Drivin’ and drinkin’?  Highway 101 and ‘Whiskey’

By R. Keith Rugg, 6-11-09

	Highway 101's current incarnation has a few shows still on the tour schedule for this season.

“Whiskey, if you were a woman…
…I’d be a stand-by-my-woman man.”

-Country deejay John St. John, segueing from Highway 101’s “Whiskey, If You Were a Woman” into Ronnie Milsap’s “I’m a Stand-by-my-woman Man.”

When I heard that on the radio, I just knew I had to share it, particularly given the direction this blog has taken lately, what with staggering toward the drinkin’ and country music connection and all.
Some of you newcomers to country music might not be too familiar with Highway 101.  Back in 1986, the manager of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band put together a group around the nucleus of Paulette Carlson, who in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s had written for the Oak Ridge Boy’s company and Tammy Wynette, had sung backup for Gail Davies and had released three singles of her own.

Following an unsuccessful single of “Some Find Love,” the single “The Bed You Made for Me,” (written by Carlson) reached No. 4 in 1987, and the group’s self-titled debut album was released.  From this album came “Whiskey, If You Were a Woman,” “Somewhere Tonight,” and “Cry, Cry, Cry,” reaching No. 2, No. 1 and No. 1, respectively.  They also garnered the awards for Vocal Group of the Year from both the CMA and ACM awards for 1988, as well as Grammy nominations for Single of the Year and Album of the Year.  Following albums produced a couple of No. 1’s (“Do You Love Me? (Just Say Yes)” and “Who’s Lonely Now”), and the group again was in the running in 1990 for Vocal Group of the Year at both the CMA and ACM events.

Paulette Carlson left Highway 101 after that (though she returned to the group for the albums Reunited and Latest & Greatest in 1996 and 1997), and Nikki Nelson took on the lead vocals.  Highway 101’s following albums produced some decent singles, and garnered another Vocal Group of the Year nomination, but nothing seemed to make quite the impact that the group’s work from the 1980s did.

Since then, the band has seen several personnel changes, and hasn’t done much in the way of recording (with the notable exception of- Montanans take note- the album Big Sky), but has stayed active on the touring circuit.  The band’s official website at www.Highway101.net asserts that they “…have a new album in the works.” Their touring schedule for 2008 was pretty full, and they’ve got a few dates listed for this year on a fan calendar that is linked from the official site.  Paulette Carlson, whose photo is on the New West link to this posting, has a gig later this month at Dollywood.

“Whiskey, If You were a Woman” has a pretty straight-forward storyline… The singer’s man has a drinking problem, and although Paulette Carlson would know how to compete with another woman who was trying to take her man away from her, there’s just no way to fight and beat the lure of the demon drink, alcohol.  It’s a good song, got no complaints about it.  But to be honest, I like most of Highway 101’s other top songs- “Somewhere Tonight,” “Cry, Cry, Cry,” etc., and especially “The Bed You Made for Me”- a little bit better than ‘Whiskey.’

If you’d like a little more technical take on Highway 101, check out http://countrycentral.wordpress.com/, but do it fast, ‘cause Cowboy Bleau is shutting down his blog, and I don’t know how long his archived stuff will stay online.