80's Country Music Spotlight: 'Fishin' In The Dark' (1987)

By the time 'Fishin' In The Dark' topped the country music charts in the fall of 1987 I was already a years-long fan of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Like millions of others, I was introduced to what would become one of my all-time favorite bands back in 1971. That was the year of 'Mr. Bojangles'. (In fact, it not only introduced me to the band, but it also introduced me to one of my all-time favorite writers, Jerry Jeff Walker)

So while the rest of the (young) country fans were saying 'Who are these guys?', us folks wearing a little older skin were sayin' 'That's my band!' And for the younger NGDB fans that may not know, do yourself a huge favor and check out the legendary 1972 album Will The Circle Be Unbroken. There's a reason it's called legendary.

But back to 'Fishin' In The Dark'.

Released in June of '87, it was the second single from their Hold On album and went to number one in October, replacing another great classic 'The Way We Make A Broken Heart' by Rosanne Cash.

What was the secret, the charm of 'Fishin' In The Dark'? It was a flat out fun sing-a-long song that crossed generations. And I mean it crossed generations.

While I can sing along (poorly) with 'Fishin' In The Dark', so can my son (not quite as poorly). In fact, when he was a kid 'Fishin' In The Dark' was one of his favorite songs, just like 'Mr. Bojangles' was for me.

So go ahead and one more time just crank it up and sing along. It's one of the great classics from a great decade of country music!

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