00:23I've seen things grow quite a bit and we've been able to accomplish some pretty amazing things as
00:28far as playing some really big venues and selling them out over the last few years and
00:32even going into other countries. I've been surprised in such a good way everywhere we've
00:35been that I believed we could do it. Nashville's different because unlike most places, there's not
00:42a thousand other bars that are playing country music to compete with you. In Nashville, you go
00:46to sell out Bridgestone. That's a lot of folks and you've got to bring them into a hard ticket venue.
00:50It was a big deal to do it, but again, I just kind of believed that we had enough fans
00:54and that we
00:55could accomplish it and it certainly worked out. It was a really great night.
00:59Take me through show day and your routine.
01:02I guess it depends on where we are. There's some places that are a little more friendly to get out
01:06and travel and play golf or do certain things. I like to get on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace
01:11and try to find old cars. I like to do a little bit of thrift shopping, some antique in a
01:15little bit.
01:16I bought a lot of old vehicles on the road. I bought a Chrysler LeBaron when I was on tour
01:21with
01:21Brad Paisley that broke down the day I bought it and we had to push it out of the way
01:24to get Brad's
01:25bus out of the way. Those are the adventures that stand out to me. They're the ones that aren't
01:29planned. I think you're up to 18 cars that you've purchased this morning. How many are you up to?
01:35That sounds right. I don't have 18 that run, but I've got 18 that look cool.
01:40They're not up on cinder blocks. No, they've got wheels and tires on them.
01:44They may not be fully functioning, but they look good.
01:47They look great. Why that? Why the cars?
01:50It's just classic. There's something about that era. I remember I learned to drive in a 1968 Ford
01:56Bronco. My granddad Buford showed me how to drive it back there behind the Golden Saul Music Hall.
02:01There's a three-speed on the columns. People don't know how to drive stick shift cars anymore.
02:07Nobody could ever steal that car from me because nobody could drive it. The smell of that car when
02:13I get in it reminds me of when I was a kid. When I go and I find an old
02:16vehicle like that,
02:17whether it was something that my dad had when I was little or my granddaddy or a Chrysler LeBaron
02:22with wood panel sidings on it. There's something that's nostalgic about that.
02:29I always say that you can have the newest BMW and the next year it's going to be a year
02:33old,
02:34but those old vehicles like that never go out of style.
02:37No, no. How old were you when your granddad taught you to drive?
02:40Well, I was 16.
02:42Right. I can't believe I even asked you that.
02:45I'm smoking a cigarette going down the road.
03:02Let's talk about your love for scrambled eggs and how many you already had today?
03:06I've had two omelets with four eggs each and then six scrambled eggs.
03:12So how many eggs is that?
03:15Fourteen.
03:17I'm going to take your word for it.
03:18Sounds right.
03:19Not my strong suit.
03:20Cooking eggs I'm good at. Math, no.
03:22Okay, but what else do you cook besides eggs?
03:24Steak.
03:25So wait, when you said you have a steak after you come off stage, are you cooking your own steak?
03:30No, but a lot of times we're in a big city and we can find a good steak.
03:34Okay.
03:34A lot of times we return visiting these cities, so I know where to get a good steak.
03:38You're keeping a list of steak houses.
03:39The fridges on the bus are small. You can only keep a couple of steaks in there, so I've got
03:44to get a better situation for cooking a steak on the road.
03:47Okay. But what about a cooking show for you?
03:50I'm in.
03:51What do you want to do? What does your cooking show look like?
03:54I think that we go out hunting and then we take whatever we harvest and we cook it and we
04:02show you how to cook it.
04:03When you're hunting, you're generally eating what you're killing.
04:07So that's just following you in real life, right?
04:11Like it's just more.
04:12Well, those are the best shows.
04:13Yeah, that's true.
04:14Yeah, it's a real life show.
04:15I mean, what's another theme for a cooking show that hasn't been done?
04:21Like Emeril Lagasse's got the BAM thing.
04:23Yeah.
04:23You know, I can't do that.
04:24Oh, what's your trademark going to be?
04:25If it's not BAM, what is it going to be?
04:28Put some cheese on it.
04:29You're going to pay homage to your mom and have put some cheese on everything.
04:34And can your mom be in the show with you?
04:35Of course.
04:36I think it's two different camera angles.
04:37She's about this tall.
04:38Okay.
04:38So it's going to be a family show.
04:40Family show.
04:40Literally.
04:41Family friendly show.
04:42Family friendly show and family show.
04:44Cooking with Mama.
04:45Way more than just eggs.
04:47That ain't how Mama made it.
04:48That's the name of the show.
04:55You're very close with your family.
04:57How often do they come out on the road?
04:59And how do they kind of keep you level-headed?
05:02Well, they certainly keep me grounded because nothing's really different about me back home.
05:08You know, I mean, obviously I've had some really great moments in my career and been able to build up
05:12some accolades in a country music world.
05:15But as far as, like, when I go back to Alabama, we talk about the same stuff.
05:19We're working on the same projects on the farm.
05:21And all my buddies keep me very humbled, you know.
05:24So that's pretty important.
05:26But having them come out on the road like they do is probably more important because I don't get to
05:31go home like I wish I could, you know.
05:33So just being able to see family and friends and, you know, that familiar face out on the road and
05:39a touring lifestyle that can be a little bit hectic is pretty helpful.
05:42So you like for them to be there?
05:43Like it kind of keeps you centered?
05:45Yeah, because my mom's going to watch this and I don't want her to get the wrong idea and start
05:48coming out every week.
05:51I bought them a camper this year.
05:54Wait, so they can follow you?
05:55Well, not follow me, I mean, but they could be at somewhere I'm at.
05:59But the reason I bought it, and I love them, so I bought it because I'm really nice.
