Shoulda Been a Hit: Brad Martin’s “Before I Knew Better” [Video]

Remember the name Brad Martin?  If you don't, I'm not surprised.  But, now that I say that, I'd be more surprised if you DO remember that name.  But about ten years ago, Brad Martin had all the makings of a country star.  He was a guitar-playing singer-songwriter with a great voice and a look reminiscent of a Rebel Without a Cause James Dean.  In 2002, Brad released his debut CD, Wings of a Honky-Tonk Angel, and looked poised to make a run at the Top Ten with his lead-off single, "Before I Knew Better."  But the song, despite the fact that BMI declared it one of the 50 most played that year, just never caught on enough to make Brad Martin the star he was supposed to become for Sony Epic Nashville.  And "Before I Knew Better" peaked at #15.  Though, if you ask me, it shoulda been a hit.  LISTEN!

Brad's follow-up to "Before I Knew Better" didn't come even come close to cracking the Top 40.  In fact, "Rub Me the Right Way" stalled at #51 on the Billboard Country charts and, for Sony Epic, that was all she wrote.  The label dropped Brad, who stayed out of the country music scene until 2008, when he teamed with John Ramey to form the duo Martin Ramey.  They signed a contract with Curb Records that year, but we have to ask the question . . . Do you remember the name "Martin Ramey?"  If you don't, I'm not surprised.  But, now that I say that, I'd be more surprised if you DO!