The Alphanumerics Of Modern Music: The Kace Era

[Kace-1]

J is for John Lennon.

Considering that most of John Lennon's music is prior to 1977, part of this entry is inspired by what could have been. In 1980, he was getting back into the groove after a five year hiatus. It was as if John saw the Disco years of Popular Music and decided, "Yeah, I'll just sit this one out." Things were going pretty well, too as John finalized his album, Double Fantasy. Less than a month after the album's release, a moment forever ingrained in pop culture, music history and yes, NFL history occurred.

December 8th, 1980. It was a Monday Night and the show to watch was ABC's Monday Night Football. Football fans and people in the mood to watch something interesting while not having cable or satellite tuned in for a game between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins. It was a tight game and it was getting to its final stages. Yet to this day, there are people who have a hard time remembering who won and what effect it had on the AFC East standings. They remember seeing a Patriots kicker named John Smith trot out on the field and Frank Gifford giving Howard Cossell the on-air green light to announce the news. John Lennon, a member of the Beatles, "perhaps the most famous," of the Fab Four had been shot dead. For many Americans and music fans, it was watching that game where they found out about John's death.

Such a waste.

Post-Mortem, John would score two Billboard #1's with "(Just Like) Starting Over" which was the current single at the time of his death and the follow-up, "Woman." Other songs that he had been working on would eventually be finalized and released, including his final Top 10 hit, "Nobody Told Me." In 1995, the remaining Beatles would convert two of John's songs, "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" into the Beatles' last hit songs. As for John's legacy, it's pretty much all over the landscape when it comes to Entertainment. From mischief to causes to any artist who always seems to have potential for more, John Lennon endures.

"Nobody Told Me" is the music video of choice. I've always loved that song. It's basically a bunch of footage all thrown together and I can only Imagine what must have been like to be John and Yoko's Camera Guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_0di2IL440
"Nobody Told Me" by John Lennon
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[Kace-1]

J is for Johnny Cash.

It matters not what music you're into. It matters not what your opinion is when it comes to various genres. Chances are, you know the name Johnny Cash. Johnny Cash is not just synonymous with Country Music, but with American Pop Culture. 20th Century Pop Culture is incomplete without him and Country has less of an identity without him. By 1977, Johnny was already at the level of being one of the greatest of Country artists. He had notable Live albums, Christmas and also Gospel albums. He crossed over and did it with his sound.

For me and most likely the younger generation, Johnny has also become known as the old country singer who could rock out some great covers. Over the years, Johnny had added his own special touch covering songs by everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Soundgarden. After dying in 2003, Johnny still managed to leave his mark with post mortem album releases that scored high in Country Music. The music video for "God's Gonna Cut You Down" featured all sorts of cameos ranging from Kid Rock to Chris Rock, all wanting to pay their respect and homage to the man. And the man is what he was. Not just any man, but the Man In Black. Somewhere in Heaven, Johnny Cash and Dale Earnhardt are probably having a fun discussion about that nickname.

"Hurt" is the music video of choice. I've made it a rare occurrence for the spotlighted video to be a cover. "Hurt" is a Nine Inch Nails song. Well...correction. It WAS a Nine Inch Nails song. It became Johnny's. Nine Inch Nails' identity, Trent Reznor chimes in.

"I pop the video in, and wow. Tears welling, silence, goosebumps... Wow. I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore."
-Trent Reznor

That's how good Johnny was at what he did. He had the ability to make a song his, regardless of who it might have belonged to before. Really, who is to say otherwise? Certainly not I.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l95D7leeU3w&feature=related
"Hurt" by Johnny Cash
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[Kace-1]

J is for the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

‎"I didn't know something could kick this much a(CENSORED)."
-Butt-Head

In 1993, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was among many artists who had at least one of their music videos featured on MTV's Beavis And Butt-Head. The video inspiring the above quote was while the duo watched "Dang," which appears to be about as low budget as allowable for MTV viewing in the early 1990's. In a time where budgets were ever increasing, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion didn't mind going in the other direction. They were just different like that.

