Latest / Takin’ A Walk Nashville / Emerging Artist Trey Calloway: Insights on Nashville's Music Legacy and His Journey Ahead

Transcript

Emerging Artist Trey Calloway: Insights on Nashville's Music Legacy and His Journey Ahead · Takin’ A Walk Nashville

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Taking a Walk Nashville with your hosts, singer
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: songwriter Sarah Harrelson.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: All right, we're back. We're Taking a Walk Nashville podcast.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: This is an interesting format for me because usually I'm
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: sitting down with his studio or one on one with someone,
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: and today we're doing it in a live performance setting
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: for country radio seminar and today on the stage, now
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  Speaker 1: I have with me Trey Calloway. He is a rising
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: country artist from North Carolina and he grew up singing
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: in church before finding his voice with a storytelling tradition
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  Speaker 1: of nineties country. He has shared the stage with artists
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  Speaker 1: like Joe Diffy and Tracy Lawrence, earned Songwriter of the
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  Speaker 1: Year honors at Texas Country Music Awards, and he has
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: wrapped up millions of streams along the way. Now he's
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: back with a brand new single called truck Around, and Trey,
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: thank you so much for being on here with me
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: in person on stage.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: I'm taking a Walk Nashville today.
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: How are you, Sarah. It's nice to meet you.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: It's nice to meet you too.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: And as I mentioned, you just released your new single,
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: truck Around. What's the story behind the song?
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: So so?
• 1:07
  Speaker 4: I wrote this song with two of my great friends,
• 1:10
  Speaker 4: Aaron Lloyd and Jim Hawkins, and I had this hook
• 1:14
  Speaker 4: in my book.
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  Speaker 3: It was don't make Me Turn this Truck Around. And
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: it's a good thing.
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  Speaker 4: I didn't write that one because that song came out
• 1:20
  Speaker 4: like a couple months ago, and I don't know what
• 1:22
  Speaker 4: the artist is, but there's a hit song on the
• 1:24
  Speaker 4: charts right now called Don't make Me Turn this Truck Around.
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: Yeah you know the artist. I can't.
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  Speaker 2: I don't remember if I know each song.
• 1:29
  Speaker 4: You know what I'm talking about, So I'm just a
• 1:31
  Speaker 4: good thing. We didn't write that one, and but Aaron
• 1:33
  Speaker 4: was just kind of torn around going truck around, truck around,
• 1:36
  Speaker 4: he said, he said, truck around and find out and
• 1:38
  Speaker 4: we were like, that's the hook. So we wrote it
• 1:40
  Speaker 4: in about an hour. I mean, it was one of
• 1:42
  Speaker 4: those ones that wrote itself. And you know, it's just
• 1:46
  Speaker 4: a silly song about trucks.
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  Speaker 3: But country music loves that sort of thing. You know.
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  Speaker 4: We were down in Myrtle Beach this past weekend playing
• 1:52
  Speaker 4: a show and they made me play that dang song
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  Speaker 4: three times, and you know, I just love it. I
• 1:57
  Speaker 4: mean I do, I love it, but it is it's
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  Speaker 4: about it's called truck.
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  Speaker 2: Around and it's radio friendly.
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  Speaker 3: It sure is. No bad words, no bad words in
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  Speaker 3: that song, folks.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, such a fun song. And as I mentioned,
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: you grew up singing in church. So how did gospel
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: music shape the artist you are today?
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  Speaker 3: Great question.
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  Speaker 4: So my father was a Pentecostal evangelist when I was
• 2:17
  Speaker 4: growing up, and he would travel to different churches.
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  Speaker 3: We were Church of God, that was the denomination, and
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  Speaker 3: he would.
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  Speaker 4: Preach what are called revivals, which is where you're at
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  Speaker 4: a certain church and he'd preach, you know, four or
• 2:28
  Speaker 4: five nights in a row, and I would sing before
• 2:30
  Speaker 4: he would preach his sermons. And so I was probably
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  Speaker 4: about six years old when I started doing that, and
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  Speaker 4: I remember very vividly the first country song, well, first
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  Speaker 4: gospel song I played in church was Angels among Us
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  Speaker 4: by Alabama, and I remember very distinctively my mom and
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  Speaker 4: dad having the conversation of was it gospel enough to
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  Speaker 4: be played in church? Because it was Pentecostal church, it
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  Speaker 4: was pretty strict, you know, but it all went over fine.
• 2:53
  Speaker 4: Everybody liked it, nobody got mad at me. And somewhere
• 2:57
  Speaker 4: around the age of about thirteen, start I think I
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: heard Much Too Young by Garth Brooks and it was
• 3:03
  Speaker 4: called kind of all Over but the Crying for Me.
