10 Questions with ... Tracy Lawrence

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Tracy Lawrence burst on to the Country music scene in 1991 when his first-ever single, "Sticks And Stones," the title track from his debut album, shot to #1. That early success triggered a string of hits for Lawrence, who went on to sell thirteen million albums, rack up seven #1 singles and 22 top 10s, and win ACM and CMA Awards, making him one of the most successful artists in the 90s. Lawrence has since branched expanded beyond the life of an artist. He's owned his own record label and publishing firm, and, since 2015, has hosted a nationally syndicated radio show, "Honky Tonkin' With Tracy Lawrence," for which he received an Academy of Country Music Broadcast Award nomination earlier this year. He's also been involved with the Nashville Rescue Mission, spearheading the "Mission: Possible" Annual Turkey Fry, which provides Thanksgiving meals to Nashville's homeless. That effort has since grown to include a concert event at Nashville's Wildhorse Saloon; this year's event is set for Tuesday, November 21st. Last week, Lawrence released the album "Good Ole Days," an ambitious project celebrating 11 of his biggest hits, re-recorded with new and established Country stars such as Tim McGraw, Luke Combs, Chris Young, Luke Bryan, Dustin Lynch, Craig Morgan, and others. Lawrence was kind enough to sit and chat with us about the Turkey fry, the concert, his radio show, and, of course, his new album.

1. Tracy, thanks for taking the time for "10 Questions." We have a lot to talk about, including the release of your album, "Good Ole Days;" your upcoming 12th annual "Mission: Possible Turkey Fry;" the 3rd annual "Mission: Possible" concert; your radio show; and more. So, my first question to you is where should we even start?

Let's start with the album. That's really what the catalyst has been for bringing a lot of this other stuff up and around at this point. There's been so much great stuff surrounding this project, and just the whole concept of it. Being able to pull all of these great artists together, what I didn't really realize was how much of an impact I had on a lot of these young artists. It has taken me a little while to get used to that idea. Tim [McGraw] and I have been friends for going on 30 years, so, Tim gave an early commitment. Then [Jason] Aldean was the second guy who firmly committed; everything kind of worked its way down from there, and all the pieces started falling in to place. I've become friends with Jason over the last few years, and I knew he was a fan of mine - sitting down in that studio with him, he started telling me that he had my poster on his bedroom wall when he was a teenager! And, I was like, "Well, that's really cool, man, but it's also really weird." Because, you know, in my mind, I'm still just a 25-year-old kid who was geeking over touring with George Strait and hanging out with George Jones when I first got to town. So, to be on the other side of that - here I am, I'll be 50 in January - it's something that I'm still adjusting to, being this age and at this place in my life.

2. You had the chance to collaborate with a lot of your peers on "Good Ole Days," and you also worked with some of the younger talent in the format, as well. I would imagine this is something that helped you connect with some new artists and get a feel for what the talent pool is out there right now. Is that accurate?

It is. To realize how much really good talent is out there, too. I knew who Dustin Lynch was, but I didn't really know him. After getting a chance to spend some time in the studio with him, I can really say that kid is on fire right now! He's got a great voice! He's got something really special about the way he sings. This all gave me a chance to kind of wake up and reconnect with what is going on out there. Because, after 25 years on the road and doing the commercial thing, once you step out of all that and get to the other side of it, you basically just go to work and go home. I've gotten out of touch with a lot of it, and this has really reconnected me with what goes on with contemporary Country music. This has all really gotten me excited again, and I don't want to get too far down the road, but I'm actually excited about getting done with the launch of this project, because I've got some really great song ideas and ideas about where I want to take the next full studio album - and I sure haven't felt that way in a long time. This has been healthy for me in a lot of ways, and I'm just so very excited.

3. In working with a different partner on each track, was that a bit of a logistical challenge? How did you pull it together, and how long has this project been in the works?

