August 19, 2025 • 44 mins
Cole Taylor's journey from small-town Georgia to Nashville success story perfectly captures the dreams that bring so many songwriters to Music City. Within just nine months of arriving in Nashville, Taylor landed a publishing deal that would launch a career filled with chart-topping hits for country music's biggest stars.
Growing up immersed in a rich musical tapestry—from Alan Jackson's storytelling to Lynyrd Skynyrd's southern rock—Taylor developed a versatile songwriting approach that makes him a sought-after collaborator. "My head is just a burnt CD of just anything and everything," he explains, describing how his diverse influences allow him to adapt to any writing room situation.
The stories behind Taylor's biggest hits reveal both his craftsmanship and the serendipitous moments that define songwriting. His first number one, "Sippin' on Fire" with Florida Georgia Line, came from a writing session with Matt Dragstrom that later received input from veteran songwriter Rodney Clawson. Taylor received the life-changing news while turkey hunting back home in Georgia—a fitting full-circle moment for the small-town songwriter making it big.
Taylor's catalog includes standout duets like "Home Alone Tonight" (Luke Bryan and Karen Fairchild) and "You Me and Whiskey" (Justin Moore and Priscilla Block), showcasing his ability to create musical conversations that resonate with listeners. His thoughtful approach to songwriting balances commercial appeal with genuine emotion, as evidenced in songs like "Good News Sold" and "Can't Kill a Prayer."
Beyond his songwriting success, Taylor gives back through "Playing Through," a company he co-founded that combines his passions for golf and music while raising money for charities. This entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to community reflect the values that have guided his career from the beginning.
For aspiring songwriters, Taylor's advice is refreshingly straightforward: "Keep showing up" and "Get through the bad songs, find the great ones." His journey proves that with talent, persistence, and the right connections, those Nashville dreams can absolutely come true.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
you're listening to stories behind the songs with
chris blair.
For more information you canfind us on instagram and tiktok
at sbt songs or check us out atchrisblaircom.
This week we're sitting downwith my buddy, cole taylor.
He moved to nashville fromgeorgia.
I think we met the first weekhe was in town.
(00:25):
We've been friends ever sincethen and he has got some
incredible songs.
He got his first publishingdeal nine months after he moved
to town, which is just nuts.
We're going to dive into somesmash hits that I know that
you've heard Songs by FloridaGeorgia Line, luke Bryan Cole,
swindell, priscilla Block,justin Moore.
He's just got an incrediblecatalog.
(00:47):
It was so fun diving into thestories behind the songs.
We've tried to do this a fewtimes and we finally got our
calendars lined up and I'm soglad that we did because this
was so much fun.
Let's get to it.
Here is Cole Taylor.
We're back here in nashville atthe listening room my buddy,
(01:15):
cole taylor in the house.
How are you, bro?
Speaker 2 (01:16):
I'm good man, man, so glad that you came in today.
I'm glad we finally can make itwork I think we've tried that
we've.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
we've had to cancel three times.
I so, uh man, you're just,you're just busy, it's, it's
good.
I think I was out of town onceand then yeah, but, um, man, I,
uh I'm looking forward to uh,you know I've I met you when you
first moved to town and, um,have gotten to see your career
just kind of take off.
Um and uh, I'm excited to kindof go back and dive into early
(01:44):
Georgia days.
But I want to do somethingdifferent this week.
You've got so many great songs.
I want to just kick it off witha song.
Let all the listeners know.
Let's start off with take meinto Sippin' on Fire with
Florida, georgia.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Oh man, sippin' on Fire.
So I moved here.
I think the same year I met youit was February of 2013 when I
moved here and I signed apublishing deal at at Universal
November of that same year andthen in December my buddy, matt
Dragstrom, and I wrote what wasSippin' on Fire and the.
(02:17):
The verses were different atthat time but the chorus, like
Seth at Big Loud, was like, heyman, man, this chorus is a hit.
He was like are you cool ifRodney Clawson like just makes
the verses just a littlestorytelling and kind of like
back and forth with the girlkind of thing?
And we were like, of course, Imean Rodney was on fire at that
(02:41):
time and so this was his 20thnumber one and my first and the.
I remember being down in georgia, turkey, hunting at red akins
country goes hunting and mattcalls me.
He's like, hey man, floridageorgia line wants to record
this song.
And florida georgia line hadjust came off the, that first
album with cruise, yeah and uharound here and all that on it.
(03:04):
And I was like, yeah, that'sincredible.
So it was my first cut as asongwriter.
That turned into their thirdsingle off of this album, off
the second album and yeah, firstnumber one, it all kind of
happened at Godspeed.
I mean, it was a total Godthing, like kind of just showing
, because I was the artist thentoo trying to chase the artist
(03:26):
thing, but it was.
I think that was the first signof like god's way of being, like
, hey, man, you're, you're thesongwriter, just stay.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Stay in the songwriting lane and yeah I
remember, uh, I remember,standing on the, uh, the back
porch, uh, when we used to be onsecond avenue and it was like
raining outside but just likekind of a mist, and and you
played the work tape from yourphone for this song oh wow yeah
Speaker 2 (03:54):
let's hear it, man buddy.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Build me like ice and whiskey those blue flame looks
that you gave me.
You can't hide what's inside.
And it's killing me right nowto see you wanna slip off of me
again.
So why should we go round andround the truth like we've been
doing?
Every time we like her, we'relosing.
(04:25):
Why should we spend Saturdaynight alone?
I could call you on the phone,pick you up, make it up as we go
along Pulling all nighterchasing that desire.
Sparks flying in her eyes likelighters, getting a little
higher, sipping on fire.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Come on, man Sipping on fire.
Old Florida, Georgia line Dude.
Yeah, thanks.
There's so many songs thatyou've got that I absolutely
love.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I just wanted to kick it off with that.
Let's go back to early days.
You grew up in Georgia.
What was life?
Sport, but basketball, becauseI had to work in the deer
process and that was deer season.
So that's kind of what taughtme my work ethic that I use
every day, of songwriting andkind of going into it.
But yeah, I played baseball,football, ran track, played golf
(05:36):
, all that growing up and musickind of came in.
I'd say I was 13 or 14, justkind of.
I was singing three woodencrosses in this little Baptist
church and people were like hey,you got a, you got a good voice
.
And you know, in the small townif somebody can kind of sing,
everybody around them is goingto say you got a good voice.
So I took it a little more toheart and just started playing
(05:58):
these little festivals withkaraoke tracks.
I didn't really pick up theguitar until I think I tried to
pick it up when I was 15 andjust got so frustrated and at 17
, something was like somethingin my head clicked.
It was like, hey, if you canlearn how to play, can't you see
by Marshall Tucker band,because you kind of already know
the rhythm, you just got toteach this hand so I learned how
(06:19):
to play that and then just kindof started writing songs
loosely.
And then just kind of startedwriting songs loosely, I went to
study accounting at ValdostaState and figured out that you
could play the bars and kind ofmake money.
So I started learning all thesecover songs and then I got
really tired of playing otherpeople's songs so I just started
(06:41):
writing a lot because I wantedto put an album out and I
recorded a little album atStudio D down in Moultrie,
georgia, my buddy, garyDiBenedetto, and recorded this
little album.
It was horrible, but it's kindof the starting place of my love
for writing songs and otherpeople hearing stuff that I get
(07:03):
to sit in a room and write.
I think that's what sparkedthat bug.
Yeah, what were some of theearly musical influences for you
.
I'd say for sure Alan Jackson,luke Bryan.
You know, growing up in smalltown Georgia, luke grew up like
(07:27):
45 minutes down the road whichkind of he was a very familiar
or accessible original music forus and I mean his little demos
were going around on little CDsdown in South Georgia just from
his buddies and stuff.
So hearing that, um, my dadgrew up on Leonard Skinner, so I
kind of have that rockinfluence.
Southern southern rock style.
My mom listened to countryradio and my brother listened to
(07:48):
Master P when we were going toschool.
So I always tell people my headis just a burnt CD of just
anything and everything.
I love it all and it helps menot get in a certain lane,
especially with how wide countrymusic is now, a certain lane
like if, especially with howwide country music is now.
(08:08):
Yeah, all of those influenceshave helped me kind of be a
chameleon in kind of any room.
If somebody's, if somebody'swanting to write a a poppier
country song, I kind of familiarwith it.
If it's a rockier one, I cankind of tap back into that
Lynyrd Skynyrd side of megrowing up and kind of just go
back into that.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
I've seen that a lot with your songs.
I've and I've talked to othersongwriters on the on the
opposite side of it.
That's like you know, um, ifit's you know, especially a few
years ago, and like you know,the bro country was kind of
first taken off and stuff, it'slike you know and I'd hear guys
say like, uh, just that's not mything, like I can't write that.
So I think I think that'sreally good, like that, that
(08:45):
spectrum of of influences thatyou can kind of try into more,
but it's a toolbox yeah, exactly, if you need a hammer, you get
the hammer.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
If you need the screwdriver, you get it out.
Yeah, it's just kind of it's ablessing to just know that it's
tucked back in there somewhereand I had such a good bringing
up of a variety of of influencesdown in south georgia so you
moved here 2013.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Um, and, man, you like you, you got a pub deal in
nine months, which is just ninemonths.
