Speaker 1: So Joe Diffy passed away literally saw it just now,
Speaker 1: so I thought I would get on and say a
Speaker 1: few things and also put back the episode we did
Speaker 1: with him just a few months ago. I was lucky
Speaker 1: enough to have become buds with Joe over the last
Speaker 1: few years, especially the last couple of years. He first
Speaker 1: came on the radio show, which to me was a
Speaker 1: big deal because it's always awesome getting to hang out
Speaker 1: with the people that you liked when you were a kid,
Speaker 1: and that was definitely the case with Joe Diffy. I
Speaker 1: just got a text from a country singer just now said, dude,
Speaker 1: Joe Diffy, so sad. I'm really glad he was on
Speaker 1: your podcast. It was the only long form interview that
Speaker 1: I heard from him. So we're gonna play it back
Speaker 1: if you didn't get to hear it. And we also
Speaker 1: did this around Christmas time, I think last year, right, Yeah,
Speaker 1: so it we weren't really able to promote as much
Speaker 1: as we would like. I would have liked to as well,
Speaker 1: So I hope you like it. Just a couple of
Speaker 1: things before we get into it. Joe Diffy died at
Speaker 1: sixty one, and this is a few days after his
Speaker 1: positive coronavirus. His tests came out, just made a bunch
Speaker 1: of hits throughout the nineties. By the way, I don't
Speaker 1: know what day you're listening to this, but he did
Speaker 1: die Sunday due to complications related to COVID nineteen. Um.
Speaker 1: You know, there's a lot of quotes here. I'll go
Speaker 1: because with these funerals or with people dying during coronavirus time,
Speaker 1: what really sucks is you can't get a bunch of
Speaker 1: people together to appreciate and pay respects. So that that stinks,
Speaker 1: because you know, you want to show that you love people,
Speaker 1: you want to be there for them. Joe Diffy was
Speaker 1: a grand old oprety member. It was a Grammy winner.
Speaker 1: We're gonna go through some of his catalogs in a second,
Speaker 1: But to me, he was just a a good old
Speaker 1: normal dude who whenever he put out his new record
Speaker 1: he saved me is very first final and he wrote
Speaker 1: on a one of five hundred, so our condolences out
Speaker 1: to the whole family there. You know, when Joe came
Speaker 1: over and did the Bobby cast, I think he brought
Speaker 1: his whole family with him. Were like they were in here, yeah,
Speaker 1: like an audience and his daughter was a huge fan
Speaker 1: of the show. You know, I was able to play
Speaker 1: the opery with Joe a couple of times. It just
Speaker 1: it sucks. It does it really sucks. There's really nothing
Speaker 1: more to the point except it sucks. Um. My favorite
Speaker 1: song from Joe Diffy was problem Me Upside of the the
Speaker 1: jew Box. I know. I got to sing it with
Speaker 1: them on the radio show because I was like, Joe,
Speaker 1: I love it, but let me sing it with you,
Speaker 1: and he was like, all right, so this is my
Speaker 1: favorite on the video we talked about it coming up.
Speaker 1: John der Green, Hey, everybody knows this one. On that
Speaker 1: hot summer night. It cut man all my lives and
Speaker 1: trapped me jams and just set off and win and
Speaker 1: lack about a pick up man. Third Rock from the Sun,
Speaker 1: which is one of those weird songs that I learned
Speaker 1: every word too as a kid because there are so
Speaker 1: many words and I was so proud of myself that
Speaker 1: I could sing all of it. When do I come
Speaker 1: on the radio, I play a cool but like, oh
Speaker 1: I like this song, but I know every word and
Speaker 1: I want to look at them too. I'll just be
Speaker 1: singing it and hopefully they'd appreciate. I knew every word
Speaker 1: of the song. And then ships that don't come in.
Speaker 1: Here's to all the souls who have ever died in bed,
Speaker 1: insane loughter looms, all this down, all man, those to
Speaker 1: stand around him, these shoes and it's bead against the wind,
Speaker 1: and those who wait forever. Ships don't recipes. Joe. I
Speaker 1: love you as a kid, love jagain as an adult,
Speaker 1: probably loved you all that time in the middle two.
Speaker 1: That sucks. It sucks, It sucks. Um. Here is the
Speaker 1: Bobby cast I did with Joe Diffy that I was
Speaker 1: so excited for that. I did it on vacation during Christmas,
Speaker 1: and I was like, holy crap, I hope you enjoy it,
Speaker 1: share it with your friends, and here you go. I
Speaker 1: welcome to episode to seventeen with a guy I really
Speaker 1: like and we've been a big fan of for yours
Speaker 1: Joe Diffy. Good to hear you, good to see you,
Speaker 1: Thank you, thank you. You know. I was looking up.
Speaker 1: I know most of the stuff about you, like I've
Speaker 1: been a fan before we've been able to be friends.
Speaker 1: I was just a massive fan of you growing up,
Speaker 1: and so as I kind of went on the deep
Speaker 1: dive because I always like to find out. You know,
Speaker 1: what do I not know about the people that are
Speaker 1: coming over to the house listen to this. I don't
Speaker 1: know if you eve knew? Oh Lord, here we go.
Speaker 1: On this day, December six, you had the number one
Speaker 1: song on the Billboard Country chart with Pickup Man. It
Speaker 1: was your longest lasting number one. I haven't spent four
Speaker 1: weeks in number one from December four to January. Did
Speaker 1: you know that was today? No? I didn't know today.
Speaker 1: I knew the rest of that, but I didn't realize
Speaker 1: the date of it. That's pretty cool on this day
Speaker 1: and four number one? Yeah. Yeah. So for example, Luke
Speaker 1: Combs just spent three weeks at number one. Um, and
Speaker 1: that's a for a song, the last three weeks number one,
Speaker 1: especially today, it's a really big deal when you have
Speaker 1: a song that numbone for four weeks in what's really
Speaker 1: the the vibe of that? Well, I mean it was
Speaker 1: unusual because back then, you know, they put out a
Speaker 1: lot more songs. The frequency you have, you know, you
Speaker 1: put out four, four or five songs a year, and
Speaker 1: now you might have one song that stays on the
Speaker 1: charts lingering there at some point for almost a year.
Speaker 1: You know, so so that was kind of the weird
Speaker 1: part we had. We had to wait to see what
Speaker 1: how long it was gonna stay number one before we
Speaker 1: could put out another record. So did you feel like
Speaker 1: that song was going to be a number one song?
Speaker 1: I knew it from the instant I heard it. I
Speaker 1: really did. Yeah. I don't know why, I just something
Speaker 1: about it. I just you know, have you been able
Speaker 1: to name and nail boasted most of your big songs
Speaker 1: when the first time you heard them? Yeah? Pretty much. Uh,
Speaker 1: there was a couple that it didn't like John dear
Speaker 1: Green I hated when I first heard it. Yeah, why
Speaker 1: well because the demo and now this is it's a
Speaker 1: long sago, but but when I first heard it, Uh,
Speaker 1: it was done by the writer named Dennis Lyndy, and
Speaker 1: he had a very eclectic sound in voice, and he
Speaker 1: did all his own demos at his house. So it
Speaker 1: had like a Jews harp playing like aren't Arnie? And
Speaker 1: I was like, what the heck is that? You know?
Speaker 1: And then my producer so we just he said, ignored
Speaker 1: the demo part. I have to add right now that
Speaker 1: that I subsequently, uh loved all of Dennis Lindy's demos
Speaker 1: they were so cool. After you got after you kind
Speaker 1: of figured out what was what was happening, you know,
Speaker 1: any of My producer said listen to the words and
Speaker 1: uh and uh. I was like, man, I just don't
Speaker 1: like it at all. He goes, well, he said, he said,
Speaker 1: I think this is a hit, And I said, well,
Speaker 1: we can try it, you know, we'll go on the
Speaker 1: studio and cut and if it doesn't work out, then
Speaker 1: we scrap it, you know. So luckily it worked out.
Speaker 1: So you go in and at what point is it
Speaker 1: during the session? Is it during the track? When do
Speaker 1: you go, oh, there might be something here with John
Speaker 1: der Gran when we tracked it, you know, because obviously
Speaker 1: it was a lot different than the demo, you know,
Speaker 1: so yeah, we once once we started tracking, I was like,
Speaker 1: that's that is a pretty good song right there. What
Speaker 1: song of yours when you play it gets the biggest response?