The JSBX was a different kind of Blues, like Alternative Blues Rock if such a term exists. In 1997, I watched their video for "Wail" and decided I wanted to hear more of these guys. And really, aside from the music itself, they've had some fun videos. There was "Talk About The Blues" with some sort of action/mob plot and Winona Ryder lip synching the vocals while John C. Reilly and Giovanni Ribisi portrayed the other members of the band. There were also spinoff projects like Butter 08 and Boss Hogg, among others. For twenty years, the Blues Explosion have not been afraid to experiment with different styles, rhythms and beats. Jon Spencer, Judah Bauer and Russell Simins have worked with numerous artists, too many to mention here. They've been pretty much everywhere. Undoubtedly, there many hind ends kicked in the process.

"Wail" is featured and is directed by Weird Al Yankovic. If I'm not mistaken, this was among Al's first music videos he directed that had nothing to do with his own music. He does make a very brief cameo. The music video also features (and the song itself makes reference to) the dance craze of 1996, the ever-popular/slightly-annoying Macarena.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIgz9HvsVjA
"Wail" by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
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[Kace-1]

J is for Journey.

They were called Journey for a reason. It's what they did as a rock band...journey a lot. Steve Perry, Neal Schon and the rest of the Journey crew set out on a course to become one of the bigger rock bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Prior to 1977, they hadn't made much noise, but then came 1978 and "Wheel In The Sky." From there, Journey would become more and more known to radio audiences. With the advent of MTV, music videos were becoming more of a thing to do and Journey would try their hand at them, which in the case of "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" would produce unintentionally hilarious results. The popularity of Journey still continued to grow and then...there was a split.

Steve Perry would try his hand at a solo career while Neal Schon would wind up teaming with Jan Hammer (the guy who gave us the "Miami Vice Theme"). It should be noted that the Schon/Hammer duo did bring the world at least one really good song in the form of "No More Lies." Steve meanwhile would reach success with "Oh, Sherrie," which kind of annoyed me as a kid. Years later, Steve would have "You Better Wait" which while not as successful was, to me a much better song.

Journey would get back together and still have some success before splitting up again. In 1996, they got back together again, had a big hit with "When You Love A Woman" and then it was back to another split. Members have come and gone over the years and at this point, Neal Schon's the only one really left. There's a new singer and all that. In short, Journey climbed the ladder of success, became very popular and are now their very own tribute band. That's quite a feat.

"Faithfully" is the music video featured and for good reason. Reasons if you count me not being interested in spotlighting "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" which is just...bad. Great song, but not so great video. "Don't Stop Believin'" has become a notable song over the years for various reasons, not the least of which is its role in The Sopranos' series finale. "Faithfully" however is about as close to perfect as it gets for this band and for the early to mid 1980s. It showed Journey in its most honest portrayal, that of a rock band always on the road and also paying off their band name. The music video also served as a prototype for what would become the ever popular gimmick of Music Video Featuring Artists On Tour. Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Metallica and a host of others would also wind up with their own videos in the same vein.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMD8hBsA-RI&ob=av2n
"Faithfully" by Journey
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[Kace-1]

J is for Judas Priest.

Not to sound like the old man in the room, but kids these days just don't understand. They don't get it. It's not their fault, mind you. After all, the bad influence in children's lives these days on the radio is what, Lady Gaga? Nothing against Gaga as I'm a fan of hers, myself. But in the days of my childhood, Judas Priest ran neck and neck with Money for the title of, "Root Of All Evil."

Don't be upset if Judas Priest dismisses the notion of being influential or even inspirational. There was a time where they had to go to court over allegedly being those things in the wrong kind of way. While their music never made me want to kill myself, it did make me go, "Wow, these guys sound really good," a lot. So they have that going for them.

"Turbo Lover" is featured for the music video. The only thing I can really say concerning the video is for the lady that's in it. Um...ma'am, I'm sorry, but Rob's just not that into you.

As for the song itself, that and other Judas Priest songs tend to remind me of my brother and his driving. Back in the day, it was all about having the cassette collection and we (and by, "we," I mostly mean my brother) had a lot. I can still remember the days of riding along with him to school, blasting "Turbo Lover" on the speakers. Most of the time during my Freshman year in High School, that would be the highlight of the day. Either that or whatever other cassette my brother felt like blasting through his car stereo. We never listened to much anything on low volume. We'd pull into the parking lot and everyone would check out his car and so on. And even though I never really felt all that cool on my own (and for the most part, still don't), I admit for those few seconds getting out of the car, just on the account of being around my bro, I at least got to feel kinda cool by proxy. I always appreciated that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhY9GOhFwN4&ob=av2e
"Turbo Lover" by Judas Priest
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[Kace-1]

J is for Juliana Hatfield.

