Ep. 13: Brice Long on Rodeo, Jon Pardi Tunes, and Church Hymns

Published Apr 9, 2024, 9:00 AM

Dan and Reid Isbell are joined by the man behind some of your favorite country tunes, "Nothin' On But The Radio," "Like A Cowboy," and "Heartache on the Dance Floor," Mr. Brice Long himself. Brice shares his thoughts on why bow hunting is the superior form of hunting and how his dad forced him to chase the "neon rainbow" to Nashville. Brice has had cuts by some of Nashville's biggest artists, including George Strait, Garth Brooks, Jon Pardi, and more. The guys bond over church hymns and losing publishing deals, and Reid shares an embarrassing story that's guaranteed to have you face palming on his behalf. 

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What's up, y'all?

You're off in God's Country with Reed and dan is One, also known as the Brothers Hunt. God's Country, is a weekly road trip to the intersection of country music and the outdoors, two things that go together.

Black bars in downtown Nashville.

Or Nashville and the traffic into town.

This morning, I Know that's right, Produced by Meat Eater and iHeart podcasts, So.

Pop on up, ride shotgun with us as we take the back roads with some of today's biggest stars and creators behind the songs you know and love.

Today we sit down with Bryce Long, good buddy of ours hit song Long, but hit songwriter Cowboy Roping got some belt buckles probably strown up.

In his house that I didn't even get to tell my cow story.

Oh yeah, I almost asked about it.

No, I thought about it. But you took so long with the other one, health courses, the music one. It was a long one.

I'm sure we'll have more podcasts down the round.

The story here's good. It was good.

Can you say far on podcasts?

Are you gonna do that thing on it? Okay, we just gonna let far go, I guess, so stay tuned.

But yeah, you'll want to check this one out.

Really excited to have Bryce's long hit song long almost stay tune, stay tuned, and thanks for hanging out in God's country.

Stay tuned.

You've already saved out a few times already, far said, say fart again.

We got transfers recks on.

Dan does have stubby legs.

God, I'm all tour so dude.

Uh, all right, we're back on the road.

Wait, are we supposed to do a thing where it's like, hey, we go together, like remember that thing?

We'll do that after you do this every time?

Dude.

Sorry, all right, hang in there, Dan, you're gonna get this.

I got faith in We're on the road.

We got uh, we got Mike's in front of our faces and mouths and video cameras rolling.

That's by the way, sorry, that's Bryce Long. He's uh, he's in the room with.

Hit song, long bud it hit song, thinking about it back at you boys.

Appreciate it.

But that's Bryce's We're gonna be chopping up with him here in a minute. Let's get to some uh what we've been up to.

Well, wait, I want to talk about the turkey I coulked.

Okay, go for it. Here's what we've been up to.

So I get this turkey, start smoking it like nine o'clock at night, smokes from nine to four, one sixty five. I'm like, got it, perfect wing falls off gas plus. By the way, they have this creole butter inject you can do. It's just like everybody's like, oh, you're just doing the creoll but shit, it's fire, dude. Yeah, I mean it's really It was good man.

Did you get any I.

Got some of the house. I did a little tourneys on the outside, you know, in a little creole anyway. So I take it off, put it back on it at eleven in the morning to reheat it. Get to my in laws. She's like, okay, I think we're ready to cut the turkey. I cut it, dude. It's like looking awesome.

You like shaving it like the movie?

Yes, just like the movie. Yes. And I was like sneaking the taste. I said, first turkey I've ever done. So I get it all cut up and it's in They're like steamy, perfect dark meat, separated. I picked the whole thing. She's like, well, I forgot to cut the dressing on. Hang on, it's gonna be a little bit an hour later she forgot to cook.

So did you have to know the turkeys you have to microwave?

Well, maybe we should throw it. I was like, we're not doing that because I know what that does.

That's just dry like a turkey on Christmas vacation.

Second time today, Sam was just talking about it. Yeah's great. I was thinking about that five second clip in my head the whole time. I was like, I tried to go to sleep and I'd be like, I'm trying the turkey out and I'd run out there and shaking to be like two twenty perfect. But it can be done. Man. It's not as terrifying as it sounds. If you got a smoker, you just grab some creole buttering little Tony's bro, watch it ten hours its smoked, ten hours. Dan, it's fire, dude.

Sounds hung.

We've been doing some We've been doing some hunting and uh man, I bow hunting is hard. I'm just gonna I'm just gonna preface with that. Bow hunt is tough.

It is. It's even tougher when you're not good at it, like you.

Yeah right, it's only real hunting, though, there is I think.

Oh, hot topic off the off the top.

Ropes comes, right.

I mean, I'm just being honest. I mean, you know, I grew up, but you know, and I don't. I don't really hunt that much anymore, but I do find it interesting. And and you know, I'm not like you. I know, you guys hunt tremendous, you know, all year round everything. And but for me listening, yeah, I like that, but you know what I'm saying, it's but for me, it's I mean, you know, I mean I can go out the back door and and see about anything within fifty yards I want to see most of the time. And it's like, man, those guys that you know, I see those pictures of elk hunters with with bows, and I mean, that's it's amazing to me.

Ain't no doubt.

Man, that's legit hunting.

It's interesting to hear that from a like a non serious hunter like this.

For sure, I just a perception of boho.

Yeah, I mean, I just a myres somebody. I mean, because that is legit hunting. I mean, you're you know, you got to get that animal close enough to stick him with an air and be good enough with that bow to shoot him. And I mean that's that's legit.

Depending the pictures I shot.

I shot a deer.

We been we've.

Been to Yeah, we went to the Midwest and and and hunt a little bit, and and I knew the deer was in there, and and got in there tight to him, and sure enough, man, he walked out. And and I've got a boat at twenty six yards and he's corried away maybe ten percent. I'm gonna twenty foot stand standing up, So I'm gonna you know, it's gonna be a's gonna hit at an angle. I put it if I was gonna shoot him again this afternoon, I put it in the same place, man, And and I thought I double longed him. Watched him turn and run into the woods and went back crack some beers at the camp like we we. It was kind of celebrating a little bit, now.

Yeah, because you've been in the woods long as you know, he's been in there long enough to know what a what a good hit, what a bad hit, a great hit? Is was going great hit, dude.

Yeah, it wasn't a questionable shot at all to me.

And uh, And we come back out a couple of hours later, trail it for two hundred and fifty yards back out call a dog, dog comes in, trail it for one point eight miles and two days later this, yeah, two nights later.

But look where you hit it. Oh my gosh, that's perfect.

Yeah, just I mean it's just high. See the little see.

The mark right there behind the shoulder.

Oh, I see it. I mean I see that big fat coon when they're eating too. Yeah, there's one thing, but guy.

Yeah, but look at that shot. Man.

But yeah, the deer show the deer showed back up on camera, and that's that's the prayer.

I mean, I mean, it looks from a picture, it looks a touch high. But but when you think about.

That angle coming down, Yeah, you should have got.

Both ones, don't Yeah, And and luckily I didn't. Well I mean I guess you know, because he's still alive. But uh but just the turmoil of like the not knowing between the shot and that picture, of of not finding him now no, which every boat hunter and this is something.

I did last year. I shot a actually heart shot.

A deer and there was no no blood and he ran one hundred yards and we didn't find him for a month and a half later.

Like and you just the things a bow hunter.

The highs and lows that come with bow hunting you have to accept and have to know that that that risk is there and that's going to happen as a bowt hunter.

But golly, it don't make it no easier.

But I'm I'm very I'll need to be a little better at finding deer?

Is what you need to I don't.

I'm just sound like last year, Yeah, about eight months later, it was a good deer. Man, that that deer you found was? That was? I mean it was probably one hundred last year.

