WEBVTT - Darius Rucker 0:00:09.320 --> 0:00:15.840 Carola. She's a queen of talking. Here he was, so 0:00:15.960 --> 0:00:18.200 she's on the inside. She got the stoop and the 0:00:18.320 --> 0:00:21.239 laws to on the laws side. No one can do 0:00:21.360 --> 0:00:31.000 win Cli Carala, Carola, No one can do win Cli 0:00:31.320 --> 0:00:38.519 d Carala. It's time for Caroline. Hey, y'all, welcome to 0:00:38.600 --> 0:00:41.479 Hyper Caroline Hobby. I'm your host, Caroline Hobby, and I 0:00:41.520 --> 0:00:44.239 am so excited that you're here with me. This is 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:48.840 my first podcast. In my first episode. Before I get 0:00:48.840 --> 0:00:50.440 into the interview, I want to give you a quick 0:00:50.440 --> 0:00:53.200 background onto who I am. I am a Texas native 0:00:53.240 --> 0:00:55.960 born and raised. Moved to Nashville when I was nineteen 0:00:56.400 --> 0:00:59.640 to become a country music star. I got hooked up 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:02.480 with two awesome girls, Jennifer Wayne and Taylor Lynn, and 0:01:02.480 --> 0:01:05.200 we formed a trio called Stealing Angels. I was in 0:01:05.240 --> 0:01:08.319 that trio for about seven years. We toured the country 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:10.679 on a tour bus. We had two songs and the 0:01:10.720 --> 0:01:13.440 top fifty on the charts on the country charts, and 0:01:13.800 --> 0:01:16.120 we even got to play Madison Square Garden open up 0:01:16.120 --> 0:01:20.200 for Timocraw, Rascal Flats, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert. It was 0:01:20.240 --> 0:01:23.560 such a wild ride it eventually fell apart, which was 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:26.399 really sad and disheartening and kind of broke my heart 0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:29.000 a little bit. But just like when one thing falls apart, 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:31.800 another thing comes together. And Jen and I got asked 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:34.480 to do the Amazing Race, which is a reality show 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:37.199 which takes you around the world. It was so fun 0:01:37.319 --> 0:01:41.360 in such an incredible experience. We got fourth place on 0:01:41.880 --> 0:01:45.039 season twenty two, and then if that wasn't cool enough 0:01:45.080 --> 0:01:47.360 just to race once, we got asked back to race 0:01:47.440 --> 0:01:50.000 again on the All Star season and we ended up 0:01:50.040 --> 0:01:53.840 coming in second place. We lost the whole race by 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:57.640 four seconds. Those were really expensive seconds because you win 0:01:57.680 --> 0:02:01.240 a million dollars if you win, but the experience was priceless. 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:03.240 Because of Amazing Races. We got to go to like 0:02:03.240 --> 0:02:06.280 twenty different countries, which is just crazy. And when I 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:09.359 finished that, when I finished the second time racing on 0:02:09.400 --> 0:02:11.520 Amazing Race, I came back to Nashville and I was like, 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:14.160 what do I really love? And I realized I love 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:16.200 getting to know people, and I love getting to know 0:02:16.240 --> 0:02:19.400 people's stories and figuring out their drive and how people 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:23.280 stay inspired. Because this industry, this entertainment industry, is crazy 0:02:23.360 --> 0:02:25.320 and it's it can break your heart and it can 0:02:25.320 --> 0:02:28.000 tear you down. And you have to really have a vision, 0:02:28.040 --> 0:02:29.360 and you have to have a focus, and you have 0:02:29.400 --> 0:02:31.960 to have a drive. And it's not for the week, 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:34.480 for sure, it's not for the faint of heart. And 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:38.280 so I definitely was curious about how people stay motivated. 