Sunday, May 11, 2008
 Check Out The Artist Of The Week Below


98 Country Top 20  Get the hottest 20 songs that 98 
 Country is playing.  

 Click the image for the list!
YOUR Country Concert Connection!  We've got your tickets to the 
 biggest shows, concerts, and 
 festivals in Minnesota and beyond!

 Click the image for the list.
Music City Minute  Have a thirst for Country music 
 news?  Check out the latest here!

 Click the image to get updated.


 Chris Cagle

 

  98 Country's Artist Of The Week
  Chris Cagle

Chris Cagle was born on Nov. 10, 1968, in DeRidder, La. When he was 4, his family moved to the outskirts of Houston. The son of an Exxon supervisor, Cagle began guitar lessons at age 6 but gave up after a year because it was too difficult for his tiny hands to master the large classical guitar. He took piano lessons throughout high school and began playing guitar again after receiving an Ovation acoustic guitar for Christmas during his senior year. The first song he learned to play was Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird." 

Cagle enrolled in the University of Texas-Arlington but soon found himself skipping his finance courses to audit music classes. His nights were spent performing in Texas clubs. At 19, he realized he was wasting his time at school and left Texas to pursue music full time. He moved to Nashville in 1994, spending the next five years performing odd jobs -- from waiting tables and tending bar to being a golf caddy -- all the while polishing his songwriting skills. His writing vastly improved after meeting legendary writer Harlan Howard, who taught Chris how to write a true country song. Howard was so impressed with his student's efforts that he was the first to publish one of Cagle's songs. 

A few years later, Cagle met Donna Duarte at a restaurant where he was working. She was really interested in music, so he invited her to come to the studio to hear him record some demos. Duarte heard it and loved it and took it to her boss. Unbeknownst to Cagle, she was the assistant to Scott Hendricks, president of Virgin Records Nashville. She played it for Hendricks and Cagle soon landed a record deal.

When Virgin closed its country division, Cagle was absorbed onto the Capitol Nashville roster, home to Garth Brooks, an obvious inspiration. Capitol re-released his 2001 debut album, Play It Loud, with two new songs, including the future No. 1, "I Breathe In, I Breathe Out." A self-titled sophomore effort followed in 2003. He released Anywhere But Here in 2006.

STC_Eich_block_300x250
Name That Blur

Can you figure out which 
Country Artist is blurred 
out here?  Check back
next week for the answer!



Last week's blur








2008 CMT Award Winners!

• Video of the year: Taylor Swift, "Our Song."

• Male video: Trace Adkins, "I Got My Game On."

• Female video: Taylor Swift, "Our Song."

• Group video: Rascal Flatts, "Take Me There."

• Duo video: Sugarland, "Stay."

• Breakthrough video: Kellie Pickler, "I Wonder."

• Collaborative video: Bon Jovi featuring LeAnn Rimes, "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore."

• Performance of the year: Kellie Pickler, "I Wonder" from 41st Annual CMA Awards.

• Supporting character of the year: Rodney Carrington from Trace Adkins' "I Got My Game On."

• Wide open country video: Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, "Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)."

• Tearjerker video: Kellie Pickler, "I Wonder."

• Comedy video: Brad Paisley, "Online."

• Video director: Michael Salomon for Toby Keith's "High Maintenance Woman" and Trace Adkins' "I Got My Game On."