Blog

Although Tony Rouse formed his first Country band in the mid-1980s before reaching the final of a national US song writing competition in Baton Rouge in 1989/90; he will be best remembered for his time on the West End stage with major parts in Les Miserables and Starlight Express.  He left the West End stage in 1996 for a short stint fronting country band Plain Loco but it wasn’t long before he was back in the West End. In the early 2000s, he left the West End for the last time to go back to his Country Roots and quickly became one of the most popular soloists on the club circuit.
Having now got a ‘proper job’ he is rarely seen in clubs these days but he always finds time to visit the Milton CMC in Gravesend. Following a bad motorcycle accident he few years ago that left him unable to play a guitar, he is now able to play again although for some of the time he puts the guitar down. This in no way detracts from his act and allows him to walk around the stage at will without the constraints of an instrument. I feel this actually enhances his performance visually – he is a real showman something he now doubt learnt from many years in the West End.
I sat through a very long soundcheck that was virtually another set’s worth of songs. I knew in advance it was going to be a full house tonight, something that always happens when Tony Rouse comes to Gravesend. By the time he took to the stage, DJ Philip had warmed everyone up and the dancefloor was already full.
Tony kicked off with Shaboozey’s A Bar Song (Tipsy) followed by Dan + Shay’s Bigger Houses. Then it was time for a real country belter with a dynamic rhythm, Lee Roy Parnell’s Country Down To My Soul. In the song Lee Roy is actually singing about himself and it really suited Tony’s driving style. It’s nice to see a dance floor so full throughout the evening. Tony kept people on the floor with DJTEXX’s Love Potion 666 and Randy Travis’ Where That Came From followed by Sons of the Palomino’s Countryholic which meant it was time for a barn dance.
Tony gave us a well chosen balance between old and new and fast and slower songs including Vince Gill’s Loving You Makes Me A Better Man. There was lots of good humoured banter throughout the evening and it was clear that Tony was enjoying himself as much as were enjoying him.  At one point he quipped “I thank you lovely people – so much nicer than the audience I had last time I was here!” After James Johnston’s Old Country Barn it was time for Ella Langley’s Choosin’ Texas.  It was good to hear a few girls’ songs; many male singers avoid girls’ songs. Tony joked about Ella Langley saying “here’s a song by that ugly girl. She’s not very good looking, bless her”. Ella Langly is of course gorgeous! He ended the first set with Clay Walker’s Live, Laugh, Love.
The second set opened with Post Malone’s Fallin’ In Love and William Michael Morgan’s Gone Enough. Then it was time for something different Shane Filan’s Knee Deep In My Heart. Although I wouldn’t consider Shane Filan (from Westlife) as a country singer the song was inspired by Shane’s trip to Nashville and is a good sing along that has been embraced by line dancers.
A few more from the second set included Glenn Frey’s (from The Eagles) Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed, David Nail’s  Champagne Promise, Josiah Siska’s 3 Tequila Floor, Marty Stuart’s Don’t Be Cruel and Eddie Montgomery, Montgomery Gentry & John Michael Montgomery’s Brotherly Love.
I didn’t see Tony Rouse’s first country band which performed at the prestigious International Festival of Country Music at Wembley Arena on 31 March 1991 but eventually caught up with him in 1996 when I went to his home in New Eltham for a photo shoot to launch his collaboration with Plain Loco. I have seen him many times since then and I consider him to be one of the best entertainers on the country circuit. It’s a shame we see him so infrequently in the south of England these days.  Next we heard Robert Palmer’s Bad Case Of Loving You, it’s another song that has become popular amongst line dancers written in typical eight-bar blues structure and chord sequence that progresses to a 10-bar blues chorus.
After George Gallagher’s House Of Bamboo (sorry Tony I don’t like this song) and Neon Union’s Made In Mexico, Tony took us out of the second set with a beautiful Alan Jackson ballad So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore.
It was good to see a change of shirt and jacket for the final set. This was common practice in the 90s but is seen less often these days. The set opened with Teddy Swims’ The Door, an empowering anthem about choosing self-preservation over a toxic relationship. This was followed by Cody Johnson’s ‘Til You Can’t, a song that won single of the year at the annual CMA Awards in 1992; it remains as popular as ever and kept the dancers out of their seats. Next we heard three girls’ songs in a row Miranda Lambert’s I Ain’t In Kansas Anymore, you can’t get enough Miranda Lambert in my view, The Judds’ classic Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days) and Susan Ashton’s Closer.
During the breaks Tony went round the tables speaking to people and collecting plenty of request many of which he was able to sing in the third set. These included Daryl Worley’s Messed Up In Memphis and Memories Are Made Of This an old Dean Martin song that was later choreographed by Maggie Gallagher and John Dean (The Dean Brothers) as Just A Memory well over 20 years ago and remains popular today with dancers.
A few more from the final set included 2341studios’ Stomp 2,3,4, William Michael Morgan’s In Walked You, Old Dominion’s Memory Lane, Rodney Crowell’s Lovin’ All Night and William Michael Morgan’s Missing. At the end of the evening there was lots of cheering and shouting for more. For an encore Tony closed with Alan Jackson’s best song (in my view), another beautiful ballad, Remember When.
It was a great evening with Tony Rouse who entertained from the first song to the last. I look forward to meeting up with him again later in the year.
See my phone video of five songs below.