THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 2, 1995 TAG: 9502020051
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Interview
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
ALL WORK and no play - well, you know. That's why Sammy Kershaw was getting ready to take a day for a favorite pastime before his current tour began last month.
``We have, like, two days off every week,'' he explained by phone from his tour bus, which was ``just leavin' Nashville.'' The rest of the week looked to shake out like this: ``Friday night I'm in Houston, and I'm goin' to my hometown (in Louisiana) to go goose huntin' on Thursday.''
Why not? This is the old boy whose single ``Queen of My Double-Wide Trailer'' was, he says, dubbed ``too redneck, too Bubba-like'' by some country stations.
``I think there's more Bubbas out there than they think,'' he said. ``I guess I'm a damn Bubba. Well, they seem to like it pretty well. It went to No. 2.
``You know, you gotta keep the country country, but you've gotta stop and think about the younger folks, too. They like some different things, but that's not really what I do. But what happens in the studio happens. I'm not into a set thing. I want to be different. I don't want to get lazy.
``If you want to be around for a long time, you've got to cut some things radio won't want to play.''
He dubs some of his hits, such as ``She Don't Know She's Beautiful,'' ``radio candy.'' But Mercury, his label, stays out of his way when it comes to work.
``No, my record company hasn't given me a hard time about my music at all.'' He's happy that they haven't smoothed his edges much.
``I just want people to know it's me when I come on the radio.''
His recognition factor should rise with his upcoming role as a cop in ``Full Time,'' a new flick starring Mickey Rourke and Stephen Baldwin.
``It's about 10 minutes,'' he said of his part, ``not too bad.''
He found common ground with Rourke and Baldwin.
``I was the first one to get a part in the movie. I went in to audition, and I asked them, `Who you thinkin' about for the movie?' They said Mickey Rourke, and I said, `I tell you what, if you get Mickey Rourke, I'll do it.' '' ILLUSTRATION: Singer Sammy Kershaw.
by CNB