It took quite a while. I think we cut the first tracks back in the summer of last year. You initially get the first group of people who agree to do it, and we went in the studio with the band to cut about four songs. I believe it was Dustin, Justin [Moore], and Tim who were the first ones to come in for the tracking. And, maybe Chris Young was right around that time, too. Jason wasn't able to be there, but he came in at a later date and tracked his song. So, we cut about half the record, I'd guess, in the first session. Then, everybody came in and sang on that, except for Jason, and he came in at another time. From there, we had a couple of different sessions where we had a few songs that were pieced together as we went through the process. It took quite some time. I was there for every tracking session, and as we got all the tracks done, I'd obviously do all my vocals and get that knocked out. I was there for every session of it, and I was there in the room when every other artist came in to lay down their parts. I didn't miss any of the pieces. So, it wasn't just about getting the tracks done and then getting it to fit their schedule, but it had to fit my schedule, too. Just the last week, we were still trying to work out some logistics. Me, Big & Rich, and Brad Arnold are on the title track, and we've spent six weeks trying to get people's schedules pulled together to try to do a video shoot. Everybody agreed that they could all do it on a Wednesday last month, and we put a video shoot together in two days. There has definitely been some flying by the seat of our pants here, but my management company has done an absolutely amazing job.

4. Not to put you on the spot, but is there one track that stood out among the others, or one that you think came as your favorite?

Boy, I don't want to alienate anybody! I love the way Easton Corbin approached "Paint Me A Birmingham," though. There's just something about the twang in his voice, and it's so different from mine. I loved the way he approached the song, and it might be my favorite thing on the whole project.

5. Let's shift gears a bit and talk about your "Mission: Possible Turkey Fry." This will be your twelfth year with this philanthropic event, so let's go back and talk about how you started this. What motivated you, and how has it really grown in to "a thing" since it began in a parking lot down on Music Row?

You know, I never started it with the intentions of it turning in to what it has. It was just me and some men from the church group, and we thought that since we liked to cook out, we could do this to help some folks out. For me, on Thanksgiving morning, I like to fry turkey. All the people from the church and some of the older people that live on my street were maybe afraid to do it or couldn't do it, and since I like to fry turkeys, I said, "Well, I can set three or four fryers up, and I can do maybe 15 by myself. I'll just fix me a Bloody Mary, fry turkey for three or four hours, then go deliver them." That's literally where it started from. Then, a few of my buddies would come over and help me. We'd set up, and if they needed one done for their family, they'd bring theirs and fry it. So, we had a few of us guys that had been doing it, and we said, "You know, why don't we see if we can do something with this and make it something." I contacted the Rescue Mission, and they said nobody had ever approached them about doing anything like that, and they really seemed to like the idea. The reality was, they didn't need us to cook the turkeys, but they thought it might be cool to have an interactive event. That first year we did it, we literally had people from the church to fill their propane bottles up and bring their own fryers. We used local donations from our one little church, and that's where the whole thing started from.

6. How many people are you feeding with the turkeys, and what is the goal? It seems to be growing each year.

We might have cooked 50 turkeys that first year. The next year, radio stations came on board, and we picked up Blue Rhino, and we were doing maybe 400 or 500 turkeys. Then, we eventually got up to where it is now, which is that we are working with probably 60 fryers, and we literally cook turkeys until the kitchen tells us that they don't have the space to store anymore. That's the typical cap on it, is we just keep going until there's just no more room and they tell us to stop. So, it has turned in to this really great thing. The fascinating thing to me - and something that I'm proud of - is that it has almost turned in to this thing where it's part of the Nashville experience. It's part of pop culture here, and it's something that - this may sound crazy - now when I'm out around town, out at the grocery store or out with my family at the mall, I get more people who come up to me and thank me for doing this than even the number of people who recognize me for the music. And, I think that's okay - it's not a bad thing. Locally, it's just a really big thing, and it has impacted so many people. [Talk WWTN/Nashville host] Michael DelGiorno calls me The Fuhrer Of Fried Fowl. I don't know that I really care for that title, but you can't tell Michael that, because he really doesn't care!

7. As the turkey fry grew and evolved, you incorporated the live concert event three years ago. This seems like a logical extension - and yet another logistical challenge. How did this come together?