06:03But I also bought it so they wouldn't ride my bus so much because they've been riding my bus a
06:07lot lately.
06:07Like they just, like, jump on it, you know, they don't really ask.
06:11And my mom leaves a lot of stuff on there.
06:13She's like, well, we might come out next month, you know.
06:15She didn't realize that's where I live at.
06:18So they've got a camper now, so it's great.
06:21I love having them out.
06:22I think my parents kind of lived their second childhood chasing me around the country on my tour,
06:26and so it's cool they get to go do that.
06:28And what about your sister?
06:29You've got two sisters, right?
06:30I've got two sisters.
06:32Lindy lives in Prattville, Alabama, and they've got three kids all playing ball all the time,
06:36so they don't get out a ton.
06:37I had them all in my house for the Bridgestone show in Nashville.
06:41But it was great.
06:42It was great to have them all there.
06:43They wanted to see you.
06:44They wanted, you know, and the kids wanted to see their uncle.
06:47Like, that's a big deal.
06:49That's a really, really big deal.
06:51It's a big deal when I go to check them out of school or something.
06:53Yeah.
06:53You know, like, they don't act like it's a big deal,
06:55but the ladies in the office always let me check them out without having to sign anything,
06:58so that's great.
07:00Okay.
07:00Yeah, you've got to be quick when you go to the elementary school to pick up my nephew, Joe.
07:04Yeah, you've got to make a run for it.
07:06So how do you wind down, when your parents aren't there,
07:09how do you wind down after you get off stage?
07:11I like cigar.
07:12What I've found is because a lot of times I'll get spread sort of thin on the road,
07:16and, you know, there's a lot of personalities and a lot of people there
07:19that that's their night to really get after.
07:21It's their night to party, and they're all there to support me,
07:23so you've got to appreciate it.
07:24But that space on the bus where I can go and kind of relax and, you know,
07:29disconnect from everything, it's become more important than I've ever realized.
07:32And do you have your own bus now, or are you still sharing it with the band?
07:36I've got my bus.
07:36I haven't been sharing it with the band for a while.
07:39Okay.
07:39I've spent the last five years kicking people off my bus, and it feels great, you know?
07:44You've got you.
07:45All great folks, but they just need to be in their space.
07:47And you need your own space.
07:49Yeah.
07:49You're headlining all your own shows, but then you're playing a few festivals.
07:52I think you just played Tortuga.
07:54You're also playing the Rock the Country Festival, July 10 through 11 in Ashland,
07:59headlined by Kid Rock and Jason Aldean.
08:01That festival has had a number of artists drop off,
08:04and it just kind of became politicized.
08:06Were you aware of that?
08:08Were you like, oh, man, like, it's the 250th anniversary of the country.
08:12Why are people politicizing this?
08:14Were you even aware, and were you thinking, do I want to be aligned with this festival?
08:20No.
08:21I mean, the simplest way I can put it is if somebody calls me and wants me to come play
08:26a festival,
08:27and financially it makes sense, then I'm probably going to go do it.
08:32I don't ask a lot of questions beyond that, but Rock the Country sounds like a fun festival.
08:37You know, I've certainly played all over the country and now several other countries,
08:42and I don't see any benefit in me in making anything political as far as where I go play at.
08:48I think people go to concerts to try to get away from their everyday problems and enjoy country music,
08:53so I think I should kind of look at it the same way.
08:55I think that people that are very, for lack of a better term, preachy,
08:59as far as their beliefs or political sidings or whatever on a stage,
09:03it seems to me they come off as somebody that thinks they're the smartest person in the room,
09:07and I've never thought that about myself.
09:08I think that when people come to my show, they're coming to have a good time
09:13and to step away from whatever stresses they have in their life,
09:16and that's my job is to entertain them, you know.
09:19My granddaddy Buford was one of the best in the world.
09:21He wanted everybody around him to feel comfortable and welcome,
09:25and, you know, I learned a lot from watching him just run that little music hall we had out there
09:29in Pleasant Valley.
09:29And, you know, again, it's just my job just to make sure everybody there has a good time.
09:40So tell me about growing up.
09:42Were you growing up on a farm, or has that been an adult thing?
09:45Well, I grew up on what I thought was a farm.
09:48You know, we had a few cows and a few acres,
09:51and since then I've been able to buy a lot more property back in my hometown
09:56and got a lot more animals.
09:57Got goats and pigs and chickens and roosters and turkeys and cows and horses,
10:02so it's more of a hobby farm.
10:06I mean, you know, my folks go out there all the time.
10:08My nieces and nephews go out there and hang out with the animals and take care of them,
10:12but it's just something that I knew I would always enjoy.
10:15I'm always going to keep that farm back in Alabama,
10:17and it keeps everybody occupied, gives them something to do,
10:19and definitely something to look forward to going home to see.
10:22Now, speaking of horses, you've gotten two horses recently, right?
10:26Two horses.
10:27Tell me about your two horses.
10:28What are their names?
10:30What kind are they?
10:31Well, Jinx is the girl, and easy, and Cowboy is the boy,
10:38and they're both quarter horses.
10:41Jinx is, we had a rough go my first time on her.
10:44She threw me and kicked me and everything else, but we're great now.
10:47We're getting along really well now.
10:50Do you feel like you're in your cowboy era?
10:53If I've ever had one, definitely, yeah.
10:57It's fun for me to have stuff like that back at the farm
11:02because it's constantly what keeps me sane when I'm traveling
11:04is thinking about building a bigger area for the animals or a barn for the horses
11:10or a big fenced-in area in the back
11:12and kind of thinking about how it'll look, building a house above the lake,
11:15and it's just constant projects I'm working on back at the farm.
11:17So what else do you want to add?