Wow, stupid.
That's just uh like just crazy.
Um, what do you think was thebiggest reason for that?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
I think it was the.
I think it goes back to thework ethic.
I was writing, I knew I wantedto write a song a day, and I
still do.
It's just just write, write,write.
I didn't want to wake up andjust do nothing so and then I
would go back.
I would write Monday, tuesday,wednesday, thursday, drive to
Georgia, friday, saturday, playkind of the bar gigs with the
(09:44):
crowd that I'd already built in,come back up right for, and it
just kind of helped me, um, ithelped me sharpen that craft a
little bit quicker, I think yeahnot that it was good at that
point, but I think peoplenoticed the work ethic and they
were like, okay, I'll take achance on this kid because he's
(10:04):
working really hard.
Yeah, and luckily, I mean, ronstevie took a chance on me at
universal and my manager at thetime, greg hill, introduced us
and he was like, yeah, I'll takea chance.
This kid's just working bustinghis butt.
The songs aren't that good yet,but I can see the path to doing
that yeah.
And then kind of the network ofpeople.
(10:26):
Like I always tell people I'mlike, just move to town and go
out, go to the writer's rounds,go to the listening room, go to
everywhere and just meet whoever, because you never know who's
going to come up with you.
So when we were so Tin Roof hadthe Tuesday Revival and I met
(10:48):
Thomas Archer there, I met wellTravis Denning.
I knew him before he moved hereand we all kind of grew up
together in town and kind ofstarted rising at the same time
together and celebratingsuccesses of each other.
And it's good to have a crewlike that.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah, you talked about your musical influences
growing up on radio.
What about songwritinginfluences?
Speaker 2 (11:13):
You know, I don't know that I knew who who wrote
the songs.
I look back now and even someof my favorite songs, I'm like,
oh, he wrote that song, but it's, I think in my head Alan
Jackson is a one of the bettersongwriters that I grew up
listening to, just from thesimple way he spoke to anything
about life, just in a song.
(11:33):
Yeah, now when I look back intoother songs that I love, bob
McDill is a huge influence onthe songs that I love from
growing up listening to countrymusic.
Yeah, it's just kind of there'sa link that's going around town
.
It's like bob mcdill's all hiswork tapes and stuff and every
(11:55):
song.
I'm like I never knew he wrotethis, didn't know he wrote this,
yeah, and so I'd say bob mcdill.
But they have that same likekind of not grandpa way of
speaking about it.
But it's just this simple, it'sjust speaking that how I grew
up and how people where I grewup would say it.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Love that dude.
I want to dive into how youkind of built your camp.
But let's bounce around, let'shave fun.
Let's dive into another song.
I know when you play here a lot, you have a certain order.
You like to kind of, yeah, go,so what?
Uh, let me see.
I love sitting down with guyslike you that have uh so many
songs that I'm just like hey,pick one, I'll pick a newer one.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Let's see, I love this song so much.
Jordan davis recorded this song.
It was on the highway for alittle bit and it's just one of
those.
It's one of the songs in theround that kind of everybody.
It gives them the chill bumpsand kind of I like going from
the funny guy to the serious guy, to the hit songwriter guy.
(12:59):
So this one I was looking atInstagram and there's this
account called Good News Tanksor Tanks Good News or something
like that, and it was a soldiercoming home, it was a lady
getting over cancer and I justremember typing on my phone.
I was like if good news sold,the world wouldn't be that bad.
And I was holding on to theidea just to write it with the
(13:24):
right person.
And I was in the room withJordan row and Jacob Davis and
we're throwing out ideas andnothing was kind of sticking and
I was like, guys, I have thistitle, but we can't screw it up.
I was like it's just gotta beperfect and they knew exactly
where to go with it.
And uh, jacob sent it to Jordan.
It kind of went around to a fewartists and then jacob was like
(13:45):
, hey, my brother wants this.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Jacob's jordan davis's brother what were some
of the?
Uh, what were some of the um, Idon't know, like stories and
kind of things in the room thatday, um, that made it magical we
were.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
I mean, we literally, we were just talking.
We were like man, if, if goodnews was all that we saw, maybe
everybody would just get alongand yeah, not be because this
was right.
In the middle of 2020, I think,when everybody was yeah way,
this way and way this way, andwe're like let's just write what
we would love to see on tv, ifwe could.
(14:20):
Yeah, let's see.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
I don't know if this is the right key, but we're
going to try it.
The answer's gone.
A couple seeing two pink linesfor the first time after trying
for a while Wouldn't be too hardto find a smile.
If good news sold, the worldwouldn't seem that bad.
(14:58):
If good news sold, we'd bebuying everything they had.
We'd all sleep a little bitbetter at night.
I'll be a little less left andright.
Turning your TV on.
Checking your phone would neverget old.
(15:19):
If good news so.
If good news so Good news so.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Well, 930 in the morning, vocal there.
Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Such a good song though man, thank you, man.
You know such a needed message.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Yeah, and when I'm doing the writers rounds, like
here at the listening room, it'slike it's a good moment.
You kind of feed off everybodyand there's, there's the funny
guy, and so it's like, okay,I'll break out, good news sold
and kind of it brings theemotion of the crowd just on a
ride.
So, yeah, it's fun to havesongs like that.
You don't write them all thetime, because songs like that
deserve the idea for it.
(16:03):
Yep, so when you get the idea,you're like, okay, I know how to
write this and it's got to bethat special feel and it's good
to have that along with the, thefunny songs and the hit songs
and a little bit of all of them.
So that's one of mine that I'mreally proud of.
That one I'm glad, jordan, youshould be, bro, stuck, stuck
with it yeah, yeah, um, allright, let's talk about, uh,
(16:23):
your songwriting, uh camp.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
So, um, you know you were going out.
When you first moved here.
I mean I would see you likemultiple times a week.
It seemed like, uh, you were,you were coming out to writers
rooms.
I mean, yeah, not justlistening room.
When I back, then, you know Iwould go out and network a lot
too.
And, um, seemed like everywhereI went you were, you know, so,
(16:47):
like, is that, was that what youdo?
Like, how did how did you buildyour camp?
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah, I'll create.
I met um Cole Swindell.
He was selling t-shirts forLuke Bryan down in Valdosta and
had a farm tour.
I met Cole, we stayed in touchand he was kind of like man you
got to go to the writers roundsand cause at that point Cole was
kind of starting to become ahit songwriter.
I think he had like one or twohits.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
He, he's the one that told me.
He's like hey, go to the, go tothe writer shows and meet your
people.
Like grow with your camp.
He was like I could write asong with you, but all people
(17:31):
are going to see is ColeSwindell wrote a song with his
kid and that's a Cole Swindellsong.
He's like find your crew andjust get together and write oh,
thomas Archer, was that crew uh?
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Travis Denning, farron, rachels.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
John Langston, um gosh, who else?
uh, brent Cobb, I remembermeeting him kind of in that, but
we all had this like Georgiathing it was just a bunch of
Georgia people that were goingto 10 roof and having a few
libations and just meetingeverybody, cause that was the
time like Jameson and Hardy, andthere was like our group, and
then there was their group andwe were all buddies, like
Jameson and Hardy and HunterPhelps and just kind of.
(18:01):
We were all kind of doing thesame thing in two different
groups and now we're all buddies.
Yeah, love that man.
It's always, hey, remember thatnight at 10 roof and when we're
catching up and talking lookingback to that, I'm like some,
some of it.
That was another lifetime ago.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
With that in mind, like what kind of advice would
you give new writers that aremoving to town?
Do you think it's still thatsame thing?
I?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
think it's still the same thing.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Yeah, just find your crew.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Write.
I always say get through thebad songs, find the great ones.
And just because one's bad andsomebody doesn't think it's as
great as you think it is, justgo to the next one.
Yeah, just build that craft andjust I mean it's the the whole,
the more.
The more songs you write, thebetter you're gonna get at
writing songs, and you can'talways the one that your mom
(18:52):
loves might not be the one thatthe town loves, so you just got
to keep going and just hammeringthem out.
It's that's how I've seensuccess in it.
I mean, there's some peoplethat write 10 songs a year and
five of them are hits.
But for me personally it's justbeen the grind of get up, go
write a song.
Hopefully somebody likes it.
(19:13):
If not, there's always the nextday and the next song, yeah,
and you can always hone in.
I always tell people if I'm notdone within like three hours and
I think we're just kind ofhampshire.
It's like a hampshire runningin the wheel.
I'm like let's just get it out,get the instincts out, and you
can always go back and fix it,but don't dwell on the, the ands
(19:35):
and the butts and the.
Have we said girl too manytimes?
It's like just get it out,listen to it with your instincts
, write it with your instincts,because people are going to
listen with their instincts.
So we're kind of getting it outand then figuring out if it
needs fixing, instead ofspending six, seven hours on the
ands and the buts and all that.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
So just man, that's such good advice.
I I've been in those roomswhere I'm just like man, like
the song is, the song is good,right or not Right, but like if
it's not, it's easy, it's likeokay, like let's just call it,
but um, but I've been in thoserooms where it's just like the,
the, just nitpick stuff, andyou're, you're there for so long
(20:16):
.
