{"id":16963,"date":"2019-07-25T07:07:43","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T13:07:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1809459"},"modified":"2019-07-25T07:07:43","modified_gmt":"2019-07-25T13:07:43","slug":"tracy-byrd-tips-his-hat-to-these-90s-country-classics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/music-news\/tracy-byrd-tips-his-hat-to-these-90s-country-classics\/","title":{"rendered":"Tracy Byrd Tips His Hat to These \u201990s Country Classics"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:ao:image:cmt.com:678757?width=1200&amp;height=675&amp;.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"byline\">by <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/author\/cmtcomstaff\/\" title=\"Posts by CMT.com Staff\" rel=\"author\">CMT.com Staff<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"date\">11m ago<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n<p>Tracy Byrd, one of the biggest country stars of the \u201890s, took a break from touring at the end of 2009, unsure he\u2019d ever return. Finally, after a while, he realized he missed it, so he booked a few shows in Texas and Oklahoma, and then a little farther out \u2014 and ultimately all across the country again.<\/p>\n<p>As part of the \u201990s Country Forever series, <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/shows\/hot-20-countdown\">CMT Hot 20 Countdown<\/a><\/em> caught up with Byrd in Tennessee to chat about his most popular \u201890s hits, including \u201cHolding Heaven,\u201d \u201cThe Keeper of the Stars\u201d and (of course) \u201cThe Watermelon Crawl.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2kfIGZsvpUQ?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2kfIGZsvpUQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p><strong>CMT: You were watching kids grow up on your time off. Did you think you were going to come back?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>TB: When I got off the road in the end of \u201909, I didn\u2019t know if I\u2019d ever play music again. I was just burnt out mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically. I was just tired. I had been it had been like 17 years straight of non-stop touring \u2014 and I loved all of it and wouldn\u2019t trade anything. But yeah, I didn\u2019t know. I just needed to rest and spend some time with my family and work on our family and work on myself.<\/p>\n<p>I just kinda chilled and I\u2019d never been home before ever, really, in my adult life. I\u2019ve never experienced what it was like to be gone [from the road] for a specific period of time. And it was a little odd the first year. It took me about a year to get used to it, and then I got real used to it. I was like, \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know if I ever wanna leave again.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/osiNI2Y6wA4?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/osiNI2Y6wA4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>Then I started writing a few songs, started thinking about doing a new record, started doing a few shows here and there, and started realizing how much I love it, and that life is about balance. Back then it was all tipped to working and touring, so now it\u2019s a whole lot more balanced between the touring and home life and other things I like to do.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Did you have to reach a certain age to understand that you need that balance?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I think so. I think balance comes with maturity and with learning going through the ups and downs of life. At the same time, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any way to have a successful career without just working your tail off the first decade of your career. To me that\u2019s what built what I\u2019m able to go out and enjoy today.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ht4FHWTeh-4?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ht4FHWTeh-4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>I mean, without all those years of hard work and sacrifices, I probably wouldn\u2019t be able to do what I\u2019m doing today \u2014 which is working 60 to 75 shows a year and do well, and enjoy it and be able to pretty much work when I want to.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You had your first No. 1 record with \u201cHolding Heaven.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yeah, in 1992 we released a couple of singles. \u201cThat\u2019s the Thing About a Memory\u201d was the first one and then \u201cSomeone to Give My Love To.\u201d In \u201993 we released \u201cHolding Heaven\u201d and that was my first No. 1 record. That\u2019s what got everything rolling and we had a ball after that.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CorGosCFzMw?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CorGosCFzMw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p><strong>What was that like for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was very gratifying and satisfying. I had watched Mark Chesnutt leave [the club scene] and watched \u201cToo Cold at Home\u201d go to No. 1. I had watched a couple of the acts that were on MCA Records at that time with their first singles go to No. 1 and then mine went to No. 41, and the second one got a little better \u2014 got up in the 20s.<\/p>\n<p>I thought, \u201cWell, at least it\u2019s moving in the right direction.\u201d But I was wondering, \u201cMan, am I gonna have one?\u201d And then we released \u201cHolding Heaven\u201d and it was a pretty quick rise to No. 1. It took a big load off my shoulders, to put it that way, to have that first No. 1.