11:22Man, I can't imagine animal-wise that I need anything else.
11:25I think a miniature donkey.
11:27That's going to be the next thing.
11:29Okay.
11:29They're very cute.
11:31They are.
11:39Let's talk about being in Australia.
11:41Was that your second time touring in Australia?
11:43Second time in Australia, yeah.
11:44Are you surprised how well your music translates over there?
11:47Very much.
11:48I can remember it started in, like, Canada when I would go up there
11:51and I was surprised at how well it went up there.
11:54And there was this girl who went number one in Canada before the United States
11:57I thought was such a crazy thing.
11:58And we did our tour in the U.K.
12:01The same thing, all sold-out shows over there.
12:03And when we went to Australia two years ago, the venues were not real big.
12:08It was clubs, but we'd do two or three nights there.
12:10And we went back this year and did arenas, and it was awesome.
12:13I mean, they know the words to every song, maybe even more so than some shows in the States.
12:18I think that they're prideful that you're coming over there.
12:21You know, I mean, everybody doesn't go spend the time with them,
12:23and they want you to know that they know the album cuts.
12:26So it was an awesome tour and kind of a cool place to go start the tour.
12:29It wore me out a little bit, you know, that kind of travel.
12:31But it was great to see that things are working in places I never dreamed I would be.
12:36What songs surprised you that they were singing back to you?
12:39Well, the newest songs.
12:41You know, that's always a surprise to me, too.
12:43You know, I grew up in a time when you really had to hear a song on the radio to
12:47know it.
12:48Or you had to go buy the CD at Walmart.
12:50And now it's very different.
12:53Like, you know, people can go and find music that's not even released yet
12:56just by you playing a version of it on Instagram or Facebook or whatever.
13:00So I've got some brand new songs.
13:01My Way is one that just came out.
13:03Got a love that we'd just lay.
13:07If I had it my way.
13:09People knowing that song, you know, even before it was released is a pretty crazy thing.
13:13Yeah.
13:14I saw some footage, and I felt like you were almost having to be a goodwill ambassador.
13:19I don't know how you kept a straight face when you were presented a kangaroo scrotum bottle opener.
13:25Yeah, I saw that in my house yesterday.
13:27I got, somebody gave me like a Speedo with ducks on it, too.
13:31I got a lot of weird stuff over there.
13:33But, yeah, you know, you never know what you're going to get.
13:37You never know what their customs are when you travel overseas, too.
13:40I feel like you are a diplomat.
13:43Like, you know, you talk about being raised to look people in their eyes, shake their hand.
13:47And I feel like that stood you in very good stead when you're out on the road being faced with
13:52these kind of situations.
13:54Well, yeah.
13:54Yeah, I mean, I didn't get put through a lot of media training, even though I'm sure there were some
13:59people that wanted me to go through a lot of it.
14:02I feel like I was just brought up to know how to treat people and how to talk to people.
14:05And, you know, a certain level of respect goes a long ways.
14:09And, you know, I know I've told you before, but my granddaddy Buford used to give me and my cousins
14:14handshake competitions when we were kids.
14:16You know, and that was like just something we wanted to win.
14:19We didn't know why we were doing it.
14:20But, yeah, there's going to be some things thrown at you when you're doing interviews, especially in other countries.
14:24And you just got to kind of roll with it.
14:27You know, at the end of the day, you need to get over yourself a little bit and just remember,
14:30what are you doing?
14:32What's your job here?
14:33It's mine is to entertain folks that love country music.
14:36And sometimes that takes receiving, what did you say it was?
14:41It was a kangaroo scrotum bottle opener.
14:43Yeah, yeah.
14:44Well, the reason I was awkward about that is because I already had one.
14:48I bought one earlier that day at a gift shop.
14:51Could you take yours back?
14:52I didn't keep the receipts.
14:53No, I've got two.
14:55Honestly, I'll just let you have one of them.
14:58Also, though, in Australia, you got hit in the ear with a phone that someone threw on stage.
15:02I forgot all about that.
15:03I'm here to remind you.
15:04There was a moment where you looked like, I'm going to go get that son of a gun.
15:10And then you really reeled yourself back in as blood was flowing down your ear.
15:14Take me through that and like what you remember from that.
15:17I was pretty proud of myself, actually.
15:20When something like that happens, there's an initial reaction that I think is you're not really in control of.
15:27And once I got past that moment, you know, I was I was fine.
15:30It was I didn't see it.
15:32I didn't know what it was.
15:33And I got hit with something and I realized it was a phone.
15:35And I thought, OK, well, you know, somebody's throwing a phone at me.
15:39And initially, there was probably a moment where I thought about diving into the crowd.
15:43And I reeled that back a little bit.
15:45We cut the lights on, found the perpetrator, if you will, and they removed him from the show.
15:49And I think that, you know, again, there's three thousand people in the venue that paid good money to come
15:56see me play a show.
15:57And it seems pretty childish for me to let one person ruin it for everybody.
16:01So I kind of tried to hold it together and make a joke out of it.
16:03I think I said something during I Wish Grandpas Never Died that they could get their phone out and turn
16:08the flashlight on.
16:08Just don't throw it at me, you know, and that became the joke for the whole weekend.
16:12And I can't tell you how many people in Australia.
16:14I mean, obviously, it was big news over there, but how apologetic the country was as a whole.
16:19You know, they didn't want me to think this represented them in any way.
16:22And of course, it didn't.
16:22It was just somebody that had too much drink and probably wasn't thinking clearly.
16:26How's your ear healing?
16:28It was good.
16:28I had five stitches in it and you can't even hardly tell now.
16:31No, you can't.
16:32I can't even see a scar.
16:33Yeah.
16:34Wow.
16:34Did you have any kind of PTSD?