It's like man, I can't eventhink about it right now, like I
just need to get away, likewith Good News Sold.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
That song was done within an hour.
Yeah, because it was justflowing.
We were just like this soundsgood, this sounds good, the
melody feels good, let's just gowith that.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Do you have a lot?
Speaker 2 (20:37):
of that where you write a song and then you go
back and listen to it later,sometimes, yeah, yeah, but I'd
say 80 percent.
I just kind of leave it whereit is and then if there's an
artist, it's like man, I lovethe song, but maybe the second
verse needs tweaking.
Ok, cool, yeah, I'll tweak it.
Then, especially if it's likejust three writers or two
writers writing a song, theartist is going to have the
final opinion of it, yeah, solet's leave it up to him or her
(21:02):
and let them make it theirs,instead of us just being like
this is what we did, this is howit's going to be, it's not
worth fighting over for it yeah
Speaker 1 (21:12):
let it be what it's going to be let's talk a little
bit more about him and her uh.
When did you decide uh to do aduet uh with luke bryan and
karen Karen Fairchild?
Speaker 2 (21:22):
That all happened in the room.
I'll play that next.
I remember we were writing itwas me, jada, tommy and Jody and
we were just kind of thinkingwhat would be different because
Jody produces Luke.
And we were like what if wewrite a duet, but maybe it'll be
(21:43):
a Luke Bryan thing?
And I remember the moment itclicked was when we I think we
wrote the chorus first and itwent from the send it to my ex,
send it to your ex, kind of.
In that moment we were all likeoh, this whole song needs to be
them just going back and forth.
And so we went back and startedbacktracking to make make the
(22:05):
verses match the chorus and workit's.
I think jada came in.
She was like yeah, I was withsome dude at 10 roof last night
and I took a picture and sent itto my ex.
She was like I feel horrible.
I was just drunk and was mad athim and he kind of just turned
into this, this dialogue betweenboth of them and luke.
I remember luke in thebeginning was like I'm gonna get
(22:28):
miley cyrus on this and he was.
He was naming big, but karen,fit them, fit it perfect her
voice with luke's wasunbelievable yeah, really is and
that was like being from southgeorgia, luke bryan calling you
and being, hey, I'm gonna recordthis song.
That was just a.
That's one of the moments youyou move here for yeah yeah, um,
is that another one that cameout pretty quick um, yes,
(22:52):
because tommy kept wanting toget pf changs and I was like,
dude, let's finish this song andwe can go get pf changs.
So that was probably threehours.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
they do have PF Chang's, so that was probably
three hours.
They do have really good crabrangoon.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Absolutely, that was probably a three hour right, but
that was doing the demo andsinging it and Jada and I going
back and forth in the booth,yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Yeah, let's hear a little bitof it, all right.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
What you doing in this place.
I could probably ask you thesame thing Another round girl,
what you think If you're buying,then you know I'll drink.
So make it seven on seven.
You want it on the rocks,double shot of heaven Spilling
off the top and we'll go.
(23:39):
Shot, shot, shot.
We forgot what we came here toforget.
Clock tick, tock, it's gonnastop.
A night we won't regret.
Put your drink down, throw yourcamera up, flip it around, snap
a payback picture, send it tomy ex, send it to your ex.
(24:01):
Send them both a text saying weain't going home alone tonight.
You ain't gotta, I ain't gotta,go home alone tonight.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
I remember when we were doing the vocal it just
stopped at the first home alonetonight and I just randomly just
went.
I ain't got to go home alonetonight and it filled the space
and Jody was like we're keepingthat.
That's the good moment.
That's cool man.
I just remember that when I wassinging it.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Yeah, what was the feeling and where were you when
you found out?
That was number one.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
I was laying in for my honeymoon.
I was in Atlanta, georgia, andLuke calls me.
He goes hey, congrats, yournumber one song in the country
right now.
It was January 29th 2016.
He goes your number one song inthe country.
Don't spend all your money on acontractor in Murfreesboro like
I did.
(25:03):
I was like thanks, buddy man.
I tell him that now he's like Ican't believe.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
I said that, yeah and then, uh, that song was uh
nominated for an acm dude, howlike musical event, yeah, and
then they, they debuted it onthe american music awards.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
So so that was a cool .
That was the first like TVappearance I had seen of one of
my songs, so that was a cool,cool moment.
It was unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
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To schedule your nextconsultation or make an
(25:55):
appointment, visitbritskinbeautycom or send an
email to britskinbeauty atgmailcom.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Man, I'm so happy for you, dude.
It's like I said, you know I'vegotten to see so much success
from so many friends in town,but you know, I've always, just
like you know, meeting you likeliterally, like maybe even the
week you moved to town.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
It had to be pretty early on, yeah.
And you know, just watchingeverything happen and then you
know our kids are the same ageand play, uh, play baseball.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Yep, um, you know just, uh, it's just been so fun.
Um, let's talk about that.
Because you, you, uh, you spenda lot of your time giving back
and playing benefit shows, andgoing and doing golf tournaments
and tying in golf with withmusic and all that like what.
What's the inspiration behindall that?
Speaker 2 (26:49):
you know I always joke.
I'm like I took one hobby andmade it a job.
I might as well take my otherhobby and make it a job.
Uh, cole Swindell and TylerReeve and I started our company
playing through.
So we go to the golf courses.
Obviously it's country clubs andcountry music and the
songwriter event of it matchescountry clubs, so much so we go,
(27:12):
we take the artists with us andwe bring custom bottles of wine
, we bring guitars, we auctionoff backstage passes and we give
that back In the golf course'sname.
We let them pick a charity andjust kind of whatever that
raises goes to the charity oftheir choice.
And I don't know, cole and Iand Tyler, we just love golf so
(27:37):
much and we found a way that wecan offer something for the golf
courses to.
We could bring something coolto their members and it's been
fun just getting to build abrand and kind of build a, build
an atmosphere where you knowthese the members can kind of
let loose a little bit and raisea little money for charity and
(27:58):
we can use our talents to giveback and kind of make an
experience out of it.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
Yeah, I love your heart on that man.
I was in St Louis with Cole, Idon't know.
Maybe a month ago or so.
A little over a month ago hewent back home where I'm from
and played a show at BushStadium.
It was the first time they haddone this after the game.
So it was like, hey, there's noroom on the bus, but if you can
(28:23):
get there, it's your hometown,like come hang with us.
And it was really cool.
Got to go sit in the suite andwatch the game with him and the
band.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Cole's such a good dude.
He's one of my best friends.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
Yeah, he really is.
And, man, it's just a reminder,mind are like just standing
standing back there on the onthe grass of Bush stadium,
behind the stage, just watchinglike all these songs.
Um, you know, sometimes he'slike I forget like how many hits
these guys have until I'm outon the road and it's like, man,
like you know they're digginginto like early days.
(28:55):
I'm like, oh man, I forgetabout this.
You know all that, but I wantedto bring that up Cause.
Uh, let's dive into kill aprayer.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Yeah, absolutely this day I was riding with Josh
Thompson and Jesse Frazier andJosh always has just great song
ideas.
And I was like you know what?
He always has a great idea.
I'm going to try to out outidea, josh Thompson, which is
the craziest thing to think.
So I come in and I'm like I gotthis idea, I got this one.
(29:24):
Nothing's clicking.
And Josh was like I have thisidea called I'm living proof,
you can't kill a prayer.
And we kind of dug into it.
And you know, sometimes peoplewould would those types of songs
go to the I found a girl.
I've been living bad.
I found a girl and we were likewhat, if we just write it about
your mom?
(29:44):
I think it was around Mother'sDay or something.
And so we went from that angleof it of your mom prayed for you
your whole life and somehow Ithink it says by now I ought to
be six feet between all thiscrazy stuff I've done.
But it's like you can't outruna mama's amen and I'm living
(30:07):
proof, you can't kill a prayer.
And when we got that line wewere like that's it, yeah.
So then I sent it to Cole.
I got no response which alwaysfeels good.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Happens sometimes.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
And then he texts me like two months later.
He's like, hey, hey, didn't yousend me that killer prayer song
?
I was like, yeah, why?
He said, well, a publisher justplayed it on the bus for me.
He was like I love that.
I was like, well, if you wouldhave scrolled up two months ago,
you could love it two monthslonger.
Yeah, and uh let me find thekey to this.
Does it end?
Speaker 4 (30:40):
It's a little high.
There we go.
I'll play a little bit of it.
I hit the road.
When she hit her knees I wasworried about a dream dream.
(31:01):
She was worried about me.
I had a bone dry bottle.
She had a worn out bible.
I was in the band.
She was in the choir.
She saw the light and I saw thefire.
She was more tanned revival andI was more chasing my jukebox
(31:22):
idols.
And by now I ought to be sixfeet between the white ass open
and the whiskey.
Every road, every bridge Iburned down.
No, thanks to me, it turns outyou can't outrun a mama's amen,
(31:46):
even when you're out hererunning with the devil.
I swear, yeah, I'm living proofthat you can't kill prayer yeah
great song, man.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Thank you, man, on the new Spanish Moss album First
track yeah so.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
And I think it's like four or five on the highway,
maybe Number four or five.
