Billboard magazine once said, "It's an almost unheard-of feat in the country community for an Independent label act, much less a brand new artist, to go toe-to-toe with the majors and score a top 10 hit." Yet in 2001 that is exactly what Mark McGuinn did with his surprise smash "Mrs. Steven Rudy."

This was the first time in over 40 years that a new artist, on a new independent label, had stepped into the radio arena with the major labels and won; all this on a fraction of the budget of what the majors spend on artist. This is truly testament to the power of the music, the hard work of the label, and the yearning of radio listeners wanting to hear something a little different. Although McGuinn followed up with successful releases, the label ceased operations, seemingly vanishing McGuinn from the public eye.

"In reality this was a blessing," states McGuinn. "It allowed me to focus more on starting a family and concentrating on songwriting." The initial result of this desirable hiatus was his self-penned top 10 song, for BNA recording artist, Lonestar, "Unusually Unusual" and more than enough well thought out songs for his up-coming project, "One Man's Crazy" due to be released in early 2006.

"Today, it's a whole different world for artist and labels than when I came on to the scene in 2001," stated McGuinn. "The musical landscape has made a dramatic change. There is so much diversity and I like that. It makes music more interesting. Technological advances in recording and duplication over the past three years have given artists, who might not otherwise have had the money to get their music heard, a real viable chance to do this, creating a true world audience. We are discovering that not only is our musical world not flat, but its not round either, it is actually shapeless. There are no borders or boundaries, "tabula rasa"......count me in.....and anyways my horse is restless."

On the surface, the CD's first release "Bring 'Em Back" (co-written by his wife) is a nostalgic song for the grandeur days of country music. Dig beneath the surface and the real theme is that of change and the comfort we all receive from the familiarities of the past, yearning for the way things used to be. McGuinn maintains, "Our lives today are so complicated, to be able to re-visit people and places long gone sometimes makes things appear simpler."

Themes of life and its experiences are abundant throughout his current work. There are the requisite songs of love and loss, one of which is his duet with Georgette Jones (the only child of Tammy Wynette and George Jones). The simple, haunting strains of "Better a Painful Ending" echo traditional country break-up songs. "We Could Be" also values the beauty of a simple melody and lyric but then showcases McGuinn's versatility as he solos on the trumpet, the first instrument he ever learned to play.

The one experience most of us share is that of life in the United States. The title track, "One Man's Crazy" proclaims all that is right and good about being American today. McGuinn enthusiastically reminds us that America is the original great melting pot, because "you can be purple, pink, polka dot, it don't matter what, when you're red, white, and blue".

Blue Flamingo Records was co-founded by Mark and long time publisher and songwriter, Jim Foster. Contained on the first release are 17 tracks, all of which were produced by McGuinn, with all but one being written or co-written by him. Co-writing credits include Foster and Don Pfrimmer, a writer with eight number ones to his acclaim.

USA Today wrote, "It is hard not to root for an underdog who is this winningly optimistic". While it would have been easy to vanish along with his label 4 years ago, Mark McGuinn chose to take his experiences and meld them into his music, composing, performing, and producing a CD that is as engaging as his debut but more musically complex and mature. Indeed, it is a reflection of the man he has since become.