16:38Were you like, you know, wait, is something coming at me, you know, afterwards or were you completely fine?
16:43It's weird.
16:43The next day we had a show in the same venue and there was a moment when I walked on
16:48stage that I kind of felt that like anxious because you can't see anything.
16:52And it was a smaller arena and the light were kind of like level with me in my eyes.
16:56And I was like, man, like, but I played hundreds of shows, thousands of shows where I don't know how
17:02many years now and nothing like that's ever happened.
17:05So, you know, it's one of those things.
17:07It was kind of a freak accident and move on from it.
17:10And, you know, I got to be honest, I look pretty cool.
17:13With blood going down my neck, singing how much Grandpa's Never Die, I look pretty cool.
17:17And then when you were like, I don't want stitches, I was like, what kind of macho man are you?
17:21You're like, don't give me stitches.
17:23Well, that's my pop.
17:25When I did construction work with him, I've seen like bones sticking out and he just like tape it together
17:29and continue working.
17:30He's insane.
17:31I'm not that tough.
17:32I was just pretending that, you know.
17:34You sold it.
17:35See, the acting was already happening.
17:36Yeah, you sold it.
17:39You had not been on a plane until you went to Nashville and got signed in 2018.
17:43And now you're going all over the world.
17:45Has that changed your worldview?
17:47Well, you can't help but kind of get a different view of how big the world is when you get
17:52to travel like that.
17:53I certainly thought that my hometown was unique, you know, in how it was and how I was brought up.
18:00And I realized there are a lot of people that grew up the same way all over the place, you
18:03know.
18:04And country music is certainly something that's pretty widespread even more now than then.
18:07But I've also kind of got a different view of my home because it makes me appreciate what time I
18:14get to spend there, you know.
18:15I think the common thought is everybody spends most of their young life trying to get out of their hometown
18:21and go see the world and trying to get back.
18:24Seems like what I'm trying to do is that's a vacation for me to go home.
18:27So I got an appreciation for where I grew up and how I grew up and the values there.
18:34And I've been, like I said, pleasantly surprised at how similar a lot of places in the world that I
18:40didn't realize were like that.
18:42Yeah, like, yeah, exactly.
18:44We're not we're not all that different.
18:45Do you have a new favorite food?
18:47Is there like do you love Vegemite now or is there?
18:50That's so awful.
18:52I this is my problem with the only problem I have with Australia other than my ear was they they
18:57make you try Vegemite.
18:59OK, it may be good.
19:02People may like it.
19:03But like that's not the best thing they have, you know.
19:05So they're giving you like a little here, try this.
19:07And they're like snickering at you while they do it.
19:09Like that's a crazy thing.
19:10And then they make you drink out of a boot, out of your shoe.
19:13That's, you know, I don't feel like we make Australians do that when they come here, you know.
19:19I saw that all online and I was like, what's this whole thing?
19:22It's the first thing you do when you get to Australia.
19:23Like you land in the country, they give you a Vegemite on a cracker and make you drink out of
19:28a boot.
19:28Your own boot or?
19:30Your own boot.
19:30You've been wearing it all day.
19:32Yeah.
19:33And you kind of don't want to say no.
19:35You don't want to see them.
19:35I think they put a lot of Vegemite on the cracker to like make it hard to eat.
19:40But I don't think you really are supposed to put that much on there.
19:43Yeah.
19:44They're testing you.
19:46I was watching Marshalls on Sunday night.
19:50You started your four-story arc.
19:52You're playing a Navy SEAL vet.
19:55It's for your first acting job other than music videos.
19:58It's pretty intense.
19:59I mean, you're playing a character with PTSD.
20:01He becomes a burn victim.
20:03So you're telling me stuff.
20:04I don't even know.
20:05You knew you became a burn victim.
20:06I mean, yeah, I guess I did.
20:07You were there.
20:09You were there.
20:09Were you concerned about the high degree of difficulty for your first acting job?
20:14I mean, it's really emotionally challenging.
20:18You know, my nerves as far as not having acted before really didn't come in until I thought
20:26about how serious that part is.
20:30Like, to play somebody that's been through something in a war setting and has severe PTSD
20:35like that, you want to do that justice.
20:38It's not like just playing a cowboy or something.
20:41It's a lot more serious.
20:43So there were a couple of Navy SEALs that were on set that we kind of had at our disposal
20:48to ask questions, and I did a lot of that.
20:51And I think I was really lucky that the scene of me waking up on the couch with, like, night
20:57tears was one of the first scenes that I shot.
21:00And I just didn't have enough time to get real nervous about it, and I kind of thrown
21:03into it, and I just did it.
21:04And that was a level of confidence I got when everybody around me was like, that was good.
21:08I thought, okay, well, maybe I can do this, you know, because I had no prior experience.
21:13It made me step back and look at the role a little more, like I said, a little more seriously,
21:17but also, like, try to look at it through somebody else's eyes and trying to imagine
21:23something that I can't comprehend.
21:24You know, it's a pretty tough thing.
21:25How many times did you shoot that scene?
21:27Well, we shot every scene two to three or four times to get different angles, but from
21:33what I understand, really the first take of that one was kind of what we used.
21:36I mean, it was, and I'm glad, because, you know, when you're, like I said, I think I
21:41was thrown into it so quick, I didn't have time to really worry too much about it.
21:44I just kind of tried to put myself there, and I pictured somebody that's been through
21:47something like that watching it, you know.
21:50As a touring artist, that's what I always did.
21:52I always pictured myself as a fan.
21:54Like, what would I want to see me do on stage?
21:57And that was kind of what I did, and that was like, what would I want to see somebody do
22:00that was trying to do this justice, I guess.
22:02And it was great to have that kind of challenge.
22:04I really enjoyed that part of it.
