The Bobby Bones ShowBONUS EP: The Journey Of The Million Dollar Show
Bobby Bones and Eddie shared the story behind the inception of The Million Dollar Show, discussing the journey from day one to its current success.
They reflected on the challenges and triumphs that have made the show a game-changer in the music industry, from A-list performers, surprise on stage moments, and giving emerging artists a chance to showcase their talents on a major stage like the Ryman.
In 2023, Madeline Edwards joined the show, marking a milestone in her career. During their conversation, she opened up about her journey, describing the profound experience of performing on such a prestigious platform. Madeline shared how the opportunity not only expanded her fanbase but also gave her a renewed sense of purpose in her music. She spoke candidly about the impact the show had on her growth as an artist, and how the support and exposure have propelled her forward in her career.
Show.
Okay, So this podcast basically about the million Dollar Show and the journey of the million Dollar Show from day one to now. Brought to you a boy Yundai. I love Hyundai. It's all about the journey with Hyundai. I think we've done eight million dollar shows, which by the way, this is airing after our last one, but we we haven't done the last one yet. That's we're just days away from that. So Eddie's here too, and so mostly it's just man thinking back about how we started this thing. The genesis of it was Eddie and I have been doing a bunch of free shows. Also we sucked, not that we're Grammy Award winning now anyway, but we were playing parodies and restaurants.
Like barbecue joints, and they would just move the tables out of the way. And they're fifty.
People, yes, and twenty two of them were just having brisket already.
Yeah, wondering what is this on stage?
And we would get a car. We'd rent a car just in the suit would drive us. We'd find an op quote opening act, which for a long time it was Kelsey Ballerini.
Yeah.
So we would get in the car and we would drive to North Carolina. We would drive to Tallahassee, Florida. We would do Lewis, all these places that were somewhat they were far enough to drive, but they weren't comfortable, meaning we couldn't get there in an hour. The first ever show we did those the Raging Idiots was the Amy show for thirty apes. Yeah here in Nashville at a pavilion. Who were that crap?
Yeah? And people showed up.
Yeah, but it wasn't for us. Were other artists there too, true, we had, Yeah, it wasn't that wasn't for us.
I think one thing you've been really good at is surrounding us with really good artists in our shows, you know, so when we do play, we do have some other good artists to come. Hence the million dollars show man, Like, that's what's so awesome about it. It's not us, it's so much, so many good artists around us.
Yeah, the first one, there were other artists there. Then after that it was and we would, you know, do it, but Kelsey wasn't known then. But what we would do is in my mind, it didn't matter if I said where we were playing, like on Instagram, but it was always how can I sell this thing? And how can I market it as being sold out even if it's thirty people. So we'd go play a restaurant and nobody else could fit, but I'd be like sold out raging idiots, and we'd play like parodies basically and lots of covers. Yeah, and with the ukuleles and just Eddie and I and so we would do these shows, and we did them for like six months. We donated all the money. I even paid for the gas out of my own money. And then we started to do slightly bigger venues, and I just wanted to be able to say everything was sold out because I wanted to create the idea to people that it was hard to get into one of our shows, not knowing how bad we kind of were. Where it was fortunate for us was we were getting better the more we played, which makes sense, but man, we played early on, it was it was rough. The places weren't good to play, and we weren't that good. But remember the barbecue place in DC when the fire alarm went off, that was a Then we waited and it was kind of a disaster because the people were outside in the heat and then they had to wait for another it wasn't our vault. But then we went and played and it was that was so long ago, it was forever. I can't remember when that was. And so we just did this for a long time. We donated all the money, all the money, and in my mind it was if we get to a million dollars, I want to have a celebration concert, because we didn't keep any of the money. I want to have a celebration concert here in Nashville somewhere. And the idea wasn't at the rhyment at first. And I remember going and Roddick had asked me, Hey, can you come out to the event and if you guys want to play, great, but you'll be part of the music. And I said, Man, if we get this, we do this, the money raised there, we'll just count that because that's money. We're playing at a charity event. And so it hit a million bucks. And I remember calling like my management guy and being like, hey, we should set up a show. I don't know for what we should do the call it million dollar show and celebrate that we raised a million dollars for charity and he's like, great, how about the ryman. I'm like, there is no way people are going to come to this.
Oh he he mentioned the Ryman.
Yeah, it wasn't me, okay, because I was like, what about the cit go Yeah, I just wanted people to be there. We did play a car dealership early on. We did in Wichtalk, Kansas. We didn't make any money, neither to the charity. The station just kept that money. I think, yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean there was no money. We never saw anym Yeah, we do.
What I did see was a bunch of cars that were just moved out of the lot. And then that's where the people stood.
