Steve Wariner Artistfacts

December 25, 1954
Steve Wariner had nine #1 country hits in the '80s, including "You Can Dream of Me," "Some Fools Never Learn" and "All Roads Lead to You." His most popular song, though, is "Holes In The Floor Of Heaven" from 1998. It won Single Of The Year and Song Of The Year at the CMAs.
Wariner is a talented painter and considered that for a career. He says there are a lot of parallels between painting and songwriting: In both cases, he starts with a blank slate and gets into a creative space that leads him along. And the finished product will be presented to an audience.

"When you write a song, you're thinking about people are going to hear it, and then when you do a painting, you're thinking about people are going to see this," he said on the Off The Record Podcast. "But in both cases, it's what they're going to feel more than see or hear. I've learned that about painting. I think I learned that about writing a long time ago. It's about a feeling."
In addition to art, one of Wariner's hobbies is tinkering with old vehicles. He had a 1953 Ford pickup truck for a while that he loved to work on.
He says the hidden gem in his catalog is "I Can See Arkansas," a song from his 1990 album Laredo that got more attention when Anne Murray covered it in 1992. Wariner wanted his version released as a single, but his label refused.
Steve Wariner played bass guitar in Dottie West's band for about three years, starting in 1971 when he was just 17. "We got along great," he told Off The Record. "She was like my big sister, really."
His first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry came in 1973 when he was backing Dottie West. In 1996 he was inducted into the Opry, becoming their 72nd member.
He and Clint Black wrote Black's 1998 hit "Nothin' But The Taillights." In 2000 they teamed up on the 2000 duet "Been There," which they also wrote together. That same year, Wariner duetted with Garth Brooks on "Katie Wants A Fast One."

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