The idea had been there for early on, and I had fought it for a long time. In all honesty, that day is one of the most exhausting days of my year. I usually get there about 6a in the morning, and I'm on my feet all day. You're really working, and you're hands-on and working hard all-day long. So, it's a long day by the time we get done and clean the parking lot up. At the end of our turkey fry day, the sun is setting, and everyone is just worn out. I really fought it, because it was so taxing. But, the reality of it is that the turkey fry part of it was never set up to be a fundraiser. The fry in the parking lot is just preparing to feed the needy while driving awareness for the Rescue Mission. They get more mileage out of this thing, because it puts such a different spin on the work they do. They get a lot of media coverage out of it through all platforms - radio, television, print, and everything - that it makes a huge impact for them and their ability to raise money. They get no government funding, because it's a Christian-based organization that is all privately funded. That being said, everything we did - and the money and donations that we got - had to be set up differently. When they finally talked me in to doing the concert, we had to set up a separate 501c3, because we are setting up with the intention of raising money to donate to them. So, this was a whole different deal. And, I'm glad we did it. I'm learning to manage it, and I'm learning to pull back in some other areas. I've had to back off in the afternoons with the frying and cleaning up so that I can shift to soundcheck and move in to show mode. But, it really is a long day, man. I tell you what, though, I go home feeling very satisfied and rewarded. I've had the chance to see a lot of young men come through that program and get their lives together. I think the magical thing about it, and what I fight to hold on to with this thing, is to not defeat the purpose of the fellowship and socializing aspect of what this thing has become. It's a real event, and being able to savor the day and fellowship with people throughout the process is great. If we were to commercialize it and bring in a big fryer that could handle a hundred birds at a time and just knock it out, that would really defeat the whole purpose and the thing that makes this thing special and unique. Being with people and talking about their lives and just slowing down and savoring the time is just such a special thing. We all have our view of what homelessness is. We all have our frustrations when we see people panhandling and all that, too, I know. But, whatever your feelings may be about why people do what they do, or how they got there, or what addiction may have gotten them there, it's not the same for everybody. I tell people all the time that at least this gives you a different perspective. No matter what your personal or political or religious views are, you can turn that off for a little while and come down and be part of something special at the turkey fry. You can find some common ground there that will help you put aside the differences between people.

8. In addition to everything we've already discussed, you also host a weekly, nationally syndicated radio show. "Honky Tonkin' With Tracy Lawrence" was nominated this year for an ACM Broadcast Award, which puts you in rare company of an elite group of artists who have won or been nominated for industry awards as an artist, and then later as a broadcaster. Can you talk about how this radio show came to fruition? Did you ever see yourself in radio?

Strangely enough, I went to college and studied Mass Communications. I did radio and television production in college. A lot of people don't know that, and in all honesty, I did that because I didn't really know another path to take, in order to get where I wanted to go in the music industry. That was my whole purpose for going in to radio. I came from a little town where nobody ever got out, so I had to think about what it was that I could do to get myself out and get where I wanted to go. But, I've always loved radio. Before we started this program, I had been managing myself for a long time. I'd had a couple of label imprints, and I'd had a couple different publishing companies, and I even had a few little baby acts that I'd been managing. I was down here with an office on Music Row, and I had been doing that for several years. But, I just felt like I was at a place in my career where I wasn't really getting much airplay, and even a lot of my old catalog of songs - and my friend's catalogs like from Joe Diffie and Clay Walker and bunch of us - the music from our era seemed to be getting phased out. I thought maybe we could start some kind of show where we could try to keep it relevant and topical and keep the music playing on the radio. We didn't even start off looking at terrestrial radio; we started off by looking into doing this on SiriusXM. I had gone over there, and [former SiriusXM Dir./Country Programming] John [Marks] and I are good friends. That's the road we were planning on going down, but then the corporate level got involved and decided they didn't want to pay me for anything. They thought I should just be doing it for free; I had a little bit of a different perspective of what my value was. So, here I go, and I backed out of that deal and started looking at other opportunities. [Silverfish Media nationally syndicated personalities] Big D and Bubba were interested in the concept, they brought Compass Media in, and we just went from there. We tested it for a little while, and everyone seemed to click with it. It really worked. I had no idea that we would be looking back after three years and saying, "Well, this is really good!" And, this has actually influenced a lot of other programs like ours out there in terrestrial radio who have brought this kind of Country back. I know I can't say that it did it by itself, but I think this show has had an effect on things that are bringing traditional Country music back.

