Tracy Lawrence stopped by The Bobby Bones Show to talk about his new EP, podcast, share one of his favorite memories with George Jones and more!
90s country superstar Tracy Lawrence had chart-topping singles over the course of 16 years, with his first in 1992. With so many hits, it’s hard to choose just one song of his that he considers the best, but personally for him “I See It Now” is his favorite to sing, “Time Marches On” is his best written and “Paint Me a Birmingham” might be the most impactful song he’s had. Lawrence considers his 1996 hit “Time Marches On” his best written song and views it as a work of art. If you look at the story that’s told throughout it, it talks about all generations of a family and 28 years after its release, it still holds up just as strong as it did when it first came out.
When he started the recording process for his new EP, Out Here In It , he looked for things that were a little bit different than songs he already had. The hardest thing for him is to feel how a song is impacting the listeners, so he’s moving things around in his set list all the time. He does not want that to be the focus in his setlists. He likes to play what the fans want to hear; the hits. He’ll sprinkle some new songs in, but he does not want to be the artist that only plays that and not the classics people know him for. His system is different from what it used to be when creating a record. He used to go through thousands of songs for months. Now, he knows which songwriters he likes to work with and contacts them.
Foreman, Arkansas is Lawrence’s hometown and he shared there is not a lot there. They have a Dollar General and a four-way stop with no red light and that’s pretty much it. He thought it was great growing up in a small town and recalled how when he was younger, they only had three hangout spots that everyone would gather at every weekend, which did cause them to start drinking early, but it was part of the culture because there was nothing else to do. Throughout High School he worked at a construction company and would mow lawns. He can still do some little construction projects but does not think he could build a house. He shared that he did not come from a musical family and people from a small town like the one he grew up in hardly ever make it out, let alone become a national recording artist. He dreamed it and wanted it so badly from listening to songs on the radio and learning to play guitar, he knew he had to make it happen.
When he moved to Nashville his musical heroes were George Strait, George Jones, Keith Whitley and Merle Haggard. He got to know them all besides Whitley and has a tattoo on his forearm of them all. Jones was the first tour he was on, and he got to spend a lot of time with him. Jones wasn’t crazy when they toured together and referred to him as a sweet old grandfather. He recalled one of his favorite memories with Jones happened about three years before he passed. Jones wife Nancy had put together a charity project that she wanted Lawrence to be part of. Jones was having a hard time reading the lyrics and hearing the pitching, so he asked Lawrence to come in the booth with him and sing the line to help him. Looking back, Lawrence appreciates that moment because he got to have a special moment with Jones while he was vulnerable, and it showed that Jones trusted him.
Lawrence is on tour but is taking a lot more time off this year compared to the past. He tries to take one week off a month. He and his family have been traveling a lot and spending time in Europe and he’s been enjoying experiencing other cultures. One of his main goals now is focusing on spending time with family and slowing the pace down. Another project he does is his podcast, TL’s Roadhouse, where he interviews artists. He’s sat down with a bunch of TikTokers, a few actors and comedians and a lot of younger artists in the business. His whole premise is to find the common ground we all share even though there’s a lot of difference between us and everyone's journey is different. It’s a conversation about trying to find the things that make us similar, and he’s enjoyed doing it and getting the chance to talk to people. He records it on the front lounge of his touring bus and sometimes will do it from the road. He admitted it hasn’t made him any money and he just does it because he enjoys it!
To see Lawrence on tour, visit his website Tracylawrence.com.
Most Popular
Comments / 0