Let's go.
I was hoping for that FM single, but I'll do it with the XM2.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Yeah, it works Absolutely.
Man, do you have a favoritesong that you've written?
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Man, do you have a favorite song that you've
written?
I think, Good News Sold wouldbe that one that sticks out, I
think, when it comes to hit-wise.
I think the Justin MoorePriscilla Block you Mean Whiskey
.
My old server Was my oh yeah,that's right, priscilla Work
Team.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Yeah, I forgot about that For a long time.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Yeah, I forgot about that For a long time.
Yeah, I think that's been myfavorite commercial as far as
story and the angle of a titlelike that that we kind of came
up with, because with that songI had the title you Mean Whiskey
and Jessie Alexander was likeokay, I see that title and it
(33:00):
just makes me think of a guy anda girl in a bar.
She's like how do we make itdifferent?
Jesse's always really goodabout just digging something
different out of it and we gotto thinking and she's like what
if it's like a husband and wife?
They're kind of just been goingthrough it, going through the
trenches with kids and jobs.
And she's like what if we?
(33:21):
They just need to go back towhen they were in college, just
shooting whiskey all night, justfor one night, and that's kind
of we went right at it kind of.
And that song took an hour and ahalf to write and record, just
kind of it.
When it falls out like that,you're like you know it's right,
you can just feel, yeah, itbeing right was that?
Speaker 1 (33:42):
was that another one that uh, pretty much off the bat
you do.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
You heard it as a duet, yeah and it's funny like a
lot of my success has been duet.
Even with florida georgia line.
They're a duo, yeah, and thenluke and justin um, or the luke
bryan duet and then the justinmoore duet and then the Justin
Moore duet and then fast forwardto I just had the John Party
(34:07):
Luke Bryan duet the Cowboys andPlowboys song that's right, yeah
, so I keep telling people Iguess I'm a duet guy.
Hunter Phelps was saying thatthe other day.
He's like dude.
A lot of mine have been duets.
Now that I come to think aboutit, it's just cool making a
moment Instead of just writinganother song just to write it.
Those happen too.
But thinking outside of the boxof like maybe this is a duet
(34:28):
and I have one on Priscilla'snext record, that's a duet.
It's just Weird how God's kindof made it all happen.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
We're going to be here in that here they just
reached out, priscilla's campjust reached out to me last week
and hooked them up with Zachand you know it's going to be a
really cool full circle momentwhere we're going to do her
album release.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
Oh, that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Back here where it started for us.
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
I'll be here All right Sounds good, really good
record.
I'll be here All right Soundsgood, really good record.
I'm not biased at all.
Not at all.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
No, let's see Favorite song off the record.
How about?
Speaker 2 (35:03):
that One we wrote called I Couldn't Care Less.
She's Okay, she had this idea.
She was like you know, peoplethink I couldn't care less, but
really I couldn't care more.
And she's like you know, peoplethink I couldn't care less, but
really I couldn't care more andwe just kind of went right at
her, her kind of life story andkind of her personality.
(35:23):
It's one of the more strippeddown songs on the album Love it
let's hear you me and whiskey.
Speaker 4 (35:30):
Let's go.
You've been doing that Nine tofive straight line Walking.
Yeah, it's been a long timeSince I've seen that Letting
down your hair, double dog, darelook on your eye.
I've been burning it at bothends.
(35:52):
Been a hot minute Since youflipped that switch.
It ain't nobody's fault.
Shut the world off, turn itback to wind.
It was you, me and whiskey allnight long, sinking to the
bottom of them, country songs,fire, burning hot till the last
drop's gone.
(36:12):
Let's turn it up.
Turn it up till we take thatblack label bus too far.
Say them things to stay in thedark.
Nothing as sweet ain't, nothingas strong as you, me and
whiskey all night long.
You, me and whiskey all nightlong.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
Come on, man.
So good, it's a fun one to play.
Man, as you reflect on justbeing in town a little over 10
years, I was 12, 13 now,something like that, you know,
and all the success you've had,I mean you're, you're writing
with the artist, yeah, you knowgoing out on the road with them
(37:08):
playing these golf tournamentsand stuff like that.
I mean, do you do you havethose like pinch me moments
where some days you just likewhat is my life?
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Oh, 100%.
Yeah, I saw this quote.
It was like, hey, if you thinkyou're really busy right now,
just look back 10 years ago andyou're doing exactly what you
wanted to be doing 10 years ago.
So just kind of stay where youare, be where your feet are, go.
(37:38):
So just kind of stay where youare, be where your feet are.
And, um, I think you're cheatingyourself if you don't look back
and be like, holy crap, this is, this is pretty awesome, yeah.
Um, it's kind of when you lookback and you're like, holy crap,
I forgot I had that jasonaldean cut from 2018 because my
head's been so far down wantingto see what's next.
So then you look back and it'slike, oh man, kind of built a
(38:03):
lot of songs up that have beenrecorded and have luckily had
some hits with them.
So it was crazy to think thatyou can come from just small
town anywhere.
You can come from just smalltown anywhere and if you work
hard enough and just kind ofstay patient with it, you can
make anything happen in thisbusiness.
Yeah, because this business canbe brutal if you get impatient,
(38:26):
or you can just trust God'stiming on it and just know it's
going to work out right.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
Yeah, I mean, I think it probably goes back to your
work ethic.
I mean you just, like you weresaying earlier, I mean you, you,
just you, you.
You get in that room everysingle day and you and you write
, you know yeah I've got a hat Iwear a lot that that says keep
showing up.
It's just a reminder, that'sjust like yes, because it is.
It's tough.
I mean I've I've never had, uh,a hit song Right, and I've had
(38:58):
a couple songs put on hold andit's like the greatest feeling
in the world Absolutely, andit's like well, the album's done
and we didn't get it, I know,so it's like I still celebrate
all of it because you just neverknow.
Speaker 2 (39:09):
I mean you get a hold and you're like that's awesome,
I'm going to go have a beer,just to think about that song
and what could happen and justcelebrate it, because they come
few and far between and you haveto celebrate your little wins
or it will drive you crazy.
Yeah, in it all.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
Yeah, what's coming up next for you?
You've got some other stuff youcan tease a little bit.
Speaker 2 (39:35):
Let me see.
I don't know that.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
I know how to play them, uh you don't have to play
them if you.
You know, just uh, um, I mean,if you want to, I mean I have a
song that luke bryan cut for thelast record.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
That was literally on the phone with somebody, with
my publisher.
I'm like hey, don't let themforget about this song because
it's a hit and they're like holycrap, I forgot about it.
But it's this song called onetruck, two them forget about
this song because it's a hit andthey're like holy crap, I
forgot about it.
But it's this song called OneTruck, two Hearts, 3am and it's
just the typical.
I mean, it's so Luke Bryan singalong.
Fun four on the floor.
I just got a Luke Combs songrecorded called Always Gonna Be.
(40:12):
That'll be on this next record,hopefully yeah, you just never
know until they're out.
And then the priscilla album.
I think I have like three orfour on that.
That's yeah, I'm really excitedfor her and this kind of next
step in her career of justtrying to build who she is as an
artist and she knows exactlypinpoint who she is.
(40:33):
So it was fun getting to writewith her in that mindset of you.
Know, I want to be a little bitmore real.
We went on a bus run with her,me training and alex maxwell and
her and she up front.
She was like hey, we have thehits that we've recorded.
She's like I'm bringing y'allout because I want more.
I want to be a little more realwith more songs.
(40:56):
So the couldn't care less songis one of the most real ones
I've written with her.
Yeah, love that.
Um, noah hicks, noah hicks,yeah all.
We just did a big writingretreat for him and then he put
out a song called small towndoes.
Hopefully that's.
I think it's his biggestrelease yet on big machine.
(41:17):
So we'll see, it's just kind ofin that phase of.
We'll see.
I just had a lee brice songcome out with it's lee and randy
hauser and jamie johnson dallas, rob hatch and jared neiman all
on it it's called said nocountry boy ever.
It's just a fun redneck song.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
Yeah, I mean with that group, I mean it's gotta be
, it's gotta be fun.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
Yeah, um, yeah, and then just auditing stuff here
and there, yeah, a little bunchof holds that I hope come to
fruition and I don't know, justkind of seeing.
It's always that's the funthing about just seeing what's
next.
That's the fun thing about justseeing what's next.
Yeah, it goes back to lookingback and appreciating what was
(41:58):
back and then looking forwardand appreciating what's next.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
Absolutely, man, that's all you can do.
Absolutely, yeah, well, dude,thanks for coming in and
spending some time.
I'm glad we finally made thishappen.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
Thanks for the invite and thanks, zach, for getting
it all lined up and keeping meon it yeah.
This is fun.
This is the first time I'vebeen on a stage that I haven't
had a tequila Well, we can getone.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
It's early in the morning, it's too early, all
right, I always end on thisquestion.
So if you can go back toeight-year-old Cole, what kind
of advice would you giveyourself today?
Speaker 2 (42:33):
Eight-year-old Cole.
He probably didn't want to workthat hard.
Hmm, Eight-year-old Cole he wasprobably didn't want to work
that hard.
So I would have to tell him yougot to work hard and you got to
.