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  Speaker 4: After that, and started listening to Alan Jackson and George
• 3:08
  Speaker 4: Strait and of course Garth and Clint Black. My mom's
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  Speaker 4: a huge Clint Black fan, Mark Chestnutt and and then
• 3:15
  Speaker 4: kind of got into the Jason al Dean's.
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  Speaker 3: When I started playing in my.
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  Speaker 4: Own bands, it was Jason Eldan and Luke Bryan and
• 3:21
  Speaker 4: Florida Georgia Line and all that sort of thing. But
• 3:24
  Speaker 4: the nineties country always had a big place on place.
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  Speaker 3: In my heart.
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  Speaker 4: I remember my mom and dad bought me this Country
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  Speaker 4: Music Greatest Hit CD that was all like George Jones
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  Speaker 4: and Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn. I'm a huge Loretta fan,
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  Speaker 4: you know, Willie and Whalen and I remember they were like,
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  Speaker 4: if you're going to play country music, you need to
• 3:45
  Speaker 4: have a foundation of the roots of it. And so
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  Speaker 4: I memorized, and I always liked to joke around that
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  Speaker 4: I'm my dad's second favorite country singer besides George Jones.
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  Speaker 4: You know, if you're in my house or my mom
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  Speaker 4: and dad's house, or we're on the camp trip or
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  Speaker 4: fishing trip, dad's playing George Jones on the radio always. Yes,
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  Speaker 4: you know where you are and I don't mind being
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  Speaker 4: second fiddle to George Jones, not one bit.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, ma'am.
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  Speaker 1: Well in nineties country music has definitely influenced your own music,
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  Speaker 1: and you've gotten to open up for some of these
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  Speaker 1: artists like Joe Deffy, Tracy Lawrence, Craig Campbell. What's the
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: biggest thing you've learned from being able to share a
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  Speaker 1: stage in a lineup with them?
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  Speaker 4: Well, I think watching the way those guys treat their fan,
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  Speaker 4: the people that come to see their shows. You know,
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  Speaker 4: we make music for the every man and every woman,
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  Speaker 4: I should say too, we make music.
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  Speaker 3: For people who work hard all week.
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  Speaker 4: They spend what little money they have to go out
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  Speaker 4: and see us, and so making those people feel like
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  Speaker 4: they got their money's worth and special. You know, I
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  Speaker 4: see them, and you'll see them, and as there might
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  Speaker 4: be twenty thousand people in the crowd, and they'll point
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  Speaker 4: out to them and go, you what do you want
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  Speaker 4: to hear?
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  Speaker 3: And so I do that at my shows.
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  Speaker 4: You know, if you come to my show, I'll go, hey,
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  Speaker 4: you person, I don't know, what do you want to hear?
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  Speaker 4: And by the end of it, I'll have them, you know,
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  Speaker 4: whether they're having a bad day or a good day
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  Speaker 4: or whatever. Just being the soundtrack to somebody's life is
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  Speaker 4: kind of why I do it.
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  Speaker 3: It really is, and it's.
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  Speaker 1: So much more, so much more special when you play
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  Speaker 1: a song that you know they've just been waiting to
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  Speaker 1: hear all day.
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  Speaker 2: Amen, you do your own take on it.
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  Speaker 3: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: You played some legendary venues like Billy Bob's Texas.
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  Speaker 2: What's been your most memorable show so far?
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  Speaker 4: Well, Billy Bob's was definitely fun. I would say that
• 5:19
  Speaker 4: was probably it. That was for the Texas Country Music Awards,
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  Speaker 4: I entered in a song that I had written called
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  Speaker 4: One Tough Job. That's about my dad, because on top
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  Speaker 4: of being a Pentecostal preacher, my dad also worked construction
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  Speaker 4: on the side to make to really pay the bills.
• 5:32
  Speaker 4: He worked construction and he did electrical work, and so
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  Speaker 4: I wrote the song it's about my dad. I remember
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  Speaker 4: as a little kid him coming home and just being
• 5:41
  Speaker 4: covered in dirt from head to toe of his old
• 5:44
  Speaker 4: work boots and his shorts and everything would just be
• 5:47
  Speaker 4: covered head to toe. So the song talks about that.
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  Speaker 4: I wrote the song about my dad. We entered it
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  Speaker 4: into the contest. It was my first ever ever being
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  Speaker 4: in it, and it won. So I got to go
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  Speaker 4: down there and perform on the stage and I was man.
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  Speaker 3: I was back there backstage.
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  Speaker 4: They have all of the artists that sign the bricks
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  Speaker 4: back there, and it's a really cool.
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  Speaker 3: Maybe I'll get to do one one of these days.
