Patriotic Song of the Week
"Arkansas State Anthem"

Featured Musician of the Week
Mark Alan Springer

Monday

​This week we will learn about singer-songwriter, and Weiner High School Alumni, Mark Alan Springer, as well as the musicians that have sang the songs he has written.  ​Mark Alan Springer was born on October 27, 1959.  As a youngster, Springer helped out on the family farm. He says he loved growing up on the farm but always wondered what else was out there. He quickly learned that music would show him just what else life had to offer.

As a teenager, Mark attended Weiner High School and ate lunch in this very cafeteria!  He was a really good basketball player too, and his team made it all the way to the state tournaments twice under his leadership. 

​Today’s Listening Example is “Between Turnrows.”  This song was commissioned by Armor Seed company to celebrate their 40th birthday.  They wanted a song that would represent the farmers they serve.  Who better to write a song about farming than our very own Mark Alan Springer!  Watch the video closely and see if you see any familiar faces or places.

Tuesday
Listening Example:  "Two Sparrows In a Hurricane"

Mark Alan Springer

Mark Alan Springer has worked hard to become such a great songwriter, and the music he writes reflects the values of hard work, and the importance of family. 

​When Mark started writing songs, it was hard to make money because someone famous has to sing the songs he writes before he can get paid for it. Mark spent a year working on a song about how hard that life was. 

In 1992, Mark’s song about a struggling family, “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane” was chosen by country singer Tanya Tucker. 

Tanya Tucker started singing country music when she was 8  years old. She has had many top hits on the country music charts, including today's listening example, “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane.” The message in this song is that love conquers all. 

Wednesday
Listening Example:  "Where Corn Don't Grow"

Mark Springer has written several songs for country artists. Today, we will meet Travis Tritt and the song Mark wrote for him. 

​Travis Tritt is a country singer who was mostly famous in the 90’s, but still performs today. 

Mark Alan Springer in the Fox Hole with Trey Stafford and Jim Frigo

​James Travis Tritt was born in Marietta, Georgia on February 9, 1963 to James and Gwen Tritt. He first took interest in singing after his church's Sunday school choir performed "Everything Is Beautiful."[3] He received his first guitar at age eight and taught himself how to play it; in the fourth grade, he performed "Annie's Song" and "King of the Road" for his class, and later got invited to play for other classrooms in his school

​Today’s Listening Example is “Where Corn Don’t Grow”, written by Mark Alan Springer and performed by Travis Tritt.  Mark said this about writing the song:  “My mother actually, during the harvest and planting, drove a tractor, so all of us would drive. But on the days where just the men were in the field, mom would cook a big dinner, with three meals a day. Daddy would always take a nap right after lunch, so I’d sit out on the front porch. They were long days. I always dreaded getting on that tractor. We didn’t have cabs in those days, so the heat and the dust and diesel. You always think you want to do something more in life, and I did. That was kind of what the song was about.”

Thursday
Listening Example:  "One Boy, One Girl"

Mark Springer will be in Weiner, tonight.  He will be performing at the Weiner High School Gym to help raise money to repair the gym floors.  We are so excited to welcome him home and feel privileged that he will be sharing his talents with us.

In 1995, country singer Collin Raye chose to sing one of Mark’s songs.  This song, “One Boy, One Girl” made it all the way to number 2 on the Billboard country charts.  

Collin Raye was born Floyd Elliot Raye on August 22, 1960 in De Queen, Arkansas.  His mother, Lois, was a musician who recorded at Sun Records in Memphis.  Collin Raye sang in a band called “The Wrays” with his brothers.  He has recorded several albums throughout his career and lives in Nashville, Tennessee, just like Mark Springer.

Today’s Listening Example, “One Boy, One Girl” was a song written by Mark Springer, with help from Shaye Smith.  It was released in June 1995 as a single from Collin’s album, “I Think About You”.  This proved to be a song that everyone loved.  It is about love, of course, between one boy and one girl.

Friday
Listening Example:  "All I Need to Know"

Sometimes, a singer has that “Midas touch.”  That means, that everything the singer does seems to be amazing and turn to gold.  Kenny Chesney is one such singer.  When sang one of Mark’s songs, it turned to gold in a hurry.

Kenneth Arnold "Kenny" Chesney was born on March 26, 1968, in Knoxville, Tennessee.   He is the son of David Chesney, a former elementary school teacher, and Karen Chandler, a hair stylist in the Knoxville area. Chesney has one sibling, a younger sister named Jennifer Chandler. In 1986, Chesney graduated from Gibbs High School, where he played baseball and football. He received his first guitar, "The Terminor", for Christmas and began teaching himself how to play it.

Chesney broke into country music in 1992.  Since then he has recorded 20 albums, 14 of which have been certified Gold or higher. He has also produced more than 40 top 10 singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs.  After Collin Raye recorded “One Boy, One Girl”, Kenny Chesney sat up and took notice of Mark’s musical style.  In 1995, he decided he wanted to sing the songs Mark was writing, so he sang “Grandpa Told me So” and “All I Need to Know.”  Overall, Chesney has recorded 5 of Mark’s songs.
Today’s Listening Example, “All I Need to Know” is a ballad.  A ballad is a song (it can also be a poem) that tells a story.  In this case, it tells the story of how strength and security can be found in enduring love.