"I'm very happy
that radio is still giving me the opportunity to be a part of
country music." - Aaron
Tippin
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Talkin' With Tippin
Some folks may have
expected Aaron Tippin to fade into the woodwork a few years ago, but
instead, he's polished up his act. Moving from RCA Records to
Disney's Lyric Street Records infused the workingman with the
enthusiasm he needed to be creative again. He recently came out with
what is considered to be one of his biggest hits, the No. 1 song
"Kiss This." He co-wrote the tune, the first single off his new
People Like Us album, with his wife, Thea, and little-known
songwriter Phillip Douglas. Aaron and Thea have actually been
writing together for six years, but this is the first time one of
her tunes has ended up on an album of his. Another song the couple
penned, "The Best Love We Ever Made," is also on People Like
Us, which was recently certified gold.
Born in Pensacola, Fla., and raised in the mountains of South
Carolina, Aaron began singing as a way to pass the time while
working on his family's farm. His two passions were country music
and flying planes. With his heart set on becoming an airline pilot,
Aaron flew as a freelance and corporate pilot -- among his many
passengers was comedian Bob Hope. When the fuel shortage hit in the
late '70s, Aaron realized he'd have to look for another career. He
began playing honky-tonks and in 1986 he made a trip to Nashville.
He began writing songs, landed a publishing deal and, soon after,
moved to Music City. To make ends meet, he worked the midnight shift
at a factory in Kentucky while commuting back to Nashville during
the day to write tunes.
In 1990, Aaron was signed to RCA and the following year his debut
album, You've Got To Stand for Something, was released. It
wasn't long before Aaron began racking up a string of gold- and
platinum-selling records as well as such Top 10 singles as "There
Ain't Nothing Wrong With the Radio," "I Wouldn't Have It Any Other
Way," "My Blue Angel," "Working Man's Ph.D." and "That's as Close as
I'll Get To Loving You." When Aaron's hit machine began to slow down
in the mid '90s, he parted ways with RCA, eventually signing with
Lyric Street in 1998. Now, with the success of People Like Us
and "Kiss This," the label's first No. 1 hit, Aaron's back on top of
his game.
While he enjoys hitting the road and playing for his fans, Aaron
also loves spending time at home with his family. He lives in a log
house in rural DeKalb County, Tenn., with Thea, 21-year-old daughter
(from a previous marriage) Charla, almost-three-year-old son Teddy
and upcoming arrival Thomas Aaron, who's due date is Dec. 8. It's no
wonder people like us seem to like music by people like him. (by
Donna Hughes)
Ain't Nothing Wrong With the
Radio
Aaron Tippin: It doesn't hurt my feelings if somebody says,
'Hey, they just dug up Aaron Tippin again and guess what? He had a
hit.' That doesn't hurt my feelings at all. I'm very happy that
radio is still giving me the opportunity to be a part of country
music -- what's going on in it -- and I appreciate that. Everybody
in this town embracing ['Kiss This'] like this, and seeing that
there's still a lot of good music in us -- that's neat. You know, I
remember my first No. 1 record and that was a cool feeling. I've
been fortunate enough to have a couple more and that's really neat.
But the [neatest] thing, I think -- I don't want it to be
overshadowed by any means -- is [that] this is Thea's No. 1 record,
you know, her first song. She's written with me for five or six
years, never been on an album, worked hard. Finally, she gets on an
album with a song. She gets a single out of this song, goes to No.
1.
Right in the Kisser
I most admire [Thea] . . . she's a Belmont [University]
graduate -- music major, majored in voice -- so . . . she's got such
better education in music than I have, [and probably more than] any
of the producers I've worked with. When we go to the studio, all of
us lean on her because she's got great pitch. She hears things . . .
She knows me so well, it's valuable on cutting down on recording
times, 'cause if I've said something in a phrase that . . . you
cannot understand at all, she's the first one to recognize it . . .
So she's very valuable in that respect. And I think I admire her for
that, that knowing that she is so talented, and she is a good
example of the great talent that comes to [Nashville] and they're
somewhere in the background . . . She's in the shadows, but she's a
super talent. This is the day of the reckoning, or this year, to see
her step out and get some overdue glory.
Video Saved the Radio
Star
[Doing my own driving in the 'Kiss This' video] was very
exciting. They came up with a concept at the end of the video in
'Kiss This,' driving that car around. That's a lot of fun, tearing
up somebody else's car and burning up their gas. [Laughs.] . . . At
the end of [the clip] when [the actress] turns around and says 'See
ya' [to her ex-beau], then it kind of picks up where I pull up in
front of her apartment building to drop her off and then she says,
'See ya.' Then I take off for a night on the town, headed to see my
friends and whatnot.
In the beginning it was really fun, 'cause I realized
that's probably as close as I'll ever get to being an actor is
pretending in a video. But now, I'm the best friend that a producer
and director has, 'cause I want to get that shot made and I want to
get back home, 'cause that's what counts to me is to be with them
every second I possibly can. So, if we need to do another shot --
boom! -- I'm right back at one, ready to go, so we can do it and get
it done quick and get back to living.
Waxing Presidential
I'm always looking for the guy that wants to make sure
citizens retain as many of their rights as they possibly can, and
that's always what's important to me. Because I think that's the
whole idea about being free is being free and responsible.
He's No Grinch
The older you get, the more the holidays are so important
and so much more fun [is] involved. I think it's really a great
thing, because I enjoyed it when [Charla] was a kid, opening all of
the presents and stuff, and then when you get up to my age and you
get to go through it again, it's double the fun . . . I remember
when Teddy was born, Charla was with me . . . We went to Wal-Mart
and bought all kinds of junk for Teddy. He's laying there . . . five
days old. We were out buying presents like he was going to ride a
tricycle across the floor in front of the Christmas tree. It's a
thrill. I love it! It's living. It is living. Shoot, as time goes on
. . . when it gets to be the holidays, I like to back off on the
dates. I like start getting close to home and hanging out around the
house, 'cause . . . hey, that's living to me.
Only a Real Man Can Say
This
There is a misconception [about me]. I'm a softie. I'm a
pushover. I'm a wuss.
(Interview by Donna
Hughes)
Aaron Tippin on the
Web:
Aaron Tippin discography at Amazon.com
The Official Aaron Tippin Website
country.com -- Artists: Aaron Tippin
Aaron Tippin Is What This Country Needs
Richard De La Font Agency -- Aaron Tippin
TOPContact
CountryNow.com
Copyright © 1997-2000 MJI Broadcasting, Inc. All rights
reserved.
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"I'm a softie. I'm a pushover. I'm a wuss." -- Aaron
Tippin |