A mainstream country-rock band similar in execution (if not commercial success) to
. After striking out on their own,
to develop a sound composed of equal parts pop, country, and blue-eyed soul.
Stacked Deck,
the Amazing Rhythm Aces' debut album, appeared in 1975; it produced two significant crossover hits, "Third Rate Romance" and "Amazing Grace (Used to Be Her Favorite Song)," the group's lone Top Ten country single. A year later, the hit "The End Is Not in Sight (The Cowboy Tune)," from the LP
Too Stuffed to Jump, won
the Aces a Grammy for Country Vocal Performance by a Group. Following the release of 1977's
Toucan Do It Too,
Burton left the group, and was replaced by
Duncan Cameron.
In 1978,
the Aces released
Burning the Ballroom Down, followed a year later by a self-titled effort featuring cameos by
Joan Baez,
Tracy Nelson, and
the Muscle Shoals Horns; both were met with critical approval, but sold poorly. They released one final record,
How the Hell Do You Spell Rhythum?, before disbanding. While
Smith went on to become a successful songwriter,
Earheart joined
Hank Williams, Jr.'s
Bama Band, and
Cameron joined
Sawyer Brown -- a group that, ironically enough, would find significant chart success in the 1980s with a sound similar to what
the Amazing Rhythm Aces had created a decade earlier.
After a hiatus of some 15 years,
the Amazing Rhythm Aces re-formed in 1994.
The Aces, now comprised of
Smith,
Davis,
McDade,
Earheart,
Hooker, and new guitarist/mandolinist
Danny Parks, marked their return to duty by releasing
Ride Again, a collection of newly recorded renditions of their biggest hits. In addition, they also began composing new songs for a projected comeback album; although
McDade's cancer-related death on November 29, 1998, temporarily halted that plan,
Chock Full of Country Goodness finally appeared in mid-1999.
–
Jason Ankeny, Rovi