Pearl River (band)

Pearl River
Origin Philadelphia, Mississippi, United States
Genres Country
Years active 1993–1994
Labels Liberty
Associated acts Bryan White
Past members
Steve Argo
Bryan Culpeper
Chuck Ethredge
Derek George
Ken Fleming
Joe Morgan
Garry Schiera
Jeff Stewart

Pearl River was an American country music band composed of Jeff Stewart (lead vocals), Chuck Ethredge (lead guitar), Joe Morgan (bass guitar), Derek George (rhythm guitar, background vocals), Ken Fleming (drums), and Bryan Culpepper (keyboards, background vocals). Signed to Liberty Records in 1993, the band would record two albums: 1993's Find out What's Happening, followed by a self-titled album one year later. This later album replaced Fleming with Steve Argo who was picked by Fleming to be his replacement after Fleming decided to leave the band, and Culpepper with Gary Schiera. The first album also produced a minor hit single on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts in the single "Fool to Fall". After disbanding in 1994, some members of Pearl River served as a backing band for Bryan White.

Contents

Biography

Pearl River was founded in the early 1990s in Philadelphia, Mississippi.[1] In 1993. Later that year after gaining manager and promoter Nelda Ray from Starkville, Mississippi; they were discovered by a representative of Capitol Records, who signed the band to the record's Liberty Records division.[1] Nelda Ray also took the attention of the Starkville Police Department in late 1994 by taking her then 5 year old son, Zack Ray to a Pearl River show at Rick's Cafe in Starkville. Although the younger Ray knew the words to all of the songs on the album, he was not allowed to stay for the show, just the rehearsal. Their first album, entitled Find Out What's Happening, was issued that year and was produced by Jerry Crutchfield. It produced one chart single, "Fool to Fall", which peaked at #62 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts.[2] Also included on this album was the song "Cast Iron Heart", which would later be recorded by BlackHawk on their 1996 album Strong Enough and by Linda Davis on her 1996 album Some Things Are Meant to Be.

With the encouragement of band manager and promoter, Nelda Ray - a second album, Pearl River, was issued in 1994, under the production of Steve Gibson. Its only single, "Hello Goodbye", failed to enter the charts. This album featured two more tracks which would later be recorded by other artists: "You've Always Got Me", later found on Aaron Tippin's 1995 album Tool Box (which was also produced by Steve Gibson), and "Heartbroke Every Day", which Lonestar recorded on their 1995 album Lonestar and released as a single in 1996.

After Pearl River disbanded in 1994, several of its members were recruited as a backing band for Bryan White, who had previously worked as a T-shirt vendor for the band.[3] By 1994, White was signed to a recording contract with Asylum Records. Former guitarist Derek George also co-wrote several of Bryan's singles, in addition to producing White's albums.[1] He also made an appearance on Steve Wariner's 1996 album No More Mr. Nice Guy on the track "The Brickyard Boogie", for which he received a Grammy Award nomination in 1997. White and George also co-wrote Diamond Rio's 1998 single "Imagine That," and worked as a session musician before forming the band Williams Riley.

Find Out What's Happening

Find Out What's Happening
Studio album by Pearl River
Released April 26, 1993 (1993-04-26)
Genre Country
Label Liberty
Producer Jerry Crutchfield
Pearl River chronology
Find Out What's Happening
(1993)		 Pearl River
(1994)

Track listing

  1. "I Wanna Be in the Picture" (Bob Merrill, J.P. Pennington) - 2:46
  2. "Hole Where the Heart Oughta Be" (Jim Rushing, Randy Scruggs) - 3:00
  3. "Does She Need Me" (Ken Fleming, Derek George, Jeff Stewart, Jim Weatherly) - 3:09
  4. "Find Out What's Happening" (Jerry Crutchfield) - 3:16
  5. "Cast Iron Heart" (Dennis Linde) - 3:02
  6. "That Ole Gravel Road" (Billy Lawson, Roger Murrah) - 3:17
  7. "Fool to Fall" (Wood Newton, Larry Stewart) - 4:03
  8. "She's Already Earned Her Wings" (Marc Beeson, Robert Ellis Orrall) - 2:59
  9. "Good Thing Going" (Vicki Gossett, Ronnie Gossett) - 3:02
  10. "Josephine" (Craig Bickhardt) - 2:50

Personnel

Pearl River
Additional musicians

Pearl River

Pearl River
Studio album by Pearl River
Released July 26, 1994 (1994-07-26)
Genre Country
Label Liberty
Producer Steve Gibson
Pearl River chronology
Find Out What's Happening
(1993)		 Pearl River
(1994)

Track listing

  1. "Hello Goodbye" (Lonnie Wilson, Kim Williams) - 2:52
  2. "Don't Know Much About Love" (John Hiatt) - 3:39
  3. "How Quick I Remember" (Wilson, Tom Shapiro, Chris Waters) - 3:21
  4. "You've Always Got Me" (Walt Aldridge, Brad Crisler) - 2:51
  5. "Nowhere Road" (Jeff Crossan) - 3:46
  6. "Heartbroke Every Day" (Bill LaBounty, Rick Vincent, Cam King) - 3:03
  7. "Good Way to Get Hurt" (Wilson, Williams, Collin Raye, Tammy Hyler) - 3:54
  8. "Mr. Right Now" (Steve Dean, Danny "Bear" Mayo, Bill McCorvey) - 4:01
  9. "Not After You" (John Jarrard, Wendell Mobley, Jeff Stewart) - 3:20
  10. "Cows" (Gordon Kennedy) - 3:27

Personnel

Pearl River
Additional musicians

Singles

Year Single Peak chart
positions		 Album
US Country CAN Country
1993 "Fool to Fall" 62 83 Find Out What's Happening
1994 "Hello Goodbye" — — Pearl River
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

Year Video Director
1993 "Fool to Fall"[4] Roger Pistole
1994 "Hello Goodbye"[5] Joanne Gardner

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Songwriters: Derek George". Windswept Pacific. http://www.windsweptpacific.com/thewriters/d_george.asp. Retrieved 2007-12-23. 
  2. ^ "Hot Country Songs chart listing for "Fool to Fall"". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=357&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Country+Songs&ci=3014633&cdi=6724728&cid=06%2F19%2F1993. Retrieved 2007-12-23. 
  3. ^ Rhodes, Don (1997-09-05). "There will be lots of picking at Macon's Bluegrass Jam". The Augusta Chronicle. http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/090597/fea_ramblin.html. Retrieved 2007-12-23. 
  4. ^ "CMT : Videos : Pearl River : Fool To Fall". Country Music Television. http://www.cmt.com/videos/pearl-river/384227/fool-to-fall.jhtml. Retrieved August 5, 2011. 
  5. ^ "CMT : Videos : Pearl River : Hello Goodbye". Country Music Television. http://www.cmt.com/videos/pearl-river/384564/hello-goodbye.jhtml. Retrieved August 5, 2011. 

External links