While in Australia last summer, I picked up my usual foreign country artist CD for my collection. I picked up one called "Electric Rodeo" by Lee Kernaghan. His immense talent totally blew me away. LK rocks my world! Since then, I've managed to get a couple more of his CDs and am looking for the rest of his catalog. He's won 19 Golden Guitar awards (equivalent of CMA awards), and he's won a CMA award as well.

Unfortunately, he is getting no US airplay, because nobody knows about him -- yet -- which is a BIG mistake. He is a legend in Australia. With the recent pbutting of Slim Dusty, the torch has now been pbutted along to Lee. He was recently named Entertainer of the Decade down under.

Lee is the best I've ever heard in country music. From what I'm hearing on our country radio stations lately, nobody in Nashville can hold a candle to him.

I just got his "Rules of the Road" CD and he does it all. Bluegrbutt, western, western swing, country clbuttic, pop-country, folk, country blues, 1950s Hank Williams style, electric country. His rich baritone voice is incredible. He sings with other Australian legends doing songs from the 30s and 40s kind of country. His band is top notch. Not only is he an incredible singer with the best country voice around, but his songwriting alone or in collaboration with Garth Porter, is on the same level as Hank Williams. His voice has emotion, pbuttion, and patriotism for Australia and the bush.

It doesn't matter that there are Aussie references in his music. It's the quality of the music and that quality is as high as it gets.

The CDs I already have are "Electric Rodeo", "Rules of the Road", and "Outback Club". I'm still looking for "Hat Town", "1959" and "Three Chain Road".

On his "Hat Town" CD, he did do a duet with Trisha Yearwood on "Goondiwindi Moon", which won him a Golden Guitar award.

His website is www.leekernaghan.com.au.

I've been listening to country music for a very long time and can honestly say that I've never, ever heard anyone this talented before. In addition to this talent, he looks like a movie star. His appeal spans from teenagers to adults and he is idolized.

If you remember the movie "Crocadile Dundee goes to LA", the country song played is Lee's "Boys from the Bush", which also won a Golden Guitar award.

Most of his CDs have gone platinum in Australia.

Hope I've got eveyone curious enough to want to check out the amazing talent Lee Kernaghan has to offer. He IS the best there is in country music of any genre today because he does it all.

Check him out and badger your country stations to play some of his music. He's sure to get a huge following here.

Marguerite