Speaker 1: And you know what's funny about that? It was not
Speaker 1: a number one song? Isn't that weird? And it's you know,
Speaker 1: I talked with a lot of young artists now and
Speaker 1: they're like, I just want that number one. Like I
Speaker 1: get it, you do. But and and in Keith were
Speaker 1: gonna have talked about this where his a lot of
Speaker 1: his biggest songs weren't number one, and then we werena
Speaker 1: you know was back in those days. I mean there
Speaker 1: were severally over like four or five different charts, so
Speaker 1: I think it did go number one and one of
Speaker 1: them I don't know which one, but but yeah, that's
Speaker 1: always that is a strange phenomena some of your some
Speaker 1: songs that do go number one don't sell as as well, etcetery.
Speaker 1: You know. So for me, when I think about your music,
Speaker 1: like my favorite song has propped me out, and that
Speaker 1: was not a number one song on the on the
Speaker 1: radio chart. I mean when I think, Joe Diffy, this
Speaker 1: is the song from me. I know every word. Remember
Speaker 1: when it came out, I bought the CD and I
Speaker 1: memorized every word so I could sing all of I
Speaker 1: did that and third rock because the third rock is
Speaker 1: a little harder because the words are a lot faster.
Speaker 1: But this, this is the song for me that if
Speaker 1: someone's like, what your favorite? A matter of fact, when
Speaker 1: you came in, I was like, Joe, you gotta play
Speaker 1: problem me up? And you did and and again is
Speaker 1: it peaked a number three on the radio chart. It's weird.
Speaker 1: There's a big record from you. The video though for
Speaker 1: this song is what I really remember from this song
Speaker 1: as well, because back in the day we used to
Speaker 1: really watch mt from music video right a lot. Yeah,
Speaker 1: all you know what I remember about the video mostly
Speaker 1: filming the video. It was so hot, man, it was,
Speaker 1: And they had this these buckets of like sea bree
Speaker 1: remember sea breeze. It was kind of like a facial
Speaker 1: cleanser or some kind of deal, and it was like
Speaker 1: but it had like an aromatic kind of effect and
Speaker 1: they were dabbing all of us with it stuff. You know.
Speaker 1: That's just remember was so hot and and plus the
Speaker 1: dead guy. Yeah, it was so funny, man. I mean
Speaker 1: that that that to me is those two songs. And
Speaker 1: again as I started deep diving, and I was like, man,
Speaker 1: my favorite two songs number five and a number three.
Speaker 1: And you say that John der Green gets the biggest.
Speaker 1: When you do your set list, what do you start with?
Speaker 1: What's the first song? A third rock from the sun?
Speaker 1: You come out of high energy, huh, Which this wasn't
Speaker 1: number one song for you. Yeah. I just would have
Speaker 1: a problem going out and doing the fast up quick
Speaker 1: because if you had a breath for the next three
Speaker 1: songs that has happened. Yes, like especially I said right
Speaker 1: where it happened to me a lot as if I'm
Speaker 1: you know, on the oprey for some reason makes you nervous.
Speaker 1: And if you ever get backwards during your breathing in
Speaker 1: that song, you were screwed. I mean, it's it's over,
Speaker 1: you know. Tell me about this song Third Rock. So
Speaker 1: you heard it, were you like? What's this about? Like? What? Um?
Speaker 1: I always thought it was like a little mini movie,
Speaker 1: you know, which I heard a lot of songwriters say,
Speaker 1: you try to dude, right, I try to write it
Speaker 1: a little three minute movie, you know. But honestly, this
Speaker 1: was one that I mean, even though I liked it.
Speaker 1: They there was the same publisher had played two different
Speaker 1: songs for us, and uh, and I like the other
Speaker 1: one better actually and so uh you know. So anyway
Speaker 1: I ended up getting both of them. Had to do
Speaker 1: to the wheel and dealing some some guy apparently that
Speaker 1: I don't know. I can't verify this, but I was
Speaker 1: told this. Garth Brooks wanted Third Rock as well. So
Speaker 1: and how did you get Third Rocket? What was the wheel?
Speaker 1: We cut both? We would do both of their songs.
Speaker 1: Do you know what the other song was. It was
Speaker 1: called uh something. But if you're having to think, I
Speaker 1: guess that really was never seen. There was never a single. Yeah,
Speaker 1: did you put it on the record. Yeah, it's that.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna run through your number one's real quick. Let's
Speaker 1: do home. Yeah, your first the debut singers is that right?
Speaker 1: First song out and you go number one for six,
Speaker 1: number one, six in a row. So do you think
Speaker 1: after let's say two or three, do you have a
Speaker 1: figured out? Um? You know what I felt like? Such
Speaker 1: I was. I felt a little bit like a rube.
Speaker 1: I was so naive about the whole process. I mean
Speaker 1: even though I kind of knew. I kind of knew
Speaker 1: about stuff, but man, when you know when you get it,
Speaker 1: when you when you start off like from what I did.
Speaker 1: I mean, I was on the road three hundred days
Speaker 1: a year, and so I didn't really have time to
Speaker 1: think about stuff. I was busy, you know, traveling and
Speaker 1: doing shows and me doing meet and greets and all
Speaker 1: that stuff. You know, So what brought you to Nashville?
Speaker 1: Meaning I know the music, I know that the thought
Speaker 1: of country music. But there's always something where something you
Speaker 1: get that push or you can kind of the itch. Well,
Speaker 1: I got laid off from my job I had. I
Speaker 1: was working on a foundry back in Duncan, Oklahoma, and
Speaker 1: they shut the plant down, laid us all off, and
Speaker 1: you know, and I've been singing a little VFWS and
Speaker 1: twenty moved. I moved to Nasville when I was also
Speaker 1: a little bit older. Yeah, compared to like the nineteen
Speaker 1: two years are moving here now exactly? So you get
Speaker 1: laid off, ye, And I said. And I had been
Speaker 1: to Nashville once before with my aunt and a friend
Speaker 1: of mine. We had we we did this little thing
Speaker 1: as a trio, and we came in and my aunt
Speaker 1: had known somebody here in Nashville, and so anyway, we
Speaker 1: met with him and I spent in love with the
Speaker 1: city then. But I didn't have the opportunity because I
Speaker 1: still had a job at the time, you know. But
Speaker 1: when I got laid off, I was like, well, you
Speaker 1: know what, I think, I'm just gonna try it. So
Speaker 1: I just loaded up everything I could get in this
Speaker 1: whole beat up car I had, and off I went.
Speaker 1: So at home, you know, you're you're playing around bar?
Speaker 1: Are you playing on bars at home at all? Not
Speaker 1: a lot honestly, my background was more of a I
Speaker 1: sang in a gospel group then I then I went
Speaker 1: from that to a bluegrass group. I played bluegrass for
Speaker 1: six years with this group called the Special Edition. Were
Speaker 1: you known as the guy that was doing music while
Speaker 1: working at the plant by your workers? Yeah? Are your
Speaker 1: co workers? Yeah? They always asked me to sing, you know,
Speaker 1: would you ever sing at work? I don't remember gather
Speaker 1: them around and be like all right, boys, yeah, I
Speaker 1: mean I just they sing that song, you know whatever.
Speaker 1: Isn't it funny how the things at the time that
Speaker 1: seemed this happened over my career in my life too.
Speaker 1: We're really I put finger quotes up. Unfortunate things that
Speaker 1: happened to us turn out to really be blessing, dude, blessing,
Speaker 1: the biggest blessing ever. Yeah, because if I hadn't got
Speaker 1: laid off, I probably would have never left there. You know.
Speaker 1: So when you get laid off, do you remember how
Speaker 1: that happened? Did you did your your boss your form
Speaker 1: and come in and go all right, you're done. No,
Speaker 1: it was just more of a I got a phone call,
Speaker 1: I think, and they said, yeah, play shut down, don't
Speaker 1: go out there and then immediately do you go all
Speaker 1: right time to go to Nashville? Like, was it kind
Speaker 1: of in the chamber already? No, it took a took
Speaker 1: a couple of once, you know, drawing unemployment, and I thought, well,
Speaker 1: you know, I might as well think of something. I
Speaker 1: had a good friend of mine. We used to discuss
Speaker 1: thing he wanted. He moved to Dallas and became an
Speaker 1: accountant and you know, and I said, I want to
Speaker 1: He said, yet, you know, you gotta try music. You're
Speaker 1: really good at it and all that stuff. So and
Speaker 1: when you got to town, did you feel like you
Speaker 1: were good enough to get in the mix immediately? Um?
