Don Williams, known for his mellow, laid-back delivery of more than 30 top-10 country hits during a four-decade career on the charts, has died at age 78.
A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the singer-songwriter was an international ambassador for the genre, achieving enormous popularity in Germany, Sweden, Kenya, South Africa and New Zealand, as well as England and Ireland, His enduring classics include “Tulsa Time,” “I Believe In You,” “I’m Just a Country Boy,” “Good Ole Boys Like Me” and “Amanda.”
A native of Floydada, Texas, Williams began playing guitar as a teenager. During his youth, he worked in oil fields. drove a bread truck, labored in a smelting plant, worked for Pittsburgh Plate Glass and was a bill collector.
In Corpus Christi, he formed the folk trio The Pozo Seco Singers with Susan Taylor and Lofton Kline. The three traveled to Nashville to record with producer Bob Johnston and scored on the pop charts with a series of singles including “Time” (1966), “I’ll Be Gone” (1966), “I Can Make it With You” (1966) and “Look What You’ve Done” (1967).
Following a pair of albums for Columbia Records, Kline departed. Taylor and Williams returned to Nashville as Pozo Seco to record their 1970 LP Spend Some Time With Me at Jack Clement’s studio. Williams returned to Texas to work at his father-in-law’s furniture business. Taylor summoned him back to Nashville to write songs for her emerging solo career. She and Williams were soon signed to Clement’s JMI Records label as individual artists.
Don Williams debuted on the charts with his self-penned JMI single “The Shelter of Your Eyes” in late 1972. The following year, he had the two-sided success “Come Early Morning” and “Amanda.” The first named inspired what is believed to have been country’s first concept video. The latter became an even bigger hit for Waylon Jennings six years later.
In 1974, Williams had his first top-10 hit, “We Should Be Together.” He signed with Dot Records and scored “I Wouldn’t Want to Live if You Didn’t Love Me” as his first No. 1 smash later that same year. He followed it with a country revival of the Brook Benton oldie “The Ties That Bind.”
Between 1975 and 1978, he had seven consecutive No. 1 country hits — “You’re My Best Friend” (1975), “(Turn Out the Lights and) Love Me Tonight” (1975). “Til the Rivers All Run Dry” (1976), “Say It Again” (1976), “She Never Knew Me” (1976), “Some Broken Hearts Never Mend” (1977) and “I’m Just a Country Boy” (1977).
Williams made his movie debut in 1975’s W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings. This appearance led to his adopting his trademark hat. He also appeared in the 1980 film Smokey and the Bandit II. Buoyed by the British success of his singles, Williams traveled to England to appear at The Wembley Festival in 1976. This marked the advent of his wide popularity overseas throughout the remainder of his career. By the dawn of the 1980s, he was also a superstar in Canada.
Dot became ABC/Dot, then ABC and then MCA Records as Williams continued to score hit after hit. In 1978 came “I’ve Got a Winner in You,” “Rake and a Rambling Man” and “Tulsa Time.” The last named was revived by Eric Clapton on the pop hit parade two years later. Don Williams won the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year award in 1978. He finished out the decade with “Lay Down Beside Me,” “It Must Be Love” and “Love Me All Over Again.” “It Must Be Love” turned out to be another evergreen. Alan Jackson brought it back to the top of the charts in 2000.
The Don Williams hit “Good Old Boys Like Me” of 1980 is regarded as one of country’s most poetic lyrics. It was written by Bob McDill, who was also behind 11 of the singer’s other top-10 hits. Others to whom Williams regularly turned for material included Allen Reynolds, Wayland Holyfield and Roger Cook.
Cook and Sam Hogin co-wrote “I Believe in You,” which returned Williams to the pop charts in 1980. It was later revived by Bette Midler. Williams had a banner year in 1981 with “Falling Again,” “Miracles,” “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good” and the Emmylou Harris duet “If I Needed You.” That fall, the CMA named his I Believe In You its Album of the Year.
He remained with MCA into the middle of the decade, repeatedly topping the charts with such singles as “If Hollywood Don’t Need You,” “Love Is on a Roll,” “Stay Young” and “That’s the Thing About Love.” Throughout this era, Don Williams records were produced by Garth Funds, and two remained a team when the star signed with Capitol Records in 1986. The hits “We’ve Got a Good Fire Goin,” “Heartbeat in the Darkness” and “Then it’s Love” kicked off his Capitol career. These were followed with 1987’s equally successful “Senorita,” “I’ll Never Be in Love Again” and “I Wouldn’t Be a Man.” In 1988-89 he scored with “Another Place, Another Time,” “Desperately” and “Old Coyote Town.”