And we use the word people loosely because they were bodies. Yeah, there weren't that well, there weren't that many people there. So we got to a million bucks. So we set the show to be six or seven months away. But in the process, the Raging Idiot started to pick up a little steam. I feel like I marketed it so effectively that even though we weren't good, but we were getting better. People were like, I need to go see this. And we were doing the radio show saying where we're coming to the different towns, and so before we had done the first million dollars show, we raised two million dollars and I was like, dang, which called the two million dollar show, and Tom was like, that's too confusing.
So well we've made two million.
We go we do the first ever million dollar show with the idea of maybe we can get people to come and play with us because we had a band. And the reason we had a band is because festivals were asking us to play, because big festivals, bigger than we should have played, and we were playing after we were playing after people that were bigger than us and were actually good.
We were no in no position to be in those slots.
Our band was really great, but we didn't like have songs and I can't sing. So we're playing massive festivals all over the country. We played Stage Coach, we played at the Gorge Watershed, we did them all, We did Faster Horses.
Yeah, and.
We got to be okay, and now we had the full band, and so we go and I just make a couple of calls myself for the first ever show, and Derk s. Bentley played and Brett Eldridge played a little big Down played, and it was me just making an ass like would you guys mind showing up and playing with our band? And because I knew them. They were all like, yeah, great, and it was awesome. But we made a few hundred thousand bucks and so we're like, cool, what a fun memory. We'll never do that again.
Yeah, like a one off.
Right, Well, we celebrated the million bucks and so, but we were such a and I still am such a long term partner with Saint Jude that they were pumped about it. They were like, can wait till next year? And I was like, oh, no, next year. So then I'm all freaking out about it. But they're like, we're going to go tour and just start playing shows and try to get better.
And we didn't.
We get just then we started touring. Our brains off signed a little record deal, didn't really do anything record wise, and they were like taking money, not not illegally, but I didn't.
Realize that's the record deal. Yeah that's what that means.
Because they weren't really promoting it. So and then and then I bought the record deal back and had to pay money to do that. So but we were on and we went from a car to van.
Dude, we were full fletched. We were a band. We were a touring band.
Yeah, we had to a van though yeah, yeah, yeah, But what I'm saying is like struggling artist because we're radio people. Like we had a radio show and on the weekends we were a touring band. We would leave right after the show and either Tim, our security guard just in the suit would drive us and we'd try to sleep in the back of the van. We'd take whom over the opener was still At a lot of times it was Kelsey, but then we'd switch it out a little bit. If we'd had a hun day then it'd been much easier. A fleet of Hundays have been five shows in a weekend, and so we do it. We'd leave, wake up early, do the radio show, get a car immediately, a van. There are no beds in vans, no drive to wherever do a show that night. Remember once we went down.
To Think in Georgia, Augusta.
Yes, we drove back. Well, not even that. We played on like a strip center.
Yeah, it was like a strip mall.
And there's like a little it's like a dance floor and there were like eight people there. Mm hmm. It's terrible.
But the reason I remember that is because we were like, do we eight and just drive in the morning or should we just drive tonight, and justin the Sui is like, I'm driving. I think Tim drove or was it Tim? Maybe they both did they just but either way we fell asleep. We woke up.
Oh, we cheated. We were like, we'd rather just drive home tonight. If I drive home, that meant we'd rather just go to sleep while you guys drive home. Did We were exhausted and we didn't even know what we were doing. We're just raising money, and so we did it pretty consistently six or seven months, and then it was getting close to Okay, we're doing the million dollar show too, and I'm like, I don't know, can we get people to do this show? And they had already exhausted your your asks with all your yess. So I needed my team to ask people based on the success of the first show. So that's what we did, and they asked Roscow Flats, Sam Hunt, Craig Campbell, Brothers, Osbourne, Thomas Rhett that said the Van Parry you have not uh. And then at the end what I knew was gonna happen was Garth was gonna come out and present a check because he said he we don't know how much it was gonna be and Garth comes out in for since a two million dollar check and then he was out on stage and we were just like, let's sing one because he wasn't going to sing, but he wasn't not gonna.
Sing, and he was already there.
Here was there and it's not like he's gonna say no. So he sang and we did what Friends and Love Places. Was awesome.
Highlight of my life.
Million dollar three Urban. This one was super cool because it was urban and Darius and Darius came out and did Purple Rain and Darius also did a hoodie song he did which and I think he did wagon Wheel. Yeah. I just thought doing the hoodie song was so much fun, uh Luke Combs, Dan and Jaymyer and Morris. So now though it started to be a thing, and I was like, maybe I don't have to continue to like grind at this thing because of the success it's had, and we were donating all the money. We never kept any of the money. Uh that people would just say yes, much easier. And then it was also how do we get people that maybe aren't in the country space because we had we had better than Nazua, which was an alternative and that I used to love and Million Dollar Show four Luke Bryan, lady A, Cols, Swindell John Party. Three Doors Down was that show and that was awesome Brad from Three Doors Down.