Yeah, But again bow hunting, it was the neighbors that shot and ran that far.

That's right?

Enough about us, Bryce, what do you call it?

So work on your nickname for a while.

And Dan's got a thing on the show where he nicknames everybody like the others were mean, And I was like, save won me.

That wouldn't be what was?

What was?

I wouldn't have been surprising either as long as I've known, Yeah, I would suspect that.

No.

Man, we're a complimentary show. Dude, we'd like to have guys on that have had be hits.

Man, where are you from? Where's hometown for you?

Hopkinsville? Kentucky.

I forgot. You have got a little Kentucky thing going on over there. How far is your wife's place for missed?

I don't know how far it's been from.

Oh, probably about forty five miles.

You go up twenty four right instead of sixty five.

Yeah, but that area where Jordan's from is beautiful. Man, that that was That's nice. That's a good country.

I was there yesterday.

That's good country.

God's Country movie.

Yes, but not only the Kentucky connection. Bryce knew. Bryce knew my wife before I knew my.

Wo Yeah, tell that weird story.

Well, I just I don't know much of It's just that Jordan worked with Carrie and under carry and.

We felt we fell in love with her man immediately. She's such a good human being. And I told when Dan Dan actually told me, yeah, had been seeing each other. And what did I say?

You already you had already know?

Well I kind of knew because Carrie had mentioned it, but I didn't, you know, I didn't know that if they were dating or what the well, you know, because I didn't get you know, like get into it, like, well, what's going on?

You know?

She just said, hey, you know reading Jordan had been talker or whatever, and I was like, oh, that's cool, man. And then when I was writing with you, Yeah, I write with Dan, and Dan brought it up and.

I said, dating this guy named Jordan's and he was like, I think that's a girl.

I was like, oh, man, cut that out.

Oh sorry, and he goes, man, I'll tell you something. He needs the lock.

Yeah, And I was like.

That only day, like two months. Man. He was like, no, I'm telling you I know this girl. She's as good it's gonna get like. Man. He was like, read's a good dude, but he never gonna do no better now.

First time, yeah, first time I saw Bryce after they knew all that, he was like, hey, dude, before we even say what's up to each other, he.

Was like, don't screw this up, man, Like he ain't gonna find one no better she was.

I mean, we kind of knew pretty even. I felt like I knew pretty quick.

Actually funny, I actually did now the two kids deep. I actually did text Jordan thinking she at the beginning.

That's the reason I say, yeah, I thought she was.

She was working for a friend of mine and they told us to hook up together to figure it out and I thought she was a dude. When I was texting her on the phone, I was like, what's up, man, here's this thing you needed?

And she was like, hey, thanks.

You know, I mean total chick texting, but I just I was like, cool, dude, things like yeah, because I was like, I was like, well, I actually slid in her d MS and you know, it was this was Jordan's Facebook Instagram. He was like, and how I started talking to Jordan's She posted a picture and she started following me on something and I slimmed the DMS. I was like, hey, I don't know you. I was like, but this picture is awesome. It's pretty great. You went out there by yourself to do that.

She was like, was climbing mountain or something.

Yeah, she was like, she was like you actually, She's like, you actually do know when we've been talking for the past three weeks. You just thought I was a dude. And I was like, wait what ye anyway, two kids now each other two and or two? Man, We're yeah, we're thick off in it together now that's good.

Kentucky Hopkinsville, did.

You did you buy some ground? I can't remember how the story went, but you got you bought your home ground.

No, it's my mom and dad live the same place that you know. Uh, it was actually my grandparents place and then and then when my grandparents passed, my dad and mom moved into that place from where we grew up. But it's been family for years, and the farm across from from there became available and ended up getting it. Yeah.

Actually, Bryce and I have written half a song about it.

That's right.

We're not going to say the time of it because I don't want you sieving it. That's right, and it's really good.

Really, it's about that kind of stuff, you know, because I know Dan, you know, got that place that he's got and it's and that's such a cool story too. I remember you telling me that they showed up the day y'all closed.

With memory poh.

Man. And that's you know, man, the reality of all that stuff and everything we do in all honesty is to be able to share it and serve that opportunity to family and man, you guys, I you know, I admire both of you a lot and write and all that stuff, but I really what I truly admire about you boys, honestly, is the family thing that you guys got because it's special, man, Yeah, really special.

I appreciate that.

Yeah, I appreciate that too. That's very true that I would say. It's to me, it's probably the most valuable earthly thing we have is the bond between Yeah, because at the end of the day, that's truly all you got, right, Like, I mean, sure, you know I say this all the time, but it's like we have a large family, So it's like, who these friends when you got family because we're so we're so tight. We're always doing everything together. Like I don't even have I don't even have I'm full up, you know, I don't have much that time, which is so cool man, Thank you, it's pretty cool. That's that's definitely been a gift I feel like, you know. And I was telling that story about when I was able to weirdly godly purchase this peace a property that backs up to my little house. There was a time where I was sitting on the hillside and Dad, you know, Dad drives insane. Anyway, he came flying over the top of the hill and my daughter was holding on she was two at the time. She Eliza was holding onto the steering wheel. Remy was in the past and I was putting up a deer stand. They didn't even know I was up there. And so when they popped over and they went down the hill, they went down in the hill and parked and everybody got out. He started throwing the ball with the dog, and e Liza was like toddling around, and I was like, it is exactly what you're talking about. It's almost like I could audibly feel like, hey, man, you've been given this, be responsible with it and share it, you know. And so that doesn't mean you can come kill my deer on it, but we can. We can.

He come to the backyard.

At some point, I got to call it, hey, her family, but that's out my turkeys.

So did your dad did your dad? Did your folks do? Farm and stuff?

You grew up?

Oh?

Yeah, man, yeah yeah, I grew up and you know, kind of farming, ranching kind of thing, a lot of cattle. We raised a lot of the baca growing up Hay and you know, crops and all that kind of stuff. I mean, I spent a ton of time and you know, gosh driving tractors and I mean, you know, just you just do what you do. I mean, it's it's farm life. I mean, and that was how I grew up. Man, one hundred percent farm life.

And there's a giant difference between like country boys and farm boys. Yeah, there's a big difference. Similarities too, But I'm telling you that farm mess is a whole.

Well you told me you don't even you don't know.

Bro, you don't mean with the story about that girl used.

To day, I mean, yeah, I'm saying you ain't ever lived it now.

No, I lived it for a morning and I was like, I don't want no more. I want to go back to being country.

It is true, very true. There's a lot a lot to be said. But the cows, oh yeah, lots tons.

I didn't realize how like stinky cows are the.

Man, I don't really think they are. I mean as opposed to.

Like, there's the difference between hogs.

We had hogs when I was growing up too. Man, you want to talk about something that was rough. I mean, I remember going to school and because we had the whole farren house thing where you you know, you had the pigs inside and all that school, I didn't ride the pigs to school. I did ride a pig or too. I have to say, man, you know, feeding them, And I was, of course I was, you know, I loved horses and grew up on them, and anything that I could ride, I was all about it. Uh. I never, I mean I I did, like like I had a bad wreck when I was a kid on a motorcycle anybody kind of thing, and I didn't care motors and stuff like that kind of scared me. But animals have always been just I you know, I didn't I'd ride whatever.

But the exact opposite. But it was funny because.