Williams moved to RCA in 1989. His last seven top-10 hits were on this label, including “One Good Well” (1989), “I’ve Been Loved by the Best” (1990) and his final one, “Lord Have Mercy on a Country Boy” (1991). Josh Turner revived the last-named in 2006.
Although no longer a chart topper, Don Williams continued to perform for sold-out crowds both at home and abroad for the next 20 years. He attempted to retire in 2006, but returned to the road in 2010, the same year he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He also had regular success as a songwriter. Among those who have recorded his songs are Kenny Rogers (“Lay Down Beside Me”), Charley Pride (“The Shelter of Your Eyes”), Lefty Frizzell (“If She Just Helps Me Get Over You”), Johnny Cash (“Down the Road I Go”), Jeanne Pruett (“Lay Down Beside Me”), Sonny James (“If She Just Helps Me Get Over You”) and rock star Pete Townsend (“Til the Rivers All Run Dry”).
Williams returned to recording with the Sugar Hill Records albums And So It Goes (2012) and Reflections (2014). His enduring appeal was reflected in the fact that both made the top-20 on the country album charts. He also released a live CD and DVD in 2016.
He announced his retirement last year. Earlier this year, producer Fundis created a tribute CD to him, titled Gentle Giants as a tip of the hat to the performer’s longtime nickname. It included performances of Williams’ hits by Chris Stapleton, Alison Krauss, Garth Brooks, Keb Mo, Lady Antebellum and Trisha Yearwood, among others.
Don Williams had been in declining health for several months. He died on Friday, September 8. He is survived by his wife Joy and sons Gary and Timmy. Arrangements are pending.
“In giving voice to songs like “Good Ole Boys Like Me,” “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good,” and “Amanda,” Don Williams offered calm, beauty, and a sense of wistful peace that is in short supply these days,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “His music will forever be a balm in troublesome times. Everyone who makes country music with grace, intelligence, and ageless intent will do so while standing on the shoulders of this gentle giant.”
Old Crow Medicine Show And Valerie June Take Americana Down Under
/by Lorie HollabaughChris Tomlin Makes Triumphant Two-Night Stand At Red Rocks
/by Lorie HollabaughPhoto: Makayla Symmonds
Chris Tomlin has made history at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre by being the first Contemporary Christian Music artist to perform back-to-back shows at the historic venue.
After an overwhelming response to the announcement of “Chris Tomlin: Worship at Red Rocks,” which sold out weeks before the show date on September 6th, multi-platinum selling artist Tomlin added a second night on September 5th as a special “Chris Tomin & Friends” event. The evening included performances from artists including Steven Curtis Chapman, Mac Powell, Ellie Holcomb and more.
“I’ve gotten to be a part of many incredible gatherings over the past years. But Red Rocks was definitely unforgettable. My heart is full,” shares Tomlin. “Not a more beautiful sound than God’s people singing His praises! Thank you to all who came near and far to be a part of the worship with us. This accomplishment is an affirmation of the power and impact of the genre.”
“Chris Tomlin: Worship At Red Rocks” and “Chris Tomlin & Friends” follows his 2015 sold out “Worship Night In America” event at Red Rocks, and precedes Tomlin’s upcoming “Chris Tomlin Christmas: Christmas Songs of Worship” tour in December.
Photo: Makayla Symmonds
Montgomery Gentry’s Troy Gentry Dies In Helicopter Crash
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Eddie Montgomery, Troy Gentry
Troy Gentry, half of the popular country duo, Montgomery Gentry, died in a helicopter crash today (Sept. 8), at approximately 1 p.m. in Medford, New Jersey at the Flying W Airport & Resort, where the band was scheduled to perform tonight. He was 50 years old.
Another unidentified man also died when the Schweitzer 269 helicopter crashed in a wooded area off the end of a runway. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.
With 20 plus charted singles, the Kentucky-born duo has earned CMA, ACM, and GRAMMY awards and nominations with blue-collar anthems like “Hell Yeah,” “My Town,” and “Hillbilly Shoes.” They’ve notched five No. 1 singles (“If You Ever Stop Loving Me,” “Something To Be Proud Of,” “Lucky Man,” “Back When I Knew It All” and “Roll With Me”), were inducted as Grand Ole Opry members in 2009 and were inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2015.
The band was working on a new album for Average Joes.
This is the second death in the Gentry family this year, Troy’s father, Lloyd Gentry passed away Aug. 13 in Nicholasville, Ky.
