THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 18, 1996 TAG: 9601180030
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
``YOU HAVE the Right To Remain Silent.''
If the group Perfect Stranger had followed their own song's advice, they would not have had a hit on their hands.
The single, ``You Have the Right To Remain Silent,'' was in the top 5 on the Billboard chart, and the same-title album reached No. 7. The video was one of Nashville's steamiest.
``We started our next album. Hopefully, it will be out in May,'' said Shayne Morrison, speaking from Nashville.
The single from that enterprise, to be released Feb. 5, is ``Remember the Ride.''
On Monday, the Cavalier Beach Club goes country with the four-piece band from Texas. And while their name seems appropriate enough, it was borrowed from a 1980s Southern Pacific song.
Texans are noted for brassiness - and Perfect Stranger qualifies. They have bounded into places without an invitation, performed when not asked, crashed parties where no one knew them. But, hey, it worked.
Likewise, Perfect Stranger waltzed into the Country Music Dance Seminar, the Country Radio Seminar, and an ABC Radio suite. They had no invitations to any of those gatherings, had no record deal, no label. No one knew them from third base.
Later, they paid out-of-pocket to make a record with a small company.
Unconventional approach? And then some.
Then, a real plot thickener: A wealthy Tulsa contractor, with the unlikely name of Tony Tuthill, entered the scene.
He knew about building restaurants, and zilch about carving music careers. But he did know he liked Perfect Stranger. For four nights he visited Chastain's, an Oklahoma City club, to hear them play.
Talk about your B-movie plot. Tuthill decided Perfect Stranger was perfect and should not be a stranger to the country music scene. He is still their manager.
The guys had been knocking around the club scene since 1987. Last year, all that audacity paid off. They got a big label deal with Curb, and wound up with a big hit and a lot of road dates.
``About 275. We hope to cut down this year, but do bigger jobs,'' Morrison said. ``Talk about paying dues - we overcompensated.''
Now that Perfect Stranger is amongst us, they are not quite sure who they are.
``Hard to say, exactly,'' Morrison said. ``We do what we like and hope it appeals to everybody.''
Texas appeals to them. The foursome still live there. Morrison and Richard Raines are from Carthage, a town of 5,000 which, musically, is not too shabby.
It was hometown for Jim Reeves, Tex Ritter and Linda Davis, who graduated from Carthage High two years Morrison and Raines.
What does Morrison do when he comes home? Any hobbies? ``Ask me later about that,'' he said. ``I live, eat, sleep music. My whole life revolves around the music industry.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Senor McGuire
by CNB