The thing about you talking about the smell or whatever is like I can remember going to school and this is no joke. In seventh grade, like science class was the first class, you know, and I had I'd be over there and have fed that morning for some you know whatever reason. Uh and uh because Dad usually fed for us or whatever. Anyway, long story short, there was a boy that set two seats down from me in science class and he was country boy too. And and if you ever were around something like that, man, like the smell would get on you immediately, get in your nose and stuff, and you'd think, man, I smell like a hat. I mean like man, you know, and stuff, and I'd already gotten a shire and went to school and stuff, and so I finally leaned over and I said, hey, man, can you smell me? And he's like, no, buddy, you're good. And it's it's known I was, but that it stayed with you, you know, if you'd ever been in there. And but they yeah, the cattle, I mean, I you know, I guess. I mean, it's definitely the aroma of being on a you know, farm ranch kind of thing. But it was way life to me, man, and I loved it. My dad actually, my dad finally had to tell me. He's like, you gotta go. Really yeah, he finally said, you gotta go. You gotta you know, you gotta, you gotta move, you gotta Nashville. He's just like it cause you're gonna. I mean, I was roping and going to rodeos and stuff, and I was probably eighteen nineteen in there, and and it was I mean, it was a god. I loved it so much. And I mean, and I was playing music too, man, I was you know, I was playing far dates all over the south southeast kind of thing.

And and uh so, when is it how old are you when this is happened?

When you're starting to play me eighteen nineteen.

You screw up playing guitar, like somewhere around you.

Well, my dad's whole side of the family played music. Not professionally, nobody did, but like my grandmother played piano in church and she played by ear and could play anything, and she was so good. And my dad played guitar. My great uncle played fiddle, and then all my my dad's brothers and sisters they all sing so music. Like when we'd get to get like Thanksgiving or Easter or or whatever, you know, we'd eat and then we'd all end up around the piano. My grandmother'd be playing gospel hymn to all the great hymns and they would just she would play and we'd all stand around sing. I mean, she had several hymn books, you know, and stuff. And then it'd move out of that into country music. My dad would sing. My dad was a really great singer. I mean, he really was a great singer, and and uh, you know, he played and stuff, and I just, man, I just kind of morphed into that, I guess, man.

You know, because here's the thing.

I love the Yeah, they're I mean, it's it's funny to me, probably I shall not be moved, don't if you know that I shall not. Yes, that was probably one of the first songs I ever sang when I was probably four or five or five or six or something, up in front of the church, you know, and stuff that my grandmother, you know, she she really she was a big influence on me really wanting to do music. But it's funny, Dan, because even to this day, and it's odd because it's just one of those things, but man, I can hear those old hymns and I can. I mean, I'll start crying, I really will. I mean, it'll move me to I will tear up. I mean even to the even I'll start singing along with him or whatever. I mean, you know it just because I mean it was it's just kind of the way I was raised.

But it reminds me so.

Much to my grandmother and just you know, growing up in that world. And I wouldn't. I mean, my faith is you guys know, I hope you do. I mean I kind of feel like it's it's it's out there, but it's it's a part of me that I just really appreciate, and I'm so glad to be you know, brought up in it.

No same, I feel the same way. Uh you remember it as well with my soul do I jam?

Man, that's a mover to you, talk about it, a real move and.

Yeah, yeah, that one gets me just as I am all those mane but just see.

Just as I am. Lives in a different place for me because it was always the altar call, oh yeah yeah and piano player back.

And I think it was on page three, page three seven. Literally, I think I love it.

I know Amazing Grace is three thirty three.

I know that's that's legit, right, because like, you know, the song leader whatever would be like, okay, let's turn to page one thirty.

Look, yeah exactly.

Versus yeah, yeah, versus one and three today and we got we're gonna move on to the you know, amazing Grace and we'll get all them in.

Yeah.

And it's interesting to think about too, like like the connection between that and then what how we were all brought up and in a country, setting on a far you know, on a farm, and being taught these lessons and they kind of all of that kind of meshes and mixes together.

And it's funny that how many of us it brought to town. Yeah, because there's a lot of I mean tons, Yeah that that all you know, have that in common, that brought to town and you know ended up in country music.

And yeah, it's weird, isn't it.

I mean trying to pour their feelings on the paper.

We talked about it all the times, like you know, we were out with people and and read and I grew up singing harmony because of church we had. We have two sisters, so like I mean, our dad, our dad's a preacher. So we were there every Sunday, everywhere. And then you take something like just as I am there, Piana's Players one hundred and eighty years old, and it's just what I mean, it's just that one place. So but anyway, the four of us will be standing next to each other and just I mean, oh dude, bringing it just and you sing it so many times you just get exhausted. So we switched parts. Well, I would wanted to hear what my I wanted to sing what my alto sister was saying, and then I wanted to sing what my soprano brother was saying.

And then it was back then I was I could get up there, so I get up there. I make them stand up and I get stand.

They loved raid sing.

I would sing something four or five times we've been up that church.

Just just dude, tell us about caring back and the river went, And is that Karing Pack in the river? That's what it was saying. No, it's Jaron Davis's.

Jared Davis and it's not Karing Pack, but it's Jared Davis and the Holy Spirit or something like.

It's like it's Jared Davison.

Always with the Holy.

In the New River or something like that.

Okay, whatever, I'm getting mixed up.

Well, so yeah, so I sang dude, and and Billy Joe Kennedy is like he's like our second, you know, hometown dad, Like he was the my dad was the bad the head lead pastor, and then Billy Joe was the lead music director.

And they were They did that together for thirty three years.

They were toys man and yeah, and we shared, you know, tons of meals with them and all that. But anyway, we were Billy Joe was just into the choir thing, the Southern Hndal choir and Southern Gospel choir. So we would we'd go around in the summers as high schoolers and middle schoolers singing the nursing homes and doing these camps and stuff and singing churches.

So anyway, I was I was. I just read I was better than.

He was the singer church. And it was a pretty big church. I mean we probably run six seven hundred Sunday mornings, right something like that, Yeah, five hundreds, I don't know. Anyway, he was the singer, so that Billy Joe loved to get him up Specials and hey Dann Yeah, Specials, tat reed get him.

So anyway, it was so there was this song.

Uh, I can't remember the song, but but that Jared Davis and New River I think it was New Real Jared Davis and New River sang that I that he kind of like got off a tape and I would.

Sing it when we'd go and play these places. So we were the youth section.

All sat we all sat in the same little the front right and Karen picking or not caring pack uh, Dave, Jaron Davis and New River where they came to Hope Well and did like a Wednesday night thing and everybody came listen to him singing. They had the band set up and our choir sang with them, so the I mean the adult choir, not the youth choir. But I was sitting over there in the youth and Son I was just getting I was singing every I knew every word of these songs. And it got to the song part of the show where they were about to play the song that I sing and he called me up there. Billy Joe had talked to jaryon and Jared was like, he was like, man, he was like, I know that the pastor Son reads here and uh and I heard Billy Joe told me that he sings a song as a special sometimes He's like, why don't you just come up here? And dude, before these big things, we always had this huge dinner so I don't even know what we ate, but it was probably barbecue fish fish, and yeah it was green beans and mash. So I haunded that stuff. So my stomach has been kind of messing with me, you know a little bit, all night. So dude, literally he's like, read why don't you come up here?

And I was like, I was like, oh, he called me, So I'm going up there and about I'm stepping out of the aisle and you got a twelve twelve and I got glasses I don't.

Know, and I'm walking up there and dude, I get I hit that first all step or the.

Stage step, and my stomach is ripping brow. So all the next three or four steps, all the way to.

The mon phone, I'm just kind of I have just I just got a little pressure, you know what I mean.

I'm just letting I'm just letting a little pressure off.

Dude.

I get up there and they I'm gonna praise you. I'm going to everything in me.

That's it, all right.

So I get up there and they hit the music and son I start, They're going into it, and I just starting and I know I just did and I can. I can just kind of smell it.

