3 Things I Never Knew About EXILE Until Friday Night

Friday night at The Ledge in Waite Park was a little bit of a full-circle moment for me.

I went to see the amazing and talented Trace Adkins, who was wonderful! But I was especially excited to see EXILE take the stage. Why? My connection to this band goes back more than 30 years, to a completely different chapter of my life.

BACK IN THE 1990's....

Back in the 1990s, I was living in Kentucky and chasing a dream of my own. As a singer and songwriter, I was working toward a record deal, writing music and performing whenever I had the opportunity.

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During those years, I got to know some of the members of EXILE and even had the opportunity to sing with Les Taylor.

When I recorded my own album, JP Pennington, one of the founding members of EXILE, allowed me to record one of his songs, “When Love Comes Knockin’,” as the title track. All of the other songs on the album were originals that I had written or co-written with other musicians.

It was an exciting time in my life, and I’ll always be grateful that JP allowed me to record one of their songs.

First, take a listen to J.P. Pennington’s version of “When Love Comes Knockin’.”

And now, here is my version of the song from back in the 1990s.

Kelly Cordes - Topic/YouTube

As I sat at The Ledge Friday night listening to the stories behind the songs, I learned a few things about this legendary Kentucky band that I had somehow never known before.

1. EXILE Recorded “Heart and Soul” Before Huey Lewis and the News

This one completely surprised me.

Most of us hear “Heart and Soul” and immediately think of Huey Lewis and the News. Their version became one of the most recognizable songs of the 1980s.

But Friday night, I learned that EXILE had recorded the song first. Hearing EXILE perform it live was one of those moments when you suddenly realize just how deep a band’s musical history really goes.

I had known these guys. I had spent time around them. And somehow, I never knew they had a connection to a song I had heard countless times over the years.

Here's the original version from EXILE.

Now here's the Huey Lewis & The News version.

2. Janie Fricke Had a Huge Hit With an EXILE Song

Here was another surprise for me.

EXILE originally recorded “It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Easy,” a song that Janie Fricke would later take to the top of the country charts.

I knew the Janie Fricke version, but I had never connected the song to EXILE.

Once again, I found myself wondering how I had missed this little piece of music history. Here's the EXILE version.

Here's the artist Janie Fricke, who took it to the top of the charts.

Larry's Country Diner/YouTube