The Gentry family wishes to acknowledge all of the kind thoughts and prayers, and asks for privacy at this time.
Country Music Hall Of Fame Great Don Williams Passes
/by Robert K OermannDon Williams, known for his mellow, laid-back delivery of more than 30 top-10 country hits during a four-decade career on the charts, has died at age 78.
A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the singer-songwriter was an international ambassador for the genre, achieving enormous popularity in Germany, Sweden, Kenya, South Africa and New Zealand, as well as England and Ireland, His enduring classics include “Tulsa Time,” “I Believe In You,” “I’m Just a Country Boy,” “Good Ole Boys Like Me” and “Amanda.”
A native of Floydada, Texas, Williams began playing guitar as a teenager. During his youth, he worked in oil fields. drove a bread truck, labored in a smelting plant, worked for Pittsburgh Plate Glass and was a bill collector.
In Corpus Christi, he formed the folk trio The Pozo Seco Singers with Susan Taylor and Lofton Kline. The three traveled to Nashville to record with producer Bob Johnston and scored on the pop charts with a series of singles including “Time” (1966), “I’ll Be Gone” (1966), “I Can Make it With You” (1966) and “Look What You’ve Done” (1967).
Following a pair of albums for Columbia Records, Kline departed. Taylor and Williams returned to Nashville as Pozo Seco to record their 1970 LP Spend Some Time With Me at Jack Clement’s studio. Williams returned to Texas to work at his father-in-law’s furniture business. Taylor summoned him back to Nashville to write songs for her emerging solo career. She and Williams were soon signed to Clement’s JMI Records label as individual artists.
Don Williams debuted on the charts with his self-penned JMI single “The Shelter of Your Eyes” in late 1972. The following year, he had the two-sided success “Come Early Morning” and “Amanda.” The first named inspired what is believed to have been country’s first concept video. The latter became an even bigger hit for Waylon Jennings six years later.
In 1974, Williams had his first top-10 hit, “We Should Be Together.” He signed with Dot Records and scored “I Wouldn’t Want to Live if You Didn’t Love Me” as his first No. 1 smash later that same year. He followed it with a country revival of the Brook Benton oldie “The Ties That Bind.”
Between 1975 and 1978, he had seven consecutive No. 1 country hits — “You’re My Best Friend” (1975), “(Turn Out the Lights and) Love Me Tonight” (1975). “Til the Rivers All Run Dry” (1976), “Say It Again” (1976), “She Never Knew Me” (1976), “Some Broken Hearts Never Mend” (1977) and “I’m Just a Country Boy” (1977).
Williams made his movie debut in 1975’s W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings. This appearance led to his adopting his trademark hat. He also appeared in the 1980 film Smokey and the Bandit II. Buoyed by the British success of his singles, Williams traveled to England to appear at The Wembley Festival in 1976. This marked the advent of his wide popularity overseas throughout the remainder of his career. By the dawn of the 1980s, he was also a superstar in Canada.
Dot became ABC/Dot, then ABC and then MCA Records as Williams continued to score hit after hit. In 1978 came “I’ve Got a Winner in You,” “Rake and a Rambling Man” and “Tulsa Time.” The last named was revived by Eric Clapton on the pop hit parade two years later. Don Williams won the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year award in 1978. He finished out the decade with “Lay Down Beside Me,” “It Must Be Love” and “Love Me All Over Again.” “It Must Be Love” turned out to be another evergreen. Alan Jackson brought it back to the top of the charts in 2000.
The Don Williams hit “Good Old Boys Like Me” of 1980 is regarded as one of country’s most poetic lyrics. It was written by Bob McDill, who was also behind 11 of the singer’s other top-10 hits. Others to whom Williams regularly turned for material included Allen Reynolds, Wayland Holyfield and Roger Cook.
Cook and Sam Hogin co-wrote “I Believe in You,” which returned Williams to the pop charts in 1980. It was later revived by Bette Midler. Williams had a banner year in 1981 with “Falling Again,” “Miracles,” “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good” and the Emmylou Harris duet “If I Needed You.” That fall, the CMA named his I Believe In You its Album of the Year.
