Will Kimbrough on John Prine, Jimmy Buffett, and the Real Life of a Working Musician | MCP #222

In this revealing episode of The MCP, I sit down with Grammy-nominated songwriter, guitarist, and Americana mainstay Will Kimbrough for a wide-ranging conversation on the hard truths and quiet joys of a life in music.

From his early days as a 12 year old electric guitar player to getting signed to EMI, and then John Prine’s Oh Boy Records, to his work with Jimmy Buffett, Shemekia Copeland, and Todd Snider, Will offers a masterclass in musical longevity, humility, and hustle.

A few of the stories and names he mentions reminded me of what I sometimes foolishly take for granted — namely my geographical proximity to musical greatness. For instance celebrated producer Jay Joyce has a studio not 50 hundred feet away from where I now sit, and in the other direction, three houses opposite, is Eric McConnell’s studio, the legendary location where was recorded my favorite album of all time, Todd Snider’s East Nashville Skyline.

Incidentally, in the picture at top I am sitting across the table from that album’s producer. I was so excited I had to share the story of discovering that album in a CD listening station at Waterloo records in Austin in the closing moments of an otherwise very dismal experience, which was me playing SXSW in 2004. That album is why I moved to East Nashville, and why I live there still. Crazy but true.

Back to Will. Kimbrough opens up about navigating the highs and lows of the industry—learning to trust a team, the freedom of doing things DIY, and how obligation can become an artist’s best creative ally. His career parallels a number of iconic Nashville personalities and institutions, like Mike Grimes (with whom Kimbrough formed the beloved trio the Bis-quits and signed to Prine’s Oh Boy Records).

Finally we get into his life-changing work with veterans through Songwriting with Soldiers and post-traumatic growth programs, and share a few stories about sobriety (his, mostly) and how he’s managed to steer clear of some of the darker potholes that might have otherwise claimed a career now well into in its fourth decade.

And yes—there’s a live performance Kimbrough’s song “For the Life of Me,” with me in there on guitar.

00:00:00 "Desired Obligation" 00:01:08 Congrats on the Grammy Nom, Will 00:03:06 What caught your ear early on? 00:04:12 Seeing Bruce Springsteen on your 12th birthday 00:05:19 Riffing with Doyle at Grimey's about the power of earlier radio 00:06:18 The first thing Will did with an electric guitar 00:09:04 Constant Throughput makes you less precious 00:10:19 Riffing on Jay Joyce 00:11:51 Getting signed - "the shackles were on" 00:17:22 The collateral positives of getting signed 00:20:18 how to negotiate the tension between personal freedom and teamwork 00:23:11 Meeting Jimmy Buffett through Todd Snider 00:24:32 Trying to get dropped and forming the Bis-quits 00:26:49 Energy optimism and drive in finding a manager or launching a record 00:27:20 Why is it you make your best work when you're in a bad way? 00:28:48 Will's collective songwriting 00:31:31 Writing records with Todd Snider East Nashville Skyline and the Devil You Know 00:32:33 Korby's "East Nashville Skyline" story 00:35:54 The story about Todd Snider's fallout with Jimmy Buffett 00:38:00 Getting addicted to the school of Todd and Rodney Crowell and that crew 00:38:56 A version of the dream as expressed by Korby 00:39:55 Working with Shemekia Copeland 00:40:44 Warrior PATHH program 00:41:39 Wills Bob Dylan movie story 00:44:42 Setting up "For the Life of Me" live in studio 00:53:06 Will Kimbrough performs "For the Life of Me" 00:57:07 "Addicted to gratitude" 00:59:53 A story about John Prine's "Hello in there" 01:02:50 Are you melancholy or even-keeled? 01