Jimmy Wayne showed up at our Country Countdown USA with his guitar case and a smile, ready to make his first appearance on the show in four years. Back in 2004, Jimmy had already achieved a debut Top 5 hit with "Stay Gone." One year later, his record label, Dreamworks, closed, and its artists were scattered around town. Toby Keith began his own Show Dog label. Dreamworks executive Scott Borchetta formed Big Machine, home to Taylor Swift and Trisha Yearwood. Last October, Borchetta launched his second label, Vallory, and signed Jimmy.
The real challenge was to find a song...one that would be strong enough to revive Jimmy's place in radio station playlists. Jimmy himself found the song: "Do You Believe Me Now." Jimmy told CCUSA host Lon Helton the incredible story of how he came to record the song: I was writing with Joe West and Dave Pahanish and we didn't come up with anything. So I was about to leave, when Joe said, "Do you have a second to listen to a song we wrote?" And I said "Sure." I listened to it, and I didn't over-react. I've learned my lesson, because if you over-react, the song could get pitched out from under you. That happened to me with "Don't Blink." That's what happens when you over-react. So I didn't say nothing! I was subdued, and said "Joe, mind if I have a copy of this?" He said "Sure." These guys were new to Nashville. So I told Joe not to play it for anybody, including his publisher. A month & a half later, I brought it to the record label. That was the minute my life changed. So then I called Joe, and told him it was going to be my first single. Finally they played it for their publisher. Lon, I'm going to tell you something I haven't told anyone. His publisher, after we recorded and mastered the song, went to another big star, and pitched it. What the publisher didn't know was a friend of mine was in the office of the artist he was pitching, and she texted me, "They're pitching your song here." So I called them right away and said "Let the guy who's pitching you that song to stop, that's my song. I've already recorded it." And there was a moment of silence. No one said anything. So you gotta be careful.
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