once before, they gave him another listen and signed him up. Capitol’s head was Jimmy Bowen, the man who in the early 80’s helped make George Strait and Reba McEntire while he was head of MCA. Now Bowman helped make something even bigger.
Brooks’ lagged behind Black at the end of 1989 though he had scored #1 single of his own “If Tomorrow Never Comes.” Brooks’ problem had been all the publicity was Black’s. With RCA to support him, Black’s music and face were everywhere. Capitol simply could not match RCA’s market power. In fact Brooks had once been quoted as saying he was not in Black’s league.
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Amazingly “The Dance” was followed up by an even more massive hit for Brooks. “Friends in Low Places” was the lead single off of Brooks’ second album, “No Fences,” and it would go on to become the song which symbolized the new Country Music revolution. The song about a common man not fitting in with high society and finding solace in a bar drinking with common folks took root with the average American. Several high school senior classes made “Friends in Low Places” their class song. It became a working person’s anthem and combined with the success of “The Dance” vaulted Brooks past Black and every other Country singer.
“No Fences” took only thirteen weeks to go double platinum (sales of two million) making it the first Country album to achieve such quick success. “Friends in Low Places” was followed by three more #1 singles from “No Fences” including “The Thunder Rolls” which would become one the highest debuting single ever on the singles chart.
By September 1991 Brooks’ “No Fences” had spent 41 weeks at #1 but it would be overshadowed when Brooks’ next album “Ropin’ the Wind” would debut at #1 on both the Country and Pop album charts. No other album had ever done this. Garth Brooks had achieved the unthinkable. He was now not just the biggest star in Country; he was the biggest star in music.
Brooks’ television special in October of 1991 on NBC was rated in the top ten most watched shows that week. Brooks won four CMA Awards in 1991 including Entertainer, Single, Album and Video of the Year. He won five ACM Awards in 1991 including Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Single, Album, and Video of the Year. Add to that a massive concert tour he head-lined, and Brooks could claim he not Black was Country Music’s catalyst.
Why? Perhaps it was because while Black looked stoic, Brooks let his emotions flow. Brook’s music spoke, especially “The Dance”, about the heroic. He exalted the heroic. His energetic and dramatic live performances showed him to be a real person with whom millions could identify. Stories of kindness to fans grew legendary.
By the end of 1991 all three of Brooks’ albums were in the top five of the Country Album Charts with combined sales of eleven million. By the end of end of 1992, Brooks’ now five albums had combined for sales of 27 million. “No Fences” and “Ropin’ the Wind” were at sales of nine and eight million making them the two best selling Country albums of all time. Most amazing though was in his first three years; Brooks was accountable for 68% of all of Capitol Records North American sales.
Columbia had been the home of Rosanne Cash. Cash the daughter of legendary Country singer Johnny Cash had blasted into Nashville with a Country, Rock, Folk sound that endeared her to the music scene in Los Angeles and New York, but left questions in the minds of people in Nashville. By 1989 Cash, going through a divorce with fellow singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell, had about had it with Nashville. She wanted out, thereby letting Carpenter in.
After a weak selling 1987 folk based, independent album called “Hometown Girl” which Carpenter had recorded in the basement of her producer John Jennings’ home, Carpenter received an unexpected second chance from Columbia. The singer - songwriter seized her new opportunity. With a larger recording budget and new label support, Carpenter fashioned up several Country, Rock, and Folk songs and put them on her 1989 album “State of the Heart”.
Her lead single showcased Carpenter’s new sound. “How Do” talks about cowboy boots, accents, and Dallas, Texas. It worked. “How Do” released on April 15, 1989 reached #21. The follow up single “Never Had It So Good” hit #8 and the fourth release “Quittin’ Time” hit #7.
Still “State of the Heart” sold only moderately. Its 1990 follow up “Shooting Straight in the Dark” also hung around the bottom of the top forty Country albums. Still it produced a Cajun flavored romp called “Down at the Twist at Shout” which hit #2 and won Carpenter a Grammy Award.
In 1992 Carpenter released “Come On Come On”. The lead single “I Feel Lucky” became her signature hit. Its upbeat tempo and message about a common person winning the lottery endeared her to millions of new Country fans who had found Garth Brooks. Carpenter’s rock edged country soon became a favorite of the peripheral audience. “Come On Come On” went triple platinum on the strength of four top five singles.
Carpenter won the CMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year in both 1992 and 1993 and the ACM Female Vocalist of Year in 1993. Carpenter’s rock tinged Country helped extend Country’s boundaries and brought new fans to the genre. Her intellect helped de-swayed the popular opinion that all Country Music singers were hicks. Mary Chapin Carpenter was definitely no redneck.
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On September 2, 1989 his debut single “Country Club” was released and made it to # 9. His third single, the ballad “Help Me Hold On,” reached # 1 sending his debut album “Country Club” to sales of 500,000. In 1991 Tritt’s second album “It’s All About to Change” was released and on the strength of his career single “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)” soared to #2 on the album charts. “It’s All About to Change” went platinum as did “Country Club.” With four more top five singles including two multi-week #1’s, “It’s All About to Change ‘s” sales went double platinum and earned Tritt the CMA’s 1991 Horizon Award.
Born in Newnan, Georgia, Jackson was the son of an auto worker and had spent much his early adult life selling cars, driving forklifts, and hoping for a career in music. The career started when Jackson’s wife Denise, who was a flight attendant, happened upon Country Music star Glen Campbell in an airport. She approached Campbell and told him about her husband and his dream. Campbell invited them to come to Nashville, and eventually gave Jackson a job writing songs for his publishing company. Jackson, first though, had to take another job working in the mailroom of The Nashville Network.
