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Democracy Now!
Tune into "Dark Side of the Highway" this Sunday (April 3) from 3-7 AM EST for a special memorial tribute to 1980's country superstar Mel McDaniel.
R. I. P. Mel McDaniel (September 6, 1942 - March 31, 2011)
Mel McDaniel (September 6, 1942 – March 31, 2011) was an American country music artist. His chartmaking years were the 1980s and his hits from that era include "Louisiana Saturday Night" "Stand Up," "Anger and Tears," the Number One "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On", "I Call It Love", "Stand On It" and a remake of Chuck Berry's "Let It Roll (Let It Rock)."
McDaniel was born in Checotah, Oklahoma, a small town in southern Muskogee County, Oklahoma. The son of a truck driving father, McDaniel grew up in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. He was inspired to play music after seeing Elvis Presley on television. At age 14, he taught himself the guitar chords to "Frankie and Johnny" and performed at a high-school talent contest.
After marrying his high school sweetheart, McDaniel began performing in Tulsa. From there, he had an unsuccessful trip to Nashville, followed by quite a bit of success in Anchorage, Alaska. After two years there, he returned to Nashville and landed a job as a demo singer and songwriter with Combine Music. With the help of music publisher Bob Beckham, Mel signed to Capitol Records in 1976 and released his first single, “Have a Dream on Me.”
His career finally took off with “Louisiana Saturday Night” in 1981, a number one hit "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On" in 1984 and Top 10 hits, like “Right in the Palm of Your Hand” (later covered by Alan Jackson in 1999), “Take Me to the Country,” “Big Ole Brew,” and “I Call It Love.”
McDaniel was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and made frequent appearances on the show.
McDaniel was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2006, along with induction classmate Leon Russell.
Since 1996, he had been recovering from a near-fatal fall into an orchestra pit, suffered while he was performing at a show in Lafayette, Louisiana. On June 16, 2009, McDaniel suffered a heart attack, putting him in a medically induced coma in a Nashville area hospital according to The Tennessean. Mel's wife, Peggy, requested the prayers of the singer's fans, saying his situation was "not good." McDaniel died March 31, 2011 as a result of cancer.