Those are like our selfish Yeah, requests for sure.
Sharna showed up because I had one Dancing with the Stars that year, so we did a dance that was awesome. It's super. Gavin de Gral played that one, which was awesome.
Oh yeah.
Million Dollar Show five we had Brooks and Done. I just remember it with Brooks and Dune being at rehearsal and rehearsing with Ronnie and I didn't know ron as well yet.
In a warehouse, like in a little warehouse rehearsal space.
And he's just there singing away yeah, and we're like, this is crazy sounding amazing. Brett young Foreigner, I want to know what love is. Kolby Calai came out Laney Wilson before Laney had a single song.
Oh yeah, with her Bell Bottoms.
I was like, do I'm a big fan of Landy. Let's get her out, no record, no song yet she came out and did Queen Fat Bottom Girls. Sam Haunt came back, Saw Your Brown played, so we had like five in a row and it was kind of killing. And we had raised just on these shows, like a million bucks. But there was no million dollar show in twenty twenty one and twenty twenty two because the pandemic.
Yeah, dumb pandemic.
And they were like, hey, you could still do one, but we couldn't have any of the kids out there. And now the Saint Jude people right there. So I was like, I don't think we're gonna do it during the pandemic, and I thought maybe we'd never do it again.
Because I will say a highlight too, is a lot of these kids patients come out and if they're healthy enough, they just have a night and they get to enjoy music. And it's really cool to see them having fun. I mean, everyone's having fun, but the kids are back there having fun. It's really cool to see.
Yeah, and to have the kids there to show people what's the reality of it. So these kids come and they tell their story on stage as well, and so without that, I was like, man, I don't want to do it. Yeah, So we came back twenty twenty three Michelle Branch, which was super cool. That was a selfish one Tracy Lawrence was going to perform and he got sick like the day of and he even rehearsed. Yeah, I wasn't there for rehearsal.
He rehearsed that one and then didn't play because he got sick.
And we had Dirks on the show that morning, and Dirks played Million one. We were like, Tracy Lawrence is sick, and He's like, I'll cover, So Dirk's came in and covered for Tracy Lawrence and played at Tracy Lawrence song. Scott Staff from Creed which he was awesome. Jacob and played that one million dollar show. Seven Party, Megan Maroney, Sam Hunt, Nate Smith, Ben Rector, Matt Carney, come on, this is last year.
This is last year.
Ian munsick, Edward McCain, which is fun. Lauren Watkins post Malone showed up at the end.
And met everyone at Stay and took pictures of everybody after the show was over for an hour.
And so between the shows and the other work that we've done, we've been able to raise over twenty seven million dollars for Saint Jude over the years, and it's super cool that we have long term partners, like I feel like Saint Jude thinks that that I and that we were a partner and Hundai is awesome. And Hundai has been a long term partner with me in the show, and they're supporting the Million Dollar Show. They have their own initiative initiatives as well, and so the Hundai Hope on Will's Initiative has donated over one hundred and fifty million dollars to pediatric cancer research. So, you know, we're running alongside each other doing the best we can and trying to help out as many people as possible. But what they've done this year is they've included twenty thousand dollars this year to the Million Dollar Show and Saint Jude. So I'm very thankful that Hyundai did that. You know, since nineteen ninety eight, Hunday Hope on Wills has worked tirelessly to support the families, researchers, doctors, and children impacted by childhood cancer. To this day, Hundai Hope on Wills has awarded grants holding over two hundred and fifty million dollars. So thanks to Hondai Motor America and it's nationwide dealers, and thanks for being a part of the Million Dollar Show. Now that was kind of the walkthrough, what's your favorite single performance of all time?
Gosh, I think I think it's gonna to be Garth Brooks Friends in Little Places, because that's the one that I tell everyone about because Garth, just like you said, showed up, wasn't expecting to sing. But what people don't realize is that we are the house band. So our band that we put together is the house ban for a lot of the artists that come up and sing. So when Garth came up, it's like, we're ready to go. We all know Friends in Low Places and we sang it. And just the fact that that goat is standing right there, not to mention, on the Ryman stage and you're singing one of country music's biggest songs with him. Dude, that's just the highlight of my life.
I think mine's Brooks and Done because we did three songs with them and they let me pick the songs. And with Garth we kind of just sang a little bit of like the background of like the choruses, but with Brooks and Done, like we sang all of it, all of it, and they were like, what what do you want to do? And I was like let's do my Marie, Let's do coool yeah, and so to do all and like to be an integral part of three Brooks and Done songs and them standing out there like to me, Brooks and Dune is probably my favorite. And when it comes to artists, we try a book artists too that aren't country. Now they are a couple like Postmone was awesome, but he went out and did that acoustic. Hanson was crazy and they did in bop, but they did that acoustic because if we don't have time to rehearse so they get in late. We're just like, don't worry about playing with the band. If you guys want to play acoustic, just do your own thing. Yeah.