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  Speaker 3: Maybe I will.
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  Speaker 1: Well, you're gonna do another legendary venue soon. You have
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  Speaker 1: an upcoming performance at the Inspirational Country Music Awards at
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: the grand O Aubrey House. Is this is going to
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: be your first time performing.
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  Speaker 2: At the Opry?
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  Speaker 3: This will be, Yes, it will be.
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  Speaker 4: I'm really excited about it a little nervous because if
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  Speaker 4: you had asked me, what is the end all bey
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  Speaker 4: aall venue for me, It's a grand O Opry for sure.
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  Speaker 3: To be a member of the grand O Lopry would
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  Speaker 3: be probably the greatest joy besides being a husband and father,
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: hey y'all, but.
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  Speaker 4: Professional joy of my life would play the grand O Lopry.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that'll be such a special moment next month when
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  Speaker 1: you take a step in that circle.
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  Speaker 2: So congrats on that, thank you, sir.
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  Speaker 1: You also have an upcoming EP set for release this summer.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: You've worked with Phil O'Donnell on this who has written
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  Speaker 1: number one songs for the likes of George Street, Blake, Shelton,
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: Montgomery Gentry.
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: What was it like working with him on this next project.
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  Speaker 4: Phil Billy is one of my best friends. Now, they
• 7:00
  Speaker 4: don't get any better than that guy.
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  Speaker 3: I found that. I really feel like.
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  Speaker 4: I've found the Alan Reynolds to the Garth Brooks, or
• 7:08
  Speaker 4: or just that that producer artist combination to where it's
• 7:12
  Speaker 4: not just a business, it's friendship. From the moment I
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  Speaker 4: met Phil Billy, he was as kind as can be.
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  Speaker 4: He gave me this little Jesus figuring toy the first
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  Speaker 4: time we ever met, and said, now you got Jesus
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  Speaker 4: with you everywhere you go, And this sort of things
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  Speaker 4: really have an impact on an artist. You know, this
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  Speaker 4: business is tough. You get you know as well as
• 7:31
  Speaker 4: I do. You get knocked down, you get back up.
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  Speaker 4: You always got to fight. He's he's one of the
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  Speaker 4: guys that has always been there going No. You get
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  Speaker 4: back up. It's not about how you fail, it's about
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  Speaker 4: how you.
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  Speaker 3: Could back up.
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  Speaker 4: So Phil Billy has really had a serious impact on
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  Speaker 4: my life. And that is not like, that is not
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  Speaker 4: Nashville talk. That is real personal talk. I would do
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  Speaker 4: just about anything in the world for that guy. And
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  Speaker 4: I like to say we're working on my best work
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  Speaker 4: right now.
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  Speaker 3: I really think we are.
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  Speaker 2: Do you have a release date?
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  Speaker 4: That is?
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  Speaker 3: We do not, We do not, We do not. It's
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  Speaker 3: it's the secret. I don't know, but as soon as
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  Speaker 3: I know, you'll be the first one to know.
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  Speaker 1: Well, and people can find you at Tree at Trey
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  Speaker 1: Callaway Music to see your upcoming announcements and shows. You
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  Speaker 1: were also named Songwriter of the Year at the Texas
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  Speaker 1: Country Music Association.
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  Speaker 2: What did that recognition mean.
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  Speaker 4: To you, Well, it was it was a really big
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  Speaker 4: deal for me because we kind of entered it in
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  Speaker 4: with no expectations at all. You know, I play in
• 8:25
  Speaker 4: Texas a good bit, but I am not from Texas,
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  Speaker 4: you know, and that kind of goes a long way
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  Speaker 4: when you're from there and you're actively playing to be
• 8:32
  Speaker 4: kind of an outsider that got to go down there.
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  Speaker 4: Nobody treated me badly, nobody treated me like I wasn't
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  Speaker 4: a part of their group. It was just immediate kindness
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  Speaker 4: from all of those artists down there, And they keep
• 8:45
  Speaker 4: telling me, I need to go down there and tour,
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  Speaker 4: which that's that's the plan. I would love to when
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  Speaker 4: the time's right, when and you know, God willing, it'll happen.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you've fit right in.
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  Speaker 3: I hope so, I hope.
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  Speaker 4: So. I like Texas though every time I've been down there,
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  Speaker 4: it's real flat because I'm from the hills. I mean
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  Speaker 4: from like North Carolina is real hilly, but you go
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  Speaker 4: to Texas and you can look out and it's like
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  Speaker 4: miles of just straight land.
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  Speaker 3: It's crazy. Yeah, but I.
