This week’s guest is the music superstar Elle King! She has a new album coming out called Come Get Your Wife. While it’s a shorter conversation, it’s packed with several topics I know her fans are going to love hearing, such as how the name of the album even came about and how much her tongue gets her in trouble.
In this episode:
Her new album, Come Get Your Wife
The attitude in the album
Being yourself
Working with Charlie Worsham
Ironically incredible things that came from her concussion
What made her forget to play some of her songs
Slowing down and taking care of herself
Touring with Chris Stapleton
Quotations:
“I’m a maximalist, so I’m either like 110 or asleep.” ~ Elle King
“I love working with people that lift you up, and you can learn something from.” ~ Elle King
“I just try to find the beauty and everything.” ~ Elle King
“I can be very insulting when I drink.” ~ Elle King
“This tongue of mine has gotten me more trouble in the last four or five months. That’s my New Year’s resolution – quit sticking my tongue out.” ~ Elle King
About Elle:
Her site: https://www.elleking.com
(From Wikipedia) Tanner Elle Schneider (born July 3, 1989), known professionally as Elle King, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Her musical style is influenced by country, rock and blues.[1]
In 2012, King released her debut EP, The Elle King EP, on RCA; one track from that EP, “Playing for Keeps”, is the theme song for VH1’s Mob Wives Chicago series.[2]
She released her debut album, Love Stuff, in 2015. It produced the US top ten single “Ex’s & Oh’s“, which earned her two Grammy Award nominations. King has also toured with acts such as Of Monsters and Men, Train, James Bay, The Chicks, Heart, Joan Jett, Michael Kiwanuka, and Miranda Lambert. She is the daughter of actor and comedian Rob Schneider and former model London King. King uses her mother’s surname to distinguish her career and identity from her father’s. “People know who my dad is,” she told ABC News, “but I think that my voice and my music speaks for itself: that I am my own person.”[3]
With a thriving career, an ever-increasing fan base, and a life full of hardships and faith, Kelly Lang invites listeners into her world to look into the growth of a successful career. The strength she provides for herself and those in the communities she influences daily goes beyond the surface level and delves into mindsets of gratitude, kindness, and embracing the diversity of the human experience.
In this episode:
Meeting One’s Heroes
The Legacy of Loretta Lynn and Other Icons
From Death Sentence to Life Sentence: Kelly’s Breast Cancer Journey
Developing an Attitude of Gratitude
TG Shephard: Singer, Songwriter, and Husband
What’s Kelly Working On Right Now?
Quotations:
“When you’re in the music industry, or any type of celebrity, the way people think they know you more than they do…Every single person…[when someone meets] any celebrity- they don’t say, ‘What did they have on?’ or ‘Did they sing you a song?’ They say, ‘Were they nice?’ Right? Were they nice? And you know what, no matter what somebody does for a living, if you can’t be kind and be nice, what’s the point?” – Kelly Lang
“I don’t let the music business dictate what I write. I just write what I’m experiencing at the time, and if it relates to somebody, that’s great! But it’s more like painting a picture, really. I like to paint scenes just like Loretta did or just like Dolly did; you don’t have to guess what I’m saying or guess what they were saying in their lyrics because sometimes they just get it…If you look back on their songs, they had very simple words. You didn’t have to get a dictionary out to figure out what they were trying to tell you.” – Kelly Lang
“I got on social media, and I just said,‘…Send in pictures of yourself if you’re a breast cancer survivor choosing how you will live positively today. Maybe that will help people.’ Boy, they came out in droves! They sent in these beautiful pictures, and we were able to place them within the video. And it’s very encouraging, although it’s a sad subject matter, it’s empowering.” – Kelly Lang
“I encourage people just to go take a deep breath in. Oh, you breathe! Oh my gosh! You can be thankful for that, you know? So, I would write down like 30 things a day in a gratitude journal, and the more I was finding myself grateful for things, the more I felt like I was given things to be grateful for.” – Kelly Lang
“Give your smiles away. It’s really fun, and it doesn’t cost you anything!” – Kelly Lang
Guest’s Bio:
Singer, songwriter, and producer Kelly Lang has had a stellar career in the music industry with cuts by artists such as Ricky Skaggs, Lorrie Morgan, The Oak Ridge Boys, Crystal Gayle, George Jones, B.J. Thomas, Jimmy Fortune, T.G. Sheppard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Lee, just to name a few.
