The Bumpy Ride From The Top
Shenandoah and Highway 101 have seen better days.
Both bands once sat atop the country music world, winning trophies as best group. Personnel changes eventually put both into a tailspin, although Shenandoah prospered until a few years ago.
Highway 101 has been rebuilt more often than Spokane’s roads. Currently, band founders Cactus Moser and Curtis Stone are soldiering on with guitarist/vocalist Charlie White and lead singer Chrislynn Lee.
With original throaty singer Paulette Carlson, Highway 101 claimed one of the top songs of 1987 with “Whiskey, If You Were a Woman.” They followed with a string of No. 1 tunes, including “Cry, Cry, Cry” and “Who’s Lonely Now.”
The band beat out the Judds for the 1987 vocal group of the year award from the Academy of Country Music. The following year, they won the same trophy from both the ACM and the Country Music Association.
By then, Shenandoah was hitting the charts, too, with “Two Dozen Roses” in 1989. The next year, the group took home the ACM honor as best vocal group.
Highway 101 hit a bump that year, with personality and creative differences splitting up the band. After Carlson left, Nikki Nelson sang lead on the pop ditty “Bing Bang Boom” in ‘91, the band’s catchiest hit.
Since then, the group has been absent from the charts, but has continued to record and tour.
In 1991, Shenandoah filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and lost its recording contract because of a pile of lawsuits filed by bands using the same name. They settled the claims, kept the name and signed with another label, RCA, in 1993.
They continued to put out great music and scored four more No. 1 songs, including “If Bubba Can Dance” and “I Want To Be Loved Like That.”
In the mid-1990s, Shenandoah had some personnel shifts and moved on to another label, Capitol. Two more chart-topping hits followed, including the Grammy-winning “Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart” with Alison Krauss.
When original singer Marty Raybon left in 1996 to pursue his dream of recording with his brother, Shenandoah went on hiatus. Last year, the band re-formed with singer-songwriter Brent Lamb taking on lead vocals. Drummer Mike McGuire and guitarist Jim Seales remain from the original lineup.
Both bands are on a brand new label, Free Falls, and out on the road again. Maybe they should call this the Survivor Tour.
This sidebar appeared with the story: Shenandoah and Highway 101
When, where: Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Spokane Arena.
Tickets: $17.50, available by calling (877) 688-3473 or through G&B (325-SEAT, 1-800-325-SEAT or www.ticketswest.com).