If I Was Chris Cagle, I Would Quit Country Music Too
The idea of retiring from playing music seems like such a foreign notion on the surface. We like to think that artists make music because they have to—because it’s all they know and it’s in their blood. Some just happen to make money and get famous from it along the way. Quitting music would be like deciding to quit watching sunsets or eating ice cream with your family or something. Sure, for certain reasons you may have to scale back doing certain things you enjoy. But to just downright quit music? To retire from performing? That seems tantamount to asking a musician to commit suicide.
Garth Brooks retired from country music some 20 years ago after becoming the most commercially successful country artist of all time. “Ah ha! His heart was never in it to begin with!” is what his critics said. Garth’s excuse was he went to one of his kids’ soccer games, realized how enjoyable it was, and woke up to the fact that he was completely missing out on life while trying to stack more money in the bank than his grandchildren’s grandchildren could ever spend. So he parked the bus in the barn, gained forty pounds, and became a father. Then the people who appeared to not have their priorities straight were Garth’s critics.
And then when Garth’s kids were grown up, he came back.
Willie Nelson says he wants to die on the stage, and he probably will. Can you imagine Willie Nelson retiring? Or Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Kris Kirstofferson, or David Allan Coe? They’ll do it until the day they die. That’s what George Jones, Ray Price, and “Little” Jimmy Dickens did. But when was the last time you heard from Barbara Mandrell?
I can’t say country artist Chris Cagle is someone who has ever registered strongly on the Saving Country Music radar one way or the other. Going back and listening to his early singles like “I Breathe In, I Breathe Out” and “Laredo,” this was some pretty good stuff. But it was 2001, and most everything back then will sound like honey to the weary ears of today.
Chris had a couple of #1 albums and some pretty big songs over the next few years. Then in 2008, things started to short circuit. After the release of the #1 album My Life’s Been a Country Song, life imitated art, and Cagle and his then girlfriend got rung up on domestic abuse charges. She hit him with an umbrella. He hit her with her purse. Both had been drinking.
Somewhere around that time Cagle lost his deal with Capitol Nashville and he was on the streets looking for a label. By the time Back in the Saddle came out in 2012, a man who had made his name on sentimental songs was starting to work in the direction of Bro-Country. “Got My Country On” was complete with an electronic drum opening and lyrics veering towards the checklist style. On the smaller label Bigger Picture Music Group, the song failed to crack the Top 10, but it was still a decent showing for an artist over a decade into his career.
On Monday, Chris Cagle posted a very personal message to his fans on Facebook.
I would like to thank everyone for 15 yrs of a great time! From B&D to Flatts and fans!! I’m gonna miss my band and everyone!!
All this means.. I’m going home! I’m going to be a Father and a GREAT Husband and enjoy my life! I thank you ALL for everything !
I’ve had a great run and would just like to go home with my dignity!
I’m tired of missing moments like this … and this
“This” and “this” were pictures of his kids dressed up in Halloween costumes, ready to go trick or treating.
For many, country music is a passion you couldn’t filter from their blood if you tried. They will make music regardless of how successful or non-successful it is until the day they die. But if I was an artist like Chris Cagle, I probably would quit country music too, at least at this point. Chris Cagle has only one option in his country music career right now: to acquiesce, conform, and follow. That’s the only way someone gives him money to make a record, and that’s the only way to get his music heard.
You look all across country music in 2015, and at artists who got their start at roughly the same time as Chris Cagle did, and many of them are embarrassing themselves left and right, trying to chase trends set by Sam Hunt and Florida Georgia Line. It’s not a pretty picture. And the result is a loss of dignity for a lot of these artists, and usually no new berth for their careers. Meanwhile the time commitment is still incredibly taxing, and the home life suffers.