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:41.280 And I've collected a ton of interesting friends after living 0:02:41.280 --> 0:02:43.280 in Nashville for over ten years, and I'm like, you 0:02:43.320 --> 0:02:45.560 know what, I'm going to interview these people and I'm 0:02:45.560 --> 0:02:47.840 gonna get to know what's going on in their brains 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:49.919 and see why they wake up every morning and get 0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:53.000 hyper about their career and get hyper about their dreams. 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:57.520 So that is why hyper Caroline Hobby was born. And 0:02:57.560 --> 0:03:01.000 I hope that you enjoy hearing from all the incredible people, 0:03:01.280 --> 0:03:03.200 because it has been a blast so far getting to 0:03:03.200 --> 0:03:05.400 talk to some of the coolest people I know in Nashville. 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:10.200 The first person that we're interviewing is Darius Rucker. What 0:03:10.600 --> 0:03:13.720 He's from Hootie and the Blowfish. He sold thirty million 0:03:13.720 --> 0:03:16.080 albums with Hooting and the Blowfish. And if that wasn't 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:19.440 crazy enough and cool enough, he then started all the 0:03:19.480 --> 0:03:21.639 way back over in country music and climbed his way 0:03:21.680 --> 0:03:24.280 back from the just the starting ground all the way 0:03:24.280 --> 0:03:26.680 to the top of the charts and country music. He 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:29.520 didn't take any freebees, he didn't come in as a superstar. 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:32.480 He started off like any other Nubian country music and 0:03:32.520 --> 0:03:34.000 worked his way all the way up to the top. 0:03:34.360 --> 0:03:37.680 And his story is incredible, it's inspiring. He's probably one 0:03:37.720 --> 0:03:40.320 of the most hard working, driven men I've ever met. 0:03:40.600 --> 0:03:43.680 He's hilarious and it was a super big privilege to 0:03:43.680 --> 0:03:47.240 get to interview him. So please welcome Darius Rucker to 0:03:47.400 --> 0:03:55.600 Hyper Caroline Hobby. Hi, Darius Rucker, I'm fabulous. How are 0:03:55.600 --> 0:03:59.160 you doing? Are you joining this snow? I'm not a 0:03:59.200 --> 0:04:03.320 big snow guy, but you know it's okay, Well you don't. 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:05.080 You don't live in Nashville. No, I don't live in 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:07.480 Nashville and Charleston. We never get snow. So you know, 0:04:07.480 --> 0:04:09.960 when I came here yesterday and it was crazy, I 0:04:10.200 --> 0:04:12.600 stopped as I woke up. I think you brought it 0:04:12.640 --> 0:04:15.160 with you because it started yesterday. You know, you know, 0:04:15.160 --> 0:04:16.960 I gotta bring something. You don't want to come to 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:22.400 Nashville after the ending. That's very true. Yeah, absolutely, Okay, 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:25.760 So you started off and I was like in nineteen 0:04:26.640 --> 0:04:29.719 six is when this whole thing started for you. I 0:04:29.800 --> 0:04:34.200 was sophomore in college and met this guy who, uh 0:04:34.600 --> 0:04:37.520 was a guitar player, and he asked me if he 0:04:37.520 --> 0:04:40.000 heard me singing in you heard me saying a Billy 0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:42.719 Joel song? And you always sing in the shower? I 0:04:42.800 --> 0:04:44.440 used to. I don't. I don't think I do much anymore, 0:04:44.440 --> 0:04:46.280 but I used to all the time. Yeah, because this 0:04:46.320 --> 0:04:47.960 was like we had community showers, you know. It wasn't 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:50.279 like like you know now they have all these new, 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:52.479 these great showers in these dorms, but ours was just 0:04:52.520 --> 0:04:55.160 four six shower heads in one open room. When one 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:57.320 over the room. Yeah, and I have a shower in 0:04:57.320 --> 0:04:58.760 the afternoon and no one was in there and I'm 0:04:58.760 --> 0:05:00.400 sinking and I walk out and he go, man, was 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:01.919 that you? I was like yeah, He's like, wow, you 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:04.640 know I play guitar and that, and I said, uh, really, 0:05:04.640 --> 0:05:05.599 I was like, you know, he said, once you come 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:07.599 out lastly, be doing the same songs. And I did. 0:05:07.680 --> 0:05:11.200 And every since. Did you have intentions to be a singer? 