Trick Pony

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Trick Pony
Trick Pony.jpg
Trick Pony in concert (L-R: Keith Burns, Heidi Newfield, Ira Dean)
Background information
Origin Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres Country
Years active1996-2008, 2013-2016
Labels
Spinoffs Burns & Poe
Past members

Trick Pony was an American country music group, formed in 1999 by Heidi Newfield (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica), Keith Burns (lead guitar, vocals), and Ira Dean (bass guitar, vocals). They recorded three studio albums: Trick Pony , On a Mission , and R.I.D.E. , released in 2001, 2002, and 2005. These albums produced eight singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, including four Top 20 hits: "Pour Me", "On a Night like This", "Just What I Do", and "On a Mission".

Contents

In 2006, Newfield departed for a solo career and Aubrey Collins replaced her as lead vocalist. The group disbanded after Collins and Dean left in 2007 and 2008. Newfield released a solo debut album, What Am I Waiting For , in 2008 on Curb Records, while Burns joined singer Michelle Poe to form a duo called Burns & Poe. Burns, Dean, and Newfield reformed the group in late 2013, although Dean left again in 2014. The revived lineup released one more album, Pony Up, via Permian Records in 2016.

History

Trick Pony was formed in 1996 by guitarist Keith Burns and bass guitarist Ira Dean. Both musicians had experience as backing musicians for other country music acts: Burns had previously worked with Joe Diffie, and Dean with Tanya Tucker. [1] Keith and Ira decided to form a group composed of two men and a woman. Completing the lineup was lead singer Heidi Newfield, a friend of Burns's wife. [1] The trio began touring throughout the Southern United States and performed regularly at 8 Seconds Saloon in Indianapolis, Indiana. [1]

Musical career

Ira Dean, Heidi Newfield and Keith Burns signing autographs at the CMA Music Festival in 2006 Trick Pony2.jpg
Ira Dean, Heidi Newfield and Keith Burns signing autographs at the CMA Music Festival in 2006

By 2000, Trick Pony was signed to a record deal with Warner Bros. Records. The trio released its self-titled debut album that year. Serving as its lead-off single was "Pour Me" which reached #12 on the Billboard country music chart. [2] The album's next two singles were "On a Night like This" and "Just What I Do", which reached #4 and #13 on the country chart. [2] [3] In 2001, the trio also received the Artist of the Year award from the Country Music Association. [4]

On a Mission was the title of Trick Pony's second album. Although its David Lee Murphy-penned title track reached Top 20 on the country chart, the second single (2003's "A Boy Like You") failed to enter Top 40, [2] and the group was dropped from Warner Bros.' roster shortly afterward.

In 2004, Trick Pony was signed to its second record deal, this time with Asylum-Curb Records. [4] The group's sixth single overall, entitled "The Bride", was issued that year, serving as the lead-off to their third studio album, R.I.D.E. , whose title is an abbreviation for "Rebellious Individuals Delivering Entertainment". [5] The second single from R.I.D.E. was a cover of Bonnie Tyler's "It's a Heartache". Trick Pony's version of the song peaked at #22 on the country chart. The third single from R.I.D.E., "Ain't Wastin' Good Whiskey on You", featured guest vocals from Tracy Byrd, Joe Diffie, Mel Tillis, Tanya Tucker, and Darryl Worley.

Departure of Heidi Newfield and subsequent disbanding

In October 2006, lead singer Heidi Newfield announced that she would be leaving Trick Pony in pursuit of a solo career. She made her official departure at the end of the group's December 2006 tour. [6] The same month, Gary Allan charted with "A Feelin' Like That", which Dean wrote with David Lee Murphy. [7] Newfield began recording her first solo album for Asylum-Curb in June 2007. [8] She made her solo debut on Cledus T. Judd's 2007 album Boogity, Boogity - A Tribute to the Comedic Genius of Ray Stevens , on which she, Judd, and Keith Urban performed a cover of Ray Stevens's 1969 single "Gitarzan".

Aubrey Collins, a singer-songwriter from Littleton, Colorado. who had previously been eliminated from ABC's television program The One: Making a Music Star , was chosen as Newfield's replacement in 2007. [9] Collins made her official debut as lead singer in April of that year at the Country Thunder festival in Arizona. [10] Collins left the group in October, saying that although she enjoyed working with the group's other two members, they "had different creative and musical visions." [11] Dean announced his departure in February 2008 and Trick Pony subsequently disbanded. [12] In April 2009, Warner Bros. released The Best of Trick Pony, a compilation composed of songs from the trio's first two albums.

