- 2 days ago
Charles Wesley Godwin is no stranger to success, selling out iconic venues across the country, but now he’s set his sights on Country radio with some help from his friend, Luke Combs. Godwin recently joined Katie Neal inside our Nashville studios to talk about his path through music, his upcoming album, and his new song, “Better That Way,” featuring Luke Combs.
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00:00Joining us in studio to hang out, Charles Wesley Godlin.
00:03It's so nice to spend time with you.
00:05We were like ships in the night passing at Windy City Smokeout.
00:08Like I got to see you perform, but we haven't spent any time together.
00:10That was a hot day.
00:11I'll always remember that as a very, very hot day.
00:14Was that not the craziest thing?
00:15I remember women were dropping like flies.
00:17They were probably also guys, but it was just like bodies of women.
00:20Yep.
00:20And their bodies would just get passed up and the crowd would slowly bring them over to
00:25the security.
00:25Security would take them to a tent and put ice water on their neck.
00:29And stuff to try to revive them.
00:31And then there were just so many people in that crowd.
00:34I almost went down.
00:35It was a very warm.
00:37Yeah.
00:37I remember holding onto the mic stand.
00:40Like there's been two instances where this happened.
00:42The Windy City Smokeout.
00:43And then I did a festival in Austin, Texas two years ago that was in July at that F1 track.
00:49And it was same type of weather.
00:52And yeah, I almost went down like where the vision went narrow.
00:55Because I sweat a lot when I'm performing.
00:57I put a lot of energy into it.
00:58But probably no matter how hydrated you are when you go on stage, when you come off,
01:02like when you're up there, it's just pouring out of you.
01:04Yeah.
01:05It's, you know, it's a real physical thing.
01:06So, you know, I, yeah, the Windy City Smokeout last year, I think there was a point in time
01:11where I grabbed onto the mic stand just to make sure I knew, you know, what was up as
01:16my narrative, my vision was like starting to narrow a little bit.
01:19That was a hot one, man.
01:20Yeah.
01:20I remember that.
01:21That's where I was like, can we move this to somewhere that's not on asphalt?
01:24Like, yeah, it's just like out in a parking lot outside of the basketball arena there.
01:27It was just a tough place to be.
01:29I was going to do with that.
01:29Yeah.
01:30But man, but great show.
01:32Nonetheless, it's so nice to see you.
01:33We did the best we could considering.
01:36Right.
01:36Since this is our first time like sitting down together, I like, I can do all the Googling
01:40in the world when I'm prepping for an interview, but I always love to hear an artist story
01:43like from them.
01:45So talk to me.
01:46Like, I know that you haven't been playing music.
01:48Hasn't been like a lifelong thing for you.
01:50Right.
01:50Like you started like 2011, 2013, like kind of walk me through everything that happened.
01:55Yeah.
01:55I've been doing this 13 years now, you know, trying to, you know, playing gigs and things
01:59like that.
01:59And then I picked up the guitar when I was about 20 years old in college.
02:05And a couple of years later is when I played my first gig and I got started singing bluegrass
02:10music at WVU.
02:12And, you know, that's kind of where I made the decision that I was going to go for this
02:15and try to make it happen.
02:17And, you know, I, my buddies and I, we had our bluegrass band.
02:21We could fill up a bar and we'd have hundreds of people come, come to listen to us.
02:25And that's kind of when I, I thought I could do this.
02:27So I went from there and it was, you know, I graduated in 2014 from WVU and it wasn't until
02:322019 where my debut album, Seneca came out.
02:36And that's kind of where everything turned the corner.
02:38And, and I've been able to, I've had a very fortunate career, you know, since then and
02:43music and gotten to play all around the world and play everything from, you know, clubs
02:48to stadiums.
02:49But, uh, yeah, those, those years leading up to that debut album, you know, I, I put
02:54my dues, paid my dues, you know, played bars, restaurants, cafes all around the country,
02:59slept in the back of my car.