You got to just keep your headdown and be patient, because
eight-year-old Cole wantedeverything.
Right then.
But I would just say, keep keepyour head on straight and, yeah
, be patient and keep working.
Love it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
Thanks again, brother .
Absolutely Always good to seeyou.
Good to see you.
Thanks again, brother.
Absolutely Always good to seeyou.
Good to see you.
Thanks everybody for listening.
Check out the liner notes andwe will put links to Cole's
socials and and ways to find alot of his hits.
This has been another episodeof stories behind the songs.
I'm Chris Blair.
You've been listening to ColeTaylor and we will see you next
time.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Thanks, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (44:00):
Thank you, thanks, man.
We love what we do and we lovesharing their stories with you.
We appreciate all of thecontinued support.
Thanks also to all of oursponsors, and we will see you
all next week.
you're listening to stories behind the songs with
chris blair.
For more information you canfind us on instagram and tiktok
at sbt songs or check us out atchrisblaircom.
This week we're sitting downwith my buddy, cole taylor.
He moved to nashville fromgeorgia.
I think we met the first weekhe was in town.
(00:25):
We've been friends ever sincethen and he has got some
incredible songs.
He got his first publishingdeal nine months after he moved
to town, which is just nuts.
We're going to dive into somesmash hits that I know that
you've heard Songs by FloridaGeorgia Line, luke Bryan Cole,
swindell, priscilla Block,justin Moore.
He's just got an incrediblecatalog.
(00:47):
It was so fun diving into thestories behind the songs.
We've tried to do this a fewtimes and we finally got our
calendars lined up and I'm soglad that we did because this
was so much fun.
Let's get to it.
Here is Cole Taylor.
We're back here in nashville atthe listening room my buddy,
(01:15):
cole taylor in the house.
How are you, bro?
Speaker 2 (01:16):
I'm good man, man, so glad that you came in today.
I'm glad we finally can make itwork I think we've tried that
we've.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
we've had to cancel three times.
I so, uh man, you're just,you're just busy, it's, it's
good.
I think I was out of town onceand then yeah, but, um, man, I,
uh I'm looking forward to uh,you know I've I met you when you
first moved to town and, um,have gotten to see your career
just kind of take off.
Um and uh, I'm excited to kindof go back and dive into early
(01:44):
Georgia days.
But I want to do somethingdifferent this week.
You've got so many great songs.
I want to just kick it off witha song.
Let all the listeners know.
Let's start off with take meinto Sippin' on Fire with
Florida, georgia.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Oh man, sippin' on Fire.
So I moved here.
I think the same year I met youit was February of 2013 when I
moved here and I signed apublishing deal at at Universal
November of that same year andthen in December my buddy, matt
Dragstrom, and I wrote what wasSippin' on Fire and the.
(02:17):
The verses were different atthat time but the chorus, like
Seth at Big Loud, was like, heyman, man, this chorus is a hit.
He was like are you cool ifRodney Clawson like just makes
the verses just a littlestorytelling and kind of like
back and forth with the girlkind of thing?
And we were like, of course, Imean Rodney was on fire at that
(02:41):
time and so this was his 20thnumber one and my first and the.
I remember being down in georgia, turkey, hunting at red akins
country goes hunting and mattcalls me.
He's like, hey man, floridageorgia line wants to record
this song.
And florida georgia line hadjust came off the, that first
album with cruise, yeah and uharound here and all that on it.
(03:04):
And I was like, yeah, that'sincredible.
So it was my first cut as asongwriter.
That turned into their thirdsingle off of this album, off
the second album and yeah, firstnumber one, it all kind of
happened at Godspeed.
I mean, it was a total Godthing, like kind of just showing
, because I was the artist thentoo trying to chase the artist
(03:26):
thing, but it was.
I think that was the first signof like god's way of being, like
, hey, man, you're, you're thesongwriter, just stay.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Stay in the songwriting lane and yeah I
remember, uh, I remember,standing on the, uh, the back
porch, uh, when we used to be onsecond avenue and it was like
raining outside but just likekind of a mist, and and you
played the work tape from yourphone for this song oh wow yeah
Speaker 2 (03:54):
let's hear it, man buddy.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Build me like ice and whiskey those blue flame looks
that you gave me.
You can't hide what's inside.
And it's killing me right nowto see you wanna slip off of me
again.
So why should we go round andround the truth like we've been
doing?
Every time we like her, we'relosing.
(04:25):
Why should we spend Saturdaynight alone?
I could call you on the phone,pick you up, make it up as we go
along Pulling all nighterchasing that desire.
Sparks flying in her eyes likelighters, getting a little
higher, sipping on fire.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Come on, man Sipping on fire.
Old Florida, Georgia line Dude.
Yeah, thanks.
There's so many songs thatyou've got that I absolutely
love.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I just wanted to kick it off with that.
Let's go back to early days.
You grew up in Georgia.
What was life?
Sport, but basketball, becauseI had to work in the deer
process and that was deer season.
So that's kind of what taughtme my work ethic that I use
every day, of songwriting andkind of going into it.
But yeah, I played baseball,football, ran track, played golf
(05:36):
, all that growing up and musickind of came in.
I'd say I was 13 or 14, justkind of.
I was singing three woodencrosses in this little Baptist
church and people were like hey,you got a, you got a good voice
.
And you know, in the small townif somebody can kind of sing,
everybody around them is goingto say you got a good voice.
So I took it a little more toheart and just started playing
(05:58):
these little festivals withkaraoke tracks.
I didn't really pick up theguitar until I think I tried to
pick it up when I was 15 andjust got so frustrated and at 17
, something was like somethingin my head clicked.
It was like, hey, if you canlearn how to play, can't you see
by Marshall Tucker band,because you kind of already know
the rhythm, you just got toteach this hand so I learned how
(06:19):
to play that and then just kindof started writing songs
loosely.
And then just kind of startedwriting songs loosely, I went to
study accounting at ValdostaState and figured out that you
could play the bars and kind ofmake money.
So I started learning all thesecover songs and then I got
really tired of playing otherpeople's songs so I just started
(06:41):
writing a lot because I wantedto put an album out and I
recorded a little album atStudio D down in Moultrie,
georgia, my buddy, garyDiBenedetto, and recorded this
little album.
It was horrible, but it's kindof the starting place of my love
for writing songs and otherpeople hearing stuff that I get
(07:03):
to sit in a room and write.
I think that's what sparkedthat bug.
Yeah, what were some of theearly musical influences for you
.
I'd say for sure Alan Jackson,luke Bryan.
You know, growing up in smalltown Georgia, luke grew up like
(07:27):
45 minutes down the road whichkind of he was a very familiar
or accessible original music forus and I mean his little demos
were going around on little CDsdown in South Georgia just from
his buddies and stuff.
So hearing that, um, my dadgrew up on Leonard Skinner, so I
kind of have that rockinfluence.
Southern southern rock style.
My mom listened to countryradio and my brother listened to
(07:48):
Master P when we were going toschool.
So I always tell people my headis just a burnt CD of just
anything and everything.
I love it all and it helps menot get in a certain lane,
especially with how wide countrymusic is now, a certain lane
like if, especially with howwide country music is now.
(08:08):
Yeah, all of those influenceshave helped me kind of be a
chameleon in kind of any room.
If somebody's, if somebody'swanting to write a a poppier
country song, I kind of familiarwith it.
If it's a rockier one, I cankind of tap back into that
Lynyrd Skynyrd side of megrowing up and kind of just go
back into that.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
I've seen that a lot with your songs.
I've and I've talked to othersongwriters on the on the
opposite side of it.
That's like you know, um, ifit's you know, especially a few
years ago, and like you know,the bro country was kind of
first taken off and stuff, it'slike you know and I'd hear guys
say like, uh, just that's not mything, like I can't write that.
So I think I think that'sreally good, like that, that
(08:45):
spectrum of of influences thatyou can kind of try into more,
but it's a toolbox yeah, exactly, if you need a hammer, you get
the hammer.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
If you need the screwdriver, you get it out.
Yeah, it's just kind of it's ablessing to just know that it's
tucked back in there somewhereand I had such a good bringing
up of a variety of of influencesdown in south georgia so you
moved here 2013.
Speaker 1 (09:08):
Um, and, man, you like you, you got a pub deal in
nine months, which is just ninemonths.
Wow, stupid.
That's just uh like just crazy.
Um, what do you think was thebiggest reason for that?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
I think it was the.
I think it goes back to thework ethic.
I was writing, I knew I wantedto write a song a day, and I
still do.
It's just just write, write,write.
I didn't want to wake up andjust do nothing so and then I
would go back.
I would write Monday, tuesday,wednesday, thursday, drive to
Georgia, friday, saturday, playkind of the bar gigs with the
(09:44):
crowd that I'd already built in,come back up right for, and it
just kind of helped me, um, ithelped me sharpen that craft a
little bit quicker, I think yeahnot that it was good at that
point, but I think peoplenoticed the work ethic and they
were like, okay, I'll take achance on this kid because he's
(10:04):
working really hard.
Yeah, and luckily, I mean, ronstevie took a chance on me at
universal and my manager at thetime, greg hill, introduced us
and he was like, yeah, I'll takea chance.