Juliana Hatfield can be remembered for different things. It just all depends on your perspective. There was her time with the Blake Babies. There was her solo stuff or the Juliana Hatfield Three. There was the trio she was a part of called Some Girls. There was also that time she teamed up with Belly's Tanya Donelly to cover the theme to Josie And The Pussycats.

Oh, come on! I'm sure someone else remembers that Saturday Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits compilation! I know I do. She even worked with Peter Gammons. Yes, baseball fans THAT Peter Gammons. In any event, Juliana's kept busy with one thing or another when it comes to music. In the 1990s, she had some notable songs like "My Sister," "For The Birds" and "Universal Heart-Beat," among others. She had "Spin The Bottle" which was part of the Soundtrack for Reality Bites. Of course that Soundtrack's probably remembered for another song altogether, but still, Juliana was there! As of the end of 2011, Juliana's still around and still very much Indie.

"Universal Heart-Beat" is featured here and is one of those songs that helped define that period in my life where I was finishing up on High School, getting to the Graduation and then moving on. There was so much great music then, it was everywhere and in seemingly every facet of sound. Maybe that's just some halcyon thinking on my part, but that's the way I remember it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxhzZ4PeRHc&feature=related
"Universal Heart-Beat" by Juliana Hatfield
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[Kace-1]

J is for Justin Timberlake.

I've always been wary of the term, "boy band." It always seemed like a code word for, "white guys singing R&B songs." In the late 1990's, the Backstreet Boys had led the charge, having some really good songs along the way. Justin Timberlake? He wasn't in that group. He was in NSync which was one of the first groups to show up as a result of the Spice Girls/Backstreet Boys/Britney Spears Pop Revolution. And while Boyzone managed to have at least one good song and 98 Degrees managed to have one good song and even LFO managed to have one good song, NSync...well, the pretty much sucked. Still, they were popular and Justin Timberlake was part of what made that group so.

That can only last so long however, so Justin would strike out on his own. Good thing he did as he became one of the 2000s leading figures in Pop Music as a result. He released two full length albums, both scoring high on the Billboard 200. Justin would score numerous #1's in different countries. He's been a guest artist, working with everyone from Madonna to 50 Cent. He's also a singer/songwriter who may not get enough recognition as such, having written songs performed by Madonna, Rihanna and also Leona Lewis. He's also worked as a producer. With a busy work schedule and time in the limelight, Justin has done really good for himself.

There was also that whole Super Bowl Halftime thing with Janet Jackson, but that's neither here or there. And besides, as a Carolina Panthers fan, I have no problem with people only remembering the halftime portion of that game.

"Rock Your Body" is the music video of choice and while "Sexyback" was his first #1 in the United States, it would have probably prompted me to break out Shane Hartline's "90s Back" parody. I like Shane and I dig that parody. But this is all about Justin Timberlake. ...Yes, I just typed those words. Anyway, "Rock Your Body" did become Justin's first #1 somewhere, that somewhere being Australia. It made Top 5 in the US, so that's not bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSVHoHyErBQ&ob=av2e
"Rock Your Body" by Justin Timberlake
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[Kace-1]

K is for K.D. Lang.

Kicking off the letter K as a result of initials being notably separated by periods is K.D. Lang. There was a time where it seemed like K.D.'s closest point to relevance would be in the form of, "Yeah, she was that Canadian country gal who showed up on Hee Haw." K.D. had other ideas.

In the early 1990's, in a time where music was ever-changing, K.D. brought about some change of her own. Her album, Ingenue became a game changer of sorts as K.D. suddenly found herself becoming a bigger deal, mainstream-wise. "Constant Craving" would become her biggest hit in the States and while other songs managed to rank higher at the time, "Constant Craving" has managed to endure a lot better over the years. While venturing into the mainstream and away from Country, K.D. was also simultaneously challenging that very crowd with her presence and attitude. K.D. was something different. She crossed boundaries, blurred genres and expanded horizons with her sound. "Just Keep Me Moving" garnered some attention and "Lifted By Love" provided for a #1 on the US Dance chart. In terms of her music, K.D. has continued to go about her business, carefree and artistic.

