The Numbers Are In for Texas Country in 2014
Some enterprising and independently-minded country music fans dream of a day when an entire industry of country music can be set up completely divested from Nashville and offer more diversity and opportunity for worthy artists. Meanwhile in Texas, they’ve already done that very thing, with their own radio stations, radio charts, festivals, venues, touring circuits, and awards.
A couple of the mainstays of Texas music in retailer Lone Star Music and the radio resource Texas Music Chart have just released their 2014 tabulations, and they give a good glimpse into what Texas music fans in Texas and beyond are listening to.
Lone Star Music has tabulated the top albums of 2014 in regards to sales in their webstore and in their brick & mortar store in San Marcos, TX beginning on December 1st of last year. Meanwhile the Texas Music Chart has released the numbers for the amount of spins the top songs in Texas music received from participating stations. Also interesting about the Texas Music Chart in 2014 is Sunny Sweeny’s song “Bad Girl Phase” became the first single from a female to top the chart in its history.
Lone Star Music’s Top Selling Albums
- Â Stoney LaRue – Aviator
- Wade Bowen – Wade Bowen
- Chris Gougler – Chris Gougler EP
- Whiskey Myers – Early Morning Shakes
- Â Midnight River Choir – Fresh Air
- Â Randy Rogers Band – Homemade Tamales: Live At Floores
- Â Micky & The Motorcars – Hearts From Above
- Â Cody Johnson Band – Cowboy Like Me
- Â Adam Hood – Welcome To The Big World
- Â Jason Eady – Daylight & Dark
- Â Sturgill Simpson – Metamodern Sounds In Country Music
- Â Brian Keane – Coming Home
- Â Cody Canada – Some Old, Some New, Maybe A Cover Or Two
- Â Kevin Fowler – How Country Are Ya?
- Â William Clark Green – Rose Queen
- Â Radney Foster – Everything At Once
- Â Curtis Grimes – Our Side Of The Fence
- Â Eli Young Band – 10,000 Towns
- Â Dirty River Boys – Dirty River Boys
- Â Parker Millsap – Parker Millsap
- Â Roger Creager – Road Show
- Â Josh Grider – Luck & Desire
- Â Aaron Einhouse – Blue Collar Troubadour
- Â Turnpike Troubadours – Goodbye Normal Street
- Â Jeremy Steding – My Own American Dream
- Â Walt Wilkins & The Mystiqueros – Wildcat Pie & The Great Walapateya
- Â Sean McConnell – The B Side Session
- Â Turnpike Troubadours – Diamonds & Gasoline
- Â Hard Working Americans – Hard Working Americans
- Â John Fullbright – Songs
- Â Reckless Kelly – Long Night Moon
- Â Sam Riggs & The Night People – Outrun The Sun
- Â Rich O’Toole – Jaded
- Â Jason Isbell – Southeastern
- Â Jackson Taylor & The Sinners – Live At Billy Bob’s {CD/DVD Combo}
- Â Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis – Our Year
- Â Mark McKinney – Standing My Ground
- Bigsbys – Good Will Suitcase
- Â Kelley Mickwee – You Used To Live Here
- Â Texas Renegade – Surviving The Flood
- Â Jason Boland & The Stragglers – Dark & Dirty Mile
- Â Jason Eady – AM Country Heaven
- Â Thieving Birds – Gold Coast
- Â Billy Joe Shaver – Long In The Tooth
- Â Uncle Lucius – And You Are Me
- Â Rodney Crowell – Tarpaper Sky
- Â Robert Ellis – Lights From The Chemical Plant
- Â Charlie Robison – High Life
- Â Sean McConnell – Midland
- Â Zane Williams – Overnight Success
- Â Randy Rogers Band – Trouble
- Â Mike Ryan – Bad Reputation
- Â Drive By Truckers – English Oceans
- Â Sturgill Simpson – High Top Mountain
- Â Sunny Sweeney – Provoked
****See More of the Top Selling Albums from Lone Star Music****
Texas Music Chart’s Top Songs of 2014
(spins, song, artist)
-  21289   If Money Didn’t Matter                    Granger Smith
-  21181   Dancing All Around It                      Mike Ryan
-  21041   Hanging Around                              William Clark Green
-  20640   Panhandle Poorboy                       Kevin Fowler
-  19832   Trying To Write A Love Song         Adam Hood
-  19800   35 Runs Both Ways                         Cameran Nelson
-  19132   If I Go, I’m Going                             Bart Crow
-  19109   Bad Girl Phase                               Sunny Sweeney
-  18891   Every Step of the Way                    Reckless Kelly
-  18814   Angola’s Lament                             Sam Riggs
-  18409   Ghost Town                                     John Slaughter
-  18396   Lucky I Guess                                  Jason Boland & the Stragglers
-  17910   Lonely Bones                                  Mark McKinney
-  17821   Bar Lights                                        Brian Keane
-  17472   Love Song                                       Kevin Fowler