Speaker 1: I just felt really lost, honestly when I first got
Speaker 1: to town, because I just gotten divorced and I missed
Speaker 1: my kids and you know, and I was just in
Speaker 1: this new place and I didn't have a place to live,
Speaker 1: and you know, and all this kind of stuff. Would
Speaker 1: you do what you I finally moved in with a
Speaker 1: with a musician, a guy named David Greer, and we
Speaker 1: we rented at a house with no heater and for
Speaker 1: about a year. And what are you doing when you
Speaker 1: first moved to Nashville? Meaning are you out trying to
Speaker 1: meet people play right around, like what what what happened
Speaker 1: with the new artists? Me? I was trying. I needed
Speaker 1: some incouncil. I got a job. I knew a guy
Speaker 1: that worked at Gifts and Guitars, and so they hired
Speaker 1: me I there to work in the warehouse shipping guitars everywhere.
Speaker 1: So and then after that I would just do whatever
Speaker 1: I could. I'd go to two showcases and you know,
Speaker 1: just go hang out, just just to get my get
Speaker 1: out there and meet people. You know, it's so interesting
Speaker 1: to hear about because, like I know, you was the
Speaker 1: county music legend. But I love hearing like the origin
Speaker 1: story of the hustle because I think so many people
Speaker 1: don't know that there's a hustle for everyone. Man, I
Speaker 1: tell you what there was. There was days seriously, Uh
Speaker 1: you know we didn't have anything in the house to eat.
Speaker 1: I mean nothing. One time I had I think I had,
Speaker 1: like I don't know, seventy five cents on me and
Speaker 1: I went by this funniest thing ever. I didn't know
Speaker 1: they didn't have white castles in the duncan. So I
Speaker 1: saw instead of Hamburger cents, I thought, oh yeah, I've
Speaker 1: got I can you know, so I stop. Yeah, so
Speaker 1: I know, I said, the guys canna help you? I said,
Speaker 1: I like a Hamburger police. He goes, uh, just one.
Speaker 1: I said, yeah, I didn't know they were, you know tiny.
Speaker 1: Let's talk about this new prob jack. So it's the
Speaker 1: first ever vinyl, right, and so it's called Joe Joe
Speaker 1: Joe Diffy, Right, so tell me about this. It's just
Speaker 1: a compilation of of of some number one songs we
Speaker 1: had and uh, and we included a new song on it.
Speaker 1: I just always kind of wanted a vinyl and it
Speaker 1: seems to be kind of coming back in fashion right now.
Speaker 1: So where can people get it? Joe Diffy dot com
Speaker 1: slash vinyl And each album is individually autographed and number
Speaker 1: you sign them all? Did you have the family sign
Speaker 1: them all? No? I signed every stinking one. They're all different. Thing. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I was. I was trying to be meticulous about it,
Speaker 1: because you know, you signed five or anything. After a while,
Speaker 1: you're like, man, I just don't care, you know. I
Speaker 1: know at first, because I was like when I do
Speaker 1: my books, the first book I wrote, I was a
Speaker 1: little more like I'm gonna make everything so pride after
Speaker 1: and you're like, you know what, I think they're gonna
Speaker 1: even like to you start convincing yourself to Sloppy's cooler.
Speaker 1: My arts decide. Even at one point earlier, earlier in
Speaker 1: my career, because I was signing so many things, I
Speaker 1: was trying to come up with a faster way to
Speaker 1: sign my name, just like make a line and two
Speaker 1: dots or something, you know, but I just never do.
Speaker 1: Look right, you're living here, you you're in the same roommate.
Speaker 1: Are you still together while you're working out the guitar place? Uh?
Speaker 1: For a little while. Then I moved out. And that's
Speaker 1: kind of how I got my first break actually in
Speaker 1: the music business. Was I moved out with from with him,
Speaker 1: and I moved in with his brother and sister who
Speaker 1: I worked with, the brother at Gibson and uh as
Speaker 1: it happened, uh super you know, talented songwriter, a guy
Speaker 1: who lived next door, and as as Johnny Neil and
Speaker 1: uh and so Johnny you know he can't see he's blind.
Speaker 1: So my friends John that I moved in with, this
Speaker 1: is not getting too complicated. Any time John would would
Speaker 1: you take him to various things too? Whatever you need
Speaker 1: to do sessions or whatever. And then one day John
Speaker 1: was working in so Johnny asked, He said, A, man,
Speaker 1: I think somebody he called the house, you know, and
Speaker 1: I answered the phone. He said, man, I need John
Speaker 1: to come get me. A said, well, he's not here,
Speaker 1: and he's like, well, wow, man, I don't know what
Speaker 1: to do, and I said, I'll come get you. Really,
Speaker 1: so I didn't really know him, you know. So anyway,
Speaker 1: if we hit it off and we started writing songs together,
Speaker 1: that's how I got my first publishing deals through him.
Speaker 1: Was that a big deal to you to get paid
Speaker 1: to write song? Oh? Lord, yes, absolutely. They paid me
Speaker 1: a hundred dollars a week to write songs, and then
Speaker 1: they paid for you know, the demos. The cost of
Speaker 1: the demos. So, and that's how I got kind of discovered.
Speaker 1: You know, I guess, quote unquote are you singing the demo?
Speaker 1: I was singing the demos. So then you know, the
Speaker 1: musicians and other guys were like, hey, I gotta come
Speaker 1: seeing my demo for me. You know. So what do
Speaker 1: you think about your your vocal style? What do you
Speaker 1: think it was that attracted people to you? Oh that's
Speaker 1: a good question. I don't know. I really I don't
Speaker 1: know if I can answer that. How would you classify
Speaker 1: yourself as a singer but pretty country? You know? I mean,
Speaker 1: but I'm able to kind of ran child. On this
Speaker 1: new project, I did a duet with with an incredible
Speaker 1: singer named Mark Brossard. He's like Louisiana. Yeah. Yeah, he's fantastic,
Speaker 1: and I just happened to get you know, I was
Speaker 1: listening to him as we were riding along with the bus,
Speaker 1: we listening to various music, and he happened to be
Speaker 1: in town recording the same time Iowa. So we contacted
Speaker 1: him and I just want to go meet him and
Speaker 1: say hi, you know. So I did, and he played
Speaker 1: me some of this new album he was working on,
Speaker 1: and so we became friends. You know, we're not like
Speaker 1: super close friends or anything. But then I said, man,
Speaker 1: I'm looking to do some do ats. I s would
Speaker 1: you be interested in singing something? Because yeah, So he
Speaker 1: came over and we're looking at each other, like, well
Speaker 1: what do we do? He goes, I don't know. I said,
Speaker 1: you know, pride and joy I said kinda r yeah,
Speaker 1: I said kind of, I kind of do yeah, and
Speaker 1: so you know, we said let's do that one. So
Speaker 1: we end up doing that that's pretty cool. Here it
Speaker 1: is right here, my lad, she's lean. You're that sweetheart.
Speaker 1: You see him baby, that's on the new Final Project.
Speaker 1: Hey Mike, we you see me from Louisiana. Okay, I
Speaker 1: just I never want to mess it up. But like
Speaker 1: I felt like you as Karen Karen Crowe Louisiana and
Speaker 1: you grew up in Oklahoma mostly when you were growing up,
Speaker 1: and is it true you were so good at all
Speaker 1: the sports that they named you like athlete at the
Speaker 1: year of school. Is that true? What that's the old days?
Speaker 1: But yeah, well what was your sport? Well? Mostly I
Speaker 1: was probably the best at football. I played like we
Speaker 1: It was a small school, you know, so they both
Speaker 1: ways played both ways. We did never really never left
Speaker 1: the field really, you know. That was a deep gun,
Speaker 1: punched and kickoffs. And then I also was like you know,
Speaker 1: I never left the field. So you sell a big
Speaker 1: football fan. Oh yeah, here's your team. I mean, of course,
Speaker 1: I like the Pros are like the Titans and the
Speaker 1: course of Cowboys. That's who I grew up around, was
Speaker 1: near the cow the Cowboys. So college jam Oklahoma, Oh yeah,
Speaker 1: big center fans. Yeah, So did you watch the Hisman ceremony.