22:05Yeah, well, I want to just take you back when you said you would try to think about
22:09what someone would want to see as a fan.
22:11You've got a B stage in your show now, and you're walking through the audience.
22:16What are you feeling when you're walking through the arena to the B stage and through the audience?
22:22You know, for one, you're talking about a fan that didn't get the front row ticket.
22:26You know, I mean, they were quite a ways back in the crowd, and to have a high five or,
22:31you know, just a video of me walking by that close, I guess that's a pretty cool moment for them.
22:35But, I mean, I've never slapped hands with Eric Church before.
22:39I've been to his show before, you know, so that's a pretty cool thing.
22:41But being able to take my show and bring it all the way to the back of the room,
22:45and then I've always loved to sit down and just play a song acoustic and tell a story.
22:49So, that's, it's cool to kind of be able to accomplish both of those things,
22:53and I'm sure it's a different experience that, you know, something fans weren't really expecting.
22:57Was there someone when you were growing up that you saw that you were like,
23:00do they know I'm here? Can they see me?
23:04There were several.
23:05I mean, I opened for, when I was touring in Northeast Alabama,
23:09I opened for everybody that came through there.
23:11You know, I did a show with Marshall Tucker Band, Jamie Johnson, Randy Houser, Jared Neiman.
23:16And every one of those shows, I remember being like, man, I wonder if they're watching
23:19when I played my opening, you know, four or five songs I'd written.
23:22And it's a cool thing to not be that far removed from that part of my career
23:27because it keeps me mindful of it, you know, especially when I'm taking out
23:30up-and-coming acts to open for me and making sure that they see me on the side of the
23:34stage
23:34during their set for a song or two or being able to bring them out during my set
23:38and mention their name.
23:39I can't remember how much it meant to me to hear Marshall Tucker Band say,
23:43y'all get up for Riley Green, they'd open the show.
23:45Like how big of a deal that was for me.
23:46And it's not, it doesn't cost me anything to do it.
23:49So it's something that I try to stay pretty mindful of.
23:51You have to have a female on your bill, right?
23:55I certainly need one, yeah.
23:56Yeah.
23:57It's crazy to think about, you know, where Ella's career has gone
24:01since Like You Love Me and Don't Mind If I Do.
24:05And I remember seeing how excited fans were to see me and her come out on stage
24:10and perform those songs.
24:12And you don't see that happen often.
24:13We had two giant hits and we were on tour together at that time.
24:17So for me, I just think about it as how much of an opportunity it would be for some up
24:22-and-coming
24:23female artists to be able to come and perform those two songs.
24:25You know, and it's great to be able to kind of handpick artists to come out on the road with
24:30me
24:31and let them, you know, get a small benefit from what we're so blessed to be able to do on
24:37the road.
24:37What did you learn from being an opening act of how to treat your opening acts?
24:43Like you said, even just spending that moment on the side of the stage.
24:45And what did you learn, and you don't have to name names, not to do to your opening act?
24:49Oh, you want to know who's a jerk.
24:51Yeah, I do want to know.
24:52Feel free to say.
24:54Feel free to say.
24:54I can honestly say I've never run into anybody that I just had a horrible experience with,
24:59but that's something that's pretty unique to country music.
25:02That being said, to me, what stood out were a handful of things where, you know,
25:07like when I was out with Brad Paisley, I remember I wrote I Wish Grandpa's Never Died during that tour.
25:11I walked by my green room that I shared with my entire band.
25:15We were on one bus, and there was like 12 of us, and they were playing a video,
25:19and it was of somebody singing I Wish Grandpa's Never Died, and I was like,
25:22that voice sounds really familiar, and it was Brad.
25:24And he had posted a video of him singing it on Facebook or whatever.
25:29I thought, man, like how crazy is that?
25:31I was first to three.
25:32I wouldn't even direct support on that tour, and he just liked the song.
25:36And one of the next two or three shows, we had lightning during my set.
25:40I played five songs.
25:41I played 20-something minutes, and I didn't get to play that song,
25:44and he called me out during his set to play it.
25:46Just spontaneously.
25:47Yeah, just because he liked the song, and he wanted to make sure he thought it was a hit
25:50and wanted to make sure I got to play it for the fans there.
25:52And, you know, I was nobody at the time.
25:55So things like that stand out to you, and I know how much they meant to me.
25:59So if there's ever an opportunity I have to do something like that for somebody opening up, I try to.
26:04People talk about Brad being one of the absolute best people to open up for.
26:08Prankster.
26:09Yeah.
26:09He's fun that way.
26:11Yeah, he's fun that way.
26:11Has acting in videos?
26:13I mean, people very much appreciated your acting in the worst way.
26:18Has acting in videos?
26:19I wasn't even acting.
26:21That was a fun one.
26:22You were like, can we shoot this again, please?
26:23How has acting in your videos prepared you for being more comfortable doing acting, like with Marshalls?
26:32It did a little bit.
26:33I think that the big thing that it helped me with is to realize that when you're in that setting,
26:38it's not easy.
26:40It's not comfortable.
26:41It's awkward.
26:42But everybody in the room has the same goal, if that makes sense.
26:46When you walk in and you're shooting an intimate kind of scene, whatever it is, or something in a music
26:52video, that awkward feeling of, oh, man, there's all these people watching.
26:56Well, everybody there is trying to get the shot, the exact same shot you're trying to get.
26:59They all want to get it done so they can leave.
27:00So when you look at it that way, it's like, okay, well, yeah, let's all just work together.
27:04And I find that what helps me is I cut up with everybody that's behind the camera and holding the
27:09little fluffy thing above your head.
27:11I try to give everybody a hard time and make everybody feel comfortable, and it, in turn, somehow makes me
27:15feel more comfortable.