-  17223   You Can’t Go Home                         Brian Keane
-  16916   Golden Shackles                             Stoney LaRue
-  16902   Me & My Kind                                  Cody Johnson
-  16438   Hearts From Above                          Micky & the Motorcars
-  16286   Flying                                               Green River Ordinance
-  16204   Hands of a Workin’ Man                   Zane Williams
-  16140   Dogwood                                          Whiskey Myers
-  15998   Lovin’ Out of Control                        Casey Donahew Band
-  15863   One Night Taco Stand                     Josh Grider
-  15733   One Night Too Long                       Deryl Dodd
-  15597   Long Distance Relationship            Kyle Park
-  15111   Shotgun                                           Cameran Nelson
-  15109   Love in the First Degree                  Wade Bowen/Brandy Clark
-  15047   Falling Down                                   TJ Broscoff
-  14965   Got A Bad Feeling                           Mario Flores
-  14887   OK Whiskey                                     Jason Eady
-  14839   White Van                                        Josh Grider
-  14790   Girls From Texas                              Pat Green/Lyle Lovett
-  14709   When I Woke Up Today                    Wade Bowen
-  14651   Hard Whiskey                                   Josh Ward
-  14627   Little Too Late                                  Zane Williams
-  14586   Satellite                                             Randy Rogers Band
-  14424   Hold On and Let Go                        Sam Riggs
-  14387   River Song                                        Roger Creager
-  14177   Horseshoes & Hand Grenades           John Slaughter
-  13383   Hangin’ Around                                  Josh Abbott Band
-  13340   Leave                                               Brandon Rhyder
-  13225   July in Cheyenne                              Aaron Watson
-  12788   More Crown Than Coke                   Ray Johnston Band
-  12264   Table for Two                                   Clayton Gardner
-  12118   I’ll Have Another                               Jamie Richards
-  12107   What Are You Doin’ Right Now        Jon Wolfe
-  12098   Drivin’ You Outta My Mind                LiveWire
-  12097   Abilene                                            Matt Kimbrow
-  11773   Too Good To Call                             Rich O’Toole
Michael
December 21, 2014 @ 7:15 pm
Nice to see Cody Canada up there on the albums chart. Kinda surprised not to see Texas’s own Kacey Musgraves on there somewhere though with the Eli Young Band on there.
Trigger
December 21, 2014 @ 7:59 pm
Musgraves’ “Same Trailer, Different Park” was released in March of 2013, so maybe most folks had bought it by the time they started tabulating the new numbers. It was probably a bigger player last year.
the pistolero
December 21, 2014 @ 7:26 pm
Some good stuff there. We have the Stoney LaRue and Wade Bowen cds and really enjoy them. I thought it was pretty cool to see older albums like the Turnpike Troubadours’ Diamonds and Gasoline still selling so well.
Sabra
December 22, 2014 @ 6:52 pm
Well, we’re surely not the only ones having the “Why don’t we own this yet?” conversation.
J
December 21, 2014 @ 7:40 pm
Randy Rogers band is the best thing to hit planet earth
Mike W.
December 21, 2014 @ 7:52 pm
The new Stoney Larue album is awesome, glad to see it selling so well. Along with Jason Eady’s album it was one of the few albums I could happily listen to without skipping one track.
Trigger
December 21, 2014 @ 8:00 pm
Solid album cover to cover. You don’t find many of those these days.
hoptowntiger94
December 21, 2014 @ 10:15 pm
My old boss use to say I was slightly above average. Reading your comment, Trig, reminded me of him.
Albert
December 21, 2014 @ 8:00 pm
No George ? No Kacey ? No Willie ? ….hmmm . I’m more than a little surprised by these oversights .
Most of the acts listed are unheard of up here in Canada …I’m sure they are big regionally . Most regions have their local favourites ..many of whom deserve a place on a national stage for sure . Canada has so much amazing and often original -sounding country/roots talent but there might as well be a 40 foot wall along the Canada- US border when it comes to getting airplay and support down there. Most artists who make a dent down there do so as writers .
Austin
December 21, 2014 @ 9:50 pm
Hey we got love for corb lund down here!!