Speaker 1: I did not. I was working. Jalen got third, got third? Um,
Speaker 1: great season, and but oh use in it. They're playing ls.
Speaker 1: It's four verses. One. That's gonna be a tough game. Brother,
Speaker 1: that's gonna be everyone. It's gonna be a real tough
Speaker 1: Gamel's loaded. Well, so you're a good football player, your pompershner,
Speaker 1: huh yesh. Yeah, I returned a few points. And I'll
Speaker 1: tell you what I did not like with standing there
Speaker 1: vulnerable as that ball is coming down and you can
Speaker 1: just feel without even seeing you can you know, if
Speaker 1: you're in a room Joe and you know somebody's looking
Speaker 1: at you, and you don't have to look up to
Speaker 1: feel someone's eyes on you exactly, but you're imagining that
Speaker 1: with nine or ten guys coming at you hard, same
Speaker 1: kind of feeling, and you're like trying to judge do
Speaker 1: and do I by waves. Once it looks like earte
Speaker 1: you that, Yeah, because you have to have tremendous focus, right.
Speaker 1: And once I didn't fair catch and I thought I
Speaker 1: wanna I'm gonna just take off with this ball. I
Speaker 1: thought I had some space and the ball is coming
Speaker 1: down and I get a little little alligator arm and
Speaker 1: it hits my hand and I bobbled it. It's on
Speaker 1: the ground. And it was the only time that I
Speaker 1: really lunged for a fumble in my because I mostly
Speaker 1: played wide receiver um and I didn't return a lot
Speaker 1: of punt, especially after this the story here. But I
Speaker 1: botched the ball and I was like, I gotta go
Speaker 1: dive for it, and and diving for the fumble was
Speaker 1: I think the most physical part of because it was
Speaker 1: just everybody's piling on diving and I was on the
Speaker 1: bottom and I was like, I'm done. Do you ever
Speaker 1: hear those guys scream on the bottom, you know, because
Speaker 1: they're down there and then something's happening to him. Then oh,
Speaker 1: hear that terrified people grabbing in twists, And it's the
Speaker 1: whole thing. So you play football, play basketball, basketball, baseball, baseball, track, golf,
Speaker 1: five sport guy, Huh if you think I'm playing college
Speaker 1: at all? Uh? I thought about. But I never did
Speaker 1: get any scharlar scholarship offers for football. I actually had
Speaker 1: some small college offered me a side on the same
Speaker 1: basketball scholarship, oddly enough, and I wasn't that great. I mean,
Speaker 1: I was okay, but you know, but uh, but no.
Speaker 1: I have a cousin that played at Oklahoma State and
Speaker 1: he was younger than I, and so he I asked
Speaker 1: him and said, do you think I could could have
Speaker 1: played that? He goes, I absolutely really not so. But
Speaker 1: I never get any scholarship offers. I had a coach.
Speaker 1: Couple of coaches and small colleges asked me to walk
Speaker 1: on and if it worked out, they'd give me a scholarship.
Speaker 1: I never So you're in Nashville, and so you're driving Jimmy, right,
Speaker 1: Johnny Neil, Johnny excuse me, there's John and Johnny. You're
Speaker 1: driving Johnny Neil and so you go pick him up
Speaker 1: the first time. And then how does that relationship turn
Speaker 1: into something? Because you guys started well, I had to
Speaker 1: him a couple of times that I'd love to write
Speaker 1: with it. You know. Of course, I'm just a newbie,
Speaker 1: you know, I didn't really know much about it, and
Speaker 1: he kind of gave me the old brush off. You
Speaker 1: know maybe one day, well maybe maybe, you know, but
Speaker 1: we just hit it off. We had a moment a
Speaker 1: few minutes that I actually talking and you know, and
Speaker 1: goofing around, and so he said, well, come on over
Speaker 1: so we wrote a couple of songs and and he
Speaker 1: had a little studio at his at his house that
Speaker 1: and so we turned those demos in and his publisher
Speaker 1: at the time signed signed me as well. So that's
Speaker 1: kind of how I got started and our want to
Speaker 1: you know, I don't think Johnny and I ever got
Speaker 1: We got a couple of cross I got one on
Speaker 1: the member of the Forster Sisters. Yeah, it's called Come
Speaker 1: Hold Me. And then uh so then I started writing
Speaker 1: with another guy named Lonnie Wilson's great drummer, session drummer
Speaker 1: and writer and singer. And we had first first top
Speaker 1: five record with Holly Dunn had There Goes My Heart
Speaker 1: Again was the name of it. So so a top
Speaker 1: five song back in eight eighties. Did you make any
Speaker 1: money off that? Dude? I went to the mail by
Speaker 1: and we're seeing that much money in my life? Really
Speaker 1: like the first installment, you know, yeah, I was like,
Speaker 1: I gotta write war songs. That's pretty cool. And how
Speaker 1: long do those checks keep coming? Oh? They the first
Speaker 1: years pretty good. And after that it tapers off significantly
Speaker 1: and almost down to nothing, you know, and you're cutting
Speaker 1: these demos that people lynched in your in your singing style,
Speaker 1: which we were on a minute ago. So when did
Speaker 1: it become a thing where you go, Okay, I think
Speaker 1: it's time for me to try to be an artist. Well,
Speaker 1: I mean, that's kind of what I had in mind
Speaker 1: all all along. But I just knew that songwriting would
Speaker 1: be a good avenue to meet people and and you know,
Speaker 1: just because it was part of the music. But that's
Speaker 1: such a significant part. So I just but I always
Speaker 1: had that in my mind being an artist, but h
Speaker 1: and I didn't really have any way to that that
Speaker 1: I knew. It takes somebody to promote you, basically, And
Speaker 1: so I started doing demos for these the couple of guys,
Speaker 1: and they knew they were good friends with Bob mcgomery,
Speaker 1: who was Epic Records at the time, and uh and
Speaker 1: so after they played him some demos, so he called
Speaker 1: me over and met with me, and I said, how
Speaker 1: would you like to have a record deal? And I'm like,
Speaker 1: uh so, yeah, it's pretty cool. So that was the conversation.
Speaker 1: They kind of changed it off, how would you like
Speaker 1: to have a record deal? Conversation? Yeah, exactly, that's pretty cool. Yeah,
Speaker 1: he said, I said, a man, I wanted to do
Speaker 1: this my whole life and he said, no, you haven't.
Speaker 1: I was like, I looked at him and I was like,
Speaker 1: what do you mean? He goes, you don't lived your
Speaker 1: whole life? You guys thought, okay, one of those guys.
Speaker 1: How long from when you were laid off until you
Speaker 1: got your record deal? Three years? So you spent a
Speaker 1: couple of months figuring it out. You moved here, you wrote,
Speaker 1: so three years from there to there? Right? Do you
Speaker 1: feel like you mad sued a lot as an artist
Speaker 1: at that time in those three years? Probably just just
Speaker 1: from the sheer volume of demos and stuff I did,
Speaker 1: you know? They're all various styles and um, so you
Speaker 1: kind of had to learn to to do that kind
Speaker 1: of you know, just so yeah, I think so. You
Speaker 1: know a lot of the artists and a lot of
Speaker 1: my friends too, that that that are here, that you
Speaker 1: kind of come in in classes. You don't do it
Speaker 1: on purpose, but when you moved to town, you start
Speaker 1: meeting other people that moved town around the same time,
Speaker 1: and that kind of becomes your pack that you grow
Speaker 1: up with because you're all on a similar level exactly
Speaker 1: when you move here, like, who is some of the
Speaker 1: folks in your class, well, to see. There was Tricia
Speaker 1: your Wood, Um, there was a t. Graham Brown. There
Speaker 1: was you know, Garthur singing some demos. I don't know
Speaker 1: if any of the other ones were as you know,
Speaker 1: but I mean the same guys that there's you know
Speaker 1: in my generation or you know of course the Mark
Speaker 1: Chests and Tracy Lawrence and those guys. You know. So
Speaker 1: what was Tricia doing? Was she working at Mary tell
Speaker 1: Moore Music or was she singing demos? I'm not sure.