27:16And I was really fortunate on Marshalls that not only were all the actors and actresses great and have a
27:23great relationship with Luke, but the entire crew was awesome.
27:26And I know that's not always the case, so it really helped a lot.
27:30So you've only seen the first episode?
27:32That's right.
27:32And what did you think?
27:34Like, some people can't watch themselves on TV.
27:37Like, what did you think?
27:38I've talked to a lot of actors that are that way, and I get it.
27:43I have a hard time not watching myself do anything and being critical, but it didn't take the enjoyment out
27:49of it for me.
27:50Like, I still enjoyed watching it.
27:52You know, I think it's maybe my competitiveness from playing sports.
27:56I watch things with that kind of eye.
27:58Like, when I watch a video of myself singing, I think, man, I could have done this.
28:01Or if I watch myself in a music video or an interview, I should have said this or that.
28:06And I think that's just because I want to, you know, get as much out of my career as I
28:10can and be as good as I can at all the things that I try to do.
28:13Okay, so anything in this interview so far that you want to revisit that you're like, shoot, why didn't I
28:19say that?
28:19No, I'm crushing this interview.
28:21You are.
28:21Yeah.
28:22Totally.
28:22Like, I'll be honest with you, I want to watch this back after just for, like, you know, they should
28:25show this interview to people that are going to do interviews.
28:28So we can be a training.
28:30Yeah.
28:30We can be a training session.
28:31What advice did Tim McGraw give you, or is it just from watching him, that you've talked about wanting a
28:37career like his, you know, between the music and the acting?
28:40Have you all had a conversation?
28:42So I talked to Tim at an event in Nashville, Tennessee, and this was before I had any real acting
28:49opportunities, but I put some thought into it.
28:51And what was so inspiring about him, for one, he's had an amazing music career, but his acting is, like,
28:59top notch.
29:00I mean, he's great.
29:01And when I saw 1883 and how good he was in that, I was just really curious at, like, how
29:05he went about it.
29:06And not necessarily how he got his foot in the door, but how he went about it, like, mentally to
29:10prepare for acting and all that stuff.
29:11And he had a really humble response, was just that, you know, he took some roles.
29:16Some he wished he hadn't taken.
29:18Some he did good on.
29:19Some he did.
29:19And when I heard it, it's something that you can get better at.
29:22And I always thought acting was something you were born with.
29:25Like, you were born able to do it.
29:26You were in drama class and plays, and I wasn't in any of that.
29:29So when I heard him say that, you know, it was something that you can kind of work at and
29:34learn,
29:35well, then I thought maybe I had a chance to do it.
29:37So it kind of just gave me a little bit of confidence that I might should try it.
29:40I think, for anyone who follows you on social media, you're actually hilarious on social media.
29:45I keep telling people that.
29:47No, but I'm very surprised.
29:48I mean, like, the video of you pretending to be the flight attendant on your plane.
29:53Well, I was a flight attendant.
29:54Oh, okay.
29:55Wow, that wasn't just method acting.
29:57You were like...
29:58No, I really wasn't.
29:59Okay.
30:00But it was good, though, right?
30:01It was.
30:01Yeah, it was good.
30:02It was.
30:02Or one of your first ones, which was you, you know, being the hotel clerk.
30:07Oh, yeah.
30:07Like, I don't think people realize how funny you are.
30:11So are you reading for any comedic roles?
30:14I haven't read for anything funny yet, but I think that's a big mistake.
30:19You're right.
30:19I'm 100% with you, and I'm not being facetious.
30:22Well, the good news is everybody's going to know how fun I am after this comes out.
30:25That's true.
30:25That's true.
30:26This is going to serve as a training reel and as an audition reel for you.
30:30Let's talk about the new album, That's Just Me.
30:33Is there a song called That's Just Me, or are you just like, This Is Me?
30:37Like, why is that the title?
30:39There's a song called That's Just Me.
30:40It's not out yet or anything, but it was one of my favorite ones on the record that I wrote.
30:45It's, I think it's a solo, right?
30:49And I thought that was a cool name for an album.
30:53You know, for me, there's a handful of reasons to name an album something.
30:55One is if it would make a good merch item.
30:57That's always a good reason to do it.
30:58Is that true?
30:59Well, yeah.
31:00I mean, I think so.
31:03Okay.
31:03I think that makes sense.
31:04Or a good tour name, obviously.
31:05I thought Damn Country Music was an awesome tour name.
31:08Yeah.
31:08So there you go, Cowboys Against, pretty cool tour name.
31:11So that's just me singing like a great name for an album.
31:14I have only heard four songs and really liked them all, really liked how different each of the four songs
31:20that I heard was.
31:22But we have to talk about Ten Pairs of Boots Ago.
31:25You didn't write it.
31:27That's going to be a career song.
31:28I'm just saying.
31:29It's a really cool song.
31:31There's a handful of songs I get sent that I'm like, man, that's a no-brainer.
31:35I've got to cut that.
31:35And out of that handful of songs, there's even less that I think I couldn't have written.
31:41And that song, although lyrically I get it, it's melodically not something that I would do.
31:47Musically, it's very different for me.
31:49So I had to go and try to reel that in to something that I thought I could do and
31:53what my style is.
31:55But love the story of it.
31:57Love how thought out it is and how it constantly is moving.
32:00And I love that it goes from beginning to end, back to the beginning.
32:03It's just a really cool song.
32:04And like nothing I think I've ever heard before.
32:08No, that's an idea that I always kind of judge song titles by, how has this not already been done?
32:14And that one's one of those when I heard it, I thought, man, somebody should have wrote this 20 years
32:18ago.
32:18Yeah, so the inevitable question, sorry about this, is it ends with you become a dad.
32:25I don't have any kids.