03:00I did the, you know, it's like a movie.
03:02Yeah, no, truly.
03:03And in that time you also, I would have said you got married, had kids, right?
03:06Cause you have three little ones.
03:08My wife and I, we got married in 2018, had our first born in 2019 and yeah, we have three
03:13beautiful children and we live outside of Morgantown, West Virginia to this day.
03:18And yeah, it's, it's a, I get to live a very blessed life.
03:22Yeah.
03:22How old are all three of the kiddos?
03:24I got a six year old, four year old and a 10 month old.
03:26Oh my gosh.
03:27So it was just busy, busy, busy.
03:28Oh yeah.
03:29Yeah.
03:29Yeah.
03:29There's the, it's, uh, it's madness in a great way.
03:34Yeah.
03:35Is your 10 month old walking yet or probably close?
03:38He is.
03:39He could be taking his first steps at any moment.
03:41Like he's, he's at that point where he's strong enough to do it.
03:43It's just a matter of him deciding to go for that rather than get down and do a bear crawl.
03:48Cause he, he, you can tell his little wheels spinning where he's like, it's faster for me
03:53to crawl.
03:54So like he'll think about it and then he goes down and then a bear crawl real fast over
03:58to you or something.
03:59So with the older ones running around, he's probably like, just like dying to be.
04:03He wants to be, he wants to be playing with them.
04:05Oh my gosh.
04:06So cute.
04:06Well, let's talk about music.
04:07You've got a new song coming out on May 15th.
04:10This is a collab with Luke Combs.
04:11Talk about Better That Way.
04:12Yeah.
04:12Tell the story behind this.
04:13Yeah.
04:14Uh, Better That Way was written in July of 2025.
04:17I had Scooter Caruso out on the road with me that week and we were, you know, for the specific
04:22purpose to write songs for this album.
04:24I felt like the album was going to be really, really good as what, like, I think I had the
04:30songs I needed, but to make it really as good as it could possibly be, I think it needed
04:37something a little bit more lighthearted and something that wouldn't be so heavy and something
04:44that just anybody, everybody could relate to.
04:47So, we, uh, we had just watched Turnpike Troubadours, Soundcheck, we were, I was on the road opening
04:53for Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and Turnpike was with us on that and we went out onto the
04:58bus and, and wrote this song and I've never had, you know, I've, again, I've gotten to
05:03do some amazing things.
05:04I've sold out Red Rocks, played two sold out nights at, at the, uh, Ryman Auditorium
05:08and, you know, I, I do really well, but I've never had, like, radio success, you know, and
05:15I, I just, yeah, for whatever reason, I, you know, I, and objectively speaking, I don't
05:19think I've had a song that really fit that.
05:21Um, and when we finished writing this one, I recorded a voice memo of it and then we're
05:27listening back, we're still kind of thinking that anything, we can change any words or something.
05:32I'm listening back and I was like, man, you know, I think if I were to have, like, I think
05:37this is a, this would be it, right?
05:40This would be, this, this sounds like a, this sounds like a really good song, you know?
05:45And it was one of those things where it's like my gut thought it before my head even
05:50thought it, or, you know, I'm friends with Luke Holmes through years on the road.
05:55First time I opened for him in Morgantown, West Virginia in January, 2016.
05:59Then we met back up again on the road.
06:00I was opening for his stadium tour in 2024 and, you know, we hit it off and we get along
06:06real well and have very similar principles and values.
06:12And I, I just was like, I should ask Luke to be on this with me.
06:16I think, you know, it would mean a ton.
06:19And I think this is, I think this is the song.
06:22So I, I waited until we kind of had a polished version by the fall and I sent it to
06:27him and
06:27asked if he'd be on it.
06:28And, you know, he was cool enough to, to carve the time out between him having him and
06:33his wife, having a new baby, having a new album going on for him.
06:37He, he went in and recorded on it and absolutely crushed it.
06:41That's amazing.