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wngb5Mq1SQY?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wngb5Mq1SQY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p><strong>If you could be known only for one song, which song would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Well, we won song of the year in \u201995 at the ACMs for \u201cKeeper of the Stars\u201d and that was a really big song. But if you ask all the fans, they\u2019re gonna say \u201cWatermelon Crawl\u201d and I can\u2019t say I\u2019m not happy about that. It\u2019s a great song. I\u2019m known as \u201cThe \u2018Watermelon Crawl\u2019 Guy\u201d and that\u2019s fine with me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeeper of the Stars\u201d was a big wedding song and meant a tremendous amount to a lot of people. It went to No. 1 and \u201cWatermelon Crawl\u201d actually wasn\u2019t even a No. 1. It was a top 5 record, but wasn\u2019t a No. 1. But it is with the fans. It\u2019s a No. 1, no doubt, every night.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Tqd5UAjEVXA?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Tqd5UAjEVXA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p><strong>Isn\u2019t that funny how that happens?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s true, you never know. Then there\u2019s some songs that are never released as singles that become big hits with the fans. I\u2019ve had a couple of those that the fans scream out every night. So it shows how hard it is to pick the singles off of a record, because some of them may not sound like hits but the fans resonate with them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeeper of the Stars\u201d was one of those. The label really didn\u2019t know if they wanted to release it as a single. It was a very long song. It was almost a four-and-a-half to five-minute song. It was a ballad. I was still a relatively new artist but I was on tour with Reba at that time and I\u2019m singing the song to people who are hearing it for the first time and ladies are tearing up, crying, hug their husbands \u2026 and I went back and kept stressing, \u201cWe gotta release this song, it\u2019s a hit!\u201d And thank god we did. It was a big one, but you never know.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QFMcKdmrPvU?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QFMcKdmrPvU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p><strong>Does it bother you to not be on the radio anymore?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No no, I look at it like\u2026 I had from 92\u2019 to 2007, I was on the radio. So that was my time. I had my time. So now let these kids have their time. \u2026 I\u2019m still on the radio on the oldies and legends channel and that fine with me. I\u2019m glad we have that. Sirius XM plays a lot of older music. So I\u2019m still out there, but to not have singles and hits doesn\u2019t bother me. I do it just because I love music now and not because where it\u2019s gonna get played or why it\u2019s gonna get played, or what they\u2019re gonna play.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/av659aawOsE?start=47&amp;feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/av659aawOsE?start=47&amp;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p><strong>Are you enjoying shows that you play now maybe even more than before?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hands down, I enjoy what I\u2019m doing now more than I did at the beginning. I\u2019m a different guy than I was then. I don\u2019t feel the pressure that I felt then. I\u2019m not working every single day, 16 to 18 hours a day, like I did back then. I\u2019m more rested. I\u2019ve taken pretty good care of myself so I can stand up to the rigors of the road.<\/p>\n<p>And I love putting on a show, man. I love singing. I love playing. I love the interaction with the crowd. I\u2019m seeing faces that I\u2019ve seen for the last 25 years.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Q8V-atXhSq8?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Q8V-atXhSq8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>And then I\u2019m seeing faces that I\u2019ve never seen before that are in their teens and their 20s. \u2026 I go out after the show and sit and sign autographs till everybody is done, so I get to really converse with these people. These younger kids were raised listening to my music by their parents, so now they come out to hear it. And that\u2019s great! I love that. I mean, I didn\u2019t expect it but I sure will take it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How long will you do this?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll do it \u2018til I can\u2019t do it anymore. I really love doing it. It may get down to where I\u2019m doing only 30 shows year but I will always do it as long as I\u2019m physically able to do it.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/1809459\/tracy-byrd-tips-his-hat-to-these-90s-country-classics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: CMT News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by CMT.com Staff 11m ago Tracy Byrd, one of the biggest country stars of the \u201890s, took a break from touring at the end of 2009, unsure he\u2019d ever return. Finally, after a while, he realized he missed it, so he booked a few shows in Texas and Oklahoma, and then a little farther out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16963","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-12 16:20:06","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KRKY Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16963\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}