Mason Dixon | |
---|---|
Origin | Beaumont, Texas, United States |
Genres | Country |
Years active | 1979–1993 |
Labels | Texas, Premier One, Capitol Nashville |
Past members | Frank Gilligan Jerry Dengler Rick Henderson Terry "Caz" Casburn |
Mason Dixon was an American country music group from Beaumont, Texas, composed of Frank Gilligan (vocals, bass guitar), Jerry Dengler (guitar, banjo), and Rick Henderson (guitar). The band played frequently within the Texas nightclub scene for several years and went on to tour the U.S. and Canada for several more.
The group's founding members were lead vocalist Frank Gilligan (born November 2, 1955 [1] ) and guitarist Rick Henderson (born May 29, 1953 [1] ), respectively natives of New York and Texas, who met while attending Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. [2] The two joined with guitarist Jerry Dengler (born May 29, 1955 [1] ), a former solo artist from Odessa, Texas, and officially founded the band in 1979. [3] The group's first release was a single titled "Armadillo Country". After this song became a regional hit, record producer Don Schafer signed the band to his Texas Records label. The band released its debut album Only a Dream Away in 1983 and released five singles from it. First was a cover of The Police's "Every Breath You Take", followed by "Mason Dixon Lines", "I Never Had a Chance with You", "Gettin' Over You", and the album's title track. All of these songs except for "Mason Dixon Lines" made the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. [1] "Mason Dixon Lines" was also the band's first music video. [2] A second Texas Records album, The Spirit of Texas, charted the single "Houston Heartache" in 1985. [1]
In 1987, the band moved to the also independent Premier One label, for which they recorded the album Homegrown. This album went on to account for their first top-40 hit on Hot Country Songs that year with "3935 West End Avenue". [1] The success of this song led to them being signed by Capitol Records, who issued their next album Exception to the Rule in 1988. Its title track was the band's highest-charting single, reaching number 35 on Hot Country Songs in 1988. [1] Another single from the album, "When Karen Comes Around", was also made into a music video which aired on CMT. [4]
Henderson left the group in 1989 and was replaced by Terry "Caz" Casburn (vocals, bass). A second album for Capitol, Reach for It, was completed but never released. [3]
In 1990, Mason Dixon was slated to be a nominee for the Academy of Country Music Award for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year, but they didn't make the final three. [5]
After Mason Dixon disbanded in 1993, Gilligan moved to Tomball, Texas and held various jobs. He planned to return to music in 2009, but was unable to after being diagnosed with both colorectal cancer and neuropathy. After recovering from both, he released a solo album titled Silver Dollar in 2015. [6]
Year | Album | Label |
---|---|---|
1983 | Only a Dream Away | Texas |
1985 | The Spirit of Texas | Texas |
1987 | Homegrown | Premier 1 |
1988 | Exception to the Rule | Capitol |
1990 | Reach for It |
Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US Country [1] | CAN Country | |||
1980 | "Armadillo Country" | — | — | single only |
1983 | "Every Breath You Take" | 69 | — | Only a Dream Away |
1984 | "Mason Dixon Lines" | — | — | |
"I Never Had a Chance with You" | 51 | — | ||
"Gettin' Over You" | 49 | — | ||
1985 | "Only a Dream Away" | 47 | — | |
"Houston Heartache" | 76 | — | The Spirit of Texas | |
1986 | "Got My Heart Set on You" | 72 | — | singles only |
"Home Grown" | 53 | — | Homegrown | |
1987 | "3935 West End Avenue" | 39 | — | |
"Don't Say No Tonight" | 51 | — | ||
1988 | "Dangerous Road" | 62 | — | Exception to the Rule |
"When Karen Comes Around" | 49 | — | ||
1989 | "Exception to the Rule" | 35 | 63 | |
"A Mountain Ago" | 52 | — | ||
1990 | "Ride of a Lifetime" | — | — | Reach for It |
Year | Video | Director |
---|---|---|
1984 | "Mason Dixon Lines" | |
1988 | "When Karen Comes Around" | |
1990 | "Ride of a Lifetime" | Jim May/Coke Sams |
Cracker is an American rock band, formed in 1990 by lead singer David Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman. The band's first album Cracker was released in 1992 on Virgin Records; it included the single "Teen Angst ", which went to #1 on the U.S. Modern Rock chart. The band's follow-up, the 1993 album Kerosene Hat included the hit songs "Low", "Get Off This", and "Euro-Trash Girl".
