American Honky-Tonk Bar Association

Last updated
"American Honky-Tonk Bar Association"
American Honky Tonk Bar.jpg
Single by Garth Brooks
from the album In Pieces
B-side "Every Time That It Rains"
ReleasedSeptember 7, 1993
Studio Jack's Tracks (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre Country
Length3:33
Label Liberty 17639
Songwriter(s) Bryan Kennedy, Jim Rushing
Producer(s) Allen Reynolds
Garth Brooks singles chronology
"Ain't Going Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)"
(1993)
"American Honky-Tonk Bar Association"
(1993)
"Standing Outside the Fire"
(1993)

"American Honky-Tonk Bar Association" is a song written by Bryan Kennedy and Jim Rushing and recorded by American country music singer Garth Brooks. It was released in September 1993 as the second single from his album In Pieces . The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart.

Contents

Background

The song was originally titled "American Redneck Bar Association.". [1] Brooks provided the following background information on the song in the CD booklet liner notes from The Hits :

"'AHBA' is definitely one of the livelier moments in our live show. The two writers of this song are not only great artists but have been extremely good friends to me since I moved to Nashville. Jim Rushing's style of music like 'Sometimes Silence Says It All," I think, is what country music is all about. Bryan Kennedy is one of the first guys I met at The Bluebird Cafe and he introduced me to his dad, Jerry Kennedy, who has been very, very good to me. Here's to Jim Rushing at his great country music. Here's to Bryan Kennedy... for his great friendship. And here's to great horses, firm handshakes and great cods." [2]

Content

This song is an uptempo honky-tonk anthem that compares bars to fraternal organizations or support groups for blue collar people. The song's title name is a pun on the name American Bar Association.

Critical reception

Mike Greenblatt of Modern Screen's Country Music referred to the song as a "modern day redneck classic sung with a snarl and a smile— except that ill-advised line about welfare recipients." [3]

Chart positions

Chart (1993–1994)Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [4] 2
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [5] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1993)Position
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [6] 100
Chart (1994)Position
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [7] 47

Related Research Articles

<i>Double Live</i> (Garth Brooks album) 1998 live album by Garth Brooks

Double Live is the first live album by American country music singer Garth Brooks. It was released on November 17, 1998, and is a two-disc compilation of live songs, recorded during Brooks's 1996–98 world tour.

<i>Honky Tonk Angels</i> 1993 studio album by Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette

Honky Tonk Angels is a collaborative studio album by Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. It was released on November 2, 1993, by Columbia Records. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 5, 1994, for sales of 500,000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friends in Low Places</span> 1990 single by Garth Brooks

"Friends in Low Places" is a song recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on August 6, 1990, as the lead single from his album No Fences. The song spent four weeks at number one on the Hot Country Songs, and won both the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association awards for 1990 Single of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Shall Be Free</span> 1992 single by Garth Brooks

"We Shall Be Free" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released in August 1992 as the first single from his album The Chase and also appears on The Hits, The Limited Series, Double Live, and The Ultimate Hits. It reached #12 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks in 1992, becoming his first single to miss the Top 10 on that chart due to an airplay ban from some radio stations. "We Shall Be Free" peaked at #22 on the Billboard Christian Songs charts through a marketing deal with Rick Hendrix Company, and earned Brooks a 1993 GLAAD Media Award. This song was written by Brooks and Stephanie Davis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)</span> 1993 single by Garth Brooks

"Ain't Going Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released in July 1993 as the lead single from his album In Pieces. The song also appears on The Hits, The Limited Series, The Ultimate Hits, Double Live, and Triple Live. The spelling of the song has varied from album to album, and is also spelled "Ain't Going Down (Til the Sun Comes Up)." The song was written by Brooks, Kent Blazy, and Kim Williams. It is in the key of G Major.

<i>In Pieces</i> (Garth Brooks album) 1993 studio album of country music by Garth Brooks

In Pieces is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on August 31, 1993, by Liberty Records. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Chesnutt</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1963)

Mark Nelson Chesnutt is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1990 and 1999, he had his greatest chart success recording for Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA and Decca branches, with a total of eight albums between those two labels. During this timespan, Chesnutt also charted twenty top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, of which eight reached number one: "Brother Jukebox", "I'll Think of Something", "It Sure Is Monday", "Almost Goodbye", "I Just Wanted You to Know", "Gonna Get a Life", "It's a Little Too Late", and a cover of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". His first three albums for MCA along with a 1996 Greatest Hits package issued on Decca are all certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); 1994's What a Way to Live, also issued on Decca, is certified gold. After a self-titled album in 2002 on Columbia Records, Chesnutt has continued to record predominantly on independent labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fever (Aerosmith song)</span> Song by Aerosmith

"Fever" is a song by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It is from the band's massively successful 1993 album Get a Grip. It was written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry and is the only Tyler/Perry song on Get a Grip written without the aid of "song doctors". The song is the fourth track on Get a Grip, running four minutes and 15 seconds. The song reached #5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and is one of seven tracks from Get a Grip to make a chart appearance on any chart.

