THAT ROCK STILL ROLLS

Bloggers Note:
              It was during the early spring of 1985 when I heard Restless Heart for the first time. I was always on a record buying binge at that time of my life. With the receipt of each paltry paycheck I would hop into my equally measly, often unreliable mode of transportation  and head out to the record store to peruse the new singles (45 rpm) that had been released that week. Pushing through the crowded pop section, I made my way to the dark dingy corner reserved for country music singles. Long Island was not exactly a hotbed of country music during the mid 1980's. The mechanical bulls that had stampeded into discos at the advent of the Urban Cowboy decade had long ago ridden off into the sunset. Determined not to leave empty handed due to a shortage of new material that week, I rolled the dice and paid my buck and change on "(Back to the) Heartbreak Kid" by a band that I had never heard of.
            I was not wholly impressed. No offense to the musicians or songwriters involved, but the tune simply did not resonate with me. Luckily, I have always been one for flip sides, refusing to adhere to the old adage that B-sides are often throwaway material to be ignored. "She Danced Her Way Into My Heart" was simply magic. It remains to date one of the most beautiful tunes that I have ever heard and sealed my fate as a Restless Heart fan forever. For me, nearly thirty years have elapsed since the day I dropped the stylus on my first Restless Heart record. I never envisioned then that I might still be talking about it today, nor that life would present me with an opportunity to not only speak with one of my all-time favorite recording artists (thanks Don Murry Grubbs of Absolute Publicity, Nashville TN), but to get one more chance at seeing this great band do what they have always done so well.

Tom M.
June 2014

That Rock Still Rolls

In 1983 five guys stepped into a Nashville studio together for the very first time and unknowingly forged a path that would leave an indelible footprint in country music history. Now, thirty years later country superstars Restless Heart continue making harmony as they roll into their Summer tour.

            “We couldn’t envision three years when we first started out,” remembered lead singer, Larry Stewart. “I knew a few of the guys from just working around town. They needed a lead singer so we gathered around a microphone in a little studio there on Music Row and sang together. Later, we started doing some showcases for all the labels in town and next thing I knew we were signing with RCA.”

            Stewart may have been living his idea of the All-American Dream, but not without a few misgivings.

“I had finished college, recently gotten married and all I could think about is ‘what is my new father-in-law gonna think about this baseball playing musician getting ready to go out and play country bars at night?’”

            Hailing from a small Kentucky town, Stewart found his way to Music City not to play music, but to play baseball having been offered an athletic scholarship from Nashville’s Belmont University.

“These coaches came out to watch me play High School ball and it just so happened that I hit two home runs that day. I’d never hit two home runs in a game in my life! They told me they wanted me to come and play for them and that’s how I got to town.”

His ultimate ambition may have revolved around sports, but inwardly Larry Stewart harbored the lifelong dream of becoming a professional musician.

            “I hid that aspiration growing up because living in a very sports oriented community, it was not cool being a baseball player who enjoyed sitting at a piano singing country tunes with his dad. Sometimes I would go play with this quartet he had and not tell anyone where I was. Heck, I remember nights as a kid when I would stand on the bed with a baseball bat as a mic singing to the radio like I was in front of 10,000 people. When I moved to Nashville it was like a bird being freed from a cage. All of a sudden it was cool to be a musician and I thought ‘dang, really?’ I started out with folks who gave me the opportunity to sing on demos and then met some world class musicians and songwriters. Well, one thing led to another and I’m saying to myself, ‘I think I found my niche.’”

            That niche netted the band a multitude of accolades including numerous Grammy, ACM, and CMA nominations. In 1990 Restless Heart was crowned Vocal Group of the Year by the Academy of Country Music. The group may have been riding the crest of a mountainous wave, but Stewart recalls some difficulty in gaining acceptance on Music Row.

            “You have to remember that in the mid-80’s the hottest music happening was more traditional with artists like Ricky Skaggs, George Strait, the Judds and Randy Travis. Now here comes these five slick guys with mullets singing harmony. At one point we called ourselves the greatest opening act in country music because we were opening for everybody from Alabama to Reba McEntire to Hank Williams Jr. and even though we were beginning to make Number One records, the critics, the establishment didn’t like us at all.”

            During the course of their career, Restless Heart has gleaned twenty-six Billboard hits; fourteen making the top ten and six reaching the coveted number one position including That Rock Won’t Roll, A Tender Lie, Wheels and the tune that catapulted them towards the realm of super-stardom, I’ll Still Be Loving You.

“There were a couple of guys in the band that wanted nothing to do with that song. You

know it had all of the clichés, ‘I’ll be yours until the sun doesn’t shine, ‘til time stands still, until the winds don’t blow.’ When we first heard a demo, it was a completely different song, lots of synthesizer’s and a real ethereal kind of vibe. Tim DuBois, our producer had brought the song to us and he was such a powerhouse in the business for so many years, we figured we had to give it a shot. Greg Jennings our guitar player took it home and stripped it down to a more acoustic James Taylor sound.  When we got together in the studio a few days later, we were just completely blown away. The only problem now was that the song was too short. We needed to add some kind of break in the middle, so Dave Innis (keyboards) and Greg worked on something while the rest of us grabbed coffee. They had figured out this real cool progression that takes the solo to a whole different key and then goes all the way back down to the one that we are singing. It was totally brilliant. Once we recorded it, the record company wanted to put it out as a single and we really didn’t like that decision because again this was 1986 and the song really did not fit in with the type of country music that was on the radio.”

The band reluctantly consented and then watched in bewilderment when the song went to number one on country radio and crossed over to the Adult Contemporary and Pop charts. Restless Heart had reached a plateau that few other country artists before them had attained. To date, they continually receive letters and e-mails detailing the impact the song has had on fans from its inception and how it remains still relevant today with new fans, many of whom are currently stationed overseas. The group has played several shows for the troops over the last few years and subsequently paid tribute to all of the men and women currently serving with the release of a new song entitled Home.

“Home was written by our bass player Paul Gregg and Dave Innis. Paul had run into an old girlfriend from way back. Her son had just returned home from Afghanistan and all he could talk about was how proud he was to be serving in the military, representing our country and how he couldn’t wait to get back to his unit. We perform it every night and have seen some pretty tough looking grown men shed a tear or two. It’s probably the most powerful moment in our show.”

While radio airplay has remained elusive in recent years, Stewart and his cohorts are excited about the future, which will undoubtedly include the release of their first brand new record in over eight years.

“It’s just time for us to come out with some new music and an exciting project. We haven’t nailed down a deal yet, but we’ve already started doing some recording. This one will be a little different I think. We may do a cover tune or two, bring in some guest artists and just have a little fun with it. We know exactly who we are now. It’s totally different now than it was in the years when the hits just kept on coming. I mean we were always on the run and never had the time to really appreciate everything. The fans and radio gave us the success that allowed us to build this brand name of Restless Heart and we’re so proud and thankful for that. We’re playing and singing better than we ever have. We have a lot of fun with audiences everywhere…and we’re a lot sexier now.”

Country Music Festival - Hunter Mountain, NY (1991)

"I'll Still Be Loving You"  - Hunter Mountain, NY (1991)