"Constant Craving" is the featured music video and was a real hit with the VH1 crowd in the early 1990's as I recall. Back then, VH1 was mostly known for music retrospectives, adult contemporary music videos and stand up comedy. Yes, I said stand up comedy. They even had one of those shows hosted by Rosie O'Donnell. I remember the song from my high school days and while "Just Keep Me Moving" is my favorite, there's no doubt that if any song of hers is a signature, "Constant Craving" would have to be it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXqPjx94YMg&ob=av2e
"Constant Craving" by K.D. Lang
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[Kace-1]

K is for Kanye West.

I'm really happy for you, Kanye and Imma let ya finish, but there are other rappers who could lay better claim to being the Greatest of all tiiime!!! And that's Kanye West. When you're being lectured by Jay Leno after interrupting someone's acceptance speech for some award, that's when you know you're in danger of being remembered for all the wrong reasons. There was also that whole, "George Bush doesn't care about black people," thing though Chris Rock's pretty sure it was midgets that get no love from him. All that aside, Kanye West has had a solid career. From 2004 to 2010, Kanye released five full length albums, four of which scored #1 on the Billboard 200 while the one that didn't made it to #2. Multiple hit songs, somehow finding a way to make sure people know he's still alive and everything else that comes with being Kanye. He's something of a cultural enigma and I wouldn't be surprised if he wound up being a course of study for future generations. Say what you will, but he certainly keeps things interesting.

"Gold Digger" is the music video of choice and an obvious one. With Jamie Foxx using his Ray Charles voice to assist, this song would be Kanye's biggest hit to date. To give you an idea of how big of a deal this song became in 2005, without it he probably doesn't even make this list. So if you have a favorite artist from the last thirty-five years and he/she/they wind up missing from this list, this entry will probably be the one you think about while being angry at me. And I'll be really happy for you and even let you finish. But this is my list for my tiiime!!! So there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vwNcNOTVzY
"Gold Digger" by Kanye West f/ Jamie Foxx
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[Kace-1]

K is for Katy Perry.

The original plan was for young Katy Hudson to become another Rebecca St. James in the Christian Pop realm. I guess it didn't work out. Eventually, Katy would grow up and years later, sing about kissing a girl and liking it. Things were never the same and the Hudson was now Perry. Katy Perry really was a new identity and perhaps the identity Katy felt she was meant to be all this time. There doesn't appear to be any real looking back at her Pre-Perry years.

Realistically, Katy's career is still in a young stage itself. She's had two albums, both of which have been successful all while scoring hit song after hit song from them. From 2008 to 2011, Katy had scored six Billboard Hot 100 #1's which is impressive. Even more impressive is the history she made in being so successful. She's had five consecutive hits reach #1, tying her for 4th along with Elvis Presley, Mariah Carey (who achieved this twice), Michael Jackson and the Supremes. In 2010-11, Katy destroyed Ace Of Base's previous record for Most Consecutive Weeks In The Top 10 of the Hot 100 at 69 Weeks. Yes, for well over a year, Katy was always Top 10, accomplishing this with five hits occupying a spot in the Top 10 at some point. In terms of Billboard achievements, it would be easy for Katy to rest on her laurels. I have a feeling she's just getting started, though.

The music video of choice is "Firework." It's one of her better songs and I like the concept. Even has a cute kiss scene. It also looks like part of the video was shot at the same locale as the film, Vantage Point. Really cool movie, by the way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIw&ob=av2e
"Firework" by Katy Perry
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[Kace-1]

K is for KC & The Sunshine Band.

Seriously, was there ever any doubt that KC & The Sunshine Band was gonna be on this list? Without them, this list has no personal merit and not worth my time in compiling. It's KC & The Sunshine Band for crying out loud! Without KC, there's a chance I would have wound up with a less pleasing name in life than what I got. See, "Kace," derives from, "KC," which are my first and middle initials, which were inspired by KC & The Sunshine Band when I was born. I'm thankful for KC & The Sunshine Band and not just because of the name inspiring my parents to name me what they did. My Mom has told me more than once that she had considered naming me, "Christopher Robin." As if my antisocial behavior in school wasn't bad enough growing up. Heh.

Beyond the whole name thing, KC & The Sunshine Band were perfect for the 1970's, especially the latter portion of the decade where Funk and Disco were well accepted measures of Pop Music. By 1977, they were already highly regarded and very successful. 1977 saw them pick up where they left off and that's with another hit song, "I'm Your Boogie Man" which would hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Eventually there would be a split as KC would venture on his own in the wake of the disco genre fading out. He would have one last big hit in 1983, "Give It Up" which while credited as a solo song for KC, would also be credited for some pressings as KC & The Sunshine Band. Either way, it would be his last Top 20 in the States while also being his last to score #1 on a major chart Internationally, in this case the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Eventually, there would be the reformation and despite a revolving door of membership, KC & The Sunshine Band have continued to party on and when people are feeling retro, KC's usually a good choice.