I start hearing people smell it, you know what I'm saying, Like, you start hearing people go, and then like then, and then I'm seeing everybody start like looking around, like and dude, I sang, I sang this song in the midst of a cloud of rank up there on this thing.

So we sang it. I walk off. Everybody collaps, you know, they get through the whole. The next day, I'm at the church. It's it's like I don't know. I was with d or something and Billy Joe calls it. He's like, Ray, He's like, come up here, and I go up there. He goes, hey, I gotta ask you something.

Man.

He's like, you did a great job. He's like, but I gotta I gotta ask you something. I was like, I was like, bro, I farted all the way from from when I got called for the end of that song.

So I was like, oh my gosh, what a good story.

I don't even know if you can say fart in the podcast, but that's what that.

Man.

Yeah, there's there's some funny we have.

Ladies were setting up for going what is that?

It was a mix of barbecue and then big ladies. There's some loud outos. Dude, they bring it.

To that's always the one where their.

Mouths heave me.

Okay, okay, okay, we're kind of getting all right, sorry, story, let's go back to we were starting to get into rodeo.

Let's go, Yeah, what I want to talk about? Yeah, because I don't know nothing about it.

I want to talk about the rodeo. When did is roping all you did? Did you ever like ride a bull or something?

Like that, No, none of that stuff. And and you know, I I mean I started, of course riding horses when I was litle, on my dad rope keVs. When I was a kid, and then he quit whenever kind of when we you know, got old enough. I don't know, I was probably I feel like it's probably you know, said mate nine somewhere in there.

And where you go into radios with him to watch it.

Now we're not really I mean I went to a few things, but the main thing was that, you know, and it was odd because he never really wanted me to do it because he knew. I mean, one thing about it. It's like hunting. And you guys will know what I'm saying is because it gets in your blood and it's all you want to do.

It's really indicative.

And it's like I've never done any drugs, but if drugs are half as addictive as roping, and it's be.

Bad, really bad bad.

Yeah, because I.

Feel that way about music and football both when I think about my kids. True, I'm not sure that I want. I want him to get into music, you know, like as far as being able to play, but like I don't know that I'm gonna and football is such a vital part of my life, but I don't know that I want to encourage my son to play it, honestly.

And he was I feel like he was the same way I know he was. I mean, I want to feel like it because he kind of discouraged me from it for a long time. And then you know, when I kind of got through high school and kind of got got out. I had a real good friend of mine, Ronald Coley, who was a heck of a He just wrote good and he and I started going to his place and he had arena and all that kind of stuff, and but I, you know, I kind of kind of started roping just out in the pasture. I was doctor and KVS and that kind of thing, and then you know, kind of took it into the arena kind of stuff. But man, it's it's you know, it's addictive, and I you know.

Before you get into it, why did he not? Why did I was kind of like, what comes We're so clueless on this, Like what comes with the lifestyle, Like for me and my son is like I don't want his back to hurt when he's thirty, or was there some stupid shit he was doing when he was twelve.

Was he fearful, Yeah, was worry or was it like he doesn't the lost off.

I think he just wanted he knew. I truly believe that he just didn't want me to do it because he knew that that's all I'd want to do. And he I mean, I feel like he wanted me to do this. He wanted me to do music, you know, and yeah, or you know, at least give it a chance, you know. And because I will tell this story, it was I remember I was. You know, they have roping dummies, head dummies. You know, you put in the bella hay and rope and it's practicing that kind of thing. And I was, I was standing in the right outside the barn and roping my head dummy. And I don't know how old I was. I mean I had graduated high school. But anyway, long story short, he came driving by on the tractor with a hay roll, going to feed the cows. And I remember him. I can see him as plain as day, sitting on that tractor and I'm standing out there just you know, roping that dummy, roping that dummy, and he drove by, turned the tractor off where I would you know, I wouldn't. There was no way I'd miss what he'd have to say, drove up, turned the tractor completely off, looked over at me, and he said, son, don't let that getting away of your music. Started the tractor up and drove off.

Wow, Like, how old were you then?

I'm gonna say eighteen probably, Yeah, I had to be right in there, eighteen nineteen somewhere in there.

But which one at that point did you love more? Or did you even know?

Tough?

Did you even know?

You know, I've always loved music since I was a kid, and it's all I ever wanted to do. But that was something that I always wanted to do too. I had a I don't know, it's interesting to me growing up. There were two things I truly loved. I loved cowboys and I loved music country music, and I mean they were my two things. They were ever since I was a kid. Man, I'd watch the NFR Rodeo when we could get it, you know, back when I was six seven years old, watch it on TV when we could, you know, the Heston telecast of Rodeo the NFR would be on when I was a kid, and and that was. I mean, it's just I don't know. It was something. It's all I cared about, uh that in music. They were my two things, like I'd watch eyall, you know it. So the first time I ever saw Whitley was on he Haul. I heard his music, but I was like, I don't know who this dude is, you know, And then I saw him on here Hall.

Explain he Haw because I don't know that some people. I think some people know what he Ha. And the only reason I know what he Hall was was we my hometown and when we were in high school, they did their own version of he Haw and we'd get up there and sing.

Something, oh yeah man. And it was a show. It was a major network show.

You know.

It had Buck and Roy Clark and Buck Owens on it were kind of the host. And it was a musical, you know, kind of country. They had skits and all that kind of stuff. But the thing that interests me the most was every week they had one of the major entertainers on there or somebody knew that was how it coming up. I mean, it was kind of your introduction, you know, as national television to the world of country music that you could hear on the radio, but I couldn't see any of them. I was like, who are these dudes?

And then these.

Ladies you know, and it was it was an opportunity for you to and you also got to see great country players in the band, you know, and watch them all play, and it.

Was a name. Yeah.

And as a kid growing up, it was like, I don't know how to do that, but that's what I want to do. And it was always I mean, they were my two things. I mean, and I you know, I I I mean, I've won my share team ropings and that kind of thing. I've lost my share of them too, you know. But but it was something that I just, I mean, I loved and if I wasn't writing or playing music, that's what I wanted to be doing.

It's obvious that it influenced your music you're writing to how much would you say, do you go back to those days when you're because because maybe I need to explain this as as commercial writers, we all have a bit of a well that we draw from, right Like for me, if I'm writing a song about, you know, being outside of the outdoors, I'm immediately at where we grew up hunting, you know, in Western see, I mean I literally can go there. How how often do you do you draw from the rodeo well when you're writing.

Well, I think a lot. If that, you know, if that song, you know, dictates itself to that kind of thing, that's what I mean. If it's the subject matter, then yeah, I mean I feel like the language and all that kind of stuff, I'm pretty legit in that kind of world.

No, there ain't no doubt.

I mean, getting that on you know, getting that, getting that to tape. But and and you know, I mean, it's it's what we do. That's what we're you know, that's what we're here for. Is to bring our livelihood and our heartbreak and our you know whatever to to people listening to country radio. That's what we do.

That's that's that's.

What we're about. And I think that for you know, and I love writing songs like that. I've been I've been successful writing songs like that. I've you know, really enjoyed the fact that that some of those songs with that kind of background and language and stuff have, you know, have been able to find their way to records and things. It's it's pretty cool.

I would say that you are a part of one of the greatest cowboy songs maybe ever written in the genre.

Man, well, I appreciate that.

You know. I mean, like a cowboy for me, Like a cowboy for me is and I don't know, and I'm not a cowboy. I can't. You know.

I was in Wyoming and we went to the rodeo and I bought a cowboy hat. That's about a cowboys. I gus, I can get it, and I've ridden the horse a couple of times. But yeah, man, like a cowboy for me, I mean I knew that song way before I knew you, and that let me into that lifestyle a little bit.

