For a stretch in 1993 Doug Stone was hearing his songs reach No. 1 while his more immediate job was teaching a 35 year old body how to handle the road again after quadruple bypass surgery.
The career was peaking while the singer was fighting to recover.
Doug Stone had spent years working ordinary jobs around Georgia while singing wherever he could. He was already in his thirties when Epic Records finally signed him in 1989.
The breakthrough came quickly. βIβd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)β reached the country Top 5 in 1990. βIn a Different Lightβ and βA Jukebox with a Country Songβ followed it to No. 1 while his first two albums went platinum.
Chest Pain At The Worst Possible Moment
Then in December 1992 Stone experienced chest pain. Doctors discovered severe coronary blockages and at only 35 he underwent quadruple bypass surgery.
The timing could hardly have been worse. His third album From the Heart had just been released and Stone was forced away from touring while one of the biggest stretches of his career was still unfolding.
Country radio kept moving without him. βToo Busy Being in Loveβ reached No. 1 in early 1993. Then βWhy Didnβt I Think of Thatβ became another chart topper.
Recovery Followed By More Health Battles
Stone recovered and returned to the road, but his health troubles were not finished. In December 1995 he suffered a heart attack. Later medical problems including a serious 1998 plane crash interrupted his career again.
The hits eventually slowed, but the early run left Stone with eight No. 1 country singles and millions of records sold.
Years later those chart numbers tell only part of what happened. Doug Stone had waited years for his platinum breakthrough, then had to fight for his health at the very moment country radio was finally playing his voice everywhere.