This kid's just working bustinghis butt.
The songs aren't that good yet,but I can see the path to doing
that yeah.
And then kind of the network ofpeople.
(10:26):
Like I always tell people I'mlike, just move to town and go
out, go to the writer's rounds,go to the listening room, go to
everywhere and just meet whoever, because you never know who's
going to come up with you.
So when we were so Tin Roof hadthe Tuesday Revival and I met
(10:48):
Thomas Archer there, I met wellTravis Denning.
I knew him before he moved hereand we all kind of grew up
together in town and kind ofstarted rising at the same time
together and celebratingsuccesses of each other.
And it's good to have a crewlike that.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah, you talked about your musical influences
growing up on radio.
What about songwritinginfluences?
Speaker 2 (11:13):
You know, I don't know that I knew who who wrote
the songs.
I look back now and even someof my favorite songs, I'm like,
oh, he wrote that song, but it's, I think in my head Alan
Jackson is a one of the bettersongwriters that I grew up
listening to, just from thesimple way he spoke to anything
about life, just in a song.
(11:33):
Yeah, now when I look back intoother songs that I love, bob
McDill is a huge influence onthe songs that I love from
growing up listening to countrymusic.
Yeah, it's just kind of there'sa link that's going around town
.
It's like bob mcdill's all hiswork tapes and stuff and every
(11:55):
song.
I'm like I never knew he wrotethis, didn't know he wrote this,
yeah, and so I'd say bob mcdill.
But they have that same likekind of not grandpa way of
speaking about it.
But it's just this simple, it'sjust speaking that how I grew
up and how people where I grewup would say it.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Love that dude.
I want to dive into how youkind of built your camp.
But let's bounce around, let'shave fun.
Let's dive into another song.
I know when you play here a lot, you have a certain order.
You like to kind of, yeah, go,so what?
Uh, let me see.
I love sitting down with guyslike you that have uh so many
songs that I'm just like hey,pick one, I'll pick a newer one.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Let's see, I love this song so much.
Jordan davis recorded this song.
It was on the highway for alittle bit and it's just one of
those.
It's one of the songs in theround that kind of everybody.
It gives them the chill bumpsand kind of I like going from
the funny guy to the serious guy, to the hit songwriter guy.
(12:59):
So this one I was looking atInstagram and there's this
account called Good News Tanksor Tanks Good News or something
like that, and it was a soldiercoming home, it was a lady
getting over cancer and I justremember typing on my phone.
I was like if good news sold,the world wouldn't be that bad.
And I was holding on to theidea just to write it with the
(13:24):
right person.
And I was in the room withJordan row and Jacob Davis and
we're throwing out ideas andnothing was kind of sticking and
I was like, guys, I have thistitle, but we can't screw it up.
I was like it's just gotta beperfect and they knew exactly
where to go with it.
And uh, jacob sent it to Jordan.
It kind of went around to a fewartists and then jacob was like
(13:45):
, hey, my brother wants this.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Jacob's jordan davis's brother what were some
of the?
Uh, what were some of the um, Idon't know, like stories and
kind of things in the room thatday, um, that made it magical we
were.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
I mean, we literally, we were just talking.
We were like man, if, if goodnews was all that we saw, maybe
everybody would just get alongand yeah, not be because this
was right.
In the middle of 2020, I think,when everybody was yeah way,
this way and way this way, andwe're like let's just write what
we would love to see on tv, ifwe could.
(14:20):
Yeah, let's see.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
I don't know if this is the right key, but we're
going to try it.
The answer's gone.
A couple seeing two pink linesfor the first time after trying
for a while Wouldn't be too hardto find a smile.
If good news sold, the worldwouldn't seem that bad.
(14:58):
If good news sold, we'd bebuying everything they had.
We'd all sleep a little bitbetter at night.
I'll be a little less left andright.
Turning your TV on.
Checking your phone would neverget old.
(15:19):
If good news so.
If good news so Good news so.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Well, 930 in the morning, vocal there.
Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Such a good song though man, thank you, man.
You know such a needed message.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Yeah, and when I'm doing the writers rounds, like
here at the listening room, it'slike it's a good moment.
You kind of feed off everybodyand there's, there's the funny
guy, and so it's like, okay,I'll break out, good news sold
and kind of it brings theemotion of the crowd just on a
ride.
So, yeah, it's fun to havesongs like that.
You don't write them all thetime, because songs like that
deserve the idea for it.
(16:03):
Yep, so when you get the idea,you're like, okay, I know how to
write this and it's got to bethat special feel and it's good
to have that along with the, thefunny songs and the hit songs
and a little bit of all of them.
So that's one of mine that I'mreally proud of.
That one I'm glad, jordan, youshould be, bro, stuck, stuck
with it yeah, yeah, um, allright, let's talk about, uh,
(16:23):
your songwriting, uh camp.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
So, um, you know you were going out.
When you first moved here.
I mean I would see you likemultiple times a week.
It seemed like, uh, you were,you were coming out to writers
rooms.
I mean, yeah, not justlistening room.
When I back, then, you know Iwould go out and network a lot
too.
And, um, seemed like everywhereI went you were, you know, so,
(16:47):
like, is that, was that what youdo?
Like, how did how did you buildyour camp?
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah, I'll create.
I met um Cole Swindell.
He was selling t-shirts forLuke Bryan down in Valdosta and
had a farm tour.
I met Cole, we stayed in touchand he was kind of like man you
got to go to the writers roundsand cause at that point Cole was
kind of starting to become ahit songwriter.
I think he had like one or twohits.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
He, he's the one that told me.
He's like hey, go to the, go tothe writer shows and meet your
people.
Like grow with your camp.
He was like I could write asong with you, but all people
(17:31):
are going to see is ColeSwindell wrote a song with his
kid and that's a Cole Swindellsong.
He's like find your crew andjust get together and write oh,
thomas Archer, was that crew uh?
Speaker 3 (17:38):
Travis Denning, farron, rachels.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
John Langston, um gosh, who else?
uh, brent Cobb, I remembermeeting him kind of in that, but
we all had this like Georgiathing it was just a bunch of
Georgia people that were goingto 10 roof and having a few
libations and just meetingeverybody, cause that was the
time like Jameson and Hardy, andthere was like our group, and
then there was their group andwe were all buddies, like
Jameson and Hardy and HunterPhelps and just kind of.
(18:01):
We were all kind of doing thesame thing in two different
groups and now we're all buddies.
Yeah, love that man.
It's always, hey, remember thatnight at 10 roof and when we're
catching up and talking lookingback to that, I'm like some,
some of it.
That was another lifetime ago.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
With that in mind, like what kind of advice would
you give new writers that aremoving to town?
Do you think it's still thatsame thing?
I?
Speaker 2 (18:27):
think it's still the same thing.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Yeah, just find your crew.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Write.
I always say get through thebad songs, find the great ones.
And just because one's bad andsomebody doesn't think it's as
great as you think it is, justgo to the next one.
Yeah, just build that craft andjust I mean it's the the whole,
the more.
The more songs you write, thebetter you're gonna get at
writing songs, and you can'talways the one that your mom
(18:52):
loves might not be the one thatthe town loves, so you just got
to keep going and just hammeringthem out.
It's that's how I've seensuccess in it.
I mean, there's some peoplethat write 10 songs a year and
five of them are hits.
But for me personally it's justbeen the grind of get up, go
write a song.
Hopefully somebody likes it.
(19:13):
If not, there's always the nextday and the next song, yeah,
and you can always hone in.
I always tell people if I'm notdone within like three hours and
I think we're just kind ofhampshire.
It's like a hampshire runningin the wheel.
I'm like let's just get it out,get the instincts out, and you
can always go back and fix it,but don't dwell on the, the ands
(19:35):
and the butts and the.
Have we said girl too manytimes?
It's like just get it out,listen to it with your instincts
, write it with your instincts,because people are going to
listen with their instincts.
So we're kind of getting it outand then figuring out if it
needs fixing, instead ofspending six, seven hours on the
ands and the buts and all that.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
So just man, that's such good advice.
I I've been in those roomswhere I'm just like man, like
the song is, the song is good,right or not Right, but like if
it's not, it's easy, it's likeokay, like let's just call it,
but um, but I've been in thoserooms where it's just like the,
the, just nitpick stuff, andyou're, you're there for so long
(20:16):
.
It's like man, I can't eventhink about it right now, like I
just need to get away, likewith Good News Sold.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
That song was done within an hour.
Yeah, because it was justflowing.
We were just like this soundsgood, this sounds good, the
melody feels good, let's just gowith that.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Do you have a lot?
Speaker 2 (20:37):
of that where you write a song and then you go
back and listen to it later,sometimes, yeah, yeah, but I'd
say 80 percent.
I just kind of leave it whereit is and then if there's an
artist, it's like man, I lovethe song, but maybe the second
verse needs tweaking.
Ok, cool, yeah, I'll tweak it.
Then, especially if it's likejust three writers or two
writers writing a song, theartist is going to have the
final opinion of it, yeah, solet's leave it up to him or her
(21:02):
and let them make it theirs,instead of us just being like
this is what we did, this is howit's going to be, it's not
worth fighting over for it yeah
Speaker 1 (21:12):
let it be what it's going to be let's talk a little
bit more about him and her uh.