0:05:11.240 --> 0:05:13.000 I always want to be. That's all I ever wanted 0:05:13.680 --> 0:05:16.080 to four. That's all I ever wanted to be. Really. Yeah, 0:05:16.120 --> 0:05:17.920 you know, but you get older and you realize that's 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:19.800 never gonna happen, and you gotta get a real job. 0:05:20.200 --> 0:05:21.760 Are you going to do the real job thing? Yeah? 0:05:21.800 --> 0:05:24.919 I want. I wanted to work in, you know, sports, 0:05:25.200 --> 0:05:27.560 something to sports, either radio or televisions or something. We 0:05:27.680 --> 0:05:30.240 have a great voice for it, and I still I 0:05:30.240 --> 0:05:32.680 still want to have a sports talk show someday. I 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:35.039 want to do that someday. What's your sport? Tire? I 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:36.679 like them, I like, oh, you know the three majors 0:05:36.680 --> 0:05:39.120 we have here, But football, I live for it. It's 0:05:39.160 --> 0:05:40.880 sometimes it's really why I get out of bed and 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:43.480 in the morning because football is on that day. Were 0:05:43.480 --> 0:05:46.560 you stoked about the Super Bowl? I wish it had 0:05:46.560 --> 0:05:48.799 been a better game? I was. I was. I'm always 0:05:48.839 --> 0:05:51.240 stoked about Super Bowl because it's the it's the championship 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:55.000 of my favorite league. But then around two minutes left 0:05:55.000 --> 0:05:56.560 in the fourth quarter, I get really sad because I 0:05:56.600 --> 0:05:59.800 realized there's no more football until like September August, and 0:06:00.200 --> 0:06:03.240 and that's always a sad time for me. I'm sorry. 0:06:03.320 --> 0:06:05.440 I barely even knew who was playing the Super Bowl. 0:06:07.000 --> 0:06:11.279 Only one team really played. Okay, I want to start 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:14.160 off with some rapid fire. Okay, ready, are your morning 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:17.160 or night person? Morning. What I've become. I used to 0:06:17.200 --> 0:06:19.360 be a night person. But in my but you can hang, 0:06:19.600 --> 0:06:21.840 I can hang, but I get up. I'm up every 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:24.440 morning at six six, no matter what I do, and 0:06:24.480 --> 0:06:26.400 I played all four. You don't getting kids at school 0:06:26.480 --> 0:06:28.719 or whatever. But I'm a I'm a morning person. So 0:06:28.760 --> 0:06:31.159 you're just not really a sleep person. Not lately. No, 0:06:31.240 --> 0:06:33.120 I don't. I don't. I don't need eight, that's for sure. 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:35.120 You don't need eight. No, what can you function on? 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:39.200 I'm going on about I'm seriously going on about nine 0:06:39.360 --> 0:06:42.000 hours in the last four days right now. So does 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:44.520 that make you like irritable? I don't think so. You're 0:06:44.520 --> 0:06:46.480 always so pleasant. I try to be when I get 0:06:46.520 --> 0:06:50.680 tired to get irritable, not you. Yeah, when I get tired, 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:54.839 I just get ut quiet when I get tired, I think. Okay, okay, 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:57.920 so morning. If you had to be the pet cat 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:01.839 to any celebrity, who would it be and why? Um? 0:07:01.880 --> 0:07:04.200 If I had to be a cat for any celebrity, 0:07:04.440 --> 0:07:07.880 I would be a cat for for Paul McCartney. Okay, 0:07:08.279 --> 0:07:12.360 So I can hang out with him, your number one. Oh, 0:07:12.400 --> 0:07:14.200 he's my but he's one of the few things on 0:07:14.240 --> 0:07:15.720 my bucket. List is to sit and have a beer 0:07:15.720 --> 0:07:18.640 with part He's my absolutely Al Green is my absolute idolt. 0:07:18.640 --> 0:07:20.480 Al Green is the guy who made me want to sing. Really, 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:23.520 you know, but I've been lucky fortunate enough to actually 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:26.080 hang out with at a couple of times. Is that great? 