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Exploring Nashville's Music Scene: Craig Campbell's Journey, Cancer Advocacy, and His Latest Song Inspiration · Takin’ A Walk Nashville

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Taking a Walk Nashville.
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: Joining me today on Taking a Walk Nashville is country
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: artist and songwriter Craig Campbell. Craig has had hits such
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: as Out of My Head, Outskirts of Heaven, Keep Them
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: Kisses Coming, and one of my favorites Tomorrow Tonight March
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: is co Directal Cancer Awareness Month, and Craig is an
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  Speaker 2: advocate for this cancer, starting the Kenny Campbell Foundation to
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: honor his father, who lost his battle with corectal cancer
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: at age thirty six. Craig's latest single, Drink for That,
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  Speaker 2: is out now and he is here to talk about
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  Speaker 2: his latest endeavors.
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Taking a Walk Nashville with your host's singer
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: songwriter Sarah Harrelson.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: Craig, thank you so much for being with me on
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  Speaker 2: Taking a Walk Nashville today. We have a lot to discuss,
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  Speaker 2: but I first want to start our conversation by talking
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: about your nonprofit organization, the Kenny Campbell Foundation. Now, this
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: foundation honors your father, who lost his battle with co
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: directal cancer at age thirty six, and it raises money
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  Speaker 2: for research, hospitals and doctors that focus on finding a
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  Speaker 2: cure and preventative measures for corectal cancer now. For listeners
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  Speaker 2: who don't know, March is co directal Cancer Awareness Month,
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  Speaker 2: and it really means a lot to me to shine
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  Speaker 2: a light on this. I also lost my mother to
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  Speaker 2: colon cancer in twenty twenty two, and it was recently
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  Speaker 2: announced that co directal cancer is officially the leading cause
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  Speaker 2: of cancer related death among men and women under age
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  Speaker 2: fifty now, Craig, along with your foundation, you also host
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  Speaker 2: an annual celebrity corn hone Challenge in Nashville. You've raised
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  Speaker 2: over a million dollars through your foundation and this event,
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  Speaker 2: and you also hosted a benefit concert at the Riemann
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  Speaker 2: Auditorium last July, raising over ten thousand dollars. So there
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  Speaker 2: is no doubt your dad would be so proud of
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  Speaker 2: you and all that you have accomplished. What does it
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  Speaker 2: mean to you to shine a light on colorectal cancer awareness?
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  Speaker 3: Well, you know, the one of the one of the
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  Speaker 3: biggest pushes for me to to do everything I can
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  Speaker 3: with and for coorctal cancer is you know, when I
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  Speaker 3: was eleven years old. That's that my dad died with
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  Speaker 3: color cancer at eleven years old. I thought he was
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  Speaker 3: an old man, you know, and the older. So when
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  Speaker 3: I became an adult and started thinking about having a family,
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  Speaker 3: I realized that my dad was very very young in fact,
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  Speaker 3: and I'm like, okay, well, what took my dad away
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  Speaker 3: from me? And the more the more information that I
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  Speaker 3: gathered on colorctal cancer, I realized that if my dad
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  Speaker 3: would have had the knowledge about corectal cancer that we
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  Speaker 3: have now or even then, there's a good chance that
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  Speaker 3: he would still be here. He could have he could have,
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  Speaker 3: you know, prevented it, because corectal cancer is the most
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  Speaker 3: preventable cancer that there is the main reason I got
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  Speaker 3: and I started doing work towards raising money for coorctal
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  Speaker 3: cancers because I didn't want my girls growing up without me.
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  Speaker 3: And I'm like, you know what, whatever whatever knowledge I
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  Speaker 3: have about coorctal cancer and whatever platform I have to
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  Speaker 3: help raise money to spread that word, that's what I'm
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  Speaker 3: going to do. And that's just that's just kind of
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  Speaker 3: how it all started, and that's the reason I keep
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  Speaker 3: doing what I'm doing.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I love that, And I think that's a great
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  Speaker 2: point that there hasn't always been a lot of resources
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  Speaker 2: or funding for this cancer like other cancers. And you know,
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  Speaker 2: when my mom was diagnosed with the cancer. She got
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  Speaker 2: misdiagnosed with asthma. So the earlier people can get die
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  Speaker 2: agnost we could save a lot of lives. So I
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  Speaker 2: love what you're doing with your foundation. Do you have
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  Speaker 2: a date set yet for this year's Cornhold Challenge? Which
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  Speaker 2: benefits it?
