‘Catch of the Day’ – Mark Chesnutt – “Hot” [AUDIO]
Today we feature an artist who has had over twenty top-10 singles, 8 of which have reached #1 on the Billboard Country single charts. An artist who is considered a neo-traditionalist by those who put labels on things, just plane "old-school" by those who love country music.
The second son of Bob and Norma Jean, Mark Chesnutt made his first trips to Nashville when he was just 17, spending the next 10 years traveling back and forth between his home in Beaumont, Texas recording for regional labels and gathering a fan-base that loved his traditional style and sound. He released 8 singles for the regional labels, with none of them making the charts.
In 1990, Chesnutt signed with MCA Records, who gathered those 8 singles from the regional releases and compiled the album Doing My County Thing. His debut album, Too Close To Home was released later that year. The album produced 5 straight top-10 singles, which led the album to platinum certification and contained his first #1 single, "Brother Jukebox. Chesnutt would release two more album with MCA, 1992's Longneck's and Short Stories, and 1993's Almost Goodbye, which combined produced 7 more top-10 singles, including 4 number 1's.
Starting in 1994, Chesnutt was shifted to MCA's new subsidiary label Decca Nashville, and his popularity began to decline. While his first album for Decca, 1994's What A Way To Live, has been certified gold, it was a step down from his first three which all went platinum. The album featured three more top-10's, including the #1 "Gonna Get a Life". He released three more studio albums and a greatest hits package for Decca between 1995 & 1999, resulting in 5 more top-10's and a pair of #1's, including's Chesnutt's remake of the Aerosmith song "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing", which served as the title track for his 1999 album, his final with Decca Nashville. He would shift back to MCA for one more album, 2000's Lost In The Feeling, which showed little chart success.
in 2002, Chesnutt signed with Columbia Records, releasing a self-titled album the same year. The album featured, to date, his last top-20 single, "She Was", and after the album ran its course, so did his relationship with Columbia. Since 2004, Chesnutt has released 5 albums with various independent labels, and while the quality of his music is still up to the par set in the early and mid 90's, he hasn't had the radio play or sales he experienced during that time. His most recent album, Tradition Lives, was released in July of last year and featured the single "Oughta Miss Me By Now", which didn't make a dent in the country singles chart.
We have the second single from that album in our spotlight today. Brought to you by All American Super Car Wash of Lawton, Mark Chestnutt and "Hot" is our Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.