Red Rider, later known as Tom Cochrane & Red Rider, is a Canadian rock band popular in the 1980s. While they achieved significant success in Canada, the band never had a song in the top 40 in the United States, although "Lunatic Fringe" from their second album, 1981's As Far as Siam, became popular on US album-oriented rock radio. They also charted on the Billboard Hot 100 with "White Hot" from their debut album Don't Fight It (1979) and "Young Thing, Wild Dreams " from Breaking Curfew (1984), and charted comparably to "Lunatic Fringe" on Mainstream Rock (AOR) with "Big League", "Human Race", and "Power", the latter two tracks off 1983's Neruda.
David Thomas Mason is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic. Over the course of his career, Mason has played and recorded with many notable pop and rock musicians, including Paul McCartney, George Harrison, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Steve Winwood, Fleetwood Mac, Delaney & Bonnie, Leon Russell, and Cass Elliot. One of Mason's best known songs is "Feelin' Alright", recorded by Traffic in 1968 and later by many other performers, including Joe Cocker, whose version of the song was a hit in 1969. For Traffic, he also wrote "Hole in My Shoe", a psychedelic pop song that became a hit in its own right. "We Just Disagree", Mason's 1977 solo U.S. hit, written by Jim Krueger, has become a staple of U.S. classic hits and adult contemporary radio playlists.
Bloodrock was an American hard rock band based in Fort Worth, Texas, that had success in the 1970s. The band emerged from the Fort Worth club and music scene during the early to mid-1970s.
Sawyer Brown is an American country music band. It was founded in 1981 in Kokomo, Indiana, by Mark Miller, Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard, Bobby Randall, Joe "Curly" Smyth (drums), and Jim Scholten. The five musicians were originally members of country singer Don King's road band, but chose to stay together after King retired in 1981. After competing on the television competition series Star Search and winning that show's grand prize, they signed to Capitol Records in 1984. The band recorded for Capitol between then and 1991, and for Curb Records between 1991 and 2005, except for a short time in 2003 when they were signed to Lyric Street Records. Duncan Cameron, formerly of the Amazing Rhythm Aces, replaced Randall in 1991, and Shayne Hill replaced him in 2004.
Lonestar is an American country music group from Nashville, Tennessee. The group consists of Drew Womack, Michael Britt, Dean Sams, and Keech Rainwater (drums). Britt, Sams, and Rainwater co-founded the band in 1992 with original lead vocalist Richie McDonald and bass guitarist/vocalist John Rich. Rich exited the band in 1998 and went on to join Big Kenny as one-half of the duo Big & Rich. Since his departure, Lonestar has relied alternatingly on session and touring musicians for bass guitar accompaniment. McDonald exited the band in 2007 to record as a solo artist, and was replaced by former McAlyster vocalist Cody Collins before returning in 2011. McDonald left a second time in 2021 to join The Frontmen, with former Sons of the Desert lead vocalist Drew Womack replacing him.
Little Texas is an American country music band started in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1988. Its founding members were Tim Rushlow, Brady Seals, Del Gray (drums), Porter Howell, Dwayne O'Brien, and Duane Propes. Signed to Warner Bros. Records Nashville in 1991, Little Texas released its debut album First Time for Everything that year. The album's lead off single, "Some Guys Have All the Love", reached a peak of No. 8 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. Little Texas charted thirteen top-40 hits between then and 1995, including the number one "My Love" in 1994. Their debut album earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), while 1993's Big Time was certified double platinum and 1994's Kick a Little was certified platinum.
"Baby It's You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music), Luther Dixon, and Mack David (lyrics). It was recorded by the Shirelles and the Beatles and was a hit for both. The highest-charting version of "Baby It's You" was by the band Smith, who took the track to number 5 on the US charts in 1969.
Atlanta was an American country music group formed in 1982 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. It was composed of Brad Griffis, Bill Davidson, Tony Ingram, Alan David, Allen Collay, Bill Packard, Jeff Baker, Dick Stevens (bass), and John Holder (drums). Between 1983 and 1988, Atlanta recorded two albums for MCA Records and charted nine hit singles on the Billboard country chart.