She has recorded duets with iconic artists Dame Olivia Newton-John, Paul Shaffer, and Lee Greenwood. As an artist, Lang has released several albums, including 11:11, Shades of K, Throwback, Obsession, and Iconic Duets with her husband, TG Sheppard. In the spring of 2020, Lang re-released her classic children’s album Lullaby Country, which was initially sold at Cracker Barrel.
As part of a regional campaign, her voice and writing skills can be heard on television throughout Tennessee and the surrounding areas as the official song for Ascension St. Thomas Hospital’s commercial titled “I’m Not Going Anywhere.”
In 2020 Kelly released a collection of classic songs called Old Soul. The album was so well received that a second volume, Old Soul II, is scheduled for release in late 2022.
Recipient of The Icon Award from The Southern Women in Film and Television
Author of the book I’m Not Going Anywhere
Three-time Star Search winner
Multiple appearances on the world-famous Grand Ole Opry
Shared the stage with Loretta Lynn, Sir Barry Gibb, George Strait, Lorrie Morgan, TG Sheppard, Ronnie Milsap, Mickey Gilley, Brenda Lee, George Jones, Ricky Skaggs, and many more
Songs “I’m Not Going Anywhere” and “How Does It Feel” featured in the movie The Deal with Burt Reynolds
Member of The Oklahoma Hall of Fame, The North American Country Music Hall of Fame, and soon to be a member of The Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Performed “Islands In The Stream” with Sir Barry Gibb for Kenny Rogers’ induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame
An accomplished artist with oil paintings in the homes of Oprah Winfrey, Sir Barry Gibb, Dame Olivia Newton-John, Larry the Cable Guy, and Justin Timberlake’s parents
Creator of the hilarious comedic character XOXO who performed on the national television show Huckabee
Former national spokesperson for Cindy Crawford’s skincare line Meaningful Beauty
Barry Dean discusses the hard things about country music. He talks about great artists who have slipped through the cracks and his opinion on how we treat “Kings and Queens” in the country music industry. He gives a glimpse into meeting singers and artists as a songwriter and shares a bit about Eddie Arnold, Garth Brooks, Roger Miller, and other huge names in country music.
In this episode:
A bit of Midwestern Geography
Betty’s Fireworks best bang in town
Meeting Roger Miller
How comparison can be toxic
The hardest thing about country music
Going on air with Charlie Pride
Breakfast with Eddie Arnold
You don’t have to sing to sing
The making of 1994
Garth Brooks
Watch the video version here:
Quotations:
“I like to say I’m the person happiest to be a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee.” – Barry Dean
“Country music has, it seems, sometimes done a bad job loving our kings and queens and the people who have given us so much. You know, I do sometimes worry that we haven’t shown ’em enough love” – Barry Dean
“I love that he [Charlie Pride] died an insanely rich and successful man… [he] was married to his high school sweetheart and was just fabulously successful and fabulously wealthy. And so many of those ass hats who wouldn’t play a show with him, died broken in the bottle.” – Gary Scott Thomas
“I got to meet him [Eddie Arnold], and he would have breakfast at this little place called Vandy Land. And so other new writers and I would go eat there just to see if he’d talk to us sometimes. And sometimes he’d sit down and tell us stories or encourage us or “What are you doing today? How’s it going there?” And he was very, very kind” – Barry Dean
“We didn’t think we were writing a song that Jason Aldean would record. We were just laughing and having fun. And that’s just our remembrance of the darn thing, you know. But we had so much fun remembering the songs and the three of us writing it.” – Barry Dean
“You know, Garth will always have a space in country music and country radio and country in general because of the way he’s treated people.” – Gary Scott Thomas
Guest’s Bio:
Barry Dean takes nothing for granted. Even after earning a GRAMMY nomination for Tim McGraw’s “Diamond Rings and Old Barstools” and topping the charts with four No. 1 singles, he remains awestruck each time he hears a song he wrote on the radio. Dean still can’t help but think of how he seemed destined to work a 9-to-5 in Kansas––a fate that now seems preposterous, given his track record: two No. 1 singles for Little Big Town, “Pontoon” and “Day Drinkin’;” “Think a Little Less,” which topped the charts for Michael Ray; “Heartache Medication” which most recently hit #1 for Jon Pardi; Ingrid Michaelson’s Top 40 smash “Girls Chase Boys;” and an ever-growing list of country and pop successes prove Dean is doing exactly what he was made to do.
