One-Hit Wonder Dust Off: “Mrs. Steven Rudy” by Mark McGuinn

What do you usually think of when you imagine a country singer? Maybe jeans, a buttoned-up shirt, and a cowboy hat. That wasn't Mark McGuinn.

Mark McGuinn is a singer-songwriter from North Carolina. He originally played trumpet in a jazz band along with aspirations of playing professional soccer. He turned to country music by the '90s and landed a record deal with independent VFR Records in 2000.

His debut single was supposed to be "That's a Plan" but after a station in Texas started spinning a song called "Mrs. Steven Rudy", it started catching on. That was instead made McGuinn's debut single.

Released in January of 2001, "Mrs. Steven Rudy" peaked at number six on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in May. It reached number seven on the Mediabase country chart. It was a huge accomplishment because, at the time, it was the first top 10 hit for an indie label in 40 years!

Written by McGuinn and Shane Decker, the song was off Mark's self-titled, debut album.

McGuinn scored two more top 25 singles off his debut album ("That's a Plan", "She Doesn't Dance") but would not chart another song. His label folded by 2003. He did release another album titled One Man's Crazy in 2005.

McGuinn didn't look like the typical country artist and "Mrs. Steven Rudy" sounded totally different from anything on the radio back then...but people loved it. It turned into a fan favorite for country music listeners and is definitely a nostalgic flashback for many.