06:41I have to ask because I have talked to other artists who like the response time for Luke
06:44Combs is sometimes 30 to 60 days.
06:47Day and a half.
06:48Day and a half.
06:49Oh my God.
06:50Really?
06:50That's because I'd heard that before too.
06:52So I was actually kind of keeping track.
06:54Right.
06:54I remember.
06:55I think he responds to everything, but it just might take a minute.
06:57Yeah, it was a Friday, Friday night.
07:00We were in Salt Lake City and I was sitting in the green room talking to Al and talking
07:05to my manager, Reed and the guys.
07:07And we were just like, I think, I think it's ready to go.
07:09Cause I didn't want to send him a rough, too rough of a version.
07:13So I, I sent it to him on a Friday evening and then early Sunday morning, he, he got back
07:19to me.
07:20I remember we were rolling into Spokane and I woke up and saw he texted, text me.
07:24He obviously he's central time.
07:26I was Pacific, but, um, woke up to the text that he would do it.
07:30So it was, that's awesome.
07:32It was great.
07:32Cause that's gotta be a really like hard feeling.
07:35Like it's your friend, but you're also texting something.
07:36It's like, I'm going to ask you to do this.
07:38Which you hate to do.
07:39You hate to do.
07:40But also like, I think that like sometimes like it, it, it's not as big of a deal as
07:44we make it up to be in our minds.
07:45Yeah.
07:45Right.
07:46But I'm sure that you were just like sweating that for the 36 hours that you waited.
07:50Well, I know, you know, I know how it is.
07:52Like when you're asking for people's time, cause I, I get asked for things all the time.
07:56So I know, I know how that is.
07:58And you know, I, that's, I'd never want to be that person, but I, I just felt really
08:04strongly about this song.
08:07And I, I thought, you know, as much, this is like full on, like fully aware that I can't
08:15help Luke that much.
08:16He can help me a lot more than I can help him.
08:20But I, I, I believe this song is, is a great song.
08:24And I was like, you know, this would be great for both of us, I think.
08:27Totally.
08:27So anyways, I, that's, that's why I asked, you know, and, and he was cool enough to, to,
08:33to do it.
08:34And yeah, he sounds awesome.
08:35It sounds so good.
08:37Talk about like the bones of the song and like, what is like the story within the song?
08:41Like, what is this song about to you?
08:43Yeah.
08:43This song is about being happy where your feet are right in that moment.
08:46So being happy for the things and the place in life that you're at.
08:50And I think that that's a, that's a really important thing for people to be reminded of constantly,
08:55even multiple times throughout the day.
08:57You know, it's, it's human of us to always be thinking about the next thing or the next
09:03step or, you know, to, to get this, to get that, to have this position, live in this place,
09:12to have this, like you, we get real caught up in that stuff.
09:17And then when it's over, like when a certain period of time's over, which any adult can relate
09:22to this as well.
09:22When a certain period of time's over, sometimes the end comes before you, you don't realize
09:27it in the moment, then later years, you, you look back and like, oh, that was a really
09:32special time.
09:33I wish I could step back into that time in my life one more time and enjoy it.
09:37So, you know, there's a couple lines of that song that really, uh, just calling my mom
09:43because I still can.
09:45Anybody that can't do that anymore, I think would echo how important that is to be able
09:50to do that.
09:51Absolutely.
09:52Yeah.
09:53And then walking this earth with my head held tall, you don't want to be at the end of your
09:56life, you know, and looking back and be like, I was never proud of just who I was, you know,
10:01you just want to be you and be proud to be you.
10:03And yeah, you know, for better or worse, just there's no better way to live.
10:08Absolutely.
10:09It's such a good song.
10:10It's like, as soon as I like the first, like, even just like listening to the teases of it,
10:14I was like, this sounds like a, just a great summertime radio song.
10:18Like you want to put the windows down.
10:20It's got like that hint of nostalgia.
10:21You and Luke both sound so good.