It was a long way from the mailroom to the top of the charts, and Jackson struggled early on. Arista was the first big record label to move into Country in years. It had few radio contacts, and little experience promoting Country artists. “Blue Blooded Woman” started slow and faded fast, topping out at #45. Jackson had one more chance to make an impression.
Jackson's next single did more than save his career or make him a star, it would come to symbolize what Alan Jackson and his music were about. The self-penned “Here in the Real World” talked about reality. Alan Jackson’s music would come to symbolize the realness of life for the average person. “Here in the Real World” hit #3 on the Country singles chart and stayed there for two weeks. It set off a string of top five hits which propelled his debut album to gold then platinum sales.
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Jackson slowly climbed upward till the summer of 1993 when his mega single “Chattahoochee” propelled him to join Brooks in leaving his follow Class of 89ers in the dust. “Chattahoochee” would become one of the most successful and awarded singles in country music history. It helped ignited sales of Jackson’s third album “A Lot About Livin’ (And a Little ‘Bout Love)" to over six million and carried “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” to sales of four million albums thereby making Jackson one of only four artists in country music to have an album sell six million copies.
In fact the Class of 89 has combined album sales of 180 million. They have produced 58 number one singles and 131 top ten singles. Each of the Class of 89, with exception of Carpenter, has released a greatest hits album which has sold over a million copies. Brooks, Jackson, and Black’s greatest hits collections have gone multi-platinum. Together the Class of 89 has 44 platinum albums 30 of which have gone multi-platinum.
Soundscan proved Country Music could sell. Garth Brooks and other Country artists showed up on at the top of the Pop album charts and showed Country’s commercial viability. Part of this new found viability was due visibility. A visibility provided by Sam Walton. Walton founded Wal-Mart, the discount retailer, which made its initial impact on rural markets. Thanks to Wal-Mart the rural music buyer had easier access to Country Music.
When Wal-Mart penetrated the suburbs, all country music lovers not only had access to Country Music, but could buy it at a discount. Wal-Mart, and fellow discount retailers, Kmart, and Target would use music c.d.’ as lost leaders. Lost leaders are items the store is willing to lose money on to get shoppers into the store in the hopes they will be other items along with the lost leader. Wal-Mart found the Class 89 an attractive package. People found shopping at Wal-Mart an attractive option. New found viability and visibility ignited a sales surge for the Class of 89 and their Country Music brethren. From 1989 sales of $460 million, Country Music sales rose to $1 billion by 1991 then up to 1.97 billion by 1994.
Clint Black could never live up to his sensational debut. His third album “The Hard Way”, released in 1992, was embroiled in Black's legal fight with his then manager Bill Ham who had help discover him. The album went platinum, but Black’s popularity began to lag. Subsequent albums struggled to the platinum level, and though his greatest hits package went double platinum, his 1997 release, “Nothin’ But the Taillights” spent only a few weeks in the top ten. Since then his releases have struggled sell, and he has parted ways with RCA.
Travis Tritt struggled with problems of his own. Not afraid to give his opinion, Tritt called Billy Ray Cyrus’ mega hit “Achy Breaky Heart” a stupid, little song. He would publicly bereted Cyrus. Cyrus would publicly bereted Tritt back. The controversy cost Tritt, making him look like a mean person. Though he multi-platinum his first four studio albums, Tritt popularity waned. He claimed it was lack of support from Warner Brothers, but a label switch to Columbia did not help. He currently doing recording with independent record label.
As Country Music’s popularity leveled off in 1996, Mary Chapin Carpenter popularity suffered. Much of the crossover audience who had bought her albums when Country was trendy had found new trends to explore. Carpenter last top ten Country single was in 1996. Today she spends most of her time touring cozy venues, and making few albums which sell little.
Garth Brooks’ popularity remained strong. His free concert in New York City’s Central Park during August of 1997 drew over 250,000 people. His 1996-98 concert tour drew over five million fans. His 1998 live album, “Garth - Double Live” became the first album ever to sell over 1,000,000 copies in its opening week. The CMA named Brooks its 1998 Entertainer of the Year, his record fourth such trophy.
In the fall of 1999 Brooks released an album of Pop songs under the alias Chris Gaines which confused many in Country Music. Then in October of 2000, Brooks announced he planned to retire at the end of 2001 saying his 2001 release "Scarecrow" will be his last album. It debuted at #1 on both the Country and Pop album charts. In 2005 Brooks left Capitol Records taking his music catalog with. He now allows his music only to be sold at Wal-Mart.
Alan Jackson also has won the CMA Entertainer of the Year. It was given to him in 1995 a full six years after he debuted. With a collection of hit singles critics consider the most musically diverse and consistent of any Country artist, Jackson’s popularity remains strong. His albums have combined for sales of over 40 million.
In 2001 Jackson composed the moving “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” in tribute to the 9/11 disaster. The song became more popular and awarded than “Chattahoochee” helping Jackson win a record tying five CMA Awards in 2002. “Drive” the album including this hit debuted at number one on both the Country and Pop album charts and was named Album of the Year by the CMA and ACM.
While the members of the Class of 89 have had differing amount of success since they collectively hit in 1989. They shared a common legacy. They were Country Music’s renaissance. Without them, Time, People, and Life Magazines would not have done cover stories on Country Music. Without them, the Country video network, CMT, would not be thriving. Without them Country radio would not be the number one radio format in America. Without them, many people, not just the mainstream media, would still think Country Music in the terms of Hee-Haw. The Class of 89 gave birth to a new image. They made people see that Country Music was music for people, people living in what Alan Jackson’s first hit so aptly stated, “Here in the Real World”.