Speaker 1: I just I had only met her a few times
Speaker 1: when we sing a couple of demos together, yeah, which
Speaker 1: is cool. And then I got I got her just
Speaker 1: saying one a chick song quote unquote that I had
Speaker 1: and so she's saying for me. So we've been friends
Speaker 1: ever since. So whenever you hear or you see someone
Speaker 1: like Gartha Tricia back then, were you like, man, there's
Speaker 1: something special about them, like you think or is it
Speaker 1: or is it just the land of the Giants where
Speaker 1: everybody's good? Most everybody was good? You know, it's it
Speaker 1: was just you felt like it was just kind of
Speaker 1: a crap. Shoot. You know, somebody's gonna get lucky and
Speaker 1: get that deal. And something I happened I tell you
Speaker 1: a weird story and people might think this is really odd.
Speaker 1: I've done this twice in my life. I went to
Speaker 1: see I went to the showcase where it was Garth
Speaker 1: and it was at the Douglas Corner and I was
Speaker 1: sitting around having a beer, you know, walking talking to
Speaker 1: some friends of mine, and I look up and he's
Speaker 1: playing it up there and I saw an aura around him.
Speaker 1: I'm not kidding, you know. So I started looking around
Speaker 1: the room. I thought, was the lights, guys, be weird,
Speaker 1: that's something weird going on here. And I didn't find
Speaker 1: I couldn't find any reason that he had a blue
Speaker 1: aura around him. I swear to good it was the
Speaker 1: weirdest thing. And the other time was my my wife Tara.
Speaker 1: I saw her. She had an oar. Now do you
Speaker 1: think that that's in your eyes? Do you think that
Speaker 1: you saw something special? I didn't know what it was,
Speaker 1: just I saw. I saw it, and I asked, I said,
Speaker 1: y'all see that. Everybody else like no, and I'm like, man,
Speaker 1: I's okay, I'm I'm gonna get quiet here. So did
Speaker 1: you ever talk to Garth in the early days where
Speaker 1: you guys time, we didn't we weren't super close or anything.
Speaker 1: You know, who were your buds musically and who did
Speaker 1: you like tour with? Who'd you liked to werow with? Well,
Speaker 1: I've had a lot of him, you know, I like
Speaker 1: all of the people I've toured with. But let's do
Speaker 1: this mount rushmore of your favorite tour buddies four and
Speaker 1: four you only get four. Oh gosh, that's that's hard, man,
Speaker 1: I'm putting it. I'm putting the screws to you. I mean,
Speaker 1: of course, I mean I toured with Garth, so that
Speaker 1: didn't do a whole lot. We Uh he used to
Speaker 1: open shows for me oddly enough, Yeah, and so but
Speaker 1: we did that and I opened some shows for him
Speaker 1: after that. Of course. You know my one of my
Speaker 1: closest buddies Mark Chestnut, and uh, you know he's he's
Speaker 1: always really consistent. And uh, who else would it be?
Speaker 1: Uh that I toured with, uh, you know, Travis Tritz
Speaker 1: and an incredible singer. A year long tour with him.
Speaker 1: How was that? Because I know Travis a little bit
Speaker 1: and he's at times it's very in your face and
Speaker 1: at times it's super's super warm yew, how about you
Speaker 1: in Travis relationship? It was good. Yeah, it was very good. Yeah. Uh,
Speaker 1: you know, we just we just had a good time
Speaker 1: as me, Travis, myself and Leroy Partnell. We're out there
Speaker 1: and it was a good package. You know, we had
Speaker 1: a lot of fun. You got one more on the aunt, Rushman,
Speaker 1: Garth Chestnuts, Tracy Lawrence. You know, Tracy is always good.
Speaker 1: You know when you good when you go see him.
Speaker 1: I'm trying to say who else I toured with. I've
Speaker 1: done so many, you know, various packages here and there
Speaker 1: that I can't even remember. You ever put a kid
Speaker 1: opening and that kid turned out to be a big
Speaker 1: starway later on? Uh, let me think I want I
Speaker 1: almost said Brad Paisy, but I'm not sure that ever happened,
Speaker 1: you know, because I've see some I met a kid
Speaker 1: the other night that uh came open. He opened for
Speaker 1: me and Chestnut. We're doing an acoustic thing and he
Speaker 1: came up and saying, this kid was really good. You
Speaker 1: know what was remember? I don't remember, right is me? Yeah? Man,
Speaker 1: it's it's under the little place in Texas we were in. Man.
Speaker 1: We got him up to saying and he was like,
Speaker 1: you nailed. He's saying, is it cold in here in
Speaker 1: my song. So here's another number one. This is it's
Speaker 1: the Devil Danced, The Devil Dance pocket. Do you have
Speaker 1: a ball? He said? A swing in that song? Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's Is that your second number one song? I know?
Speaker 1: I think that was like the third one? Yeah, I
Speaker 1: believe so home hits. You have a number one. What
Speaker 1: was the second big one for you? If you want
Speaker 1: me to? Okay, if you want me to? And then
Speaker 1: I think devil Oh actually may have been new what
Speaker 1: laughing old flying? I can't remember. I lost track? Pick
Speaker 1: up man? Which jam? Where do you put this into
Speaker 1: that list? Oh? It's fourth or fifth. It's gotta be
Speaker 1: interesting to put together set less for you because you
Speaker 1: have so many biggs. It's really hard. I remember, I
Speaker 1: remember touring. I got the final with George Straight but
Speaker 1: put him on that Mount Rushmore when I first started.
Speaker 1: What year was that? It had to have been ninety
Speaker 1: one or two somewhere in that arrange. What does a
Speaker 1: tour like with you and George Straight? Well? I didn't
Speaker 1: really get to see George very much, you know, he
Speaker 1: was he was kind of a private person and uh,
Speaker 1: you know, and he didn't really come to sound checks
Speaker 1: or anything. So I mean, I saw him occasionally and
Speaker 1: he's super super nice man. He just and I just
Speaker 1: remember I was. I was pretty tickle when he finally,
Speaker 1: you know, say hey, Joe, how are you doing, I'm like,
Speaker 1: all right, George, what was my name? Now? So bigger
Speaker 1: than the Beatles, here's right here. Number one for you
Speaker 1: Beetles Wild. You know, for me, whenever I would hear
Speaker 1: you as a kid, I always felt like you were
Speaker 1: smiling when you were singing like that. That is part
Speaker 1: of him, you know when you're trying to I mean
Speaker 1: you do think of that. I try to emote, you know,
Speaker 1: put your feelings into the songs you're saying. Say yeah,
Speaker 1: I always felt like when and when I think about
Speaker 1: your songs, I always thinking, man, Joey sounds like he's
Speaker 1: he's having a good time. Yeah, absolutely that that would
Speaker 1: be if I were to I talk about if someone's like,
Speaker 1: what should it sounds like it's it's not like he's smiling,
Speaker 1: like he's having fun singing about country saying what do
Speaker 1: you How do you feel about these artists like the
Speaker 1: the Luke Combs. Um, I'm setting you up here, but
Speaker 1: but the guys that are really super traditional style again
Speaker 1: does that excite you. I love it. Yeah, I mean
Speaker 1: country has always been a little bit scyical, you know,
Speaker 1: and it's a it goes from one thing to another
Speaker 1: kind of vacillates back and forth. So I love Luke.
Speaker 1: I got to, along with Vince Gil and a couple
Speaker 1: of other folks, got to induct him to the Grand
Speaker 1: Old Opry recently, so that was pretty cool. Whenever the
Speaker 1: al Dean song came out and the famous lyric is
Speaker 1: Joe Joe Joe Diffe, did you know this was coming? Yeah? Yeah,
Speaker 1: I actually had heard it started up. Somebody contacted me said, man,
Speaker 1: there's a song somewhere out there that has your name
Speaker 1: in them. So really so somehow we got a copy
Speaker 1: of it. It It was a demo, you know. Thomas Rhett
Speaker 1: was one of the writers on that, and so the
Speaker 1: first time I heard it was Thomas Rhet's version, you know,
Speaker 1: and it was a lot more kind of rap feeling
Speaker 1: than than that Jason's version. Jason has a lot more
Speaker 1: guitars and stuff. So yeah, I just like my and
Speaker 1: my band members were sitting around, I said that here's
Speaker 1: that song got my name in it apparently, so I
Speaker 1: put it in there and had all that. We're looking
Speaker 1: atach other like, what the hell is that? You know?