10:23Like big fan of us already.
10:24Yeah.
10:25Again, you know, I don't think I've ever had one like this, like this one that, that kind
10:30of fits that mold.
10:32Like you said, a summertime song with the windows down, uh, that everybody can relate to.
10:37And I think even somebody that doesn't like country music, I mean, you say the song doesn't
10:43sound good.
10:43I just don't, I don't, I don't trust your ears.
10:46I don't either.
10:47So you are out right now on tour, the Christian name tour.
10:51Talk about this and like, what have been some of the highlights from it?
10:53Yeah.
10:53We just got started a few weeks ago.
10:55The highlight thus far has been stagecoach.
10:56I mean, it was, it was a great time.
10:58We had a great set.
10:59It was my second time back there and it was right.
11:02We were, we were day two and it was right as that wind was picking up and starting to go
11:05crazy
11:05and the dust was in the air and in the eyes.
11:08And I think we were the last full set of day two.
11:10Wait, you need like full goggles for when that happens.
11:12It was wild, but man, we went out there and had a, had a great time.
11:16Oh, that's amazing.
11:17So, and I got to announce the song and this has been a, it's been an exercise of patience
11:22for me with, with this because I've been, this thing's been done since midwinter.
11:28So to finally put the word out there that, that this album is, is, is here and it's ready
11:34to go was a big release off my shoulders.
11:38But yeah, we've, we've had a great, great first few weeks of tour.
11:41I'm, I'm really looking forward to it.
11:43We have four months off in the winter, which I haven't had time like that since 2020.
11:46So it was a, it was a great reset and time to really mentally refresh and kind of get
11:53going back out there.
11:55I feel like it just has that, the freshness and the love of the performing again, where
12:01it's not so, so much of a grind or.
12:03And you need that, you need that time off.
12:05So you like, you said you can come back out and really give it your best.
12:07It was, it was nice.
12:09That's amazing.
12:10And then, so with the album being announced, talk to me about like, what, what are you
12:14saying with this album that maybe you haven't said before?
12:16Like, just what can you say about the music that's coming?
12:18I like my albums to have a theme, you know, Seneca, the theme was home, uh, how the mighty
12:23fall, the theme was mortality, family, uh, family ties.
12:27The theme was my family.
12:29This one, the theme is faith.
12:31It's about my faith.
12:32It's about my pursuit and faith and pointing to God as my healer.
12:36So that, that's what this one's about.
12:38And that it took a little bit more time.
12:40I released family ties in September of 23.
12:44So this, this is longer than I've gone, you know, without releasing a full album thus
12:50far, but I wanted to make sure it was, it was great.
12:54So it just took, took the time that it needed to take.
12:57Yeah.
12:58And that's, and the music always, it has its way of doing that.
13:01I always think of like songs, like have a soul.
13:04The music has a soul and if it's not ready, it's not ready.
13:06And you kind of just have to, you have to wait for that.
13:08You mentioned being on the road with Willie Nelson.
13:11I'm curious, like what were some of the biggest takeaways from your time with it?
13:14Cause I can only imagine the amount of wisdom Willie is just like spewing on a daily basis.
13:18We, we weren't allowed to get very close to him because of, I think how fragile his health
13:24could be nowadays.
13:27So, you know, I, I, I was so happy that I got the opportunity to do it though.
13:33So, you know, got the, getting the invite and getting to go out, I was so happy I got
13:38to do it.
13:38And then we did get to go up on stage at the end and saying, will the circle be unbroken
13:43with them?
13:44And the highlight of, of that for me, I, you know, this is going to sound silly, but Willie
13:49and I locked eyes and he smiled at me.
13:52So I was really, really happy.
13:54I mean, I, my wife got me tickets to go see Willie Nelson in Florence, South Carolina and
13:592017.
14:00So I've been there as a fan.
14:02Um, and, uh, so to, to be there as an opener for him was, uh, was amazing.