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:29.440 He's just a great human being and the hope you had. 0:07:29.600 --> 0:07:32.160 Absolutely he was great to be a nice and and 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:34.960 it was awesome. And but you know, Paul's a close second. 0:07:35.040 --> 0:07:39.520 I just you know, I love Okay, Okay, so he'd 0:07:39.520 --> 0:07:43.800 be his cat. You can stroke me. I'm rubbing up 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:49.800 against his leg. Okay. Any tattoos or piercings? And three tattoos? 0:07:50.200 --> 0:07:51.880 Two tattoos I got too. I'm getting a third one. 0:07:52.200 --> 0:07:55.560 What are you gonna get? I want to find somebody too? 0:07:56.560 --> 0:07:59.680 And I start cheesy, but and Elvis writing, which is 0:07:59.720 --> 0:08:02.000 from uh, from a lord of the rings? I want 0:08:02.120 --> 0:08:04.840 my three kids names. I love that. Where do you 0:08:04.880 --> 0:08:07.480 want to put it? Probably? And do you have another one? 0:08:07.880 --> 0:08:10.560 I got ah? I thought it was a piece flag 0:08:11.240 --> 0:08:13.160 and uh, this this is flag. I have my arm. 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:16.360 It's red, golden green, and uh and in the corner 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:19.400 where the stars are I put a piece sign and 0:08:19.720 --> 0:08:21.520 one day to get out of the shower and my 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:24.160 wife goes this, I thought you said you got the 0:08:24.880 --> 0:08:26.520 peace flag. I said that. I just no, you didn't 0:08:26.560 --> 0:08:28.720 you get the Mercedes's flag. And I looked at I 0:08:28.760 --> 0:08:30.320 realized they didn't put the line down the middle. So 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:32.800 I do have the Mercedes bens for do you drive Mercedes? 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:36.079 She does, Okay, you get free Mercedes if you put 0:08:36.120 --> 0:08:40.319 it on your arms. Agree. I agree, that's amazing. Okay, 0:08:41.080 --> 0:08:44.040 what do you consider your greatest achievement? Oh, my grace 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:47.720 achievements and my kids really yeah, I mean, you know 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:49.559 Carrie who's in college now, I'm so proud of her. 0:08:49.600 --> 0:08:52.560 She struggled through a lot of hard times in school 0:08:52.600 --> 0:08:55.360 and now she's blossomed into such a wonderful, beautiful woman 0:08:55.360 --> 0:08:57.960 being in college and just enjoying herself. And my other 0:08:58.240 --> 0:08:59.880 you know, Danny and Jack are just such a great 0:09:00.040 --> 0:09:02.040 It's that they're definitely my my that's the best thing 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:05.040 I've ever done. Awesome. Did you always know you wanted 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:07.760 kids to Absolutely? Was it hard to have kids touring? 0:09:09.280 --> 0:09:11.760 It wasn't hard. I mean it wasn't. It was hard 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:13.839 with carry to be honest with you, because who do 0:09:13.880 --> 0:09:16.040 you be tourd so different country guys that like, I'd 0:09:16.040 --> 0:09:18.959 go for six months and I'd go for Seriously, I'd 0:09:18.960 --> 0:09:20.240 go for a month while I'm coming home and then 0:09:20.280 --> 0:09:22.040 you come home and you know, you're home for three 0:09:22.120 --> 0:09:24.760 days and then you're back out for three weeks. You know, 0:09:24.760 --> 0:09:27.600 we don't do that in country, thank goodness. But it's tough. 0:09:27.600 --> 0:09:29.080 Then now it's just great. I mean, you know, I 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:31.280 played tour in the summer and on the weekends, and 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:32.960 you know, the kids want to go my son's and 0:09:32.960 --> 0:09:34.760 you know, you know, it was with me the whole time. Yeah, 0:09:34.920 --> 0:09:37.160 he's come out and they come out with me. So 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:39.840 that's always fun. Okay, So country touring is a little 0:09:39.840 --> 0:09:45.360 more family. Absolutely, absolutely no doubt about that. Yeah, okay, okay, 0:09:45.400 --> 0:09:47.439 So you met in the shower with your band? Were 