32:26But are you thinking about it?
32:28I don't remember you ever doing a song that talked about becoming a dad before.
32:32Yeah, I think about it a lot.
32:34You know, me and my sister Casey's youngest son, Joe, are tight.
32:40I like all my niece's nephews.
32:41Joe's my favorite.
32:42He knows that.
32:42They know that.
32:43It's fine.
32:45But it's, you know, I mean, I think that it's kind of like having Carl, you know, who's a dog.
32:52In the sense of like, I love having a dog, but I'm staying, I'm in a hotel room today.
32:58I'm going to fly to New York in a hotel room.
33:01I'm like, where would he be at?
33:02You know what I mean?
33:02So like at this point in my life, I don't know how I could do it.
33:05So things are going to have to slow down and get a little bit more of a sense of normalcy
33:08before I could really think about settling down and having a family.
33:11But definitely something I'd like to do.
33:12And somewhat excited about the, where my songwriting would go with that much of a change in my life too.
33:19Yeah, right.
33:20If you're writing what you know, that's something that you don't know yet.
33:25Think as you drunk.
33:26Yeah.
33:27I'm listening to it and I'm like, oh man, this is his homage to Toby Keith and in comes Toby.
33:34Yeah.
33:34So talk about how that happened and how you ended up sampling Toby.
33:40Well, the song was one of those that just, I've had a title for a while and I knew it
33:46needed to be a fun,
33:47you know, bar song and when we sat down to write it, it was one of those that really wrote
33:52itself.
33:52Like it, it might have took 20 minutes, you know, and we got done with it.
33:56And the best compliment I can give a song probably is like, man, this feels like a Toby Keith song.
34:03And it does.
34:04It's just got that feel to it.
34:05It sounds like something he could have written.
34:06Knowing that, I wanted to be extremely sensitive to how I go about releasing it.
34:13So we reached out to Toby's manager, Toby's family, and played the song for them.
34:21It's really awesome that they loved the song.
34:23They completely thought it was a tip of the cap to Toby.
34:27So they wanted to have his vocal on the song.
34:31My dad used to say that Toby wrote, I ain't as good as I once was about him.
34:37When I was a kid, he said that.
34:38My dad used to say that phrase all the time.
34:41So really kind of full circle moment for me to have Toby's vocal on that song.
34:47And that little, you know, again, a tip of the cap to Toby Keith, because from a country music artist,
34:54and especially a songwriter, I don't know if there was a bigger influence on me.
34:58And you're talking about somebody that wrote their own songs and had solo rights.
35:01There's one name on that list that, you know, if I could ever come close to it as far as
35:05writing my own songs and having that kind of success with them, it'd be Toby Keith.
35:09No one has picked up the mantle since he died of doing those USO tours and doing those military-based
35:15tours.
35:15Would you like to be someone who, with his family's blessing, does that?
35:20Oh, 100%.
35:20I can't say that that was something I even considered doing and didn't have a part of Toby Keith in
35:26the back of my head.
35:28I remember when he did that, you know, how awesome a look that was to me, you know, to be
35:36able to go and perform for the brave men and women overseas that cannot be at home.
35:40They can't go to concerts like we can.
35:42And then I got a career in country music, and I got on the road and got busy and got
35:47away from home and realized, wow, how impressive it really was that he did that.
35:51Because I know what it's like and how precious your time off is.
35:55And for him to take his time off and travel halfway around the world and go perform like that shows
36:00how important it was to him.
36:01So it's definitely something that I wanted to make a priority and trying to carve out time for.
36:06And although we didn't get to do it, you know, because everything going on in the world this past spring,
36:11we're going to make some time to do it.
36:12Have you talked to his family about it?
36:14Have you talked to his manager, TK?
36:16Have you been like, you know, I would like to emulate him in this way?
36:20Have you had the conversations with them?
36:22I talked to TK quite a bit, and I don't have to tell him how much I look up to
36:27Toby.
36:27It's very obvious, and, you know, he's been to a few of my shows and works with Jamie Johnson as
36:32well, and Jamie toured with me.
36:33And I've covered two Toby Keith songs at every show for the last couple of years.
36:38And he's always been really appreciative of the family as well, of kind of me paying homage to Toby.
36:43And it's something that I did before he passed.
36:46You know, it's just something that I've always been a huge fan of.
36:49So for me, it's not something I'm going to stop doing, and certainly something that comes from a place of
36:53admiration.
36:55But you never met him?
36:56Never met him.
36:57Oh, that makes me sad.
36:58I was reading, and I did not know this, did you want to do a duet with Norah Jones, or
37:03you just had a crush on Norah Jones?
37:05Well, both.
37:06Yeah, both.
37:06Because of some opportunities that have come up, you know, and having two really big duets,
37:12and Don't Mind Up A Do being one that was a solo-written song that, you know,
37:16I'm able to perform that song a lot of places, and we're talking about,
37:19and who would you want to come do it?
37:20And she was the name that the first one I used to spit out, because I was a huge fan
37:24of her.
37:25And, yeah, I mean, it's always cool when you start talking about going into different genres.
37:29For some reason to me, pop and rock stars always seemed more famous.
37:34I don't know why, but that just seems like a different level of fame when you start talking about somebody
37:38like that.
37:39So maybe one day it'll work out.
37:40Let's talk about you being a coach on The Voice.
37:42How did that come about, and why is that appealing to you?
37:46Well, I think I got the job because me and you did an interview that was funny one time.
37:51Really, some people from The Voice came out when we did our Grammy Museum thing, and we did a Q
37:56&A.
37:57Wait, you're bullshitting.
37:58No, no, I've told several people that I feel like that's the most it was supposed to happen thing in
38:04my career was that,
38:05because, you know, Q&As at a show are not everybody's favorite thing.