"I'm Your Boogie Man" is the music video as the song was KC & The Sunshine Band's first single for 1977, which is the starting whole-year point for this list. White Zombie would have a nice cover nineteen years later, but I still prefer the original. Dig those outfits!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ee3C2m3OXE
"I'm Your Boogie Man" by KC & The Sunshine Band
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[Kace-1]

K is for Kelly Clarkson.

I don't like American Idol. I tend to think it's done more harm than good when it comes to Pop Music. It's been around for a decade and has loaded the early 21st Century with mediocrity that would make the Charlotte Bobcats blush. When the second most notable contestant I can think of from the show's existence is William Hung, that doesn't speak too kindly of the show overall. Well, okay maybe he's tied with Clay "Why Do I Keep Finishing Second On TV" Aiken. Whatever, though. Never cared for Rockstar or Dancing With The Apprentice or whatnot. The most I can say for these programs, from American Idol to America's Got Talent is that I can tolerate the existence of them since they give people something to watch other than some, "reality," show. These shows could still benefit from Chuck Barris and a gong.

Now that I have that bit of vitriol out of the way, I mention all that to get to this. I like Kelly Clarkson. I don't care to see her singing duets with would-be singers on TV, but I like her. And no matter how much I poo-poo the existence of American Idol, there's no denying the effect it's had or that Kelly Clarkson was its first winner. Good thing she was since I would be hard pressed to have an entry for Justin Gawhateverhisnamewas. Once Kelly was able to shake off the American Idol stuff, she was able to start singing good songs. "Miss Independent" was a nice first step, but I remember "Behind These Hazel Eyes" being the moment I actually started to take better notice of her. Not as Kelly Clarkson, winner of some glorified karaoke contest, but as Kelly Clarkson, period. Her recording career's been off and running in the ten years since she became famous on television. Roughly half of her singles have scored Top 10 in the Billboard Hot 100 and that includes some #1's. The good news for Kelly Clarkson is that she's one of a kind in this crazy pop world. The bad news for American Idol is that Kelly Clarkson is one of a kind in this crazy pop world.

"Behind These Hazel Eyes" is the music video of choice. I remember this one from 2005 and there's kind of a funny story behind this for me. That Summer was a relatively brief time that I spent paying attention to this website called Mania TV. In 2005, it was something fun to watch with witty, weird young VJ's (that's Video Jockeys for the unfamiliar) and yes, music videos! On my internet! I found this to be a pretty cool concept. I remember this music video being one of those that was played a lot on there. Eventually I'd lose interest and I'm not even sure they're still around or if they are, whether they'd still be familiar to me in any way. Not that it matters. I have YouTube now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yipoOY56MbM&ob=av2e
"Behind These Hazel Eyes" by Kelly Clarkson
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[Kace-1]

K is for Kenny Loggins.

There was a time where it seemed like movie soundtracks weren't complete unless Kenny Loggins was involved. Caddyshack, Caddyshack II, Over The Top, Footloose, Top Gun...Kenny loved him some films. There is more to Kenny than the hit songs he had for those movies though.

Prior to 1977, he had been the Loggins half of Loggins & Messina. Then he went solo and never looked back. "Celebrate Me Home" became a staple for radio stations figuring out their Christmas programming. He teamed with Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks and had "Whenever I Call You Friend." He teamed with Journey's Steve Perry and had "Don't Fight It." And yes, there were the obvious Soundtrack hits. "I'm Alright" from Caddyshack, "Footloose" and "I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man)" from Footloose, "Danger Zone" and "Playing With The Boys" from Top Gun, "Meet Me Halfway" from Over The Top and "Nobody's Fool" from Caddyshack II.

After being soundtrack friendly in the 1980s, Kenny would spend the 1990s being something of a big deal in the Adult Contemporary realm, including songs such as "Conviction Of The Heart" and "For The First Time." In the 2000s, Kenny would continue recording in the studio while also touring and in 2011, performed with the Boston Pops Orchestra. Kenny has spent his years, writing, recording and performing his music. Maybe one day he'll get a really cool movie made about him. If so, he'll have to be on the Soundtrack.