Mouse and the Traps is the name of an American garage rock band from Tyler, Texas, United States, that released numerous singles between 1965 and 1969, two of which, "A Public Execution" and "Sometimes You Just Can't Win", became large regional hits. The leader of the band, nicknamed "Mouse", was Ronny Weiss. Two of their best known songs, "A Public Execution" and a cover of "Psychotic Reaction", are not actually credited to this band but, respectively, to simply Mouse and Positively 13 O'Clock instead. Their tangled history also included one single that was released anonymously under the name Chris St. John. The band are not to be confused with the girl group Mousie and The Traps who recorded for Toddlin' Town records around the same time.
Perfect Stranger was an American country music band founded in 1986 in the state of Texas by Steve Murray, Andy Ginn (drums), Shayne Morrison and Richard Raines (guitar). After several years of performing throughout Texas, the quartet released an independent album in 1994; this album was later picked up by Curb Records, who re-packaged and re-released it a year later. By 1995, its second single had become a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts.
"Who Do You Love?" is a song written by American rock and roll pioneer Bo Diddley. Recorded in 1956, it is one of his most popular and enduring works. The song represents one of Bo Diddley's strongest lyrical efforts and uses a combination of hoodoo-type imagery and boasting. It is an upbeat rocker, but the original did not use the signature Bo Diddley beat rhythm.
River Road is an American country music band composed of Tony Ardoin, Mike Burch, Richard Comeaux, Steve Grisaffe, and Charles Ventre. Founded in 1989, the band signed to Capitol Records Nashville in 1997, releasing their self-titled debut album that year and charting three singles on the Billboard country charts, including the top 40 hit "Nickajack". By 1998, River Road had transferred to Virgin Records Nashville, charting a fourth single and recording an unreleased album. Ventre and Grisaffe each began solo careers in the 2000s, but they reunited with Ardoin and Burch in 2011 to release a new extended play.
Wild Rose was an American country music band founded in 1988 by five women: Pamela Gadd, Kathy Mac, Pam Perry, Nancy Given, and Wanda Vick. Between 1988 and 1991, they recorded three studio albums, including two on Liberty Records. In that same time span, they charted three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. Since their disbanding in 1991, Wanda Vick has worked as a session musician. Gadd has continued to write and perform in the music industry, and was featured as part of country music legend Porter Wagoner's band until his death in 2007. Gadd and Wagoner recorded an album of duets together.
Alvin Wayne Casey was an American guitarist. He was mainly known for his work as a session musician, but also released his own records and scored three Billboard Hot 100 hits in the United States. His contribution to the rockabilly genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Eli Young Band is an American country music band composed of members who met while students at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas: Mike Eli, James Young (guitar), Jon Jones, and Chris Thompson (drums). They released their self-titled debut album in 2002, followed by the Carnival records release Level in 2005. Their third album, Jet Black & Jealous, was released in 2008 by Universal South Records. A second major-label album, Life at Best, was released in 2011 by Republic Nashville, with 10,000 Towns following in early 2014. The band has charted eight times on the Billboard country charts, with four of their singles having reached No. 1: "Crazy Girl", which was the top country song of 2011 according to Billboard Year-End, along with "Even If It Breaks Your Heart", "Drunk Last Night", and "Love Ain't".
These Kids Wear Crowns is a six-member Canadian power pop and pop-rock band, formed in 2009 in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. They were "discovered" on MuchMusic's disBand and signed to a contract with Capitol Records/EMI. They have performed with acts such as Hedley, Faber Drive, Forever the Sickest Kids, Good Charlotte and Lights. The band's debut single and music video "Break It Up" debuted at No. 60 on the Canadian Hot 100. They re-issued their EP on August 31, 2010.
Michael James Henderson was an American singer-songwriter. In addition to his solo career, which included five studio albums, Henderson was a member of the country band The SteelDrivers from 2005 to 2011 and was a songwriting collaborator of his former SteelDrivers bandmate Chris Stapleton.
Louder Harder Faster is the ninth studio album by American rock band Warrant, released on May 12, 2017. The album features long-time band members Erik Turner, Jerry Dixon, Joey Allen, and Steven Sweet along with Robert Mason on lead vocals for the second time, following on from their last album, 2011's Rockaholic. This is also the first Warrant album to be released following the death of original lead singer Jani Lane.
Texas Gold is the third album by American country band Asleep at the Wheel. Produced by Tommy Allsup primarily at Jack Clement Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, it was released in August 1975 as the group's first album on Capitol Nashville. The album was the band's first commercial success, charting on the US Billboard 200 and reaching the top ten of the Top Country Albums chart. Lead single "The Letter That Johnny Walker Read" also reached the Hot Country Songs top ten.