9. You also had some great timing, as formats like NASH Icon and Legend here locally in Nashville are seeing success on terrestrial radio. Do you see the passion for this type of music from the format growing? What do you think is the driving factor behind the passion for music from your era of radio hits?

When you don't live inside the Nashville bubble or the radio bubble - I think maybe radio has lost touch a little bit on some things, because they don't take a lot of calls like they used to, and maybe they don't get the true reflection of what their individual market wants, because so much is corporately controlled. I'm out there with people all the time, and I hear the frustration that people have with some of the directions that it's going in. Especially through the little "Bro Country" movement, there was a lot of frustration from the public during that. And, I think because of some of the corporate control aspects of things, a lot of radio people were a little bit isolated from it, because they didn't really have that much control over it. They either didn't hear it, or they didn't want to hear it.

10. As an artist, you had a lot of interaction with radio, and you made many friends in the business. I suppose that made your transition into their world somewhat easier. Do you think it helped you have an understanding of the business?

I think something that gave me a lot of confidence in doing this was that there were so many of my friends from radio who were very encouraging and encouraged me to really dive in and do it. They would tell me that I had a natural talent for it. I had so many friends that were very big stars on the radio side of the format who always encouraged me. I'd have a great rapport with people, and they'd want me to stay on the air with them for extended periods of time to co-host and be engaged, because the interaction was always so comfortable. The hardest thing for me, though, has been doing interviews. It took me a little while to adjust to that. You spend 25 years of your life on the other side, answering questions about your own life and career, that to have to direct and navigate the conversation was something that took me a little bit of time to get comfortable with. Thank goodness for [Silverfish Media PD] Patrick [Thomas]. He's the producer over there, and he has done some great work with me and has helped polish me up and helped me navigate through. Patrick has really helped me get comfortable with the process, with all the preparation, and with sitting down with an artist and being the driver in a conversation. I think it has gotten a lot better. I'll tell you what, my first interview was with Joe Diffie. I really needed a comfortable person that I knew really well and already had a rapport with. Joe and I are good buddies, and even then, there was a lot of starts and stops and resets. My next interview was with Reba. Okay, so, Reba - in my mind - is right there with [George] Strait and those guys. She came in that set that really influenced me, and she was a star before I even got to Nashville. So, I've always had a great deal of respect for her and what she has done, so the last thing I wanted to do was to be unprepared or unprofessional. I didn't want to ask stupid questions. I don't think I slept all night, and I literally worried myself sick before that interview! Of course, Reba was just absolutely gracious and perfect, and she guided me through and made it wonderful. But, I had such high expectations about what I needed to do to get to that place and on that level, that after I got through with Reba, everything else just kind of seemed less difficult! I actually called and talked to Kix [Brooks] and got some really great advice from him before I started my show. It has made me look at things from a different perspective. I've started watching other people do interviews, like Tim Ferris. There are interview shows that I will watch, and I try to study the way they set up questions and how they get in to personal topics and get people to open up and get great stories out of them. Sometimes, interviews aren't all that easy. Some people are difficult, or they will intentionally try to keep you at a distance, or some people aren't very conversational. Sometimes, you have to work really hard to get things out of people, and I have gotten very fascinated by watching people who are really good at it. I think we all do that; we find something we are intimidated by, and we really want to master or conquer it, so we find the best people we can to try to emulate and study and learn from.

1. I find that interesting, because I would think that since you are an artist, they would feel like you understood them better and they might be more open to speaking candidly with you.