Dude, dude, come on.

Sing you a song? Still your hard away like a cowboy all. I mean, like I.

Was intrigued by that song and and that kind of I was like, oh, dangn I kind of want to be a cowboy, you know.

Like it made you feel like you want to be a cowboy, even for three minutes.

And and yeah, I mean, knowing you now, I can see where you know, yeah, that was probably not tough for you to depend that one out a little bit.

Well, it's you know, you got to think too, man. I mean that I thank you you're saying that, but a lot that's got to do with the vocal that was on it. Man, it's just a beast.

Nice past, nice nice, nice past. But we brit does that makes I mean, there's a lot of things about Bryce is one of the best writers in town.

Ain't no doubt he But he's got a specific way.

I'm just going to brag on you while I'm not looking at you.

Stare at him in the eyes.

But he's got a way of make sure I know what I'm saying. There are there are specific things that come easy to Bryce that don't come easy to other career songwriters. And so he has this flavor, his flavor of chili, his spice is a little different than some of the other spices that get put into songs. So I personally will lean on him for those things and and he just whether it's a chord structured kind of walk down thing or a melody, I think that's what because we're all writers, right, but we all but but we have either things in our past or things in our vocals, or things in our heads that kind of set us apart. And he really, God has gifted you with the ability to do some things that are hard to do and rare to find in a commercial songwriter. Really, I mean, and he's a pret decent dude.

Well I think I think the resume shows that, man. I mean, how cuts over two hundred, you know.

And and I mean it's like Dan said, that's man, that's that's just showing up and letting God do what he does. I mean that truly. I don't I don't know any other way to say it, because and I do find it interesting because I'm just like you boys, And that's what I admire about you guys, is the fact that you what you see in other writers is what you gravitate towards. I was always that way, man. The reason I love Dean Dillon is because he's Dean Dilon. The reason I loved Harley Allen, uh was because of what Harley brought to the table and what I learned from guys like Wayne Carson and Dean and Harley and and you know, so many great writers that I got the opportunity to be in the room with that, Like, I didn't take it for granted that It's like, Okay, man, I really get to be in here today. I don't need to f this up, sir, excuse me, But so what I'm saying is like, man, I don't want to, but I also want to be I want to be smart and enough to leave here with something because these guys are guys that I want to be. Like, should I ever consider myself in the same No, and I never will, but I do. I loved what they did so much and admire them so much. As like, man, I just want a little of that to rub off on me in some kind of way because I want to be better. I want to figure out how to do what these guys do, and I would, like I said, I never consider myself in the same level, because I'm not. But but I think that's what to me. And I'll say this because I feel like some of it is. I don't know if it's I don't know if it's as much taken for granted, but I think a lot of it is lost and good writers in this life, I really do. I think there's I think this what we do and are so blessed to be able to do. I think so many kind of ass it off any other way to say it, And I don't mean that in disrespect, no, but I mean it in reality. Is like, Man, I love writing songs, and I love when I mean I love when I hear something you guys wrote and go, well, they hooked that, man, Yeah, they really hooked that. That's that's writ in one oh one uh. And then you know we've all done it. We've all been in the room with guys that show up and just like, Okay, I'm here, what do you what are you gonna? What am I going to be a part of today?

That? Yeah? Yeah, I feel like there are specific U creators in this town that without exposing any secrets or without because we all have our things right, like to try to get the song across the finish line is what it is, what I call it. But it's so interesting to me when you talk about the heroes and and who you looked up to and we're trying to just if you could just get in the room and soak up some ounce of what it is that they do, because I felt that way about you and John Wiggins with Anything Goes Dude. When I heard that song, I was like, I gotta I gotta figure out who those people are and get in because I looked that that was that was like a core linear kind of song for me as a I mean, hell, wouldn't that come out O two.

One no later? And that probably late or not somewhere in there. It was Randy's first single, so it was somewhere.

So it's right before I came to somewhere around. That was right before I came down with Yeah, but you're.

But you're in that mindset of I want to go there.

That yeah for sure, man? And man, what a what an interesting And I look at that song now compared to the songs we've written, and compared to the songs that you've had hits on and cuts on, and and it already has kind of rubbed off. Not that I'm stealing. I'm not stealing any but it's just like.

I mean, that stuff came for you know, John, I mean, and I you know, I have to always do man. That was John Wiggins's idea, man, And he yeah, he laid that out to me that day and we wrote it right over here.

We wrote it.

He had a condo right over here off of uh what is the shrip which which the O R c.

A Was on?

And uh yeah, we it was crazy. I mean, John, he threw that out and I was like, Holy smokes man. What a great idea. And it was so funny, because I will tell this story is funny. He threw that idea to Harley first that I don't know, Harley, just yeah, I got something better typical Harley.

But anyway, God, thank God.

Yeah, and and anyway, John, you know, John brought that idea. And John such a man, what a right, what a songwriter, man, what a singer, songwriter, human being and one of my He was like a big brother to.

Me in this town.

And I I love that guy so much and got to give so much, you know, a nod to him and his brilliance. But when we wrote that song, you know, to be honest with you, I mean, I felt like we we kind of knew we'd done something cool, but we weren't ever sure anybody would ever cult it because you know, I mean, everybody like a normal, up tempo, positive all. And then I feel like this, I don't know if it had started, but I feel like the tailgate truck thing had kind of started at that point too, and it was like everybody but God bless Randy Hauser again. Man, I mean, he h told me that when he heard first heard the first verse of course that song. He knew was cutting it really because Sarah Kanaby actually pitched that song to him. She was working at BUG I think back then, and they had bought the Windswept catalog and that that song was in.

So how old was the song?

I don't remember it being that old. Probably a year and a half, maybe year or something like that. Maybe a year and a half maybe.

I mean today's standard, that's kind of an old song as.

Far as like, yeah, and it was it may be a year somewhere in there. I mean, I know it was because it was on Hole for McGraw whenever Randy cut it, and I you know, I couldn't either. That was the thing. I couldn't either. And but you know, Missy, you know, she loved that song. She flipped over that song. And god, she's tough, man, she's she's hard to get.

A song by it.

But she loved that song, man, and she she really wanted it for him. But it landed in the right spot.

Man.

I mean, it was just a you know, once again, once again one of the greatest vocal performances, and it's you know, I mean, he's a killer, He's my favorite. I mean, I just be honest with you, that guy. And I've spent so much time with him and been on the road riding with him and just just being around him as a person. But just man, he opens his I mean, he makes you be a better writer. When he he picks up a guitar and opens his mouth.

It's really inspirational.

Yeah, it's so inspirational. And it's and he's such a good human being too. That's the thing is, like, you know, I don't know. I you know, I've been around and been lucky to be around a lot of great artists and have a lot of cut but man, he is his hands down, one of my favorites. I mean, I just every time every time he says, hey, man, I cut this, I'm just like, I cannot wait to hear this. I cannot wait to hear this record, you know, I mean, I just cannot wait to hear him.

Yeah, for sure, you got something. I got something, go for it, do you. So this happens to us sometimes when we get somebody in the room and they immediately want to start talking about hunting fast as they possibly because at this town, at this point, the town knows that's kind of all we do, you know, so how easy is it for you to sniff out someone who hasn't rodeo that wants to talk about it?

Oh?

Man, it takes about two soons.

Talk about me.

I mean, yeah, it's and it's interesting. It's it's odd to me because do.

You ever just like roll your eyes or do you go with it?

I don't.