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  Speaker 3: My Cornhold Tournament is every see we do it during
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  Speaker 3: CMA Fest, but we do it the Tuesday before CMA Fest,
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  Speaker 3: So I'm not one hundred percent what's sure what the
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  Speaker 3: date is this year. I think it's June fourth, maybe
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  Speaker 3: June fifth, somewhere in that range, but it's the Tuesday
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  Speaker 3: before CMA Fest and that works out for us because
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  Speaker 3: we're able to I can call my a lot of
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  Speaker 3: my artist friends and say, hey, I'm having my corn
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  Speaker 3: Old tournament. Do you would you like to be Would
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  Speaker 3: you like to be a participant in my tournament? Help
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  Speaker 3: me raise money for Collectial Cancer? And you know CMA Fest,
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  Speaker 3: most of us are in town already, so it's easier
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  Speaker 3: for them to commit. So that's that's why we have
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  Speaker 3: it during CMA Fest.
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  Speaker 2: And so if people are in town for CMA fes,
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  Speaker 2: can they purchase tickets to this event to support the cause.
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  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, so you can buy a ticket to the event.
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  Speaker 3: This year, we're having it at sixth and Peabody. This
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  Speaker 3: is where our third year having it at sixth and Peabody.
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  Speaker 3: They're great partners, also known as Eyhall Brewery. So yeah,
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  Speaker 3: you can purchase tickets. I don't know if we have
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  Speaker 3: a ticket link yet or if those tickets are available yet,
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  Speaker 3: but the closer we get for sure, you can purchase
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  Speaker 3: purchase tickets through my website.
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  Speaker 2: Perfect. Yeah, And that's a great location and the heart
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  Speaker 2: of downtown Nashville. For that. You also have a new
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  Speaker 2: single that just dropped on February twentieth called Drink For that.
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  Speaker 2: I love the production on this song. This is your
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  Speaker 2: latest solo single since Missing You. What's the inspiration behind
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  Speaker 2: this song?
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  Speaker 3: So? I'm been fortunate to become friends with a guy
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  Speaker 3: named Anthony Smith, who is an amazing artist in his
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  Speaker 3: own right, but he's transitioned and he's just been writing songs,
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  Speaker 3: and he sent me this song years ago, and I've
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  Speaker 3: always just went back to it every time I'm thinking
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  Speaker 3: about recording music. I always the song just always comes
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  Speaker 3: back and it shows it. It pops its head up
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  Speaker 3: and it's like, hey, I'm a hit song, and and
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  Speaker 3: I said, finally, I just I couldn't. I couldn't resist
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  Speaker 3: it anymore. So I recorded it and it turned out
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  Speaker 3: so good that I thought this has to be this
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  Speaker 3: has to be released in some fashion and and uh
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  Speaker 3: so now's the time, and and I'm excited about it.
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  Speaker 3: As soon as I heard it, I knew.
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  Speaker 2: It was just it was.
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  Speaker 3: It was a great country song and I'm just excited
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  Speaker 3: for everybody to hear it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's definitely a fun song. Where did you record it?
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  Speaker 3: So? I cut this song up in Berry Hill and
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  Speaker 3: just south of Nashville, little studio community at a place
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  Speaker 3: called Station West, and used some really great musicians and
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  Speaker 3: then my secret weapon, Bart Bush. You know, he he
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  Speaker 3: did all the mixing and engineering and vocal capturing and
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  Speaker 3: all that. So he did a great job mixing this song.
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  Speaker 3: And it's it's pretty fire.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so too. And listeners can stream drink
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  Speaker 2: for that on all listening platforms. You can also find
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  Speaker 2: a drink for that at your award winning coffee shop, restaurant,
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  Speaker 2: and music venue. It looks like you have the merch
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: on now for Grindstone Cowboy. Yeah, yeah, I love it.
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  Speaker 2: It's in Eagleville, Tennessee, and you just opened a second
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  Speaker 2: location in Shelbyville, Tennessee, about an hour outside of Nashville.
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  Speaker 2: And this is great for people driving through these towns.
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  Speaker 2: What made you and your wife want to open these
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  Speaker 2: restaurants and put them in these specific towns.
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  Speaker 3: Well, we live in Eagleville, so that was the main
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  Speaker 3: reason we decided to put one here in Eagleville. And
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: when we opened it, we didn't realize that it would
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  Speaker 3: take off like it did. So we knew there was
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  Speaker 3: no competition like as far as coffee was concerned, and
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  Speaker 3: within a good twenty minutes of Eagleville, so we thought
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  Speaker 3: of the verys that our drive through would be fine.