The music video featured is "I'm Free (Heaven Help The Man)" which is often remembered as the, "other," song from Footloose by Kenny. I actually like this one better than the title track, though it was always fun playing "Footloose" whenever I DJ'd in Second Life, particularly at the Rainbow Moon. Ah, those were the rezzes. I also want to give a special nod to "Danger Zone" as I can still remember the days with some friends whenever that song would play, it usually meant one of us was driving somewhere and rather hastily.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vORYIaKiD_4
"I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man)" by Kenny Loggins
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[Kace-1]

K is for Kenny Rogers.

Yes, Kenny Rogers. No, not the baseball player.

Maybe it's a generational thing and maybe it's just me being too young, but for me I tend to think of Kenny Rogers almost immediately when it comes to Classic Country music. Kenny knew how to sing a story and convey whatever the message was in said story. This is very notable in songs like "Coward Of The County" and "The Gambler." He also had some really nice duets with Dolly Parton. Then there's "Lady."

What makes "Lady" remarkable is how in awe I am of it. Lionel Richie of the Commodores wrote it and for Kenny it was an opportunity to be like Ray Charles, who back in the day could intertwine the sounds of Country with Rhythm & Blues effortlessly. The result was one of the biggest songs in the history of really big songs. Not only did "Lady" dominate the Country chart, but also Adult Contemporary and the Billboard Hot 100, while also attaining Top 50 status on the chart currently known as "Hot R&B/Hip Hop." To put that in perspective, imagine Sugarland getting airplay on your local Hip Hop/R&B station while getting heavy airplay on a bunch of other stations not necessarily related to Rock.

Kenny Rogers is a staple in Country Music. Multiple #1's, successful albums and also Christmas albums. Seriously, "I'll Be Home With Bells On" which is one of his duets with Dolly Parton is one of those songs that helps complete the month of December.

"Coward Of The County" is the music video of choice though it's really just concert footage of the song being performed. It's one of the better story songs, telling of a man who made a promise to be peaceful, even at the cost of some social belittling in the process. Of course that changes after some idiots do something idiotic and it's time for the protagonist to become the bringer of butt-whoop.

"Sometimes you gotta fight when you're a man."

There's a lesson to be learned there, I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpnmfbLiRng
"Coward Of The County" by Kenny Rogers
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[Kace-1]

K is for Kid Rock.

At first, Kid Rock was overlooked. In the early 1990s, there was so much going on that not everybody could get the proper attention. That would change in 1998. He would proclaim himself the Bullgod and from there, Kid Rock would achieve his destiny of becoming a rock star. His influences vary from Hank Williams Jr. to Run-D.M.C. to Metallica and Kid does everything he can to fuse all of it together. He became a favorite in pro wrestling circles, with "Bawitaba" being utizlied in ECW as Kid Kash's theme, "Cowboy" inspiring a WCW-knockoff theme for Jeff Jarrett and most famously, Kid's "American Bad Ass," the Metallica "Sad But True" sampler which became one of the Undertaker's themes. And there was also "Lonely Road Of Faith" which would be used for a nice Historical montage in early 2002. He's also performed at WrestleMania, though I generally find most musical performances at wrestling events to be a bit annoying. That's just me.

Outside of all that, Kid Rock's done well. He recorded "Picture" with two different female singers, one version with Sheryl Crow and another with Allison Moorer. Four of his albums have scored in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, including Rock N Roll Jesus which made it to #1. He hasn't been one to shy away from his feelings in his music and his most notable song to date is "All Summer Long" which samples from "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd...though it also kinda sounds like "Werewolves Of London" by Warren Zevon. Kid Rock's band also introduced the world to Uncle Kracker, who would go on to have some solo success of his own. Now you know who to blame.

"Cowboy" is the featured music video. The song captures the rock star attitude of Kid Rock nicely and the video features a fight scene between Joe C and Gary Coleman, both of which have since passed from this plane. There's also a Smokey & The Bandit influence. Another cameo in the video is by Ron Jeremy. So far as I can tell, Ron Jeremy and Gary Coleman appear in the same music video twice, the other being Moby's "We Are All Made Of Stars." Always good to wrap on a trivial note.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glb2U6y-GdU&ob=av2n
"Cowboy" by Kid Rock
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