Industry people in Nashville are quick to rattle off Garth Brooks' sales figures, Reba McEntire's concert draw and country radio's glowing health.
Well, spare the happy talk for Exile, please, the much-loved country-pop band that kept people entertained during the 1980s with a lengthy string of hits like "Woke Up in Love," "She's a Miracle," "It'll Be Me," "Crazy for Your Love" and, way back, the pop tune "Kiss You All Over."They're playing their last-ever area concert on Friday in Grapevine, Texas. Next month, the 30-year-old Lexington, Ky., institution will call it quits.
Exile drummer Steve Goetzman defined the band's "very amicable" split and everyone's future plans in general terms. "We're all going our separate ways," he said during a phone interview from Nashville. "Well, some of us are going our separate ways and getting completely out of the business, and others are staying around."
Goetzman is the longest-ranking member in the current Exile lineup, having joined in June 1977. Sonny LeMaire, bassist, vocalist and writer of about three quarters of the group's material, joined in September '77, "but he's older than me," Goetzman cracked. Other group members include Paul Martin, guitarist and lead singer who joined in August '88; Lee Carroll, keyboardist who came along in '86; and singer-guitarist Mark Jones.