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  Speaker 1: Like it well, Tray, I have one last question for
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  Speaker 1: you before you take the stage for a couple of songs.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: I asked this to Juna and Joey, But is there
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  Speaker 1: someone anyone living or dead you would love to take
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: a walk with in Nashville?
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  Speaker 2: Who would it be?
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  Speaker 3: Elvis Presley the King?
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  Speaker 2: It'd be interesting walking with him in Nashville instead of Memphis.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely absolutely. I was gonna do, right, We're gonna play
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: walking in Memphis where you now? But no, that.
• 9:38
  Speaker 4: Just just the things that happened to Elvis. I would
• 9:41
  Speaker 4: like to get advice from him, you know, what he
• 9:44
  Speaker 4: would have done differently, what he enjoyed you know what
• 9:47
  Speaker 4: he did right, what he thinks he did right, and
• 9:49
  Speaker 4: I think he would just im Plus my grandma my
• 9:52
  Speaker 4: on my dad's side, my memo Land was the hugest
• 9:55
  Speaker 4: or Garth Brooks Elvis Presley fan of all time, and uh,
• 9:59
  Speaker 4: it just to me that would be also kind of
• 10:02
  Speaker 4: for her to get to talk to him, be cool
• 10:05
  Speaker 4: and he's awesome.
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  Speaker 3: I mean he's Elvis Presley.
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that would definitely be a special walk or tray.
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  Speaker 1: I'm gonna give the mic and stage over to you
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  Speaker 1: to play a couple songs.
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: What will you be playing for us today?
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  Speaker 4: I am going to play a song that I released
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  Speaker 4: two songs ago, so I got truck around right now.
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  Speaker 3: And then I've got a song called Hank You.
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  Speaker 4: And I graduated from high school and then I just
• 10:24
  Speaker 4: figured at college wasn't in the cards for me, and
• 10:26
  Speaker 4: I didn't have the money, and I knew I wanted
• 10:28
  Speaker 4: to play music for a living, and I did that.
• 10:30
  Speaker 4: I started doing that, but I always told people as
• 10:33
  Speaker 4: a joke that I went to hank University, and so
• 10:35
  Speaker 4: I always had that hook in my book and I
• 10:37
  Speaker 4: threw it out with Bill de Luigi and Christy Mana
• 10:40
  Speaker 4: and we wrote this song and I love playing.
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  Speaker 3: It's called Hank you.
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: Will.
• 10:54
  Speaker 5: My daddy told me how to throw new cool boat.
• 10:58
  Speaker 5: My Buddhist told me how to him studying so that
• 11:02
  Speaker 5: Cenral Southern lot just gotta preach. We'll have in the
• 11:06
  Speaker 5: content country music man. I cut my teeth and haink
• 11:10
  Speaker 5: you yeah, haink you sound. I'm over school nothing. Listen
• 11:16
  Speaker 5: do I learned the trade, yill. I got the tourist.
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: Boy, I mean getting in. I'm reckon all the moptid rooms.
• 11:25
  Speaker 5: I got hell billy honky tom PSD from Hank will
• 11:34
  Speaker 5: Stady within here sitting on woods on fir both see
• 11:38
  Speaker 5: if it's took his torch and got it burning even higher.
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  Speaker 5: It's o whiskey salt, electrifiating family tradition, ben and.
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: Strains, clinging up mister price and twist and.
• 11:49
  Speaker 5: It hain't you yeah, hain't you sun.
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  Speaker 3: I'm out school nothing, little do yell.
• 11:57
  Speaker 5: I learned the trade. Well, I got the toots, so
• 12:02
  Speaker 5: I'm thinking. Then I'm reckon on the bovetime bruise. I
• 12:06
  Speaker 5: gotta hell Billy honky tonk PSD from hat you Well.
• 12:21
  Speaker 5: Soon I'm living a new song make you so smart Hello,
• 12:27
  Speaker 5: some songs to a cheating hard We ain't getting nothing
• 12:32
  Speaker 5: sward of life but the country.
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: Boy Cancer on.
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: Hell and hate you It hate you.
• 12:45
  Speaker 5: So I'm on school to the mississ Hill and don't
• 12:49
  Speaker 5: you I learned the trade will I got the toots
• 12:54
  Speaker 5: So I'm thinking. Then I'm reckon on the bovetime Bruise,
• 12:58
  Speaker 5: I gotta hell, Billy, don't ps, I don never, I'm
• 13:04
  Speaker 5: ever go to need and haink you, haink you see.
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: Thank you, folks, appreciate that. Thanks for listening to Taking
• 13:24
  Speaker 3: a Walk Nashville with Sarah Harrelson. Please check out our
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: other shows produced by Buzznight Media Productions, Comedy Save Me
• 13:32
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• 13:37
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