38:09You know, they want to see the people sing or whatever, and we got up there, and we were just,
38:13we were funny, you know?
38:14We should go on the road.
38:16Yeah.
38:16Look, you get The Voice.
38:17I'll be honest with you.
38:17I wouldn't be surprised if you were a host on The Voice, too.
38:19Wouldn't that be?
38:19They might call you, too.
38:20I don't think that's going to happen, but.
38:22I think that I understood what they're looking for.
38:24You know, I know what Blake did so well, and I've always loved watching him with Jimmy Fallon when he
38:30goes on his show,
38:31and just how he's dry, but, you know, his comedic relief has always been great.
38:36I've loved Blake's sense of humor, and I think I just understood what they were wanting,
38:40and, again, you know, me and you just put on a show for them that night, and here I am.
38:46You were auditioning.
38:47Yeah, didn't even realize it.
38:48I didn't even know it.
38:49But you just brought up Blake and Jimmy Fallon, so two things.
38:54It raised Blake's profile tremendously.
38:58I think Luke Bryan on American Idol, he was already at a level of fame,
39:02but so that it probably hasn't made that much of a difference.
39:04What are you hoping it does for you in terms of introducing you to a new audience?
39:09Well, I think that's what I'm hoping for.
39:10I mean, obviously my career in country music has grown quite a bit over the last few years,
39:14but when you start talking about something like The Voice and being in front of an audience
39:19that probably hasn't seen me before or heard of me before, you know, it's exciting like it was going on
39:26Marshalls.
39:26You know, it's exciting to be in a completely different world than that and hopefully reach some brand new fans.
39:31Let's talk about, you brought up Jimmy Fallon.
39:33So you have reached the point where you don't just go on the night shows and perform.
39:40Now you get to sit on the couch.
39:42And you were trying to teach Jimmy Fallon how to do a duck call.
39:50Are you now mining stories and thinking, oh, next time I'm on a talk show, this will be a good
39:56story to tell?
39:57Like, has it changed how you think about your own life?
40:01Definitely, yeah.
40:02I've, you know, there's a lot of things in your life that you know are funny,
40:07whether it's things you joke around with your buddies or your family or whatever,
40:10but when you go on a show like Jimmy Fallon and you're in front of a national audience,
40:15what do they think's funny about a small-town kid from Alabama that, you know,
40:18me blowing a duck call and looking like wearing a camouflage shirt on the show
40:23and making fun of Jimmy for blowing on the wrong end?
40:25Like, that's what people want to see, and it's lighthearted fun.
40:29And I think that the creative side of me, whenever, you know, you have something like that
40:34or an opportunity like that, you try to find the way to make the most out of it.
40:37Yeah.
40:37So, will you keep opening your shows with the duck call?
40:41Do you feel like 40 years from now you're still going to be opening with the duck call?
40:45Well, that's what I would call low-hanging fruit, you know what I mean?
40:47Like, yeah, it'd be hard for me to get rid of that at this point.
40:50It seems to really be working, and it's, you know, it's become a really, that's what people know me for.
40:56Yeah.
40:56When did you start registering under a fake name in hotels?
41:00How long ago was that?
41:02Two or three years ago, maybe two years ago,
41:04which is tough because I can never get the Wi-Fi to work
41:06because I didn't know how to spell the last name.
41:08The other day, we were in Australia, and I locked my key in my room.
41:12Luckily, I had clothes on, and I went downstairs and told the people that I had locked my key in
41:17my room.
41:17They said, okay, we need to see your ID.
41:18And I was like, well, I don't have it.
41:21It's in my room.
41:21And they said, okay, we'll go up with you to get it.
41:23And I said, well, it's not going to say what it says on the room because that's not my name.
41:26They're like, okay, well, you can't get in your room.
41:28So I'd sleep outside.
41:47My impression of you is very warm and very funny and very reserved.
41:52I'll take it.
41:54I don't know if my mom would agree.
41:56No, you know, and I think part of it is because this didn't happen to you when you were 22,
42:03that you are very aware of what to say and what not to say in a way that few artists
42:09are.
42:10Well, if this had happened to me when I was 22, it would have been mayhem.
42:13We'd all be in trouble.
42:14Let's talk about that.
42:15What would have been different, do you think?
42:17Well, I mean, just the level of maturity it takes to have this much attention on you is pretty tough.
42:27And I still don't know every day that I have enough.
42:30But it's just something that you've got to be mindful of a world a lot bigger than yourself.
42:37You know, I mean, I represent everybody in my hometown, my family.
42:42You know, I mean, everybody from Alabama put me on their shoulders when I was playing shows around the state.
42:48And then when I kind of made it, they were like, this is our guy.
42:51You know, if I go out and act a fool, that's who I'm representing.
42:54You know, it's not just about me.
42:55And I think that that's a pretty grown up way you have to look at things.
42:59That goes back, I think, to your, you just have this kind of gentlemanly way about you.
43:04And, you know, like you said, you shake people's hands, you're polite, you're courteous, you don't keep people waiting.
43:10And I think that's part of all of that, like your upbringing and, you know, just this kind of courtesy
43:17for other people.
43:18Yeah, if we were late to church, my dad would turn on and go home.
43:21He wouldn't walk into church late.
43:23Have you heard the term nurse porn in regard to you?
43:26Nurse porn?
43:27Porn?
43:27No, what is that?
43:28It's about your veins.
43:30Nurses go crazy over your veins.
43:33Yeah.
43:33Have you not heard that?
43:35Maybe I've seen it and didn't know what it was talking about.
43:37Yeah, like I'm real, I'm real vascular.
43:40They're very excited about you for several reasons, but also they want to draw blood from you.
43:45That sounds awful.
43:47That sounds awful.
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