19781984: RCA Records , one of Wariner's major musical influences, helped him sign to RCA Records in 1976.|alt=A black-and-white photo of country singer Chet Atkins, holding a guitar upright. His first single release for RCA was "
I'm Already Taken", a song that Wariner co-wrote. It peaked at number 63 on the
Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in 1978. This was followed by five more chart singles, none of which appeared on an album at the time due to their limited success. These singles were primarily covers of songs by other artists, including
Charley Pride's "The Easy Part's Over".
Record World magazine published a positive review of this cover, which stated that it was a "slow, sad ballad" in which "Wariner continues to show a whole lotta vocal talent." Atkins also hired Wariner to be a bassist in his road band, As a result, "The Easy Part's Over" was instead produced by
Tom Collins, After it came his first number-one single, 1981's "
All Roads Lead to You", followed by the top 15 hit "
Kansas City Lights". Both of these songs were written by
Kye Fleming and
Dennis Morgan. In 1980, the Academy of Country Music nominated Wariner for Top New Male Vocalist. The closing track was a duet with
Barbara Mandrell titled "Overnight Sensation", which also appeared on Mandrell's 1983 album
Spun Gold. Wariner said that he chose to switch producers as a means of introducing more uptempo material, and both Wilson and Brown were working for RCA at the time. The lead single "Don't Your Memory Ever Sleep at Night" faltered on the country charts, but the
title track was more successful, reaching a peak of number five. The album's next two singles, "
Why Goodbye" and "Don't You Give Up on Love", were less successful.
19841990: MCA Nashville When Wariner's contract ended in 1984, he chose to follow Brown to
MCA Nashville. His next album, ''
Life's Highway'' (1986), produced two consecutive number-one Hot Country Songs peaks: "
You Can Dream of Me" and the
title track. This was followed by the number four "
Starting Over Again". Wariner co-wrote five songs on the album including "You Can Dream of Me", which he wrote with
John Hall, then of the band
Orleans. As with the previous album, Bowen and Brown requested that he have input on song selection and production processes; one such decision made by Wariner was not to have a
string section on the album because he would not be able to include one in a live setting. Al Campbell of AllMusic reviewed the album favorably, stating that it "showed him moving into a more mature musical direction. The best moments here outshine anything Wariner had recorded up to that point". In between the releases of "Life's Highway" and "Starting Over Again", he was also a duet vocalist on
Nicolette Larson's "
That's How You Know When Love's Right", Wariner gained further exposure in this timespan for singing the theme to the television sitcom ''
Who's the Boss?'', which used his rendition from 1986 to 1990. Overlapping with his first two MCA albums, RCA promoted two compilations of material. The first of these was a
Greatest Hits album, issued in 1985. The following year, RCA compiled eight previously unreleased songs into an album titled
Down in Tennessee. RCA also issued promotional singles from each compilation: "When We're Together" from
Greatest Hits, and "You Make It Feel So Right", a duet with Carol Chase, from
Down in Tennessee. Also featured on
Down in Tennessee was an instrumental track called "Sano Scat". Ron Chalmers of the
Edmonton Journal gave
Down in Tennessee a mixed review, finding Wariner's vocals stronger on the ballads than on the uptempo material. His next MCA release was 1987's ''
It's a Crazy World, which was his first to be issued on compact disc. The title track was written by Mac McAnally, who originally had a pop hit with it in 1977. All three of its singles topped the Hot Country Songs charts: "Small Town Girl", "The Weekend", and "Lynda". Also in 1987 he was nominated by the Academy of Country Music for Top Male Vocalist. Wariner supported It's a Crazy World'' through a headlining tour that also featured
Hank Williams Jr. The album continued Wariner's trend of writing his own material, as he wrote or co-wrote all three singles and three other songs on the album; he also co-produced for the first time, doing so with Bowen. Wariner supported the album in 1988 by touring with
Reba McEntire. At the time of the album's release, Wariner noted that the chart success and positive fan reception of "I Should Be with You" inspired a continual growth in his songwriting. He also observed that, while he had not received strong record sales or industry awards, radio performance of his singles inspired him to "make the best records".