Sabra
December 22, 2014 @ 6:57 pm
George? As in Strait? Love the dude, but he’s a mainstream artist & really doesn’t get much play in regional music circles. I don’t recall seeing his albums at Lone Star Music either (though I never went there looking for ’em, so I could be wrong). The absence of Willie is probably explained by the charts skewing younger, though I’d personally give three Cody Johnsons and a Kevin Fowler to hear him instead.
Taylor
December 21, 2014 @ 10:10 pm
Interesting read, thank you, I am a big fan of the music scene down there nice to see these artists get recognition on this site! Keep up the good work!
hoptowntiger94
December 21, 2014 @ 10:13 pm
Not sure (like any genre, nowadays) what defines “Texas Country Music.” I thought it was an extension of Red Dirt Music which includes artists from Texas and Oklahoma, but this list includes artists from other regions (i.e. Sturgill Simpson – Kentucky, DBT – Georgia/Alabama). Plus, stylistically this list include established alt-country and Americana artists. So, not sure how to define parameters of “Texas Country Music.”
James
December 21, 2014 @ 11:56 pm
The first list is simply a list of the best selling albums on lonestarmusic.com and their phsyical store in San Marcos. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean these are the best selling albums of the year in the genre, as many of the larger releases would have sold lots of copies elsewhere, while the smaller releases may not have.
The second list is just a year end chart of the weekly Texas Music Chart compiled from their list of radio stations.
Neither of the lists sets out to define the genre, though that debate is continually ongoing. In fact, neither of these two lists contains anything subjective. They are only aggregations of specific numbers from these two outlets.
the pistolero
December 22, 2014 @ 8:59 am
It had always been my impression that while the Texas, Red Dirt, and Americana scenes were three discrete ones, to a good extent there is overlap between the three ”” probably more so in recent years. Just as an example, Jason Boland is originally from Oklahoma and got his start in Stillwater with Oklahoma Red Dirt legends Bob Childers and Randy Crouch, but he plays a lot in Texas, is based in Austin now and has a lot of fans down here too.
Brian
December 22, 2014 @ 12:57 am
If it ain’t on the Texas Music Chart, I just don’t waste my time listening to it.
God bless Texas and Texas country music.
Mike2
December 22, 2014 @ 7:47 am
I wonder why Band of Brothers didn’t make the list.
musicfan
December 22, 2014 @ 7:50 am
Pleasantly surprised to see Wade and Stoney’s albums at the top of the list since they were released pretty late in the year.
Sabra
December 22, 2014 @ 7:05 pm
We have both of them. They’re fantastic albums. I bought each on the strength of one song and the artist’s reputation, and have been rewarded. I listen to the Wade Bowen CD probably twice a day most days.
gbkeith
December 22, 2014 @ 6:58 pm
This list shows the biggest problems with the Texas chart. Some of the stations reporting play only Texas/Red dirt, some play Nashville with sprinkling of Red Dirt. Those stations love Grainger Smith, who pretty much aspires to be Martina McBride. The guy takes everything cool about Chris Knight and Corb Lund, and then does the opposite.
TX MUSIC JIM
December 22, 2014 @ 7:06 pm
solid year for Texas music Can’t wait to hear hippie love punk from Cody Canada and the departed big fan of both wades and Stoney’s records. Jason Eady for me put out the best record of the year.
gbkeith
December 22, 2014 @ 7:07 pm
Jason Eady won 2014 as far as I’m concerned.
Clark
December 22, 2014 @ 10:10 pm
Diamonds & Gasoline made the albums list? Definitely a great album, but a little surprising!
Kev
December 23, 2014 @ 7:59 am
Lots of good stuff there but I can’t help noticing the small number of female artists ….
Trigger
December 23, 2014 @ 10:50 am
Yes, you could argue this problem is even worse in Texas country than it is in the mainstream.
Bear
December 23, 2014 @ 12:23 pm
Texas also seems to show a lack of women. Why?
red headed stranger
December 23, 2014 @ 6:18 pm
It’s because most of the women that listen to country music nowadays like all the pop country love song bubbly stuff or Miranda Lambert and carry underwood.
Acca Dacca
December 24, 2014 @ 11:14 am
The positive press for the album notwithstanding, was Stoney LaRue’s Aviator promoted in a different way from the rest of these releases? I tend to frequent my local Hastings store and they play music videos and trailers for upcoming releases, typically the blockbusters. I was absolutely shocked to hear a REAL country song coming over the airwaves at one point, and looked at the display screen. It was playing one of Stoney’s music videos and the album covered was displayed in the lower left corner. I had read your review, Trigger, but hadn’t yet entertained the idea of listening to samples. After hearing that song, I immediately bought a copy (I don’t remember which song it was since I haven’t yet had the time to visit the album, but it’s on my list, obviously.)