TJ Aaron talks new release with William Lee Golden

Country music entertainer TJ Aaron has come a long way since he began singing in public at age 3 in Oquawka, Ill. He released a new single today with William Lee Golden from the Oak Ridge Boys and talked with Our Quad Cities News via Zoom about his career, his inspiration and his future plans.

“It’s definitely a long journey from the cornfields and hills of good old Oquawka,” he said. “I was a performer for Carnival Cruise Lines, had a show in Branson and then moved back down to Nashville, Tenn. From there, it just kind of snowballed and became what it is today.”

The move to Nashville led Aaron to his latest release. “I got to meet a guy named Sean Rhen, and he was looking for an entertainer for this song, simple as that. And when he heard me, he goes, You are the guy. So, he brought me into the studio to record ‘I Have A Dream,’ and the rest right now is so much history.”

People have different opinions on Aaron’s sound. “If you ask William Lee golden, he’ll tell you I sound like Darius Rucker. If you ask a lot of people around my hometown, they’ll tell you I sound like Johnny Cash. But I firmly believe I’m a nice mix between the two.”

“I’ve been in this business since I was about three years old, actually started off in a little tiny church there in Henderson County. From there, it kind of grew to what we have now, which is a Johnny Cash kind of style. I’d have to say it is based a lot on Johnny Cash. He was one of the main artists and influences that I had. Old country was really the biggest influence on me, as well as Christian music.”

His latest single was recorded with Golden and was released this morning. “It’s a song that was written for the people by the people because we all have a dream to make a country great. It has Mr. William Lee Golden of the Oak Ridge Boys on it with me. He hopped on the track, actually the first time he heard it, and that was all. We just went over to his house, shot part of a video for the new TV show that is actually sponsoring all of this, called Broadway South, out of Nashville. When he heard it, he goes, ‘I absolutely want to be part of this.’”

“So, when he did that, we brought him into the studio with us, recorded his section of ‘I Have a Dream, and, well, we made it a dream come true for each and every person, everybody that’s heard it while it’s been being produced. They have all been like, ‘wow, this is a song that fits the times today. Originally, it was written in 2008 by Shawn Rhem and it fit the 2008 financial crisis. Here we are many, many, many years later, and it hasn’t gotten better. It’s only gotten worse. So, he wanted to re-release it with a new, fresh face and a fresh voice. He chose me and we wanted to put it back out.”

“When I heard that song, I knew it needed to be released because it fit the times that we are in. We all feel the struggles. It doesn’t matter who you are. I believe this song transcends not only political boundaries, but cultural boundaries and age boundaries. I have people who are old and young that love this song, right to left, who love this song, and it’s all because we are suffering and facing the same things each and every day. No matter what kind of stuff people want to say about us being so different, we’re not so different. We are very much alike, especially when it comes to our day to day lives.”

He says recording the song with Golden was a highlight, even though the two of them caused some concern among the production team. “I gotta tell you something about Mr. Golden. It’s like having a grandfather I never had in country music. It is amazing. He is the kindest, sweetest person I’ve met in years in the music industry. He is absolutely down to earth. Actually, the whole production team lost us for probably about an hour. We took off and looked at his whole place there that he had, and he got to tell me some great stories, and we had great conversations about the music industry. It was a true honor and a privilege to get to do this song with him and be in the studio with him.”

He’s eager to get fan input on the video for the song. “The song is great, but that video is impactful, so be sure to check out the video, and anybody who sees it, tag me in it. Tell me what everybody thinks about it, because I believe it is truly something that reaches everybody’s hearts.”

Golden is the first country artist that Aaron has collaborated with, but he’s worked with other big names in the industry. “I’ve opened up for country Grace like Little Big Town, Thompson Square, Sara Evans, Joe Diffie, God rest his soul, Confederate Railroad. I’ve gotten to open up for and collaborate with Dave Gibson, who wrote a lot of the Confederate Railroad songs, as well as doing CMA fest, meeting people through that. I’ve done that for five years now, working with people doing the CMA Music Festival.”

He says more releases are on the horizon. “We have quite a few more that we’ll want to release here very soon. I have another one called ‘In America’ that is very, very similar and style (to ‘I Have A Dream’), but a lot slower. It talks about the times we are all going through. I don’t always necessarily want to be a political artist, but I want to write about what we all feel. I like to write about the world we all live in. So sometimes that does fall to politics. And hey, you know what? I just open up everybody’s eyes and give them their own, my own interpretation of it and what I see. A lot of times, I found it amazing that I’m not the only person that’s going through this. There’s many, many, many other people that are going through the same thing. So, you’re not alone.”

Aaron is part of a new show that gives a peek behind the country music biz. “’Broadway South’ is a new TV show. It’s going to be coming out this upcoming year, and it’s about the life and the story behind all of this. Everything that everybody sees is the glitz and glamor. Well, guess what? Now we’re giving you a TV show that also showcases what it is to grind and everything to get here. So, there’s actually going to be five other cast members. I was the first one to be chosen to go out and be able to represent the brand Broadway South. We’ve also got Hunter Flanagan and Aaron Marshall Miller, as well as two up and coming artists that are very new to the industry, Jet and Marianne. So be sure to get on there and check it out.”

Click here for the video for “I Have A Dream.” Click here for more on TJ Aaron, including a video of his very first public appearance at age 3. Search “#tjaaron” for more on Aaron on Instagram and other platforms.

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