<i>The Limited Series</i> (1998 album) 1998 box set by Garth Brooks

The Limited Series is the first box set released by American country music artist Garth Brooks, released by Pearl Records on May 5, 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boot Scootin' Boogie</span> 1992 single by Brooks & Dunn

"Boot Scootin' Boogie" is a song first recorded by the band Asleep at the Wheel for their 1990 album, Keepin' Me Up Nights. American country music duo Brooks & Dunn recorded a cover version, which was included as the eighth track on their 1991 debut album, Brand New Man. It originally served as the B-side to their second single, "My Next Broken Heart". It became the duo's fourth single release and fourth consecutive number-one single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. A dance remix of the song features as the eleventh and final track on their 1993 album Hard Workin' Man.

"You're Lookin' at Country" is a country music song written and made famous by Loretta Lynn in 1971. The song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and reached #1 on the Canada Country Tracks chart on RPM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honky Tonk Attitude (song)</span> 1993 single by Joe Diffie

"Honky Tonk Attitude" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Joe Diffie. It was released in March 1993 as the lead single and title track from his album Honky Tonk Attitude. The song reached the top five of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and peaked at number 11 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. The song was written by Diffie and Lee Bogan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Miss Honky Tonk</span> 1995 single by Brooks & Dunn

"Little Miss Honky Tonk" is a song written by Ronnie Dunn, and recorded by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn. It was released in February 1995 as the third single from their album Waitin' on Sundown. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

"My Baby Loves Me (Just the Way That I Am)" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Gretchen Peters and was first recorded by Canadian country music singer Patricia Conroy on her second studio album, Bad Day for Trains (1992). Her version was released in May 1992 as the first single from her album and peaked at number eight on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House</span> 1991 single by Garth Brooks

"Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House" is a song co-written by Warren Haynes, Dennis Robbins, and Bobby Boyd. It was originally recorded by Robbins himself in 1987 for MCA Records and charted at number 71 on the Billboard country charts. The B-side to Robbins' version was "The Church on Cumberland Road," which was later a number-one hit in 1989 for Shenandoah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shameless (Billy Joel song)</span> 1991 single by Billy Joel

"Shameless" is a song written by American singer Billy Joel and recorded on his 1989 album Storm Front. His version peaked at No. 40 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts. Two years later, the song was covered by country music artist Garth Brooks on his third studio album, 1991's Ropin' the Wind. Brooks' rendering of the song was his seventh No. 1 hit on the Billboard country charts in late 1991. It also reached No. 71 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" is a debut song recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released in March 1989 as his debut single, and was served as the first single from his self-titled debut album. It was co-written by Garth Brooks and Randy Taylor. In the U.S., the song peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

"Callin' Baton Rouge" is a country music song written by Dennis Linde. The song has been recorded by multiple artists since its composition. It was notably recorded by American country singer and songwriter Garth Brooks whose version was a chart-topping single in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Night a Day</span> 1994 single by Garth Brooks

"One Night a Day" is a song recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released in May 1994 as the fourth single from his album In Pieces and also appears on The Limited Series. A live version of the song appears on The Road album in Brooks' 2016 box set, The Ultimate Collection. The song was written by Gary Burr and Pete Wasner. This song, predominantly featuring the piano and saxophone, is noted for its unique jazz stylings.

"I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" is a song written by Billy Yates, Frank Dycus and Kerry Kurt Phillips, and recorded by George Jones. It was the first single from his 1992 album Walls Can Fall.

References

  1. ASCAP page for this song
  2. Garth Brooks - The Hits: transcription from the CD booklet (bar code 7-2438-29689-2-4)
  3. Greenblatt, Mike (April 1994). "Juke Box Jury". Modern Screen's Country Music. 88 (5): 34.
  4. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2331." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. December 18, 1993. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  5. "Garth Brooks Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  6. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1993". RPM . December 18, 1993. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  7. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1994". RPM . December 12, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.