When did you decide uh to do aduet uh with luke bryan and
karen Karen Fairchild?
Speaker 2 (21:22):
That all happened in the room.
I'll play that next.
I remember we were writing itwas me, jada, tommy and Jody and
we were just kind of thinkingwhat would be different because
Jody produces Luke.
And we were like what if wewrite a duet, but maybe it'll be
(21:43):
a Luke Bryan thing?
And I remember the moment itclicked was when we I think we
wrote the chorus first and itwent from the send it to my ex,
send it to your ex, kind of.
In that moment we were all likeoh, this whole song needs to be
them just going back and forth.
And so we went back and startedbacktracking to make make the
(22:05):
verses match the chorus and workit's.
I think jada came in.
She was like yeah, I was withsome dude at 10 roof last night
and I took a picture and sent itto my ex.
She was like I feel horrible.
I was just drunk and was mad athim and he kind of just turned
into this, this dialogue betweenboth of them and luke.
I remember luke in thebeginning was like I'm gonna get
(22:28):
miley cyrus on this and he was.
He was naming big, but karen,fit them, fit it perfect her
voice with luke's wasunbelievable yeah, really is and
that was like being from southgeorgia, luke bryan calling you
and being, hey, I'm gonna recordthis song.
That was just a.
That's one of the moments youyou move here for yeah yeah, um,
is that another one that cameout pretty quick um, yes,
(22:52):
because tommy kept wanting toget pf changs and I was like,
dude, let's finish this song andwe can go get pf changs.
So that was probably threehours.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
they do have PF Chang's, so that was probably
three hours.
They do have really good crabrangoon.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
Absolutely, that was probably a three hour right, but
that was doing the demo andsinging it and Jada and I going
back and forth in the booth,yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
Yeah, that's awesome.
Yeah, let's hear a little bitof it, all right.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
What you doing in this place.
I could probably ask you thesame thing Another round girl,
what you think If you're buying,then you know I'll drink.
So make it seven on seven.
You want it on the rocks,double shot of heaven Spilling
off the top and we'll go.
(23:39):
Shot, shot, shot.
We forgot what we came here toforget.
Clock tick, tock, it's gonnastop.
A night we won't regret.
Put your drink down, throw yourcamera up, flip it around, snap
a payback picture, send it tomy ex, send it to your ex.
(24:01):
Send them both a text saying weain't going home alone tonight.
You ain't gotta, I ain't gotta,go home alone tonight.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
I remember when we were doing the vocal it just
stopped at the first home alonetonight and I just randomly just
went.
I ain't got to go home alonetonight and it filled the space
and Jody was like we're keepingthat.
That's the good moment.
That's cool man.
I just remember that when I wassinging it.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Yeah, what was the feeling and where were you when
you found out?
That was number one.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
I was laying in for my honeymoon.
I was in Atlanta, georgia, andLuke calls me.
He goes hey, congrats, yournumber one song in the country
right now.
It was January 29th 2016.
He goes your number one song inthe country.
Don't spend all your money on acontractor in Murfreesboro like
I did.
(25:03):
I was like thanks, buddy man.
I tell him that now he's like Ican't believe.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
I said that, yeah and then, uh, that song was uh
nominated for an acm dude, howlike musical event, yeah, and
then they, they debuted it onthe american music awards.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
So so that was a cool .
That was the first like TVappearance I had seen of one of
my songs, so that was a cool,cool moment.
It was unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
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Speaker 1 (26:03):
Man, I'm so happy for you, dude.
It's like I said, you know I'vegotten to see so much success
from so many friends in town,but you know, I've always, just
like you know, meeting you likeliterally, like maybe even the
week you moved to town.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
It had to be pretty early on, yeah.
And you know, just watchingeverything happen and then you
know our kids are the same ageand play, uh, play baseball.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Yep, um, you know just, uh, it's just been so fun.
Um, let's talk about that.
Because you, you, uh, you spenda lot of your time giving back
and playing benefit shows, andgoing and doing golf tournaments
and tying in golf with withmusic and all that like what.
What's the inspiration behindall that?
Speaker 2 (26:49):
you know I always joke.
I'm like I took one hobby andmade it a job.
I might as well take my otherhobby and make it a job.
Uh, cole Swindell and TylerReeve and I started our company
playing through.
So we go to the golf courses.
Obviously it's country clubs andcountry music and the
songwriter event of it matchescountry clubs, so much so we go,
(27:12):
we take the artists with us andwe bring custom bottles of wine
, we bring guitars, we auctionoff backstage passes and we give
that back In the golf course'sname.
We let them pick a charity andjust kind of whatever that
raises goes to the charity oftheir choice.
And I don't know, cole and Iand Tyler, we just love golf so
(27:37):
much and we found a way that wecan offer something for the golf
courses to.
We could bring something coolto their members and it's been
fun just getting to build abrand and kind of build a, build
an atmosphere where you knowthese the members can kind of
let loose a little bit and raisea little money for charity and
(27:58):
we can use our talents to giveback and kind of make an
experience out of it.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
Yeah, I love your heart on that man.
I was in St Louis with Cole, Idon't know.
Maybe a month ago or so.
A little over a month ago hewent back home where I'm from
and played a show at BushStadium.
It was the first time they haddone this after the game.
So it was like, hey, there's noroom on the bus, but if you can
(28:23):
get there, it's your hometown,like come hang with us.
And it was really cool.
Got to go sit in the suite andwatch the game with him and the
band.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Cole's such a good dude.
He's one of my best friends.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
Yeah, he really is.
And, man, it's just a reminder,mind are like just standing
standing back there on the onthe grass of Bush stadium,
behind the stage, just watchinglike all these songs.
Um, you know, sometimes he'slike I forget like how many hits
these guys have until I'm outon the road and it's like, man,
like you know they're digginginto like early days.
(28:55):
I'm like, oh man, I forgetabout this.
You know all that, but I wantedto bring that up Cause.
Uh, let's dive into kill aprayer.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Yeah, absolutely this day I was riding with Josh
Thompson and Jesse Frazier andJosh always has just great song
ideas.
And I was like you know what?
He always has a great idea.
I'm going to try to out outidea, josh Thompson, which is
the craziest thing to think.
So I come in and I'm like I gotthis idea, I got this one.
(29:24):
Nothing's clicking.
And Josh was like I have thisidea called I'm living proof,
you can't kill a prayer.
And we kind of dug into it.
And you know, sometimes peoplewould would those types of songs
go to the I found a girl.
I've been living bad.
I found a girl and we were likewhat, if we just write it about
your mom?
(29:44):
I think it was around Mother'sDay or something.
And so we went from that angleof it of your mom prayed for you
your whole life and somehow Ithink it says by now I ought to
be six feet between all thiscrazy stuff I've done.
But it's like you can't outruna mama's amen and I'm living
(30:07):
proof, you can't kill a prayer.
And when we got that line wewere like that's it, yeah.
So then I sent it to Cole.
I got no response which alwaysfeels good.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
Happens sometimes.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
And then he texts me like two months later.
He's like, hey, hey, didn't yousend me that killer prayer song
?
I was like, yeah, why?
He said, well, a publisher justplayed it on the bus for me.
He was like I love that.
I was like, well, if you wouldhave scrolled up two months ago,
you could love it two monthslonger.
Yeah, and uh let me find thekey to this.
Does it end?
Speaker 4 (30:40):
It's a little high.
There we go.
I'll play a little bit of it.
I hit the road.
When she hit her knees I wasworried about a dream dream.
(31:01):
She was worried about me.
I had a bone dry bottle.
She had a worn out bible.
I was in the band.
She was in the choir.
She saw the light and I saw thefire.
She was more tanned revival andI was more chasing my jukebox
(31:22):
idols.
And by now I ought to be sixfeet between the white ass open
and the whiskey.
Every road, every bridge Iburned down.
No, thanks to me, it turns outyou can't outrun a mama's amen,
(31:46):
even when you're out hererunning with the devil.
I swear, yeah, I'm living proofthat you can't kill prayer yeah
great song, man.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Thank you, man, on the new Spanish Moss album First
track yeah so.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
And I think it's like four or five on the highway,
maybe Number four or five.
Let's go.
I was hoping for that FM single, but I'll do it with the XM2.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Yeah, it works Absolutely.
Man, do you have a favoritesong that you've written?
Speaker 2 (32:23):
Man, do you have a favorite song that you've
written?
I think, Good News Sold wouldbe that one that sticks out, I
think, when it comes to hit-wise.
I think the Justin MoorePriscilla Block you Mean Whiskey
.
My old server Was my oh yeah,that's right, priscilla Work
Team.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Yeah, I forgot about that For a long time.
Speaker 2 (32:39):
Yeah, I forgot about that For a long time.
Yeah, I think that's been myfavorite commercial as far as
story and the angle of a titlelike that that we kind of came
up with, because with that songI had the title you Mean Whiskey
and Jessie Alexander was likeokay, I see that title and it
(33:00):
just makes me think of a guy anda girl in a bar.
She's like how do we make itdifferent?
Jesse's always really goodabout just digging something
different out of it and we gotto thinking and she's like what
if it's like a husband and wife?
