Country Mike Blog

Memory Lane Mondays: Mark Wills

Mike Sudhalter  |  August 22, 2011

Welcome to our new Memory Lane Monday feature. If you have an artist in mind, please countrymike@countrystandardtime.com

He was never a big star, but Mark Wills made a good career out of hits like "Nineteen-Somethin'" and "I Do (Cherish You)."

It's good to see that Mark Willis still making music

I think my favorite Wills' song was his first hit, "Jacob's Ladder". I remember hearing him perform it live on The Nashville Network. I loved watching TNN whenever I'd get back home from school or during their evening programming (much to the chagrin of everyone else in my household).

He quietly amassed a bunch of hits, and now, he's back with an independent album, "Looking for America" on Starlight Records.

The title track is impressive, it's a song that strikes a chord with the present economic situation. He also addresses patriotism, faith and the American Spirit.

"Crazy Being Home" may be the most interesting song on the album, because it examines the situation of a military veteran coming home and dealing with the challenges of re-adjusting to life in America.

Wills records both a regular studio and an acoustic version of "Crazy Being Home."

It was nice to see Wills cover "Phantom of the Opry", a song I remember Daron Norwood singing back in the 1990's.

If someone knows where Norwood is, we'd like to feature him on this segment.