I Got Dreams charted three singles on Hot Country Songs in 1989: "
Where Did I Go Wrong" and the
title track both went to number one, followed by "
When I Could Come Home to You" at number five. Wariner released two albums in 1990, the first of which was
Laredo. It accounted for three charted singles: "
The Domino Theory", "
Precious Thing", and "
There for Awhile". Marc Rice of the
Associated Press called
Laredo a "safe, likeable album", praising the clarity of the production along with the "clever" lyrics of "The Domino Theory". Kay Knight of
Cash Box magazine stated that "Wariner shows us a very basic and intimate look at his music and his life...this project should definitely bring Wariner into the spotlight of country radio." His second release in 1990, and final for MCA, was the Christmas album
Christmas Memories. In the process of recording the album, Wariner said that he wanted it to have a "timeless" feel. It included traditional Christmas songs such as "
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", "
Do You Hear What I Hear?", three original songs written by Wariner, and collaborations with
The Chieftains on renditions of "
Past Three O'Clock" and "
I Saw Three Ships". Wariner promoted the album through a radio special titled ''Steve Wariner's Acoustic Christmas
, which also featured Emmylou Harris and Mike Reid. A year later, he performed in a television special on The Nashville Network also titled Christmas Memories'' which featured selections from the album. along with
Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.
19911996: Arista Nashville Wariner left MCA amicably in 1991 and signed with
Arista Nashville later that same year. His debut for the label was 1991's
I Am Ready, which was produced by
Tim DuBois and
Scott Hendricks. The album's title came from a song that he had selected but ultimately chose not to include on the album, calling it "left field". was the album's most successful single. It achieved a Hot Country Songs peak of number three in 1992, The next single "
A Woman Loves" also went into the top ten, but followups "Crash Course in the Blues" (featuring O'Connor on fiddle
Alanna Nash of
Entertainment Weekly rated the album "B−", concluding her review with "if Wariner lacks a zippy repertoire, he nearly makes up for it with believable readings and deft vocal shadings". Jay Brakfield of the
Dallas Morning News thought that the album had "contemporary lyrics" and "shows a more aggressive Wariner. He's doing the same thing, but now he's doing it better and doing more of it." The corresponding tours for
I Am Ready were the most commercially successful of his career to this point. His second album for Arista Nashville was 1993's
Drive. Its lead single was the top-ten "
If I Didn't Love You". After it came the Top 30 hits "
Drivin' and Cryin'" and "
It Won't Be Over You", while the album's title track stopped at No. 63. Despite the success of the lead single, DuBois (who was then the president of Arista Nashville) observed that the album sold poorly due to negative reception of the following singles by radio programmers. Although he did not release any albums in 1994 and 1995, he appeared on collaborative works in the timespan. The first was ''
Mama's Hungry Eyes: A Tribute to Merle Haggard'', on which he joined then-labelmates
Diamond Rio and
Lee Roy Parnell on a cover of
Merle Haggard's "
Workin' Man Blues". Credited to "Jed Zeppelin", this rendition was also made into a music video, and charted at number 48 on Hot Country Songs. A year later, he contributed a cover of
The Beatles' "
Get Back" to the compilation
Come Together: America Salutes the Beatles. An instrumental album,
No More Mr. Nice Guy, followed in 1996. Wariner told
Guitar Player magazine that he had wanted to record an instrumental album for much of his career, but had considerable difficulty in getting permission from his labels: MCA executives would only allow him to do one instrumental song on an album, while he had to "beg and plead" Arista to allow him a full album. While the project produced no singles, the track "Brickyard Boogie" (featuring
Jeffrey Steele,
Bryan White,
Bryan Austin, and
Derek George) was nominated for
Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance in 1997. Also in 1996, Wariner was made a member of the
Grand Ole Opry.
19972001: Capitol Records Wariner began writing songs for other artists in the late 1990s per the suggestion of his wife, Caryn, who also ran his publishing company and fan club. She had suggested doing so following the diminishing success of his previous albums. He wrote two songs that topped the Hot Country Songs charts between late 1997 and early 1998: "
Longneck Bottle" by
Garth Brooks (which also featured Wariner on background vocals and lead guitar at Brooks's request Based on the success of these songs, Wariner expressed interest in issuing another album, but said that Arista Nashville executives were reluctant to do so after the commercial failure of
Drive and
No More Mr. Nice Guy. In response, Brooks suggested that Wariner terminate his contract and sign with another label. In January 1998, Wariner underwent negotiations with multiple labels including
Giant Records and
Asylum Records before choosing
Capitol Records Nashville, to which Brooks was also signed at the time. recorded Wariner's composition "
Longneck Bottle" in 1997; the two collaborated again on "
Burnin' the Roadhouse Down" and "
Katie Wants a Fast One".|alt=A head shot of country music singer Garth Brooks His first Capitol album, ''
Burnin' the Roadhouse Down'', came out in April 1998. Leading off the album was the single "
Holes in the Floor of Heaven", which spent two weeks at the number two position on Hot Country Songs. The album's other singles were its
title track (a duet with Brooks), "Road Trippin'", and "Every Little Whisper".