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:49.320 they actually in the shower with you know? I was 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:50.760 just me and he said he. I came out of 0:09:50.800 --> 0:09:52.800 the bathroom and he was his door just happened to 0:09:52.840 --> 0:09:54.240 be right by the shower, and I came out of 0:09:54.240 --> 0:09:56.080 the bathroom. He was standing in this door and yeah, 0:09:56.320 --> 0:09:59.040 that's when he said, Yo, were you are you singing? Man? Yeah? Wait? 0:09:59.640 --> 0:10:02.640 So then you all wrote together are like a unit? 0:10:02.640 --> 0:10:05.480 You always right together. We're ben Yeah. We we always 0:10:05.720 --> 0:10:09.079 you know, we do pretty much everything. Yeah, yeah, that's amazing. 0:10:09.679 --> 0:10:12.040 And in nineteen was a nice to night. Four here 0:10:12.040 --> 0:10:15.680 comes cracked you. Yeah, did you see that coming? Still 0:10:15.679 --> 0:10:18.640 do believe it? Sixteen million albums, Still don't believe it. 0:10:18.679 --> 0:10:20.400 I mean, that has to be in the highest selling 0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:23.160 albums of all times. It's it's up there. We uh, 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:24.800 you know, we had been a band for nine years, 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:27.160 eight years, eight nine years. We've been a band before 0:10:27.160 --> 0:10:29.960 we got a record deal, and and we had seen 0:10:30.000 --> 0:10:32.720 it going from being you know, the biggest band in 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:35.560 my dorm room, to being the biggest band in our dorm, 0:10:35.600 --> 0:10:38.520 to being the biggest band in our college. They allege, yeah, 0:10:38.520 --> 0:10:40.080 you play frat parties all the time in the clubs 0:10:40.080 --> 0:10:41.440 and everything and all that stuff. And then you know, 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:44.120 then the biggest band in Colombia, then the biggest ban 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:45.760 of South Carolina, and then we were the biggest band 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:47.160 in the Southeast that didn't have a record deal. And 0:10:47.200 --> 0:10:50.000 so we'd watched our careers climb. So we got a 0:10:50.000 --> 0:10:51.760 record deal. We just thought, you know, okay, this is 0:10:51.840 --> 0:10:53.880 just another step in our career. But then all of 0:10:53.920 --> 0:10:58.160 a sudden, but David Letterman show happened, and we we 0:10:58.200 --> 0:11:00.640 went to bed that night, We went to bed being 0:11:00.679 --> 0:11:02.959 hooting the both fish and the next day we woke 0:11:03.040 --> 0:11:04.760 up about to be one of the biggest bands in 0:11:04.760 --> 0:11:07.120 the world. Was crazy. How did that feel? How do 0:11:07.160 --> 0:11:09.480 you handle that? Were you ready for it? Oh? I don't. 0:11:09.640 --> 0:11:11.760 I don't think we had to be. We didn't. We 0:11:11.760 --> 0:11:13.720 were lucky. We had four guys who were so close 0:11:13.960 --> 0:11:17.400 and so on each other, so on top of each 0:11:17.400 --> 0:11:19.760 other that nobody could get a big at or get 0:11:20.400 --> 0:11:22.760 you know, I mean we we remember when a Dean 0:11:23.000 --> 0:11:24.920 put on a black T shirt for the first time. 0:11:25.360 --> 0:11:28.079 I think he took five hours of us just killing them. 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:30.440 Oh you're rocked, or now, oh you know you're cool 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:33.560 black T shirt where you're golf and that because and 0:11:33.600 --> 0:11:35.480 so there was no time. And for us, we want 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:38.560 the road so much, there was no time. We we 0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:42.840 didn't see the record sales going crazy. We saw our 0:11:42.840 --> 0:11:45.320 record at number one every week in the billboard, but 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:47.200 we didn't see it. I mean, the money was going 0:11:47.240 --> 0:11:48.400 in the bank and we were just in the road. 0:11:48.400 --> 0:11:49.839 All we knew was these shows a getting bigger and 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:51.520 this is all you know, That's all we knew. And 0:11:51.559 --> 0:11:54.120 that's that was great. So off that record you had 