I just let it kind of be what it is, because you know, I mean it's you know, I will say this, which I thought was funny. I I have been producing the new Chancey Williams record. Chance He's an artist out west. You know, I'm in full on rancher. I mean this this guy is cowboy through and through. And the thing that drew me the most of him was he didn't put on that. It's like, I mean, this guy is legit. His family's ranched all their life. He made the college finals a couple of times, High Go finals, and then he got into music, and so he didn't. You know, really, I think he kind of had to make a choice. It's like, am I going to chase this rodeo thing and he was legit in what he was doing, or am I gonna chase music? Well, he chose music and he's. But the thing I admire about him and why I started wanting to work with him was because he didn't. He didn't here's I'll say it like this, and you guys will know what I'm saying. Anybody who's I don't care if you're a great songwriter, a great musician, a great hunter, a great cowboy, they don't talk about it. They don't talk about it. They let their work say all that needs to be said for them. And he's one of those guys. And I admired it immediately because we hit it off and we kind of knew. We got asked to write Jamie Calhoun, gal here in town, who does some of my publishers to anyway, she said, you need to write with Chancey. He needs to know you, and blah blah blah. So she kind of got us on the phone and we talked and we probably talked for an hour the first time we ever talked, and we talked about music, but then we kind of talked about you know, Rodeo ranch of that kind of stuff, and anyway, long story short, it's just what I admireing people who are great at what they do, they don't lead with oh Man I've done this, this or whatever. You know, they just let that be an underlying part of the conversation or whatever they do. They pick up a guitar and you're like, you know, I mean, you know, immediately they pick up a guitar and the first time they put their hands on it and start playing, you're like whoa or you're like ooh, you know. And it's the same way in that world. It's just like hunting with you guys, you know, or or anybody that does something really well. I mean, the greatest cowboys I've ever known, and I've known a lot of great ones. I've known a lot of great ranching just straight up ranching guys who've never rodeoed that have just I mean, they you know, they know that their business. And then I've known some of the best you know, rodeo athletes cowboys that there are, and and I find in all of them the same common thread, just like I do in the music business with great writers or musicians stuff like that, is they don't have to talk about it.

They just do it.

They just do it, and they're not they're not out there preaching about hey look at me, I've done this, or hey look at me, I've done this, or hey, I do this or whatever they do, that's just not who they are, and just it, yes they do, man, they just it's part of the you know, it's part of their fabric. It's just like them putting on their boots or whatever. Man, It's just it's it's who they are. And and I find a lot of times the more people talk about stuff, it's probably because they're way very secure about the fact that they're not really no what they're doing. And yet they and you know, over and over, I mean, we see it in our business. I see it in that world. You guys probably see it in the hunting world and stuff like that. It's I just I don't know, and I think you can. For me, I've always thought, man, I can learn a lot more by just being quiet.

Sure in attention, no doubt.

My favorite is, you guys got any bow kills? Yet this guy doesn't always thinking about.

Actually it's kind of like people going, hey, man, have you sold any songs?

Yeah? So what's the ranch and one what's the what's the first thing that rode any horses lately?

Yeah? Wranglered any bulls out there in the wide open?

Yeah? No kidding. That's so funny. That's so good.

You have a good story about nothing on with the radio, right, can you tell that?

I can?

Oh, I don't know this. I don't know this at all. How'd you know?

Oh the sheet the sheep, dude, I uh be prepared.

Well, I mean, the story is it's it's just it's it's very typical to Nashville A lot of times. I feel like in Odie Blackman and Byron Hill and uh. The the thing about that song is we uh, Odie and Byron were producing uh some stuff on me, trying to help me get a record deal. And Odie and I go all the way back to college when we first met, and then Byron was kind of one of our mentors really, I mean, I mean Hall of Fame. The guy's tremendous songwriter and an even better human being as well. Byron is just goy. He sawt to the earth and so freaking talented, and and Odie and I learned so much from Byron. But we wrote that song on kind of a project thing we were doing, trying to get me a record deal, and we pitched it around, we had meetings and that kind of stuff, and and I didn't get a deal, and but that song went on hold for several artists. I mean, you know, it took I think it was five and a half years before it came out. I mean, yeah, it was that song.

Yeah, it was.

It was around a long time.

That's a hit. I mean, you know that's a hits.

Well, we had thought that, you know, like you guys, I mean written songs, and I mean when we walked out of there that day, we were all like.

Oh, yeah, this just did this.

This is one of them. And uh, you know, it hung around and it was actually on Hole for Gary the record before and he didn't cut it. Uh, And I got a record deal at RCA, and in between.

That time and I'm cutting this.

Well, the odd thing was, you know, I had been writing a bunch and you know, they had been looking for songs for me, and we were going in first five or six sides to cut and and I had a meeting, uh set up, and we were going in to set down. It was me and Renee Bell, who signed you know there she was. She was my inn or person. And it's funny we went into that meeting and Renee was like, hey, Bryce, like what she's coming here in her office for we went in that meeting and she's like, hey, I want to show you my list, and she had like five or six songs on a list and nothing no but Tray. It was her first song on that list. You yeah, And I thought, oh, man, that's cool, you know, because you you know, I mean that at this time, I ain't had a hit. I mean I had a song. I actually had a Harley and I had a single on John Michael Montgomery called Cool that was on the Greatest Hits record. That that well that's a whole other story. Yeah, God, that's a heartbreaker. But that's a whole other story. But anyway, so we go into that meeting and we're playing songs and they picked a couple or whatever, and they got around to that song and and the head of the label, man, he was writing the checks and making the decisions, he was like, now what else we got?

I mean, we played like the.

First version chorus and he was like, okay, what else we got? What you know, is there something? I mean just went by that past. And I was like, oh, okay, well we're not going to do that. And and in all honesty, once again, and I and I you know. I I say this often.

God has a plan and everything happens for a reason.

Man. We left that meeting and about I don't know. I feel like maybe within six weeks Gary cut it. I had actually asked the girl that was working for the publishing company to take it and play it, and uh she took it over and played it for Shane Barrett, who played it for Clay Bradley, who played it for Mark Wright, who you know, eventually cut it on.

Gary and went through that many hoops.

Yeah, man, and it was it was one of those things. It's like we cut others. I cut eighteen sides at RCA and they couldn't find the first single. You know, It's like, oh man, let's go in one more time. And finally, God bless Fornabelle. She stood up in a meeting and finally said, look, if you guys don't get him, let's let him go. Let's let him go somewhere else and do his thing. You're not getting him. We're not cutting three or four more songs is not gonna you know. I was there probably two three years maybe in that time, from the time I got signed till till they let me go In January of four, Carrie and I got married. The week before they dropped me at the label, which is crazy. We got married, they dropped me the next week.

So they you got married and then they dropped you.

Yeah, Carrie and I got married. We had eloped and Franklin Kentucky at the courthouse, got married, went to Memphis for the weekend, came back to work Monday, Bill tell her we got married.

Man, don't leave out that you didn't let her know either when you got married that you had just lost your or you.

Were well they had no we were together when I let her know. Yeah, when they told me, like the next week is like, we just got married and and all right, so we got married, married the twenty third.

Come on January.

No, no, no, I'm good with this because.

She's going to message just a few seconds.

What I was trying to get to was when they had called me, let me know that I was so twenty third. Then the next week they're right at the end of January, they my manager, who was Scott Simon at the time, who I truly love and respect. He called me and goes, well, they're not going to you know, they're they're moving on. I was like, all right, cool, I lose my publishing deal the next month too, So I'm without my freshly married, without a pub deal and a record deal within like a month and a half getting married. And I'm sure I'm thinking by the time, you know, laying there in their bed at night, I'm thinking, boy, I bet she's glad. She said, yes, hell.

This is the best time of our life.

