Brian Mansfield
Gone Country: The Byrds
Members of the Byrds were steeped in folk and bluegrass, so their natural interest in country was tipped by their 1966 cover of the Porter Wagoner hit 'Satisfied Mind.' The band even wrangled a Grand Ole Opry appearance in 1968. Original bassist Chris Hillman had a successful mainstream country turn in the '80s and '90s with the Desert Rose Band...
Gone Country: Eagles
Instead of saying the Eagles "went country," it 's more like country "went Eagles." By the early '90s, country singers may have paid lip service to George Jones and Merle Haggard but more often sounded like they'd grown up listening to the California group; bands like Restless Heart would have been unimaginable without them...
Gone Country: Ray Charles
The Genius of Soul not only made an impression on country music, he transformed it. His two 'Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music' albums in the early '60s did as much to popularize the genre as any of the era's country stars. Brother Ray's big-band R&B arrangements redefined songs like 'I Can't Stop Loving You' and 'You Are My Sunshine.' Charl...
Blake Shelton Hits Shuffle, Finds a Hit
Lots of Blake Shelton's fans have his new single, 'Home,' on iPods. Shelton found the song in the same place. But he didn't put it there. Miranda Lambert did.
"Miranda got me an iPod a couple years ago as a gift," Shelton says. "I can't put music on it unless it's through her computer, so I have to tell her what I want on it...
Worst Pre-Fame Jobs: No. 25
If you think today's country stars haven't paid their dues, you haven't met these performers. The Boot counts down 25 musicians who gave their blood, sweat and tears -- and the occasional body part -- to some pretty bad jobs on their way to the top...
Worst Pre-Fame Jobs: No. 24
Kenny Chesney: Valet
If every waiter in Nashville is a struggling songwriter, every valet is probably a struggling singer. Chesney might be the most famous to hold the position, but what goes around comes around: Among the valets to whom Chesney has handed his own keys is 'Stealing Cinderella' singer Chuck Wicks...
Worst Pre-Fame Jobs: No. 23
Alan Jackson: Shoe Repairman
Never one to shy from work (he earned enough to buy two cars -- one a '55 Thunderbird -- before graduating high school), Jackson got his start at age 12, repairing shoes at a Newnan, Ga., shoe store.
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Worst Pre-Fame Jobs: No. 22
Kellie Pickler: Fast-Food Carhop
If you were cruising through the Sonic in Albemarle, N.C., in the three years leading up to her appearance on 'American Idol,' there's a good chance Kellie Pickler delivered your chili cheese dog -- wearing roller skates rather than red high heels, of course...
Worst Pre-Fame Jobs: No. 21
Billy Currington: Pawnshop Clerk
Currington spent 10 years in Nashville before getting his record deal. He spent six of them pouring concrete, which he considers his hardest job, but he still liked it better than working at a hockshop.
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Worst Pre-Fame Jobs: No. 20
Eric Church: Shop-at-Home Phone Operator
Church's first Nashville job was for a home-shopping channel, taking credit-card numbers from insomniac shopaholics on the midnight -- 7 a.m. shift.
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