I won't mention any names, but the couple that I've had difficulties with maybe haven't been walled-up toward me, but it's been groups that have come in that have maybe had personal issues among themselves that have been combative with each other or will try to cut each other off. I've found that to be fascinating, too, to see the dynamic internally with some of these groups and bands that have been together for a long time. Maybe they've even broken up and gotten back together, and there can really be some animosity out there with some of these guys. I'm learning how to navigate those waters, but it's fascinating, and I enjoy it. I'm one who likes to study human nature and how others interact with each other. You can really find out a lot. And, what I've learned that sometimes the best question is the one you don't ask, because being quiet and letting people ponder themselves and letting people have a moment internally to think and travel their own road can really lead to something really great sometimes.

2. "Honky Tonkin' With Tracy Lawrence" is focused on hits from the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, which are sonically very different than Country music in the late teens. As an artist, as a fan of Country music, and now as a broadcaster, what's your take on the current state of Country music? Do you think we are heading in the right direction?

I think there is some really great stuff out there. I also feel like there's some stuff out there that's not so great, and there's also some stuff that I really don't understand. I've been saying this for a long time, and I really feel it in my heart, that I believe it's time for this format to split. I think there's enough for a Pop Country, and there's enough fan base for a Traditional Country, and there's enough great, talented artists to support both sides. Rock and Pop had to go through the transition of all of it, and I think that Country really is that big now. There's so much diversity in it that it can be confusing to people. But, there's also just some really good talent out there, and there are some great Country singers. The sad thing is, there are also some great Country singers that are on labels that are forcing them to be Pop when they really don't want to be Pop. I was fortunate enough to come up in a time and place and be on a label that gave me the freedom to do what I wanted to do. I proved myself, and they believed in me and believed that I knew what was best for me. Then, I was on a label situation during a later stage in my career, and I realized really quickly that most people don't get to do that. Most songs are voted on by a committee, and you're told what you're gonna sing, and if you don't like it, feel free to leave. I knew, for me, what worked. But, I had a deep repertoire and a deep understanding of Country music across the board, and I brought a lot of diverse influences. By the time I made that first record, I really knew what I wanted to sound like, and I was so blessed to have James Stroud navigate me through that process. He pulled those really special nuances out of me, and he made my personality come through on that record. James was working with huge artists at the time, too. He was working with John Anderson, who had a huge influence on me. And, he was working with Clint Black - that first album from Clint Black was frickin' awesome! Strait was a big influence on me - all that honky tonk sounding stuff that James was working on, that's where my bread and butter was at, and he captured that stuff in me. I was blessed. And, I get asked by a lot of young artists to tell them what the best advice is that I can give them. The one thing I tell all of them is to get as much stage time as they can. I'm not talking about singing karaoke, and I'm not talking about getting up and playing a song here or there. I mean to get up there and play as much as you can, every night, doing four and five-hour sets with a full band. The more stage time you get to develop your craft and understand who you are as an artist, vocally and how to entertain and work a crowd, it'll be better. Understand what your job is and what your role is. If you want to come back and play that club again, you better keep people on the dance floor and buying drinks. If you want to play that Opry house again, well, you better understand what your clientele is. Nothing substitutes the time on the stage. The more you can get, the better you will be. I just don't know that there's any other way to get that seasoning than to just get out there and do it. And, look, I've experienced the technological changes we've made, too. I'll throw myself right there in the mix on this one. But, the technological changes we've made, sometimes you can record a song that you will pull together a song in the studio, but once it's been produced and doctored up, you just aren't capable of getting out there on the stage and performing it the same way it sounds on the radio and on the record, because someone has gotten so overzealous with sucking all the personality out of you during the production part that you don't even know how to sing it that way anymore. That can absolutely happen. That's part of the little hole that we're in. It's not across the board, but I have heard some things where the engineer is more of a star than the artist is, because these artists don't even sound the same - they are so over-tuned and Pro Tool'd to death - there's just no more personality there in the vocal. As a singer, you can make everything so perfect that it's not real. So, how can you go out there and reproduce it on stage?