Country artist Tyler Rich has such an incredible connection with his fans, and you’ll see why in this episode. Enjoy moments of laughter and meaning as Tyler expands on the work it took to become a world-famous songwriter and country artist.
This episode is sponsored by: (Visit their site for free delivery.)
In this episode:
Pumpkin Pie, Salmon, and Quail Eggs; A Critique
Radio Tour and the challenging yet rewarding experience it is
What’s more intimidating? 15, 50, or 500-Person Audience
Tyler’s childhood introductions to live music
The many influences that shape Tyler’s music
From a hometown in LA to touring in Nashville, Tennessee
A dream, a business card, and a lie
6 Hour French Lesson produces a Top 10 Hit
Watch the video version here:
Quotations:
“It’s one of the coolest, stressful, inner growth-creating, expanding, artistic experiences I’d ever been through. Every person in every station and every listener, every person that comes in, is so different. And you’re not just playing for yourself on the air.” – Tyler Rich
“I do miss Radio Tour a lot because I’ve made so many cool friends in radio along the way. And it’s fun! You sit there and try to figure people out. Try to figure out, ‘What version of my story is this person gonna connect to the most? What version of my story does this person want to hear?’” – Tyler Rich
“It’s so funny because I feel like- say if Luke Combs called me up, ‘Hey dude, you wanna do a stadium date?’ I don’t think there would be an ounce of nerve like, ‘Oh, there’s gonna be 80,000 people!’ It would just be, ‘Look at us go!’ Because when you’re looking out, it’s crazy, and there are so many lights, there are so many people, but you’re still only looking at 15-50 people at a time.” – Tyler Rich
“The only thing my dad listened to growing up was Rock. The only thing my grandma listened to was Classical. You know, I listen to Classical on planes and listen to Classical at the house. Still to this day, it calms me because of that, and I love that all of my influences show up in my music and our show because I think that’s how it’s meant to be.” – Tyler Rich
“And I was like, ‘Why would I wanna take meetings with anybody else?’ I was like, ‘We found somebody that’s passionate.’ And somebody might be like, ‘Oh, I love you too! I’ll give you more money,’ or something. But the initial passion, the initial like, ‘I want you when nobody else cares’’ is what really drove me to Dustin and my manager Neil, who I’m still with.” – Tyler Rich
“I was like, ‘I’d love to see your hands if you got one of my cards when I lied to you and said I’d be playing at Stage Coach next year, get my free download- years ago.’ And not only did probably like 400 or 500 people hold up their hands, but at least 50 to 100 held up the card.” – Tyler Rich
Guest’s Bio:
Northern California-raised, Nashville-rooted Tyler Rich found his love of music gathered around a Christmas tree alongside family singing holiday classics and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Fast forward to graduating college with a degree in Economics, Tyler moved to LA to pursue a different game of numbers–music–exploring various genres with songwriting and bands before taking the leap as a solo artist. Since, he has been named a 2018 CMT Listen Up artist, 2019 Pandora Artist, and Rolling Stone touted him as “the newest member of country music’s radio-minded incoming class, with a homecoming king’s swagger and a valedictorian’s songwriting smarts. ”Amassing over 394.4M+ total global streams with his debut album TWO THOUSAND MILES (The Valory Music Co.), featuring GOLD-certified “The Difference,” plus subsequent releases “Better Than You’re Used To” and The Cadillac Three’s Jaren Johnston-produced “A Little Bit of You.” With “Thinkin’ We’re In Love,” an English and French duet with one of Canada’s most successful bilingual singer-songwriters, Marie-Mai, Tyler has announced a headline tour of the same name. Tickets are on sale now for his headline THINKIN’ WE’RE IN LOVE TOUR. His music embodies the feelings all people have in common –the need for acceptance, devotion, and a place to call their own–and that empathetic spirit extends to animals too. With Rich Rescues, Tyler visits local shelters while out on the road to raise awareness for pet adoption.