Oh my gosh, this is awesome. What am I going to do the rest of my life?

You know?

I just you know, and God bless her because she worked in the business, she got it and and she I mean, as far as I know, she never thought anything about it. But fast forward and I will why I loved Scott Simon so much as I lost. He was managed me. I lost my record deal, my pub deal, and I went in, you know, having a meeting with him and just saying, you know what what I'm going to do, And he goes, man, don't worry about it. I'm gonna get you another record deal, get you another pub deal, and he said, and on your way out, stopped by Chris, who was his his right hand girl out front, he goes and tell her what you need this month to get by and he wrote me a check it out of his own pocket and paid me for like three months out of his own pocket until he got me another pub deal and got me and he did. He ended up getting me like I got another pub deal in like May of that year, record deal like first of June of that year, and nothing on but the radio came out May of that year, was number one two weeks in December of that same year.

You start in January.

And you get to December and you've you know, you've got another pub deal, record deal and a number one two week number one at the end of it is amazing, man. I mean, I watched it firsthand, but I find it interesting and I in my journey of this town but also in my spiritual walk as well. What I find so interesting in that is I wonder if I truly wonder if he'd have given me that, and if I if if I hadn't married, if I hadn't been married. I just you know what I mean, I feel like it's a blessing of like, Okay, you're you know you've been praying for this girl, you got her. You you you know you you've done what you need to do now let's move on to the blessings that come thereafter in life are coming your way based on the fact of like, Okay, you're you know, you're you're, you're getting it together for sure, and I know that, you know, in all honesty, you know, we uh we started a foundation the next year after that and and uh in my hometown.

And it takes you do some amazing work with you will you will you give us just a short short stop.

Yeah, well it's you know, we carry out the first I was I don't even you know, people ask me all the times like why what made you want to do that or whatever, and I mean, I'll be honest with you. I was headed to write one day and this was right off, nothing on with the radio. And you know how long it takes before we get paid. And so anyway, we get paid the following year and blah blah blah, and I get got a you know, decent check, and it's like the first time I'd seen any money. And you know, gosh, I moved here in ninety three, so that's eleven years, you know, the first time I'd seen any any money. Barely getting by for all those years, you know, doing what you got to do to stick around town and and uh, man, I was leaving to go to write that morning, and it was just like, I don't know, I just had this thought of like, man, you know, what would be so cool is to is to find some families that can't have Christmas and buy them Christmas, like figure out how to do that. And that was right. It was like in November of that year, I feel like about five and and so with some friends of mine in my hometown, I mean, we figured it out and Carrie and I paid for five families to have Christmas, you know that could not have cared. They weren't going to be able to afford it, had kids and all that kind of thing. We found them through the school system and you know, in need and kind of thing, and we so we bought it. And out of that, the next year we did our first benefit show that kind of started this nonprofit thing. And man, and you know, we're we're coming up on twenty years and last year, you know, we helped like one hundred and twenty seven families have Christmas.

And you've raised over a million dollars.

Yeah, this year we went off a million dollars and you know, and it's all in our stays, all money and what we've raised stays in our community. My hometown area man of Christian Toddentree County, which is western Kentucky there and and man, I've had so many people, you know, I don't know, I've just had so many people, you know, so many great writers, so many artists come and play, give of themselves, give of their time, come up and play and help me do this thing every year. And then so many people in our community just give. And the first It's funny because the first few years, you know, the second year, I think we did like ten families and then we just kind of gradually grew. But it grew because so many people were starting to understand and they were starting to get it. And there you know, people sponsoring and and man, I've had so many friends of mine from you know, Canada to all over this you know, our great country that people I meet and stuff go, hey, man, what what about this charity thing you do your hometown? And then you know, come come time, I mean they'll they they donate and they don't even have any connection outside of like knowing me to it, but they're like, man, I want to be a part of that thing. I want to, you know, give to it. And I'm like, man, that's that's awesome. But man, none of us have ever took a nickel from it. Every dollar we've ever raised goes right back into that community of those those counties.

And it's called it's called the Back to Back Foundation or.

How does how does the listener?

Yeah, it's back to Back, back to Back, the number two back Foundation dot org And they can pull it up. There's donate page on there and all that kind of stuff. But they can see what we do and and uh yeah, man, and and and and out of you know what we've been able to do and raise. Man, we've been able to help so many other organizations in our community. The back we backpack program every year for the school systems and and all they all you know, we we we are able to help fund that Boys and Girls Club, I mean, you name it. You go down through there. And we've Sanctuary House, which is for battered and abused women, and I mean it's it's just I don't know, man, I mean, like I said, I you know, I heard I heard Vince say this one time, Vince Gill say this one time in an interview with about one of the charitable families in Nashville.

Uh.

They said, you know, if you if the first if you're asking for somebody to do something, if the first dollar comes out of your pocket, people know you're legit and know you're serious about it. And I thought, wow, man, that's cool because and in that I believe that if you take that first step, God will take the rest of it. And then it's like you see things happen and you're like, oh my gosh, where'd that come from?

Or I mean, we've had it's unexplainable.

It is.

It is truly unexplainable read because it's I mean, we've had so odd Somebody will call and go, hey, man, my kid, you know, I bought my kid a guitar and like he outgrew it and he don't really care. Can we like, is there any any of you know, any of the families are helping this year, any of those kids want a guitar? We're like, man, yeah, you know, I don't know, and I'm not kidding you. Man. The very next day you get like, because because we asked the families, you know what what you know? What are you kids? Number one? We're there to facilitate with the needs. What are your you know, what are your needs? What are you And then you know, we want to get the kids something that they love to do. And I'm not kidding. The very next day one of the kids was like a nine year old kid and he wanted to learn to play the guitar. I mean, like the very next day, and you go, you know, you just throw your hands up and go, okay, I'm paying attention.

You know, well, I think part of that is just being receptive to what you feel called do and and get on you for for hearing that you know in your in your soul, and obviously it's what you're supposed to do because you're helping people every Christmas. Man.

Yeah, man, it's it's it's what we I mean for for Carrie and I and for everybody that helps with it. You know, it's kind of what we look forward to carry and I don't we don't give each other Christmas presson. We hadn't for a long time. That's been kind of our things.

It'd be cool if you can do that.

Yeah, illvignize with it.

What you get for Jordan's you got something lined up?

Oh yeah, Oh yeah, he's he really doesn't, but he wanted to say, Oh yeah, no, I.

Definitely right here.

I'm sure that was important, that thing you had to say. But it's in the show for the son.

But you think he was a guitar player, you would think he can do something besides hunt.

You would think you would think you're all right.

All right, Bryce will hit you with the one that got away?

Could be a song, could be a deer, could be a fish.

Could be a rodeo championship, could be a rodeo.

You mean a rodeo championship.

I'm telling like, yeah, you're you're riding on the.

Championship, some rodeo championship.

You're like seven and seconds.

You got thrown off because you looked at a pretty girl in the well.

That's yeah, eight seconds.

The two that got away, the girl and the championship.

Yeah, I know it's you take it.

You're gonna take it. Man, What got away?

Dude?

It's interesting.

Could be a song that someone told you had cut and came in say harmonies.

How many times does that happened to us?

Pal?

Yeah, I've been a part of that more than once. And that's uh, there's a I mean you know, I could go I could either go music or you.

Know, we got time kind of thing.

Well real quick, I mean it's it's it's kind of a tough. My very first single, I was telling you was a song called Cool That that Harley and I wrote that John Michael cut and oh man, John Michael and I have seen John Michael and he has apologized. But anyway, yes, it's because I you know, it was so cool. It's like you know that man, you're just you just can't even believe it's happening. You know, you get that cut and then they're like, oh, it's going to be the single off the Greatest Hits package, and it's like and Harley and I went over. They we went over and got to hear it.