An artist like Daryle Singletary or Marty Stuart who had their time in the mainstream spotlight and made a little money, they can soldier on. They decided to take the step out of the spotlight on their own terms, and left the mainstream with a solid crop of fans who will be there for them when they hobble up on stage and lean into the mic for the last time. And so may Chris Cagle fans if he exits now while he’s still the king of his own domain, and with his fan base still in tact from the memories they made together. Otherwise, Cagle may not have anything to return to, just like he may may not have a family to return to if he kept up the crazy notion that it was still 2001 in country music.
You do what you think is right in your heart Chris. The real fans will still be there, whether you ever decide to return or not.
November 3, 2015 @ 7:34 pm
Good for him.
November 3, 2015 @ 7:48 pm
What kind of gone are we talking about here?…. sorry had to.
November 3, 2015 @ 8:15 pm
Hahaha! You win the comment section for today!!
November 3, 2015 @ 8:15 pm
Interesting news to hear. As corny as it may sound I always enjoyed the song ” Laredo”. Of course that was about it.
November 3, 2015 @ 8:18 pm
^ yeah same here the thing is I absolutely LOVE the song “Laredo” but his other output… eh… not so much… David Kersh’s version of “I Breathe In I Breathe Out” also beats Chris Cagle’s by a country mile!
November 14, 2020 @ 9:13 pm
Agree to disagree, Cagle’s version has far better flow.
November 4, 2015 @ 7:32 am
Yeah, “Laredo” is my favorite. (I guess it’s the preferred Chris Cagle song of all Bretts?) And “Anywhere but Here” as Jordan mentions below, which predated the similar-themed “The Truth” that multiple people have cut. His later stuff didn’t so much work for me.
November 3, 2015 @ 8:17 pm
Loved his song “Anywhere But Here” that’s a great drinking song that covers the darker side of the topic. When I saw him at watershed he said he has come so close to quitting music so many times.
November 3, 2015 @ 8:21 pm
He should’ve gone out with a bang. If I was in his position, I’d take the opportunity to kick Music Row in the balls. I’d expose every injustice they had ever done, I’d point out how there’s no country left in Music Row, and I’d tell Music Row and all the people responsible for ruining country music to go fuck themselves. I’d make as much noise as I possibly could. Maybe it would wake some people up.
November 3, 2015 @ 9:54 pm
Eh, if he did that we would just be written off by most as another “washed up has been whose career didn’t go the way he wanted.” Better not to burn any bridges for when/if he wants to return.
November 4, 2015 @ 9:36 am
Eh, that sadly would do very little. Let’s face it, Chris Cagle is retiring to be a family man because he knows his days as a viable mainstream performer are past him. Plus, he likely wants to keep some of those “friends” he made on Music Row in case the tax man ever comes calling.
November 3, 2015 @ 8:35 pm
I liked his stuff, all the way up till he covered Bon Jovi then I was done.
January 9, 2017 @ 12:36 pm
I tried to talk him out of it. The plan was to have Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi guest on that cut, because they were all managed by Doc McGhee at the time.
November 3, 2015 @ 8:36 pm
I thought Dance Baby Dance was great. A nice send-off single, anyway.
November 3, 2015 @ 8:47 pm
Fortunately, our local country station occasionally takes a break from bro-country and metro-bro to play Chris Cagle. Every time “I Breathe In, I Breathe Out” comes on, I get chills due to the gorgeous nature of the melody and the vocals, topped off by the deep wistfulness of the lyrics. It truly represents everything that country music is supposed to be.
I wish him well in retirement.
November 3, 2015 @ 8:58 pm
I actually grew up listening to Chris Cagle so while he’s not amongst my favorites, I certainly have a soft spot for the guy. I wish him all the best in retirement.
My personal favorite from him is also “Laredo”.
November 3, 2015 @ 9:03 pm
I wish Chris Cagle well in his retirement from country music.
November 3, 2015 @ 10:04 pm
Happy birthday Pete!
November 3, 2015 @ 10:25 pm
Thank you Trigger! I had fun today.