0:11:54.320 --> 0:11:56.000 hold my hand, only want to be with you. I 0:11:56.000 --> 0:12:01.400 gotta say that was my theme song. I let her 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:04.760 cry in time for those four singles. Those four singles, 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:08.640 huge songs, Yeah, big records, right, I mean yeah, I 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:10.760 mean a couple of those songs are probably and you 0:12:10.800 --> 0:12:12.719 know they are an American songbook, you know, to be 0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:14.720 around for a while. And and uh, you know, I 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:16.880 was a great feeling watching those and and we came 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:19.280 along at such a perfect time. It was timing more 0:12:19.280 --> 0:12:21.880 than I don't do you think that's timing. Yeah, the 0:12:21.880 --> 0:12:24.400 record was good, but it wasn't sixty yes, you know, 0:12:24.440 --> 0:12:29.600 and and uh and you know, grunge was big, and 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:32.120 you know, record sales were dipping and nobody was you know, 0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:35.200 and drunge was out and everybody was tired of being 0:12:35.240 --> 0:12:37.200 sad and piste off. And we came out and said 0:12:37.200 --> 0:12:40.720 old my hand, and the world said, okay, so what 0:12:40.800 --> 0:12:43.760 inspired you to write that? Sony drummer actually brought that one. 0:12:43.800 --> 0:12:46.480 He wrote that one. That's that's a good story here here. Uh. 0:12:47.520 --> 0:12:49.320 We were we our first drummer was leaving and we 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:52.160 were auditioning in drummers and Sony came by the house 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:54.679 and uh, he played with us auditions and then he said, 0:12:54.679 --> 0:12:55.680 I got the song on what you guys do here 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:57.600 because I want to start doing the original music and 0:12:57.720 --> 0:13:00.559 he played all my hand. We were like, really, Dropper, 0:13:02.920 --> 0:13:06.560 that's amazing. Okay, So you guys going to do five 0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:09.120 studio albums. I don't know who you did, but five 0:13:09.160 --> 0:13:14.720 songs about right? I really don't. Okay, after that happens, 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:18.600 you guys going to tour forever. Then you're like, I'm 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:23.960 gonna just pull a Houdini and go country because I'm 0:13:24.000 --> 0:13:25.920 such a badass, Like why not just start from the 0:13:25.920 --> 0:13:31.720 bottom again. In Radney Foster, Dney Foster, he came out 0:13:31.760 --> 0:13:35.360 with his first solo record called Dario Texas nineteen and 0:13:35.360 --> 0:13:37.160 I'll never I'll never forget the first time I heard 0:13:37.200 --> 0:13:39.280 that record. The first time I that record, I said, Man, 0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:41.360 I want saying country someday because I thought the record 0:13:41.400 --> 0:13:42.880 was so great. And I mean I had been a 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:44.840 fan growing up. I was a big Kenny Rogers guy, 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:47.120 and you know, the opery was all you know, we 0:13:47.200 --> 0:13:48.720 listened to it on the week, you know, because it 0:13:48.760 --> 0:13:50.160 was for me. It was a lot of music and 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:51.480 I always wanted to hear a lot of music and 0:13:51.520 --> 0:13:53.560 you could find you know, I was a M radio guy. 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:55.400 That's who old lam. I was an AM radio. I 0:13:55.480 --> 0:13:57.280 just love it. And and you I know all the 0:13:57.320 --> 0:13:59.520 history of the opera too, Yeah I do. I know 0:14:00.280 --> 0:14:02.800 I studied some of that stuff. But uh, then I 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:06.520 just and then we toured every year and one day, Sony, 0:14:06.559 --> 0:14:08.480 our drummers, said, I just don't want to toever you. 0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:10.080 I don't want to be a touring band like that anymore. 