Country Standard Time published a mixed review of the album, praising most of Wariner's lyrics while criticizing the title track as "predictably sappy". Thom Owens of AllMusic wrote of the album that "His music may not be as fresh as it was in the early '80s, when he was at the beginning of his career, but he's become a masterful craftsman, and that's why the album shines." By year's end, ''Burnin' the Roadhouse Down'' had become Wariner's second gold album. "Holes in the Floor of Heaven" won the 1998 Song of the Year award from the Academy of Country Music (where he also received Song of the Year and Video of the Year nominations for the same song), and Vocal Event of the Year nominations for both "What If I Said" and "Burnin' the Roadhouse Down". The album also included a duet with Bryan White on "Talk to Her Heart" and an instrumental called "The Harry Shuffle". Nash rated the album "B", stating that "he continues to shape his persona as the hopeful but dashed romantic, and veers from country lopers to affecting philosophical ruminations. But in serving as his own producer, he fails to get his stronger emotions off the page." Owens said of the album that "It may not be the stunner ''Burnin' the Roadhouse Down
was, but Two Teardrops'' proves that Wariner can continue to make winners." In addition to this, Wariner was one of several musicians contributing to "Bob's Breakdown", a song from
Asleep at the Wheel's 1999 album
Ride with Bob. The same year, he received a second Grammy Award out of three nominations: both "The Harry Shuffle" and "Bob's Breakdown" were nominated for
Best Country Instrumental Performance, with the latter winning that award, while "Two Teardrops" was nominated for Best Country Song. "Bloodlines" accounted for another Best Country Instrumental Performance nomination at the 2000 Grammy Awards. Also in 2000, Wariner co-wrote, played lead guitar, and sang duet vocals on Clint Black's 2000 single "
Been There" from his album ''
D'lectrified''; Wariner's contract with Capitol ended when the label's president Pat Quigley exited. His first album for the label was
Steal Another Day. It accounted for the charting singles in "I'm Your Man" and "Snowfall on the Sand". Wariner promoted the album with a concert at the 2003
Indiana State Fair; he also made appearances at
Walmart stores around
Indianapolis to promote the chain's childhood literacy program Words Are Your Wheels. He also performed with
The Grascals at the 2006
International Bluegrass Music Association awards. In 2008, Wariner played guitar on two tracks from
Brad Paisley's instrumental album
Play: The Guitar Album: the multi-artist collaboration "Cluster Pluck", which won that year's Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental, and "More Than Just This Song", which Wariner and Paisley co-wrote. One year later, Wariner released the instrumental album
My Tribute to Chet Atkins. The album's track "Producer's Medley" won him another Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance. For this album, Wariner referred to himself as "Steve Wariner, c.g.p.", indicating the title "certified guitar player" which Atkins had bestowed to guitarists whom he respected. Other guitarists to receive this title from Atkins include
Tommy Emmanuel,
John Knowles,
Marcel Dadi, and
Jerry Reed. Wariner promoted the album through special concerts in Nashville, whose proceeds were donated to the Chet Atkins Music Education Fund. Another instrumental album,
Guitar Laboratory, followed in 2011. Contributors on the album included
David Hungate,
Aubrey Haynie, and Paul Yandell, along with Wariner's touring drummer Ron Gannaway and son Ross. JP Tausig of
Country Standard Time noted the variety of musical styles on the album, particularly a
jazz influence on some tracks. 2013's ''It Ain't All Bad
returned Wariner to a vocal album after several instrumental ones. Chuck Yarborough of The Plain Dealer'' rated the album "A", noting
rockabilly and
bluegrass music influences on the album's sound, also highlighting the lyrics of "Arrows at Airplanes" and "Bluebonnet Memories". Following in 2016 was
All Over the Map, on which Wariner played guitar, drums,
upright bass, and steel guitar. The album included a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks, among which was "When I Still Mattered to You", a track that he wrote with
Merle Haggard in 1996. It also included a collaboration with Ricky Skaggs on "Down Sawmill Road". In 2019, Wariner was one of many artists inducted into the
Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. ==Musical styles==