He remained with MCA into the middle of the decade, repeatedly topping the charts with such singles as “If Hollywood Don’t Need You,” “Love Is on a Roll,” “Stay Young” and “That’s the Thing About Love.” Throughout this era, Don Williams records were produced by Garth Funds, and two remained a team when the star signed with Capitol Records in 1986. The hits “We’ve Got a Good Fire Goin,” “Heartbeat in the Darkness” and “Then it’s Love” kicked off his Capitol career. These were followed with 1987’s equally successful “Senorita,” “I’ll Never Be in Love Again” and “I Wouldn’t Be a Man.” In 1988-89 he scored with “Another Place, Another Time,” “Desperately” and “Old Coyote Town.”
Williams moved to RCA in 1989. His last seven top-10 hits were on this label, including “One Good Well” (1989), “I’ve Been Loved by the Best” (1990) and his final one, “Lord Have Mercy on a Country Boy” (1991). Josh Turner revived the last-named in 2006.
Although no longer a chart topper, Don Williams continued to perform for sold-out crowds both at home and abroad for the next 20 years. He attempted to retire in 2006, but returned to the road in 2010, the same year he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He also had regular success as a songwriter. Among those who have recorded his songs are Kenny Rogers (“Lay Down Beside Me”), Charley Pride (“The Shelter of Your Eyes”), Lefty Frizzell (“If She Just Helps Me Get Over You”), Johnny Cash (“Down the Road I Go”), Jeanne Pruett (“Lay Down Beside Me”), Sonny James (“If She Just Helps Me Get Over You”) and rock star Pete Townsend (“Til the Rivers All Run Dry”).
Williams returned to recording with the Sugar Hill Records albums And So It Goes (2012) and Reflections (2014). His enduring appeal was reflected in the fact that both made the top-20 on the country album charts. He also released a live CD and DVD in 2016.
He announced his retirement last year. Earlier this year, producer Fundis created a tribute CD to him, titled Gentle Giants as a tip of the hat to the performer’s longtime nickname. It included performances of Williams’ hits by Chris Stapleton, Alison Krauss, Garth Brooks, Keb Mo, Lady Antebellum and Trisha Yearwood, among others.
Don Williams had been in declining health for several months. He died on Friday, September 8. He is survived by his wife Joy and sons Gary and Timmy. Arrangements are pending.
Felix McTeigue To Debut New Album In 2018
/by Lorie HollabaughCurrently nominated for Song of the Year at the 2017 Americana Honors & Awards for “Wreck You” with Lori McKenna, McTeigue’s latest single is “Half a Lie.” The first song off his new album is available now, and was co-written with Josh Ritter. He also co-wrote the platinum-selling “Anything Goes” for Florida Georgia Line, which was a No. 1 hit on country radio.
A Felix McTeigue and John Miller Show Lineup:
Rock Rising: Cumulus Extends “Next” Franchise With Scott Borchetta, Steve Jones, Gavin Rossdale, Desmond Child
/by Jessica NicholsonExpanding on Cumulus Media’s NASH Next music competition to find country music’s next big star, Cumulus Media has launched the second installment with its neXt2rock 2017 contest, a local and national grassroots search to discover rock talent.
Music producer Bob Ezrin; musician, songwriter and producer Desmond Child; Sex Pistols’ rock guitarist Steve Jones; Gavin Rossdale; and Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta will serve as mentor judges for the competition’s finale
The winner of the four-month long competition will receive a label deal with the newly-launched joint venture between Big Machine and John Varvatos Records, as well as exposure on Cumulus radio stations nationwide.
Sixty-one Cumulus stations in 47 markets, including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta and Minneapolis, will conduct searches. Local artists can enter via participating local station websites, which include Chattanooga’s KZ106, Memphis’ 98.1 The Max, and Tri-Cities 101.5 in Tennessee.
Three local music industry professionals will judge each competitor’s fan-rated original song. Local markets will then host live events or select their finalist by judging contestants in a video performance of that original song. Local winners will move on to the national challenge, submitting a live performance video showcasing their best original song, with the top five artists selected by rock industry professionals.
Those national finalists will then compete at a live concert event, hosted at the Viper Room in Los Angeles on Dec. 12, where the panel of celebrity mentor judges will select the neXt2rock 2017 winner.
Cumulus Media, which reaches more than 245 million listeners each week, is home to iconic rock stations including KLOS, KQRS, WLUp, KATT, KSAN, and WGRF.
“By launching neXt2rock under Cumulus Media’s “Next” franchise, we are putting a stake in the ground to support the next generation of music talent, further signaling to listeners, advertisers and business partners that Cumulus is invested in the future of music and radio,” said Mary Berner, CEO and President, Cumulus Media. She added, “With the renewed interest in the rock genre among Millennials and Gen Xers, Cumulus has even more opportunities for growth, providing expanded exclusive content and programming for fans, and an even larger audience for America’s newest rock star.”