0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:12.240 And so yeah, you got tired of it. And and 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:14.679 so for us from I was like, Okay, I guess 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:17.040 I'm gonna try to make a record country record. What's 0:14:17.080 --> 0:14:19.000 the rest of the band fine with it? Yeah, I 0:14:19.000 --> 0:14:22.080 mean we weren't gonna play, you know, we were taking time. Also, Yeah, 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:24.160 everybody go do whatever you wanna do. You're like, I'm 0:14:24.200 --> 0:14:26.560 still ready to do this. Yeah I was. I'd always 0:14:26.560 --> 0:14:28.160 felt and like i't even said it to my accounting 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:30.200 a few times. I I've always said, I don't think 0:14:30.200 --> 0:14:32.040 my career is over. You know, I don't think we're done. 0:14:32.080 --> 0:14:34.920 I don't think I'm done. And and uh, you know 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:38.000 McGee being a great manager, they are, they got me 0:14:38.480 --> 0:14:40.680 a record deal with Capital because I say it all 0:14:40.680 --> 0:14:43.840 the time, I wouldn't given me a record deal because 0:14:44.600 --> 0:14:47.040 who's gonna give the black lead singer of a once 0:14:47.240 --> 0:14:50.000 huge band who's now they're still doing great. You know, 0:14:50.040 --> 0:14:52.760 they're still doing great touring business. But you know, nobody's 0:14:53.280 --> 0:14:55.240 putting their records on the radio anymore, and any new 0:14:55.280 --> 0:14:57.120 records on the radio anymore. You know, they they've had 0:14:57.160 --> 0:14:59.560 that run. And why would you give the black lead 0:14:59.640 --> 0:15:02.200 singer of that band of deal in country music when 0:15:02.280 --> 0:15:04.320 there hasn't been a black man with a hit and 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:08.400 country music in twenty five years. But you said it, yeah, 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:11.240 I said, but they gave me a deal. I still 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:13.080 and I still say thank you to Mike Dungan all 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:15.480 the time because he he said he went into UH 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:17.120 the day the night he decided to give me a deal. 0:15:17.160 --> 0:15:20.360 He went into his offices and he pulled his all 0:15:20.400 --> 0:15:23.240 his vps and his main staff and and he they 0:15:23.240 --> 0:15:24.880 all sat in the room and he said, I want 0:15:24.920 --> 0:15:26.520 you guys to know that I'm gonna I think I 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:29.320 want to sign it. There. Strucker and one of the 0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:32.920 guys that and everybody in that room told him it 0:15:32.960 --> 0:15:34.720 was the worst idea you've ever had, But it feels 0:15:34.760 --> 0:15:37.680 like a great idea. It wasn't the end, but I 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:41.560 think on this and I understood why the it's it's 0:15:41.560 --> 0:15:44.160 it's amazing because even when I started a radio tour 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:46.160 and stuff, I had guys who are now my friends, 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:47.760 really said I thought I'd never played you because I 0:15:47.800 --> 0:15:50.240 just didn't think my audience would accept an African American 0:15:50.240 --> 0:15:56.000 country scer. So had you written country songs before he 0:15:56.120 --> 0:15:58.760 started the country promises? Listen to someone the Hooty Records 0:15:58.840 --> 0:16:01.760 and all those country songs and on I brought all 0:16:01.760 --> 0:16:05.040 those songs in, you know, yeah, so, but when you 0:16:05.040 --> 0:16:08.240 started the country process, had you started the songwriting process? 0:16:08.720 --> 0:16:11.840 So this was just like I came in and yeah, 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:13.560 And did you get hooked up in the community with 0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:15.960 the writers or have you found people you loved try with. 