They're kind of just been goingthrough it, going through the
trenches with kids and jobs.
And she's like what if we?
(33:21):
They just need to go back towhen they were in college, just
shooting whiskey all night, justfor one night, and that's kind
of we went right at it kind of.
And that song took an hour and ahalf to write and record, just
kind of it.
When it falls out like that,you're like you know it's right,
you can just feel, yeah, itbeing right was that?
Speaker 1 (33:42):
was that another one that uh, pretty much off the bat
you do.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
You heard it as a duet, yeah and it's funny like a
lot of my success has been duet.
Even with florida georgia line.
They're a duo, yeah, and thenluke and justin um, or the luke
bryan duet and then the justinmoore duet and then the Justin
Moore duet and then fast forwardto I just had the John Party
(34:07):
Luke Bryan duet the Cowboys andPlowboys song that's right, yeah
, so I keep telling people Iguess I'm a duet guy.
Hunter Phelps was saying thatthe other day.
He's like dude.
A lot of mine have been duets.
Now that I come to think aboutit, it's just cool making a
moment Instead of just writinganother song just to write it.
Those happen too.
But thinking outside of the boxof like maybe this is a duet
(34:28):
and I have one on Priscilla'snext record, that's a duet.
It's just Weird how God's kindof made it all happen.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
We're going to be here in that here they just
reached out, priscilla's campjust reached out to me last week
and hooked them up with Zachand you know it's going to be a
really cool full circle momentwhere we're going to do her
album release.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
Oh, that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
Back here where it started for us.
That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
I'll be here All right Sounds good, really good
record.
I'll be here All right Soundsgood, really good record.
I'm not biased at all.
Not at all.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
No, let's see Favorite song off the record.
How about?
Speaker 2 (35:03):
that One we wrote called I Couldn't Care Less.
She's Okay, she had this idea.
She was like you know, peoplethink I couldn't care less, but
really I couldn't care more.
And she's like you know, peoplethink I couldn't care less, but
really I couldn't care more andwe just kind of went right at
her, her kind of life story andkind of her personality.
(35:23):
It's one of the more strippeddown songs on the album Love it
let's hear you me and whiskey.
Speaker 4 (35:30):
Let's go.
You've been doing that Nine tofive straight line Walking.
Yeah, it's been a long timeSince I've seen that Letting
down your hair, double dog, darelook on your eye.
I've been burning it at bothends.
(35:52):
Been a hot minute Since youflipped that switch.
It ain't nobody's fault.
Shut the world off, turn itback to wind.
It was you, me and whiskey allnight long, sinking to the
bottom of them, country songs,fire, burning hot till the last
drop's gone.
(36:12):
Let's turn it up.
Turn it up till we take thatblack label bus too far.
Say them things to stay in thedark.
Nothing as sweet ain't, nothingas strong as you, me and
whiskey all night long.
You, me and whiskey all nightlong.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
Come on, man.
So good, it's a fun one to play.
Man, as you reflect on justbeing in town a little over 10
years, I was 12, 13 now,something like that, you know,
and all the success you've had,I mean you're, you're writing
with the artist, yeah, you knowgoing out on the road with them
(37:08):
playing these golf tournamentsand stuff like that.
I mean, do you do you havethose like pinch me moments
where some days you just likewhat is my life?
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Oh, 100%.
Yeah, I saw this quote.
It was like, hey, if you thinkyou're really busy right now,
just look back 10 years ago andyou're doing exactly what you
wanted to be doing 10 years ago.
So just kind of stay where youare, be where your feet are, go.
(37:38):
So just kind of stay where youare, be where your feet are.
And, um, I think you're cheatingyourself if you don't look back
and be like, holy crap, this is, this is pretty awesome, yeah.
Um, it's kind of when you lookback and you're like, holy crap,
I forgot I had that jasonaldean cut from 2018 because my
head's been so far down wantingto see what's next.
So then you look back and it'slike, oh man, kind of built a
(38:03):
lot of songs up that have beenrecorded and have luckily had
some hits with them.
So it was crazy to think thatyou can come from just small
town anywhere.
You can come from just smalltown anywhere and if you work
hard enough and just kind ofstay patient with it, you can
make anything happen in thisbusiness.
Yeah, because this business canbe brutal if you get impatient,
(38:26):
or you can just trust God'stiming on it and just know it's
going to work out right.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
Yeah, I mean, I think it probably goes back to your
work ethic.
I mean you just, like you weresaying earlier, I mean you, you,
just you, you.
You get in that room everysingle day and you and you write
, you know yeah I've got a hat Iwear a lot that that says keep
showing up.
It's just a reminder, that'sjust like yes, because it is.
It's tough.
I mean I've I've never had, uh,a hit song Right, and I've had
(38:58):
a couple songs put on hold andit's like the greatest feeling
in the world Absolutely, andit's like well, the album's done
and we didn't get it, I know,so it's like I still celebrate
all of it because you just neverknow.
Speaker 2 (39:09):
I mean you get a hold and you're like that's awesome,
I'm going to go have a beer,just to think about that song
and what could happen and justcelebrate it, because they come
few and far between and you haveto celebrate your little wins
or it will drive you crazy.
Yeah, in it all.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
Yeah, what's coming up next for you?
You've got some other stuff youcan tease a little bit.
Speaker 2 (39:35):
Let me see.
I don't know that.
Speaker 1 (39:37):
I know how to play them, uh you don't have to play
them if you.
You know, just uh, um, I mean,if you want to, I mean I have a
song that luke bryan cut for thelast record.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
That was literally on the phone with somebody, with
my publisher.
I'm like hey, don't let themforget about this song because
it's a hit and they're like holycrap, I forgot about it.
But it's this song called onetruck, two them forget about
this song because it's a hit andthey're like holy crap, I
forgot about it.
But it's this song called OneTruck, two Hearts, 3am and it's
just the typical.
I mean, it's so Luke Bryan singalong.
Fun four on the floor.
I just got a Luke Combs songrecorded called Always Gonna Be.
(40:12):
That'll be on this next record,hopefully yeah, you just never
know until they're out.
And then the priscilla album.
I think I have like three orfour on that.
That's yeah, I'm really excitedfor her and this kind of next
step in her career of justtrying to build who she is as an
artist and she knows exactlypinpoint who she is.
(40:33):
So it was fun getting to writewith her in that mindset of you.
Know, I want to be a little bitmore real.
We went on a bus run with her,me training and alex maxwell and
her and she up front.
She was like hey, we have thehits that we've recorded.
She's like I'm bringing y'allout because I want more.
I want to be a little more realwith more songs.
(40:56):
So the couldn't care less songis one of the most real ones
I've written with her.
Yeah, love that.
Um, noah hicks, noah hicks,yeah all.
We just did a big writingretreat for him and then he put
out a song called small towndoes.
Hopefully that's.
I think it's his biggestrelease yet on big machine.
(41:17):
So we'll see, it's just kind ofin that phase of.
We'll see.
I just had a lee brice songcome out with it's lee and randy
hauser and jamie johnson dallas, rob hatch and jared neiman all
on it it's called said nocountry boy ever.
It's just a fun redneck song.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
Yeah, I mean with that group, I mean it's gotta be
, it's gotta be fun.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
Yeah, um, yeah, and then just auditing stuff here
and there, yeah, a little bunchof holds that I hope come to
fruition and I don't know, justkind of seeing.
It's always that's the funthing about just seeing what's
next.
That's the fun thing about justseeing what's next.
Yeah, it goes back to lookingback and appreciating what was
(41:58):
back and then looking forwardand appreciating what's next.
Speaker 1 (42:01):
Absolutely, man, that's all you can do.
Absolutely, yeah, well, dude,thanks for coming in and
spending some time.
I'm glad we finally made thishappen.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
Thanks for the invite and thanks, zach, for getting
it all lined up and keeping meon it yeah.
This is fun.
This is the first time I'vebeen on a stage that I haven't
had a tequila Well, we can getone.
Speaker 1 (42:21):
It's early in the morning, it's too early, all
right, I always end on thisquestion.
So if you can go back toeight-year-old Cole, what kind
of advice would you giveyourself today?
Speaker 2 (42:33):
Eight-year-old Cole.
He probably didn't want to workthat hard.
Hmm, Eight-year-old Cole he wasprobably didn't want to work
that hard.
So I would have to tell him yougot to work hard and you got to
.
You got to just keep your headdown and be patient, because
eight-year-old Cole wantedeverything.
Right then.
But I would just say, keep keepyour head on straight and, yeah
, be patient and keep working.
Love it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
Thanks again, brother .
Absolutely Always good to seeyou.
Good to see you.
Thanks again, brother.
Absolutely Always good to seeyou.
Good to see you.
Thanks everybody for listening.
Check out the liner notes andwe will put links to Cole's
socials and and ways to find alot of his hits.
This has been another episodeof stories behind the songs.
I'm Chris Blair.
You've been listening to ColeTaylor and we will see you next
time.
Speaker 2 (43:12):
Thanks, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (44:00):
Thank you, thanks, man.
We love what we do and we lovesharing their stories with you.
We appreciate all of thecontinued support.
Thanks also to all of oursponsors, and we will see you
all next week.
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