Status of former members; reunion

Newfield released her solo debut album, What Am I Waiting For , via Curb Records in 2008. Burns, meanwhile, founded the duo Burns & Poe with former DreamWorks Records Nashville artist Michelle Poe. [13] Dean began writing songs for other artists, including Montgomery Gentry's 2009 single "One in Every Crowd". In July 2011, he signed to a recording contract with Average Joes Entertainment. [14]

In 2013, Trick Pony's original lineup reunited for a performance at a benefit concert in Boston, Massachusetts. [15] In February 2014, the group announced plans to tour and release new music. [15] The trio had finished several tracks for a new album before Dean left only two months later. In March 2015, he released a solo single, "Nothin' to Do Round Here", which he wrote with Jeffrey Steele and Shane Minor. The song features guest vocals from Steele, Ronnie Milsap, Lee Roy Parnell, Montgomery Gentry, and Colt Ford. [16]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart
positions		 Certifications
(sales thresholds)
US Country
[17] 		US
[17]
Trick Pony 1291
On a Mission
  • Release date: November 5, 2002
  • Label: Warner Bros. Nashville
1361
R.I.D.E. 420

Extended plays

TitleAlbum details
Pony Up
  • Release date: February 26, 2016
  • Label: Permian Records

Compilation albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak positions
US Country
[17]
The Best of Trick Pony
  • Release date: April 14, 2009
  • Label: Warner Bros. Nashville
58

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart
positions		Album
US Country
[19] 		US
[19] [2]
2000"Pour Me"1271Trick Pony
2001"On a Night Like This"447
2002"Just What I Do"13— [A]
"On a Mission"19— [B] On a Mission
2003"A Boy Like You"47—
2004"The Bride"27—R.I.D.E.
2005"It's a Heartache"22—
"Ain't Wastin' Good Whiskey on You"42—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart
Notes

Music videos

YearVideoDirector
2000"Pour Me" Peter Zavadil
2001"On a Night Like This"
2002"Just What I Do"
"On a Mission"Gerry Wenner
2004"The Bride"Peter Zavadil
2005"It's a Heartache"Jeffrey Phillips

Related Research Articles

<i>Trick Pony</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Trick Pony

Trick Pony is the debut studio album by American country music group Trick Pony, released in 2001 via Warner Bros. Records Nashville. The album produced three singles in "Pour Me", "On a Night Like This", and "Just What I Do", which respectively reached #12, #4, and #13 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. "Just What I Do" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for "Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals". Also included is a cover of Johnny Cash's "Big River", here covered with Cash and Waylon Jennings.

<i>On a Mission</i> (Trick Pony album) 2002 studio album by Trick Pony

On a Mission is the second studio album by American country music group Trick Pony. It was released in 2002 as their final album for Warner Bros. Records. The album's singles were "On a Mission" and "A Boy Like You". "Nobody Ever Died of a Broken Heart" was recorded in 2006 by Cowboy Crush, who released it as a single. Willie Nelson's hit single "Whiskey River" is also covered here.

<i>R.I.D.E.</i> 2005 studio album by Trick Pony

R.I.D.E. is the third studio album by American country music group Trick Pony. It is the group's only recording for the Asylum-Curb label. The album's name is an abbreviation for "Rebellious Individuals Delivering Entertainment".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Steele</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1961)

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"Gitarzan" is a novelty song released by Ray Stevens in 1969 about a character who lives in a jungle and forms a musical band with his female partner, Jane, and their pet monkey. The song features Tarzan's jungle calls, scat singing, and a funky boogie-woogie, a quote from the song "Swinging on a Star", with the line "Carrying moonbeams home in a jar" superimposed over an insistent G Major ostinato, and a melody from Martha and the Vandellas' "Honey Chile" in its chorus. The song reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 31 May 1969 and #10 in Canada in May 1969. It did best in New Zealand, where it reached #2. The music and lyrics were written by Stevens with a title supplied by Bill Justis. Justis is officially credited as Bill Everette.