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:18.880 I love writing with so many other guys, your rivers, Ruther, 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:23.760 for Tim James, actually Gorley, you know, Kristin Bog. I'm 0:16:23.840 --> 0:16:28.000 leaving session's started name names because there's there's probably thirty 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:29.960 guys in town that could call me anytime and say 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:32.520 let's write now. I will make I'll clear my schedule 0:16:32.560 --> 0:16:34.080 to go work with them because I says, great guys 0:16:34.080 --> 0:16:39.200 and great writers. So you agreed to start back at 0:16:39.200 --> 0:16:41.560 the bottom. Yeah, that was actually that was my idea. 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:44.720 How have you just like the biggest star on Earth 0:16:44.840 --> 0:16:46.880 held so sixteen million records and now you're going to 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:49.000 start back at the bottom and country music. I had 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:51.840 to prove yourself. Actually went into the office for my 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:54.040 first meeting and I told them I want to do 0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:56.560 a radio tour, which shocked them. They didn't think I 0:16:56.600 --> 0:16:58.920 would because you know, because you know, you just said, 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:02.200 didn't think I would getting a car and drive around 0:17:02.200 --> 0:17:04.960 the four radio stations a day work and it's current work. 0:17:05.000 --> 0:17:07.480 And I said, I want to be And I even 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:09.960 told the guys that booked me, and I said, look, 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:12.080 I want to be a baby man. I don't I 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.720 don't want you guys to go out and say, you know, 0:17:15.160 --> 0:17:16.880 you should headline or where he'd be in the middle 0:17:16.920 --> 0:17:18.640 because of who you both said. No, I said, I'll 0:17:18.640 --> 0:17:20.760 take baby mad money and first and my first tour 0:17:20.880 --> 0:17:23.240 was first three. My first tour was I was first, 0:17:23.280 --> 0:17:27.440 it was Dirk, then Brad, Yeah, you were first thirty minutes, 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:33.160 thirty minutes. Absolutely, I wanted to do that. I wanted 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:35.040 to do I wanted Nashville to see that I wasn't 0:17:35.080 --> 0:17:36.359 coming in here as a store. I was coming in 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:38.480 here as the new guy, and I was gonna work 0:17:38.480 --> 0:17:40.400 my way up. I wasn't expecting them to give me anything. 0:17:40.440 --> 0:17:42.639 I was gonna earn everything I got. And where does 0:17:42.680 --> 0:17:45.720 that mentality come from? Growing up where I did. I 0:17:45.760 --> 0:17:47.560 grew up with nothing, you know, and I don't want 0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:49.440 anybody give me anything because when you work for it's 0:17:49.960 --> 0:17:52.560 it's not better. So you want to So yeah, I 0:17:52.560 --> 0:17:54.159 want to touch me to know that. First of all, 0:17:54.119 --> 0:17:55.520 I want to know this wasn't a one off, and 0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:57.240 I wasn't coming in just took carpet bag and have 0:17:57.280 --> 0:17:59.080 a couple of hits and go back to pop. And 0:17:59.200 --> 0:18:01.000 you know, I wanted to come here and be part 0:18:01.040 --> 0:18:02.840 of country music, and so I felt the way to 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:05.160 do that was to start from the bottom. I mean 0:18:05.560 --> 0:18:09.920 going to bottom and humble yourself and and lose money. 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:12.679 Because I wasn't gonna fire from fire my crew. I 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:14.120 was gonna keep the same cruise. So I was gonna 0:18:14.119 --> 0:18:16.119 have to lose money to do this. But it was like, 0:18:16.240 --> 0:18:17.960 let's work at us, work from the bottom up, and 0:18:17.960 --> 0:18:21.359 in the long run, I think it'll be better. And you, 0:18:21.720 --> 0:18:23.679 like I said earlier, you know the grand old offers 0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:27.240 so well you got accepted. How is that one of 0:18:27.240 --> 0:18:29.680