That.

It's like, so you're high five and walking across there, you know, and Harley had, you know, so successful at this time. Anyway, he'd had the baby on him and you know, just the little girl, you know, I mean, well the baby was blake. I guess, wasn't it. I don't I don't know. Anyway, long story short, that doesn't matter. But anyway, we had and it you know, it came in with great reviews and charted and it was big and then all for a little bit of too much alcohol at a show. Yeah, it just kind of anyway, and they I think it was a Clear Channel show. So anyway, long story short, they pulled it the you know yeah and you oh yeah came in. It was like in the thirties, I think, and it was big. It was man, they were all the ray you know, everybody was like, oh my gosh, this is great. You know, it's so good and blah blah blah, and it's and like Eddie, uh you know, we were on we were on Columbia together, like uh, Eddie and Troy and then me and then and I just love you know, and I you know, I'm I love there. I love those guys. I mean I truly do and and love their music. And what John Michael did was amazing. What Eddie and Troy is just.

So people people understand what we're talking about. John Michael, Montgomery and Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry Brothers.

Yes, okay, yeah, And uh so we were on I was on the same label with Eddie and Troy and Montgomery Gentry and and uh so we were doing a Kentucky music Hall of Fame. They were inducting the Judge and John Connelly and I think Dottie Rambo and Sam Bush. That was the four that year because they asked me to play and uh, I had a single out caught anywhere but here at the time that also did nothing. Uh let's just make but anyway, long story short. Uh, we were up there and I was talking to Eddie and stuff, and John Michael was there and Eddie goes, uh, hey, John, come here, and and he goes, man, do you know Bryce Long? And John Michael just looked at me and went, man, I'm sorry, it goes oh you an apology?

Is that the descent of of like the big popular John Michael was? It was it from.

Well, I don't know, yeah, I don't I mean it.

Was the listener. It was like he was bad life and then just gone well, I mean you.

Got to think there was so many come back yeah, and that single and then it kind of was a downer for a minute, and then they came back with Letters from.

Home that was.

And God bless John Michael. He put Cool on that record too, So that was that was kind of a cool thing that that they also put it on that record. But yeah, it's a great David and Tony Lane man, David Lee, Tony Lane, what a great song man Letters from Home.

Yeah. Yeah.

And then the other thing was I remember this was gosh, probably ninety five, maybe ninety six, somewhere in there, ninety five ish, I guess. Anyway, I'd gone to a h Jackpot team roping down and I think it was where was it, Yeah, maybe somewhere Georgia, I feel like. Anyway, and we were we were in the roping and they I think I was third high call with a guy and we there's an incentive in that roping two is like we just short, go take the top, twenty back whatever, and your you know, first high cost like time, you know, your fastest on three, you got the fourth head to run. And that was that's the thing.

Okay, I'm just gonna trust you. Yeah, well.

Yeah, exactly what Anyway, and we come back and and one of my one of my best buddies I've roped with forever, Scott Lund, and I are sitting there, you know, waiting on our run because I think they were second high call and then the first high calling we were third. But there was an incentive in this roping as well, and we were an incentive team because we were our numbers and it's kind of like having a handicapping golf or something. So we were kind of, uh my team where we were third high call for the whole roping, and we were like first high calling the incentive And so Scott and I were sitting there talking, waiting.

On a run.

You know, We're watching all these runs and stuff, and then so they're giving away these saddles at the end of the deal, you know, and they're nice, man, they're really nice saddles. And I'm like, I want that saddle. And I'm thinking, we don't only have a chance to win the incentive saddle, we got a chance to win the roping too. So we got a chance at two saddles. And I'm thinking we're sixteen seconds ahead of the next incentive team to rope our short ghost. All we gotta do is catch I don't care if we you know, run him the end of the arena, running around the arena a couple of times, catch a leg, not to fit whatever. If we just stopped the clock, We're winning the incentive saddle hands down. And then we got a chance to win the actual.

Yeah.

So I'm fixing the walk out in the box and they got the music blaring, you know, and the announcers going all right, blah blah blah, making a big deal, you know, trying to stir everybody up. And I'm fixing the walk in and my good buddy, who I love to death, he leans over me and goes, hey, man, you know he's gonna miss. And I was like, what my head er, you know, I'm healing. He goes, you know he's going to miss, and I was like what. He goes, dude, he's not good in a short go He's like, dude, he the chokes. And I was like, why did you have to save that? Now, as I'm fixing a ride into the box. Back in the box, he's gonna nod for the steer and we're gonna run him, and I'm going, why did you have to say that. Meanwhile, I'm walking in and he goes, no, man, I just nothing. You know, I'm just telling you know, he's known for choking. And I was like, God, no joke. We're at the front of the box, both of us walking in. They're you know, they're cutting their saying you know, these boys, they don't have to be they're sixteen seconds ahead of the next and sent eighteen.

They don't have to do.

Blah blah blah ah.

They got to do stop the clock.

I mean, they're going on and on in my head. Or he goes, just keep him straight down the pen. I'm like, okay, I got you on that, which means don't let him, you know, get to the fence on this side, or just kind of keep him, you know, kind of get out hazing and again. And I'm like, dude, I got you, buddy. I'm like, just turn him. I'm you know, and given I don't care who you are, there's a chance when that chute gate opens, both of us can miss.

Yeah.

But I'm feeling pretty confident about I mean, we were good. I'd wrote good that day, you know, and he had to he'd rope lights out. And anyway, he backs in the box and I you know, he nods a steer, leaves, I leave beside him. His sucker. It was like he was on a string right down the middle of the pen. This sucker had his head up sticking up. Man, he was just running just kind.

Of the tree dream scenario.

Oh, it's all you'd ever want automatically.

I mean, we drew a good one. He's about medium down to pen man, he's just going down through there, and I'm riding beside him. Man, got swinging my rope, and I watched this guy roll right up in the middle of him, swingover's back a couple of times and miss his whole head. I mean, the rope just goes right across Tomas one and I just.

Went, so, what does that mean for you?

It means we're we're we're out, man, it means we're I mean I lost both saddles that quick.

Man.

We didn't have him stopped just so the team who was who knows what sixteen seconds that had had at least caught before us. So they you know, we didn't win a shit. I mean nothing did. We didn't win anything roping. And my buddy right behind me, he's the next run, you know, and I'm down at the other end, you know, calling my robe or whatever, you know, head and hanging, you know, all that kind of stuff. And and they make a decent run. I think they ended up winning second in the roping or whatever, and and uh, I just look up at him and because I'm waiting on him, we're we're really great friends. And I was I was like, man, good run. He goes, yeah, he goes, oh, man, thanks, I told you he was gonna miss. I mean the first thing come out of his mouth he said, I told you he's gonna miss. And then we just rode off and I was like, god, oh my gosh. But yeah. So a couple of things that got.

A saddles got away and sing.

Sing singles, Bryce hit song long Man, We've uh, we've enjoyed you having We've been an hour and twenty we've been we've been rocking. Y'all be sure and check out Back to Back Foundation. Bryce is doing the doing some great stuff him and his wife Carrie, and.

Yeah, dude, you're one of the best us in town.

We love you.

I love you boys too.

Man.

Appreciate you, take you.

Taking shots on us, you know, just as as peons. We appreciate you writing with us. O.

Man, we being buddy for anything.

Thank you all. Man. I appreciate you having me.

Thanks for hanging out in God's Country. See you next time.

H

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God's Country

“God’s Country” with brothers Dan and Reid Isbell is a rollicking weekly podcast that sits at the in 
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