Speaker 1: So Jo, did you did bring you out all out?
Speaker 1: Or wait? Where was it that they did this in
Speaker 1: an award show? It was a C M S They
Speaker 1: had had the giant head? Is that what it was?
Speaker 1: I remember seeing it was, That's what it was, the
Speaker 1: giant head dropped out of the sea. Did you find
Speaker 1: when that song comes out that people were going like
Speaker 1: younger kids were like, who the heck is Joe diffy?
Speaker 1: Like twelve year old dude. I'm that's a good setup
Speaker 1: for for saying this that that because of Jason and
Speaker 1: Thomas Ricks. Thomas does that song on his show as well,
Speaker 1: you know, and so they're getting it's being heard by
Speaker 1: a lot of people, you know, and so we are.
Speaker 1: Our crowds have just been tremendous and a lot more
Speaker 1: you know, younger people, and they know every day I
Speaker 1: got word to every song was pretty amazing. Back in
Speaker 1: the day, there was that the TV commercial there was
Speaker 1: I think they did pick up man. Pick up Man
Speaker 1: was using and maybe a card truck commercial, board truck
Speaker 1: commercial and did they read the words a little bit
Speaker 1: in it? Well, yeah, they get another singer what was it? No,
Speaker 1: that was that was actually me on camera that that's
Speaker 1: the same one you're talking about. That That commercial actually
Speaker 1: day aired on the super during the super Bowl, So
Speaker 1: that's when that commercial you were in the super Bowl commercial. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's pretty cool. That cool. I got more people though
Speaker 1: that had no do I was that saw that and
Speaker 1: we're like, hey, you're that pickup guy. You know, people
Speaker 1: would recognize you for being the pickup guy from the
Speaker 1: commercial more because I was on camera too. Yeah. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: but they would see you from the It's interesting. I
Speaker 1: was talking to Brad Paisley a couple of weeks ago
Speaker 1: and I said, Hey, what are people like coming up
Speaker 1: to you as the insurance guy? And He's like, yeah,
Speaker 1: a lot of people don't even know that I do music,
Speaker 1: if they don't know country music, and they only know
Speaker 1: me from the I think the nationwide commercials. Yeah that's right, Mike. Yeah.
Speaker 1: And so people were coming up to you and you're
Speaker 1: the super Bowl commercial guy. Is that a nice paydy
Speaker 1: to the super Bowl commercial? Yes, it's very nice. I
Speaker 1: love pay days. I grew up a song though has
Speaker 1: made me probably more money than any of the other
Speaker 1: songs I've had, and I didn't write the song. A
Speaker 1: couple of friends of mine wrote it, and uh so
Speaker 1: they get paid as well, you know, but for for
Speaker 1: the royalty publishing and all that stuff. So but I
Speaker 1: was also an Apple beachs commercial and was it there
Speaker 1: like cars to ghost services, like yeah you pick up Yeah,
Speaker 1: they changed the lyrics on it, and uh I'll tell
Speaker 1: you the miracle of modern stuff, you know, I had
Speaker 1: to do in my house. And and so somehow we
Speaker 1: got my book and agents got they said that they
Speaker 1: were interested in using Pickup Man as a part of
Speaker 1: an Apple Beach commercial, and so they sent me a
Speaker 1: CD of it, just the music and the lyrics changed
Speaker 1: that they had rewritten it basically, and uh so I
Speaker 1: just stuck it into the thing and read the lyrics,
Speaker 1: singing it down. Tell me about an hour, and I
Speaker 1: sent it back. I thought it was gonna be like
Speaker 1: a presentation or a demo for them, and they used
Speaker 1: it and they ken't renew it. Man, it is like
Speaker 1: this is great, I said, kind I guess some more
Speaker 1: of those commercials. Is that where it is like in
Speaker 1: the sink stuff? Yeah, yeah, if you can get it,
Speaker 1: if you can get a get in one of those
Speaker 1: deals this pretty good deal. What's that touring like for you? Now?
Speaker 1: It's great? You done a much shows a lot. Yeah,
Speaker 1: this is I've been working, working a lot and uh
Speaker 1: probably uh you know, just staying really busy, which is
Speaker 1: really good. I like working. You know, we were talking
Speaker 1: earlier that travel part gets a little old. You know,
Speaker 1: you get tired from that. But I mean, you know,
Speaker 1: get the thing due play around and messing around all
Speaker 1: the times. Like it's like I told my guys that
Speaker 1: it's like we're on a big camping trip all the time,
Speaker 1: you know, so we have fun. You worked in oilfield
Speaker 1: for a while. I did. You drove a truck the
Speaker 1: pump cement? Is that true? What does that work? Like?
Speaker 1: It sucked? Yeah. It was for a company called Halliburton
Speaker 1: and uh oddly enough, who were headquartered They used to
Speaker 1: be headquartered in Duncan, Oklahoma. But I had to move
Speaker 1: to Alas, Texas to get to work for him because
Speaker 1: I had an uncle that worked for them, and uh
Speaker 1: so I did. I didn't do that for very long.
Speaker 1: I was there for about I don't know, three or
Speaker 1: four months or so, and I just it was like
Speaker 1: you're gone all the time, and you know that the
Speaker 1: pay was not that great, and uh so I just
Speaker 1: decided I didn't like that, so I moved back to
Speaker 1: Duncan and got a job in that foundry. So so
Speaker 1: what about you going to medical school? Always if you
Speaker 1: had asked me when I was a kid, that's what
Speaker 1: was one to be, was a doctor. And I used
Speaker 1: to read medical books and I followed my parents around
Speaker 1: reading them facts and figures on that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1: You know, what'd your mom and dad do? Uh? They
Speaker 1: were both the teachers. My dad did a little bit
Speaker 1: of everything. He had his own welding company for a while.
Speaker 1: He had a repossession company for a while. Was he
Speaker 1: didn't repo cars. He didn't like that in the middle
Speaker 1: of the night and go and that's a dangerous it's
Speaker 1: very dangerous. You got shot at a couple of times.
Speaker 1: He said he didn't like that. So, yeah, he had
Speaker 1: he actually built since he was a welder. He built
Speaker 1: this rig on the like a hook that that was
Speaker 1: hydraulic and it would come out of the out of
Speaker 1: the back of the pickup and the tailgate would lower
Speaker 1: down and he would just back up to the cars
Speaker 1: and pick him up and drive off with him. That's
Speaker 1: a crazy line of word and thinking. As we get
Speaker 1: as kids, we see adults do things more like that's
Speaker 1: just kind of normal, right, But as you get to
Speaker 1: be an adult and you see other adults repoint and
Speaker 1: people shooting out over that's that's. Yeah. He didn't last
Speaker 1: long with that. He didn't like that at all. And plus,
Speaker 1: you know, you're having to and he just just the
Speaker 1: human element of it. A lot of people who couldn't
Speaker 1: you know, they were behind on their payments through whatever.
Speaker 1: Some of them were just bumms, and some of them
Speaker 1: just lost their jobs or something, you know, or we're ill.
Speaker 1: And he'd after the bank, would you know, telling to
Speaker 1: go get this car. You know. So I had to
Speaker 1: work with the bank a lot. And so he didn't
Speaker 1: like that either because then people had to come. He
Speaker 1: had to te it to a yard, and then people
Speaker 1: came to the yard and he had to be out
Speaker 1: there while they gathered their belonging to the other repossessed car.