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<i>Boogity, Boogity – A Tribute to the Comedic Genius of Ray Stevens</i> 2007 studio album by Cledus T. Judd

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<i>Indianola</i> (album) 2008 studio album by Steve Azar

Indianola is the third studio album by American country music artist Steve Azar. His first studio album since Waitin' on Joe from six years previous, it was initially to have been released in April 2006 on Midas Records Nashville, the same year that its lead-off single "You Don't Know a Thing" charted at #49 on the Billboard country charts. The album was not released until May 2008, on Azar's own Dang Records label. The follow-up single "I Won't Let You Lead Me Down" failed to chart in 2008 while the third single, "You're My Life", debuted at #57 on the Hot Country Songs chart in January 2009 becoming his first chart single in 3 years. The song "Crowded" was co-written by former Trick Pony member Ira Dean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heidi Newfield</span> American singer-songwriter

Heidi Kay Newfield is an American country music artist. She was lead singer, rhythm guitarist and harmonica player for the group Trick Pony, alongside Keith Burns and Ira Dean from 1996 until 2006, when she left in pursuit of a solo career. Newfield has begun her solo career on Curb Records, debuting in 2008 with the single, "Johnny & June." This song, which peaked at No. 11 on the Hot Country Songs charts, is the first release from her solo debut album, What Am I Waiting For, which has produced a second Top 30 country hit, "Cry Cry ."

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pour Me (Trick Pony song)</span> 2000 single by Trick Pony

"Pour Me" is a debut song recorded by American country music group Trick Pony. It was released in October 2000 as the first single from their debut album Trick Pony. The song was written by group members Keith Burns, Ira Dean and Heidi Newfield with Rory Waters Beighley and Sammy Harp Wedlock.

"Just What I Do" is a song recorded by American country music group Trick Pony. It was released in January 2002 as the third single from their debut album Trick Pony. The song was written by group members Keith Burns and Ira Dean, with Burns taking lead vocals.

"On a Mission" is a song written by Ira Dean, David Lee Murphy and Kim Tribble, and recorded by American country music group Trick Pony. It was released in August 2002 as the first single and title track from the album On a Mission. The song reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

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Burns & Poe was an American country music duo composed of Keith Burns and Michelle Poe. The duo was founded in 2007 after Burns left the group Trick Pony. Poe was once a solo artist for DreamWorks Nashville, and later played bass guitar for Dierks Bentley and Hank Williams Jr. The two met in 2007 while Burns was holding auditions to recruit a new lead singer for Trick Pony after Aubrey Collins left.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Huey, Steve. "Trick Pony biography". Allmusic . Retrieved 2007-12-18.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 427. ISBN   978-0-89820-177-2.
  3. ↑ Downs, Jolene. "CD review: Trick Pony - Trick Pony". About.com . Retrieved 21 August 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Trick Pony biography". Great American Country. Archived from the original on 2013-01-23. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
  5. ↑ Caviness, Crystal. "Trick Pony Rides A Bumpy Road To Maturity". About.com. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
  6. ↑ "Heidi Newfield leaves Trick Pony". Country Standard Time. 1 November 2006. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
  7. ↑ Gilbert, Calvin (28 October 2006). "Dierks Bentley hits chart milestone". CMT . Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  8. ↑ "Heidi Newfield Hits the Studio". Great American Country. 25 June 2007. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
  9. ↑ "Trick Pony Shows Off New Lineup". Broadcast Music Incorporated . 2007-05-31. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
  10. ↑ "Trick Pony debuts new line-up". Country Standard Time. 2007-04-18. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
  11. ↑ "Trick Pony Looks for a New Lead Singer". Great American Country . 6 October 2007. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
  12. ↑ "Ira Dean Ends Ride With Trick Pony". Great American Country. 15 February 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2008.
  13. ↑ Richardson, Gayle (2008-03-16). "Keith Burns and Michelle Poe Form New Duo". The Boot. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  14. ↑ Stromblad, Cory (July 26, 2011). "Trick Pony's Ira Dean Inks Solo Deal". The Boot. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  15. 1 2 "Trick Pony Reunites". MusicRow. February 11, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  16. ↑ Conaway, Alanna (23 March 2015). "The boys round here: Former Trick Pony bassist Ira Dean liberates himself from his old group with a collaborative new single". Country Weekly . 22 (12): 62–63. ISSN   1074-3235.
  17. 1 2 3 "allmusic ((( Trick Pony > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic . Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  18. ↑ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - August 11, 2010: Trick Pony certified albums". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  19. 1 2 "allmusic ((( Trick Pony > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". allmusic . Retrieved 2010-08-11.
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