November 3, 2015 @ 9:37 pm
The funny thing is, Barbara Mandrell performed the one and only time I’ve ever seen a show at the original grand ol opry on Broadway st. Must have been around 2007. It would be interesting to know what Chris is going to do now. There are a lot of people who have hung the hat up on being a performer but still work in the industry. There’s a big world of music biz out their even if you can’t put the butts in the seats anymore.
November 3, 2015 @ 10:35 pm
The woman beat the man with an umbrella and the man beat the woman with a purse? Hmmm… I wonder who was in more danger… Seems strange to place beating someone with a purse on the same level as beating someone with an umbrella. A purse can’t really damage you much, even with a lot of heavy luggage. An umbrella though… I have a friend who does nasty stuff to people with his umbrella! Chris is lucky to have escaped with his life!
November 3, 2015 @ 11:16 pm
Not that anyone cares, but, here I go:
One does not just retire from playing music. You either play or sing because it’s what you love to do, or you are doing it for a living and to make money. I “retired” 12 years ago, and nobody noticed… Now I play when I want, what I want, and record album after album, and for the most part, l dont make much money at it. But that is not the goal.. Its the creation. And it is far more rewarding than the alternative of never seeing your wife and kids and living in something with wheels looking for a crowd to boost your ego. There is a thing called the internets.. bunch of people look at it. Make some good music and sell it, it’s done every day. That is unless your dreams of being Garth was the only fuel in your tank. There… is the line between art and popular music.
Your’s truely,
Sweet GA Brown … the Motherfuckin’ Wordsmith.
November 4, 2015 @ 4:53 am
The defining moment for Chris Cagle was when he started crying and blew a snot bubble out of his nose during the televised portion of the Stagecoach Festival in 2014. Hard to rebound from that.
November 4, 2015 @ 7:16 am
Like Zack said above, I also grew up on Chris Cagle and will always have a soft spot for the guy. “What Kinda Gone” is probably my favorite song of his, but he has some great ones in “Laredo”, “Anywhere But Here”, “Miss Me Baby”, “Look At What I’ve Done To Her”, and “I’d Be Lyin'”…Congrats on retirement, Chris.
November 4, 2015 @ 8:08 am
Cooper summed up Chris Cagle. I like the above songs and that is about it. So long Cagle.
November 4, 2015 @ 8:44 am
Now if only Luke Bryan could follow Chris Cagle. Go home. Raise his boys and just RETIRE. If Only.
November 4, 2015 @ 9:34 am
Weirdly enough I will always remember Chris Cagle because one of his CD’s (I think one of his last releases on a mainstream label) was put out by Sony and it was later found out that to play the album on your computer, Sony was requiring you to download DRM software in an attempt to fight file sharing. I remember this because as a bit of a tech junkie it was incredibly stupid and underhanded of Sony.
That little note being pushed aside, I wish Chris Cagle well in his retirement. He has a good run and hopefully he managed his money well.
November 4, 2015 @ 10:36 am
I had the pleasure of seeing Chris a few months ago. That night was the last show at Toby Keith’s in Syracuse, NY. They literally had ladders up to take memorabilia down by the end of the show. – A different topic..
That show was excellent. Chis is/was a great performer and his band is very, very talented.
I was never a huge fan of his until I discovered his last release. In a sea of today’s garbage music I found this CD and loved it. My favorite song out of all he has ever done is Dance Baby Dance.
It would have been a huge hit 10 years ago when people cared about songs that made you need to hug your child. My daughter is only 6 and I swear that will be our song at her wedding. Not that she will get married, cause I’m gonna make her stay 6 forever… LOL
Thanks for the memories Chris, enjoy your family and farm!
November 4, 2015 @ 11:40 am
Good for Chris. “Just Enough” is one of my personal favorites.
November 4, 2015 @ 1:12 pm
Tracy Byrd did the same thing and is playing small venues again it looks like according to his FB page…Plus being inducted into the Texas country music hall of fame.