Speaker 1: You know. Yeah, so he didn't like that. You were
Speaker 1: inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. Yeah, it's a real
Speaker 1: special thing. That was one of one of my highlights
Speaker 1: of my career. I could consider it. You know, how
Speaker 1: did you get told you were going to be in
Speaker 1: the operation kind of the same way I got told
Speaker 1: by a record deal. I went out to the opera
Speaker 1: and and uh, I met with the guy who I
Speaker 1: can't remember his name right now. He was the head
Speaker 1: of it back then, and I just I thought, I
Speaker 1: didn't know why we were even out there, and was
Speaker 1: out there with my managers, and he goes, how would
Speaker 1: you like to be remember the grand Ole Obrary. I
Speaker 1: was like, yeah, so that really really that's how I
Speaker 1: got my record deal and the Grand Ol Operathing. So
Speaker 1: it's pretty cool, pretty low key, and it was very
Speaker 1: low Yeah. Is it true that your parents and your
Speaker 1: parents that you could sing harmonies when you were three
Speaker 1: years old? Now you probably can't remember remember three, You
Speaker 1: do remember three? I remember singing and are we had
Speaker 1: to pick up and uh I had two sisters, have
Speaker 1: two sisters, and so we would all be five or
Speaker 1: five of us being the truck and to keep us
Speaker 1: occupied and and you know, from screaming at each other,
Speaker 1: they would sing solid, simple songs, you know, kids songs,
Speaker 1: and we sing along with them. And at three you
Speaker 1: can harmonize. I just hear, I just heard it. It
Speaker 1: just it was in my head, I could hear it.
Speaker 1: Were you always a really good singer as a seven
Speaker 1: year old? Isn't a church or wherever you were singing?
Speaker 1: You always think? I guess, you know, it's hard to value,
Speaker 1: hard to judge it, you know, I guess were you
Speaker 1: rewarded for your singing at a very young age? Were
Speaker 1: people telling you why? Joe? Yeah, I mean I remember
Speaker 1: my aunt got me up in front of with her
Speaker 1: band and I got up and saying you're my son
Speaker 1: and giant or something like that, you know, and so
Speaker 1: it's pretty cool. What was that like in the nineties,
Speaker 1: touring with no internet and no cell phone and no
Speaker 1: Google Maps. Do you ever just end up with the
Speaker 1: bus in a wrong talent? Absolutely? Oh you would, Yeah,
Speaker 1: you know, of course you have to get the map
Speaker 1: at and then you had to know, you, hey, even
Speaker 1: our satellite we had did have a satellite dish, but
Speaker 1: your bus had to be stopped and you had to
Speaker 1: like physically enter in, get the atlas out and figure
Speaker 1: out your latitude and your longitude and enter those coordinates
Speaker 1: in and then it would raise up. Yeah. Would you
Speaker 1: ever get somewhere because there weren't cell phones realized there
Speaker 1: was no show happening anymore, or like you get there
Speaker 1: and like no, we tried to get ahold of you,
Speaker 1: but they carryer pigeon, you know. No, unfortunately, never had
Speaker 1: that happen. But what kind of countryms of artists you
Speaker 1: drawn to? Now? I guess I have a tendency to
Speaker 1: lean more towards the country. You're the country side of
Speaker 1: the things, you know, which you know, so you know,
Speaker 1: I enjoy Luke and you know, Brad Paisley and a
Speaker 1: couple of other guys that that I think are good,
Speaker 1: good singers. You know, growing up, who was your favorite?
Speaker 1: Oh man, well, it'd probably have to be George Jones,
Speaker 1: and that's who I emulated, so you know, learned a
Speaker 1: lot by emulating him. But I mean I I had
Speaker 1: a whole rangement. Of course, I had the regulars that
Speaker 1: everybody mentions, Haggard, Jones, Johnny Cash, you know, Conway, there
Speaker 1: was you know, a whole plethora of those people. But
Speaker 1: but I you know, I actually like I loved Loretta
Speaker 1: Lyon and Dolly Parton as well, you know, and Connie Smith,
Speaker 1: and so I heard a lot of those being from Oklahoma.
Speaker 1: And I'll perhaps it with my story. I'm from Arkansas.
Speaker 1: So it was Johnny Cash and Conway Twitty and you can,
Speaker 1: I mean listen, which tall Liman was so big to
Speaker 1: anybody from Arkansas was a big deal to us because
Speaker 1: there weren't a lot of us who made it on
Speaker 1: any sort of national stage being from Oklahoma. Who was
Speaker 1: it that you looked at and was like, wow, like
Speaker 1: this is one of our guys doing or one of
Speaker 1: our girls doing it? Well, I mean obviously, you know,
Speaker 1: but they aren't that much older than I am, but
Speaker 1: I mean, Reba advanced, they were already involved in doing
Speaker 1: stuff before I ever removed to Nashville. So that was
Speaker 1: pretty cool to see that, and you know, you kinda
Speaker 1: kind of take that and you know, feel good about it. Man,
Speaker 1: that's crazy. Like I did the Michael was I think
Speaker 1: in DC. I did with Reba Kennedy Honors. I did
Speaker 1: the Kennedy Honors for Reba. I got to go. I did,
Speaker 1: went up and did ten minutes to stand up, and
Speaker 1: there was like six of us the presented Reeve. It
Speaker 1: was me and Brooks and Dunn and Kristin Chenowyth and
Speaker 1: Kelly Clarkson. But anyway, so I go up and I'm
Speaker 1: doing comedy but I'm also talking through as I'm doing comedy.
Speaker 1: Reba's Oklahoma Alive where she was it was, you know,
Speaker 1: doing uh that the roadwork in the rodeos, like singing
Speaker 1: the rodeos and you know, just thinvered singing the national
Speaker 1: anthem at the rodeo, tex Ritter. I think the one
Speaker 1: who for you saw you sing, I know you got
Speaker 1: a record of it. Who saw you randomly if in
Speaker 1: one and they were like, man, I think there could
Speaker 1: be like you're actually pretty good there, Joe, did you
Speaker 1: ever have one of those? A little drunk guy at
Speaker 1: the bar before you go? He threw literally through five
Speaker 1: dollars after he said, telling you out a mood to Nashville,
Speaker 1: you're really good. So have you ever see anybody cover
Speaker 1: your songs nowadays? And you go, man, that's a really
Speaker 1: good version of that song. I've heard it a couple
Speaker 1: of me. That sounds really good. You know, it's fun.
Speaker 1: It's fun to me to hear them. You know, if
Speaker 1: you could pick one of your songs to be covered
Speaker 1: again now and be made a hit again, which which
Speaker 1: song would you like to see a reborn? That's a
Speaker 1: good question. Uh, well, I know my favorite song is
Speaker 1: the ships that don't come in. Oh come on, I
Speaker 1: love the only place. Let me, let me listen. That's
Speaker 1: all never died in bed, insane lot loomsoon allless down
Speaker 1: a man. So everybody listening right now, there's a lot
Speaker 1: of artists listen to this podcast. Ships that don't come in.
Speaker 1: That's the cover to do it is that's that's such
Speaker 1: a great song. I've I've told the writers that David
Speaker 1: gives the Paul Nelson I said that song didn't need me,
Speaker 1: but it needed somebody to see it because it's just
Speaker 1: such a great song. I think it could have been
Speaker 1: a hit with anybody, you know. So I was glad
Speaker 1: I got it. Anybody cool ever come up to you
Speaker 1: that You're like, man, they're a fan of you. But
Speaker 1: You're like, that's really cool. They're a fan of me.
Speaker 1: A lot of yeah, a lot uh some people I revere,
Speaker 1: you know. I mean, I walked I was gonna introduce
Speaker 1: myself to Merle Haggard one time at the A c M.
Speaker 1: And I walked up to because, Joe, how you doing, Man,
Speaker 1: I'm a big fan of here, And I'm like, Merl
Speaker 1: Hackard knows my name. It's just blows my mind. You know,
Speaker 1: Ronnie Millsnap told me it was you know, so yeah,
Speaker 1: those that's a really special thing when somebody who you
Speaker 1: who you idolize, tells you that, you know, can you
Speaker 1: go to dinner in Nashville with are in Tennessee without
Speaker 1: being bothered? Yeah, And it's people are pretty cool. They're
Speaker 1: really they are. And and I just always I feel
Speaker 1: like it's really not a bother. I mean, the only
Speaker 1: time I never even kind of gets under my skin
Speaker 1: a little bit is if I'm in the middle of eating.