Rossdale said, “The process of being discovered has changed a lot over the years but one thing is for certain – my career wouldn’t have gone the way it has without the support of radio. It plays a big role in every artist’s music career and has been an amazing partner for me over the past two plus decades. When my friends at Cumulus asked if I would be interested in lending my voice and support to help find a hard-working, aspiring artist fulfill a dream to be in this business, how could I say no? I had so many people help me in my early days when I was trying to launch my career, and I consider it an honor to be part of this unique talent search that is delivering what no one else out there does – national airplay across Cumulus rock stations, a major recording contract, and all the incredible exposure that comes with that. Good luck!”
Borchetta said, “Rock never dies…it’s the recoiled cobra snake that waits for its moment and then strikes with a vengeance. I’ve been seeing the resurgence of a new generation of young rockers around the fringes of the mainstream who are ready for a new national platform. It’s irreverent…like it’s supposed to be…it’s loud like it’s supposed to be…it’s got a new attitude, and it’s gaining an underground audience…like it’s supposed to…and now we’re going to expose it coast to coast and enable these new young rock stars to connect with a national audience and hotwire the scene. Count this as a warning.”
Industry Pics: KPLX’s Mac Daniels, Levon, Ricky Skaggs, Cole Swindell
/by Haley CrowKPLX/Dallas Wins Country Station of the Year
Pictured: KPLX/KSCS PD Mac Daniels with country group Levon.
The 2017 National Association of Broadcasters’ (NAB) Marconi Radio Awards, which honor radio stations and on-air personalities for excellence in broadcasting, were announced Thursday night (Sept. 7) at the 28th annual NAB Marconi Radio Awards Dinner & Show in Austin, Texas. The Country Station of the Year recipient was KPLX/Dallas, and PD Mac Daniels was on hand to accept the award.
Ricky Skaggs Wows Sold-Out Crowd At Nashville Palace
Photo: Courtesy of Carson Photoworks
Country music legend Ricky Skaggs wowed a sold-out honky tonk crowd in Nashville last Saturday night (Sept. 2). For the first time in 20 years, Skaggs plugged-in his electric guitar and joined his band onstage at the Nashville Palace for a two-hour live concert featuring the hit country songs that made him famous including “Heartbroke,” “Highway 40 Blues,” “Uncle Pen,” “Country Boy,” “Honey (Open That Door),” “I Don’t Care,” and “Lovin’ Only Me,” among many others. Skaggs also performed “Somebody’s Praying” and dedicated it to Houston and the other areas in Texas affected by Hurricane Harvey.
“I wanna thank everyone who came out to the Nashville Palace last week,” says Skaggs. “I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. It was so great to sing those old country hits. Let’s do it again real soon!”
Cole Swindell Makes Radio Rounds In Denver
Pictured: Cole Swindell (center) with KWOF/Denver’s Bo Jaxon (right) and his son John (left).
Pictured (L-R): Cole Swindell, NBC News/Denver’s Kathy Sabine, and KYGO/Denver’s PD John E. Kage.
Blake Shelton and Sam Hunt To Join Luke Bryan For Crash My Playa Event
/by Lorie HollabaughLuke Bryan has some superstar buddies crashing his fun-filled concert event Crash My Playa in Riviera Maya Mexico January 17-20 as Blake Shelton and Sam Hunt have signed up as headliners for the all-inclusive concert vacation experience. Shelton and Hunt will each headline one of the nightly concerts on the beach, with Bryan giving fans two headlining performances during the four-day event.
“Blake and Sam are two of the hottest artists in country music and I couldn’t be any more pumped that they have agreed to come join me this year. I swear this event just gets better and better each year!” said Bryan.
Limited packages remain for the fourth installment of the destination event, which has sold out for three years in a row. Fans can stay at the event’s host resort, the Barceló Maya, or opt for one of several carefully selected tropical resorts and enjoy all-inclusive food and drink, 24-hour concierge service, daily onsite activities, offsite adventures like deep sea fishing, zip-lining, and ATV tours, excursions including day trips to Tulum, official Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa merchandise packages, and more. Additional artists, details about poolside performances and more exciting event updates will be revealed soon.
“It’s a dream come true to go back to Mexico to join my BFF Luke for Crash My Playa. We had such a blast playing together last year that I’d come back every year if he’d let me,” said Shelton.