14:08And then Bob Dylan, I definitely did not get to meet him.
14:11I sat in a fold out chair in the parking lot just to lay eyes on him as he, as
14:16he walked
14:16from the back of stage to his bus, he had like a sport coat over top of his head too.
14:20I don't know what was going on, but there are some personalities that just, it's a little
14:25bit different, you know what I mean?
14:27But I, that's true.
14:29And then I just, but I, I did sit there and wait to see him.
14:34You saw it.
14:35So I saw him, you know, that's amazing.
14:37Something I wanted to ask you about, I noticed you do this a lot in your social posts, but
14:40you end it with best job in the world.
14:42Oh yeah.
14:43That's a hell of a way to make a living.
14:44It's a great, great, great job.
14:46You know, I mean, my dad, mine, Cole, sure for a living.
14:50So, um, I'm very fortunate to get to do this and, uh, yeah, it's, it's something I love.
14:57I mean, the, the feeling I get when I finish a good song or when, if I'm lucky enough or
15:07able to get one of those, just one in a hundred performances into a microphone and the, and the
15:12recording process of making an album or something, those, those times are just, it's, it's still,
15:20it's like electric in me that, that, that really, really brings a big sense of fulfillment
15:27to me.
15:28So I, yeah, I get to do this.
15:30What does your family think about you getting to do this?
15:33I think they're, first off, they're really proud.
15:35You know, my parents are, are, are really proud of it.
15:39I think everybody still was like, I can't believe that Charles is a musician, you know
15:44what I mean?
15:44I didn't grow up singing at all.
15:46Right.
15:46And I didn't start playing until I was, you know, growing up either.
15:50So that's something that just wasn't even in the cards.
15:53I'm going to guess, were you a pretty quiet kid too?
15:55Yeah.
15:56So they're like, this kid's like never making a peep and now he's on stage.
15:59Yeah.
15:59Super, super quiet.
16:00And obviously you hear the way I talk, like this is just how I talk.
16:04But then, you know, when I sing, it's just this God given, you know, thing that, that
16:09I was blessed with, you know, it's not the best voice in the world, but it is unique.
16:14You know, there's no doubt when I open my mouth for better or worse, some people can't
16:18stand my vibrato and I get it, but it, that, that is the full on natural way that I sing,
16:27you know, for better or worse.
16:28So I, I take it as a blessing.
16:31Obviously there's millions of people who enjoy it and it's, yeah, it's a, it's a great, great
16:36thing to do.
16:37So anyways, yeah, when I, I mean it, like when I say best job in the world, it's, yeah,
16:41I get to tour around on a bus and go all over the world and play to full theaters and,
16:47and for people who want to listen to the things that you have to say, songs that you make
16:52up.
16:52Lock eyes with Willie Nelson.
16:54I get, yeah, I get to, get, get to meet people who, you know, you get to, I'm
16:58I'm, I'm from West Virginia.
16:59So this is still something that's like kind of cool.
17:01You get to meet like, you get to meet famous folks, you know, you really, you know, have
17:07admired or enjoy and musicians that, that I look up to and things.
17:11So it's just amazing opportunities.
17:12Who's been that person for you that was kind of like a big one that you got to meet that
17:15you were just like, Oh my God.
17:17Oh, huge one.
17:17I mean, the Ava brothers.
17:19So yeah, I'm at the Ava.
17:20It's another reason why I picked up a guitar.
17:22So, I mean, I think for the rest of my life, that'll be, that'll be the thing that's just
17:27so full circle and crazy is, is meeting them, touring with them, recording a song with them.
17:37It's unbelievable how things can work out in life.
17:40That's really special.
17:41Thank you so much for coming in and seeing us today and talking about this music.
17:44I'm so glad that we finally got to spend time together.
17:46I'm so excited for the song to be out.
17:47I can't wait to hear the album.
17:48And I just, I really appreciate you coming to see us.
17:50Thanks for having me.
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