Speaker 1: You know, I often say if people are eating or
Speaker 1: with their kids, those are really the only two times,
Speaker 1: because otherwise everyone neces what they signed up for, right figure,
Speaker 1: your public figure. But eating like literal food on the table,
Speaker 1: fork in my hand, eating something and something. Yeah, but
Speaker 1: I mean, and of course people don't mean any harm
Speaker 1: by it, you know, a fact fact. George Jones and
Speaker 1: I were at dinner one night, one evening, and and
Speaker 1: this lady came up, and we were in the middle
Speaker 1: of eating, and she comes up with a little boy,
Speaker 1: and and she goes, I don't mean to bother you guys,
Speaker 1: And George goes, but what are you doing it for?
Speaker 1: He was teasing, of course, you know. So what is
Speaker 1: it like to be a fan of George Jones and
Speaker 1: then here you are having dinner? Now I couldn't I
Speaker 1: don't even know how. I couldn't even talk to him.
Speaker 1: I didn't know what to even ask him. I'm assuming
Speaker 1: he has to invite you. Yeah, and did you got
Speaker 1: where did that relationship? How did it start? Just from
Speaker 1: doing a couple of shows to other and uh? And
Speaker 1: I sang on on his hit song, I don't need
Speaker 1: your rocking chair, I don't need yeall you met a game. Yeah,
Speaker 1: so that was one of the most special things. Not
Speaker 1: only because of that, but I got to take my dad.
Speaker 1: I didn't tell him where we were going. He was
Speaker 1: George Jones, his idol, you know, so I just took him.
Speaker 1: I took him. He said, where are we going? I said,
Speaker 1: just come on, you know. So I took him in
Speaker 1: there and and uh, there was all he saw Alan Jackson,
Speaker 1: Clint bike and all these people. He was like, what
Speaker 1: is this? What's going on here? Then the limo pulls up.
Speaker 1: George gets that. He was just I've never seen he
Speaker 1: was speechless. He just was stunned by you know. So
Speaker 1: that's really cool, right, Like, of all the moments, I
Speaker 1: getting to do things for the people that you care about,
Speaker 1: at least for me, has been that kind of the
Speaker 1: coolest thing to do. Absolutely, that's pretty cool that you're
Speaker 1: a big fan of George Jones and the next then
Speaker 1: you're at dinner with Really it took me a couple
Speaker 1: of times, uh before I was able to converse with
Speaker 1: him because I was just really so Nerve was some
Speaker 1: and he was just such an icon in my eyes.
Speaker 1: But he I found it later on. He was He
Speaker 1: was just so he's just so country, you know, He's
Speaker 1: like and he's like talking to your grandpa. He couldn't
Speaker 1: hear it real good, you know, So you say something
Speaker 1: and he goes, you know. So then I got even
Speaker 1: to sing on a on a song with me and
Speaker 1: it was really cool too. Did you ever meet Tammy? Oh? Yeah,
Speaker 1: Tammy was once. She loved my singing. Yes, you asked
Speaker 1: about that earlier. She I forgot about Tamm but she
Speaker 1: was a huge fan of mine. In fact, I sang on.
Speaker 1: She did an album of duets with a lot of
Speaker 1: rock artists, and I think me and wend known Over
Speaker 1: the only two country people she has to be on there.
Speaker 1: So that was really neat to get to sit there.
Speaker 1: I mean, you're talking about bizarre. All of a sudden,
Speaker 1: I'm sitting there right next to Tammy Win that and
Speaker 1: we sang it live, we sang it down live. It
Speaker 1: was you know, there was no overdubbing or punching in.
Speaker 1: It was that. That's what it was. So were you
Speaker 1: around when they were doing the tours of stars homes
Speaker 1: when they would actually dry by people's houses, which nowadays
Speaker 1: seems really weird. It's a it's a pain in the rear.
Speaker 1: You'll be up more on your lawns all the time. Yeah,
Speaker 1: So I'm only what happens. You're all sweating, and you
Speaker 1: know they you know, here there comes that bus, little
Speaker 1: people and they are all taking pictures of you and
Speaker 1: you're sweat and dripping off of you got grass all
Speaker 1: over you. You know, it's like hill. You know, how
Speaker 1: would they find your house? I don't know how that.
Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know how they did it,
Speaker 1: because if they did that nowadays, that would be the weirdest. Well,
Speaker 1: I asked him, I asked made request. I said, Look,
Speaker 1: not only it's it's bothering me, but it's bothering my
Speaker 1: neighbors as well, to have these busses coming and stopping
Speaker 1: in that and everybody getting out and all this. We
Speaker 1: get out of the bus a couple of times I did, yeah,
Speaker 1: so and I guess it's not illegal. No. I actually
Speaker 1: called and asked, is there any way we can make
Speaker 1: this stop? And they're like no, so okay. So it
Speaker 1: was kind of weird. So after that, literally I'll be
Speaker 1: up more on the lawn or doing something outside and
Speaker 1: and i'd be watching because I knew about what time
Speaker 1: of day they came by it. So I just watched
Speaker 1: for when I go hide, you know, run behind the shed.
Speaker 1: Everybody check it out. Joe Joe, Joe Diffy. Each album
Speaker 1: is individually autographed and numbered, and it's at Joe Diffy
Speaker 1: dot com slash vinyl. But I'm sure if you just
Speaker 1: go to Joe Diffy dot com there's also a link
Speaker 1: up there that says for the vinyl right if you
Speaker 1: can't spell vinyl, cause I'll be honest, not a great
Speaker 1: word to spell. B I N Y L not No,
Speaker 1: I'm not. I would have been anyone on that um
Speaker 1: as long as there's a bar. Yeah, tell me about
Speaker 1: that A couple of great friends of mine wrote that
Speaker 1: guy Gaylan Griffin and uh and Brian Keith Burns who
Speaker 1: was in Trick Pony and he played bass for me
Speaker 1: for like seven years early in my career, and so
Speaker 1: they wrote this song. It just reminded me of brought
Speaker 1: me up a little bit. So that's that's that's most
Speaker 1: of the reason I did it. With a lot of
Speaker 1: the music from when I was a kid in the
Speaker 1: nineties where you have a bunch of your number one
Speaker 1: songs kind of re emerging as a big deal. Did
Speaker 1: that help your touring nineties country? Like? Was it? Like? Absolutely?
Speaker 1: It was like a whole new rebirth of touring for you. Absolutely, yeah,
Speaker 1: helped it and tremendously. And like I say, uh, with
Speaker 1: the advent of that song in the nine I've got
Speaker 1: so many new art, new fans and you know, younger fans.
Speaker 1: It's just really it's really been pretty amazing to me. Well,
Speaker 1: I'm super happy that that you came by. Good luck,
Speaker 1: Hope yourself. So many of these these vinyl records that
Speaker 1: you're so annoyed having to sign, that's problem to have
Speaker 1: is the best I would get so irritated signed these
Speaker 1: books and be like, I'm so happy to be irritated.
Speaker 1: It was the greatest irritation you gotta Sometimes, you know,
Speaker 1: you get a little a little by ester who or
Speaker 1: just worn out with things over time when you you
Speaker 1: kind of it's good to get a little, uh, you know,
Speaker 1: check once in a while, just to kind of a
Speaker 1: little gut check and say, okay, wait a minute, I'm
Speaker 1: doing the best. I got the best job in the world.
Speaker 1: You know. I could be at roof and house and
Speaker 1: I used to do that. You know, I could be
Speaker 1: back on doing clean I used to do clean up
Speaker 1: from moving house, which is even the ruinouse. All right,
Speaker 1: so I have I'm I'm just so lucky and so blessed,
Speaker 1: like a great family, you know, and so great friends.
Speaker 1: So you know, it's it's a it's a pleasure for me. Well,
Speaker 1: you're always welcome. I got a Christmas card from you,
Speaker 1: all right, Yes? Did you know that I did? Yes.
Speaker 1: I felt like I was giving I felt like I
Speaker 1: was giving him news. Mike. He was like, he was like, oh,
Speaker 1: you gotta Christmas. I got a Christmas car from a
Speaker 1: couple of days. It's just a gazillion, but we're glad
Speaker 1: that you're on the list, so it was news to you. Well,
Speaker 1: she told me about it, yes, okay, good before yesterday. Regardless,
Speaker 1: I thought it was pretty cool. I'm not gonna lie
Speaker 1: to you. Thought it was pretty cool. Joe Diffie dot
Speaker 1: com slash Vinyl Joe, good luck and good to see
Speaker 1: you again. Thank you. Episode to seventeen here on the
Speaker 1: Bobby Cat