- 3 hours ago
Billboard cover star Riley Green sits down with Billboard to talk about life on and off the road, from selling out major venues to the unexpected hobby he can’t quit: buying classic cars on tour. He also opens up about his Alabama roots, family life, farm projects, love of cooking, and what keeps him grounded through a busy touring schedule. Plus, Riley shares stories about his homage to Toby Keith to touring internationally, why he avoids bringing politics into his shows, and how success still hasn’t changed who he is at home.
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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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