Exile - Shay's Spotlight Artist of the Week

One of my all time favorite bands is Exile. Exile is a 5 man band (J.P. Pennington, Les Taylor, Sonny Lemaire, Steve Goetzman and Marlon Hargis) from the '60s that I fell in love with in the '80s. They have transitioned through the years with the singers coming and going but they recently reunited, all 5 original members, to celebrate their 50th year!They weren't always accepted by the 'country folk' as they had somewhat of a pop sound but that didn't keep them from receiving some major country music awards. Over the years they have received 13 Academy of Country Music (ACM) and Country Music Association (CMA) nominations.

I was in college in the '90s at Texas A&M and had the opportunity to see and meet the guys in person. They were performing at the Texas Hall of Fame dance hall in Bryan and I knew I had to see them. I got some friends together and went to see them, sat up front and even got to spend a little time chatting with them after the show. They were super nice and down to earth.

"Kiss You All Over" was their first big hit which was followed by a string of others such as “Give Me One More Chance”, “I Can’t Get Close Enough", “She’s A Miracle”, and “I Could Get Used To You” to name just a few.

I can't tell you how excited I am to see them back together again. I just hope they find their way back to Texas (no TX tour dates are on their calendar yet). However, if I don't get to see them in concert I will surely be purchasing the book(s) 50 Years In Exile: The Story of a Band in Transition which is a thorough look at their history. And a second book Life In Exile--A Journey Home, written by band member Sonny Lemaire's daughter, also provides an inside look at the band's history.

Since we can't see them in person here is a look a couple of their videos. Don't laugh, we've all had bad hair days!!