Weekly Chart Report (9/8/17)
/by Sherod RobertsonClick here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
Nashville Band Judah & The Lion Talk Ryman Auditorium Headlining Shows, Chart Success
/by Jessica NicholsonNashville-based rock band Judah & The Lion first formed in 2011 while students at Nashville’s Belmont University. After six years spent crafting music that blends notes of hip-hop, pop, soul and bluegrass, and painstakingly building a loyal fanbase one show at a time, the band earned their first No. 1 on Billboard’s alternative chart early this year with “Take It All Back,” a mash of drums, banjo, mandolin and a compelling chorus. The song’s video has been viewed nearly 4 million times on YouTube. They followed the success with their current single, “Suit & Jacket.”
Judah & The Lion returns to Nashville this weekend for their first headlining shows at the Ryman Auditorium on Friday (Sept. 8) and Saturday (Sept. 9).
In March, the band released the deluxe edition of their Dave Cobb-produced, indie label album Folk Hop ‘N’ Roll, which includes four new tracks and an acoustic take on “Take It All Back.” The album is at No. 21 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart, and at No. 6 on the Alternative New Artist Albums chart.
MusicRow spoke with Judah & The Lion drummer Spencer Cross about the upcoming Ryman Auditorium shows and the band’s hard-earned road to success.
Congratulations on your upcoming headlining gigs at the Ryman.
Cross: It’s exciting. We’ve opened there a couple of times but this is our first time headlining. The fact that we get to play it twice is a dream come true.
What was the first show you remember seeing at the Ryman Auditorium?
Actually the first time I ever went there was when we opened for Mat Kearney. It’s a surreal experience walking in, and it just feels different than any other venue I’ve ever been to. There’s just a reverence and you can feel it in the air. It’s a special place.
Concerts in Nashville are known for having surprise elements. Do you have special plans for your upcoming Nashville shows?
Definitely. Not to give too many things away, but we want to do some different arrangements and have some special things up our sleeves.
Your two albums have both been released on indie labels. What has been your strategy for building your fanbase so far?
We’ve just been road warriors. We toured in a van and trailer for three or four years straight and just this past couple of months, when we went on tour with Incubus, we did our first tour in a bus. So just grinding it out on the road. And that’s really how we’ve built our fanbase, going to places over and over. In the beginning it was putting our music up for free online and trying to spread the word. At the beginning that provided a fanbase and we started going from there. We just always had that indie underdog thing spirit about us.
How did the band form?
We met at Belmont in late 2011. Judah played baseball at Belmont and had been writing songs. He wanted to hear them with some different instruments. He had been playing them with other people and it hadn’t been working so he knew Nate played banjo and asked him to come along and Nate knew Bryan who played mandolin. The three of them, that was the first time they played together. For their first shows at Belmont, one of student showcases, they needed a drummer and that’s when they asked me to join. Belmont was a great platform; people are so supportive. Obviously it’s Nashville and it’s a music-based school, but people are so supportive of artists that come out of there. It was a great family to grow up in.
Another Belmont band, The Lonely Biscuits, are opening for one of your Ryman shows; did you know them during your time at Belmont?
We did know them. I think they came in when [fellow Judah & The Lion member] Brian [MacDonald] and I came to Belmont. They were the same year. I think they formed right off the bat. They are some of our favorite people and great musicians. They opened for us last fall for several shows so we are excited to have them out to the Ryman ones.
How did “Take It All Back” come about?
That song was written in a shed on Music Row, a shed that I think doesn’t exist anymore. We had some friends that have offices there and there was a gross shed in the back and they let us rehearse in. We actually wrote it several years ago as we were rehearsing for our first headlining tour for our first album [Kids These Days]. We finished a song and Nate [Zuercher] started playing this random riff and it was the tagline for “Take It All Back.” I started playing that hip-hop beat and we went from there. It came together super spontaneously, and the song was written in like three minutes. We started playing it live during that tour because we were like, ‘Oh this is a cool song, we’ll just see how the fans like it.’ And fans kept asking if we were going to record it. When we went into the studio for Folk Hop ‘N Roll we were like, “We have to record this song.”
You guys recorded Folk Hop ‘N Roll in two weeks with producer Dave Cobb.
Dave has a great approach to music and he has a very raw approach and he’s all about grabbing that natural sound and not over-thinking it. He lets the music speak for itself. He’s known mostly for country and Americana stuff, but he has an incredible range of knowledge on music and hip-hop and soul and everything. He had a lot of ideas and opinions that helped us get out of it what we wanted to. He works fast too. It’s very off the cuff and hopefully you get a taste of the live feel of the music. We are always thinking about the live show.