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  Speaker 3: But as soon as we opened we did, we realized
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  Speaker 3: that Grindstone Cowboy was way more than that, and so
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  Speaker 3: it just took off nice.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. I love that these communities have a music venue
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  Speaker 2: and restaurant now because you know, sometimes it's too much
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  Speaker 2: of a hike to drive into Nashville to go to
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  Speaker 2: a show, and you have live music at your restaurants.
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  Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, we have a live music pretty much every Saturday,
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  Speaker 3: and then occasionally we'll have like a ticketed event somewhere
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  Speaker 3: like either on a Wednesday or Thursday night.
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  Speaker 2: Very cool. Yeah, I hope everyone will check out Grindstone Cowboy.
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  Speaker 2: I know I'll be checking it out soon. Craig, you've
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  Speaker 2: been in Nashville since two thousand and two. Did you
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  Speaker 2: expect Nashville to become such a booming city over the
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  Speaker 2: last two decades?
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  Speaker 3: You know, I honestly I thought it was a booming
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: city when I got here, And honestly, I think when COVID,
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  Speaker 3: COVID kind of changed everything as far as like Lower
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  Speaker 3: Broadway and but Nashville has always been like a big city,
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  Speaker 3: but it's also been like a small town feel of
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  Speaker 3: a big city, especially when the music business is like
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  Speaker 3: music business, everybody knows everybody and and everybody's pulling through
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  Speaker 3: each other. And uh so, even though it's like a
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  Speaker 3: metropolitan city, it's still got a small town feel to it,
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  Speaker 3: like on the on the music business side of things.
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  Speaker 3: But like Lower Broadways, it's chaotic these days. I don't
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  Speaker 3: crown there very much, but it's definitely not like it
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  Speaker 3: was when I first got down.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's definitely nash Vegas down on Lower Broadway. But
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  Speaker 2: you know, I agree you know, if you're hanging out
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  Speaker 2: on Nashville, not specifically on Broadway, it still has that
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  Speaker 2: small town feel just running into people, you know, which
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  Speaker 2: which I love. It's definitely kept that charm about it. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: so you've been doing some shows and touring this year.
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  Speaker 2: Where can we find you for upcoming shows this year?
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  Speaker 3: You know, I keep most of my shows updated on
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  Speaker 3: my website, but we also if just people will follow
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: me on social media, we always try to keep people
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: updated on what's current and what's happening and shows coming up.
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  Speaker 3: So yeah, you can just follow me on social media
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  Speaker 3: and you'll see pretty much everything that's going on.
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  Speaker 2: Great. Yeah, we'll definitely check you out there. And my
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  Speaker 2: last question for you, Craig, is something I always love
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  Speaker 2: to ask my guest. Since we are on taking a
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: walk Nashville, do you have a favorite place you like
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  Speaker 2: to take a walk in Nashville.
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  Speaker 3: Ah, never done. I've never taken a walk in Nashville ever, except,
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  Speaker 3: you know, walk in the streets of Lower Broadway, So
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  Speaker 3: those I mean, I guess if you consider that a walk.
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  Speaker 3: It's pretty cool to be able to walk from from
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: Fifth Avenue down to Second Avenue and just check out
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  Speaker 3: all the bars and on both sides of the street,
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  Speaker 3: and then even you know, even in just a couple
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  Speaker 3: of blocks over you can walk and go see the
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  Speaker 3: Country Music Hall of Fame. So I mean that just
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  Speaker 3: the Lower Broadway area, the Sobro like, it's a good
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: place to take a Nashville walk.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, there's a lot in that short radius. And
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  Speaker 2: I'm sure you do a lot of walking in Eagleville.
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  Speaker 2: I think there's a lot of good hiking out there
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  Speaker 2: if people want to take a short drive outside of Nashville,
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  Speaker 2: there is for sure, absolutely well, Craig, thank you so
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: much for being on Taking a Walk Nashville Today. Listeners
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  Speaker 2: can donate and check out your events with the Kenny
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  Speaker 2: Campbell Foundation, your upcoming tour dates, and your new single
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: Drink for That on your website. Thank you again, Thank you.
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: I appreciate you.
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Taking a Walk Nashville with Sarah Harrelson.
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: Please check out our other shows produced by Buzznight Media Productions,
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: Comedy Save Me and Music Save Me hosted by Lynn Hoffman,
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: and Taking a Walk hosted by Yours Truly Buzznight. All
• 11:56
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• 12:00
  Speaker 1: the iHeart podcast Network,