Highway 101 Biography

Highway 101 Biography

The band was formed by Jack Daniels, Cactus Moser, Curtis Stone and Paulette Carlson, drawing on their diverse musical interests and experience. These experiences all figured into the group's first recording session, which took place at Amigo Studios in Los Angeles.  The band's sound was established after recording "The Bed You Made For Me", which prompted Warner Bros. Records to turn their single's recording contract into an album deal. By 1986, the group was in Nashville finishing up with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's producer Paul Worley on their self-titled debut. The album also yielded four top 5 hits, including two number ones: "Somewhere Tonight" and "Cry, Cry, Cry". As the group's popularity grew, their appearances on both stage and TV increased, including a North American tours with Randy Travis and George Strait, as well as a debut television appearance at the 1987 Country Music Association awards with Hank Williams Jr.  The band's commercial success continued with their second release Highway 101², which spawned four top 10 singles including the number one hit “(Do You Love Me) Just Say Yes”. In 1988, the band won "Vocal Group Of The Year" from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association. They were also nominated for Grammys for "Album of the Year" and "Single of the Year", but did not win. By 1989, the group was still enjoying mainstream popularity with their third album titled Paint The Town, which yielded another number one single titled "Who's Lonely Now". The band also won another "Vocal Group of the Year" award from the ACM and CMA. Paulette Carlson left the band in 1990, but the band continued forward, fronted by Nikki Nelson. In 1991 the band released the album Bing, Bang, Boom on the Warner Brothers label. The group was again nominated for “Vocal Group of the Year” by both the ACM and the CMA, but failed to win either award. In subsequent years, the band went through numerous personnel changes. The band still maintains a busy recording and touring schedule.