November 4, 2015 @ 3:02 pm
This can’t be true, but understand! As a huge Chris Cagle fan this will be a huge loss for Country music. As a former country radio DJ, I was thoroughly convinced that Chris Cagle would be the next Garth Brooks and even bigger. I really thought Capital would get behind Chris when Garth retired. This is also when the market was starting to change, we had Blue Grass craze because of the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” that affected how mainstream listeners of the 90’s listen to Country. That wasn’t Chris’ style but I kept listening and waiting for his next release only for the market to move on.
My praise of Chris is I put him in the catagory of greats: Garth Brooks, Chris Cagle and Chris Young!
Chris you better come back we’ll be waiting for you!
Skip
November 4, 2015 @ 9:48 pm
Saw Chris play at the Guthrie River Ruckus a couple of months ago. He has played that show for the past 4 years I think. I hope he comes back next year. The crowd eats it up and he puts on a great a show. Always enjoyed his work. Good luck in Retirement Chris!
November 5, 2015 @ 2:31 pm
Interesting. Jeff Carson did the same thing a few years ago, he’s now a cop in Franklin, Tennessee. Which, ironically, is the same place Carl Smith retired to back in the ’70s, albeit after a much longer and more successful career in music.
November 6, 2015 @ 7:51 am
Always like Cagle, sad to see so many talented artists completely pushed out by the garbage that is Music Row today. At this point, I really can’t see country music recovering any time soon, if ever-sorry I took this one isolated event and applied to the entire state of the industry, but it seems fitting.
November 6, 2015 @ 6:31 pm
Always liked his song “Laredo”. A reasonably good artist whose best before date has passed simply because of his sound, and sadly, Nashville and the industry have looked past him in favour of turds like FGL and other bro-country knotheads. I wish him well in his retirement.
July 25, 2017 @ 1:47 am
Good albums, (one was a little weak) but I liked his stuff and his style from the get go. I will be here waiting to buy a ticket again when he has has had time to spend with his family. I think he is doing a good thing, though I bet it is heartbreaking for him.Enjoy your down time. Lots of us will be here when you get back. He does a really good show! Sue in Canada
September 22, 2017 @ 4:41 pm
I can tell everyone Chris Cagle is one of the finest men I have ever met. I have had a lot of so-called friends Chris is my best friend.
My wife and I met Chris 6 years ago a we have always liked and still like his music.
He has more compassion for people than anyone I know. WHAT A huge loss not to be able to see him on stage.
Chris we will mis you.
September 22, 2017 @ 4:45 pm
I have had a lot of conversation with Chris about his life if you only new.
He is crazy about his wife and the girls is his life, he is right where he needs to be.
December 7, 2017 @ 8:12 pm
I love “Look what I found”. It has always been my favorite since the first time I heard it. We need more music like this out there. The younger generations just don’t know what they’re missing. Congrats on your retirement, my family and I wish you and yours all the best!
November 3, 2018 @ 6:21 am
Who are his parents and where was he raised?. What did his father do for work?
Does he have brothers and sisters , if so, where do they live?. How close to his fam
ily is he? Does he enjoy his farm life? Does he have close family living close To him? . What about his wifes family? Details on them also please. Hope the best for him. I liked him and feel he needs suport from fans and family alike. God bless!
March 5, 2022 @ 12:23 am
“You do what you think is right in your heart Chris. The real fans will still be there, whether you ever decide to return or not.”
I just wanna say…….I got here late to SCM maybe 5 or 6 years ago with very little knowledge of much of the history etc…… of what you all have seen and heard over the last how ever many years but Chris returned here tonight to Joe’s Live to play for a few hundred of us and he won me over within 3 songs. Everything was real, honest, and 100% from the heart. It’s not easy in any genre when you’re 50 something and yeah you didn’t “make it big” but you had a few good songs/albums back in the day and you still wanna play for people because you like to play your music and hope people will remember those songs and enjoy hearing them again. That’s what I saw tonight, a young man of 53, 8 years younger than me having a great time playing his songs to a crowd that knew em, loved em, and sang along with smiles on their faces. What else could you ask for?