With Hanson, they came from out of town.
But like better than Ezra because I loved better than Ezra. And then we did oh huh uh. And then when Dirks did Hooty the Lowfish and saying Hooty the oh yeah sorry Darius, Michelle Branch whenever the records did their thing and Michelle Branch did did hurt, that was super cool because that was just being selfish and pick at stuff we wanted to pick.
And to our buddy of mode proposed to his wife on that's true on stage there.
Do you remember what year that was, dude, I don't know years, anything.
But that was cool. He said he wanted to propose to his wife and he did it in the middle of a million dollar show.
I remember no years. I remember no song titles, I remember no book titles. I know nothing. And you know, part of this too has been me finding artists that haven't popped yet that are really good. And I'd put Lanny on that, like we've done such a good job at that Laney, she hadn't hit yet, and I was like, Mary Lane, you're awesome, come do it. But we've done that with a few artists and one of those Madeline Edwards. And we're going to talk with Madeline in just a second. But Madaline is like next level. She played the piano. I'll let her tell her story, but we'll talk to Madeline Edwards coming up in just a second. Okay, Madeline Edwards is here. You text me. I'm glad you did, because I don't know you had new music coming out. I didn't know anything unless like my people are like, hey, I got new music, and you're one of the few people that I would be like, oh, that's cool, let me let me take a look. So I was super excited to hear that because you know why I was surprised because it's been a long time.
Wait.
Can I tell the story from my perspective. I texted you, I think, okay, hold, and then you didn't text me back.
Correct, and then days later the reasons out.
It doesn't mean I wasn't listening, for the record of courting.
Does not text me back. Well, but he's listening.
He ghosted me for like a couple of days. If his team reaches out to me, is that technically ghosting?
No, and I ghost because I was not we other than like social media and be like what a like Like, it's not like every Tuesday night we have a set time to text. I do value you as a person and I would never just completely ignore. But what happened was you text me and I was like, oh cool, And before I could say anything as far as let's do this or that, I said, Hey, Scuba steep, I want to get maddling up and here's what I want to do. And that was it. So I didn't ghost you. It Well, I'm just I know, but I'm giving it back delayed gratification. Yes, yes, so you text me. I took care of it.
I did, thank you for having me.
It was very much like, Yo, I'm indie, I'm doing my own pr.
Like that's what you said, I'm doing my own preer.
In not so few words, I was like, here's the new music, here's the story.
Are you in?
I want to hear?
Actually, oh my god, there's nothing embarrassing. I don't think no, it's not.
Do you remember it, Madeline?
Do I remember what the text?
Oh?
Of course I think it was just like you in or not?
Yeah, yeah, that's straightforward. I know this might be a long shot, which, by the way, me speaking here, it wasn't a long shot. She texts me one way or the other. I'm going to respond. But the new chapter from my album starts on March twenty first. I'd love to sit down and talk to you about it, if you're interested to helping me promote it. I'm doing all my own PR. No pressure, obviously, just wanted to float this your way. And then the song and then it's a you know, the my phone's bluetooth isn't work.
It's like the voice memo.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So I and so all I did is that morning because I didn't want to lead her astray and say, hey, Scoob, but let's bring her up and do this thing and take care of her.
And that's it, Madeline. Is that is that hard to set a text like that because you are doing your own promotion?
Yes, I mean listen it's Bobby Bones.
Oh yeah, that massive star, the.
Most massive Yes, like I listened to you growing up, you know. So it's weird to send a text like that and be like, Okay, we're doing this on our own.
Let's see if you know that words.
For you to say that that you're texting me is unfair because Eddie, look at this is how much we've texted over time.
That's a lot of conversation.
It's a lot. It's not like you's got my number and it's like I'm nervous to text them.
No, it's just been a minute. Yeah, I know. I kind of disappeared for a little bit.
Me too. Everybody disappeared, but you, which is why I'm excited you're here. It's been a few years since you've had stuff like new stuff, So what's up? What's up with that? Oh? Man?
I mean I'm putting out a new album and I want to talk about your show.
You know, we don't have to.
No, no, I'm here. I'm here to talk about you right now.
Okay, So let's ask that question.
Yeah, okay, now, I'll let you do it.
You're in my home, so I've planned the meal. So we're going to start with this course talking about you. So let me ask this, Well, what did you do the last three years? What was going on a lot?
I've been working on this album for the last three years, and it's been a lot of good and a lot of bad. I last year lost my brother. He got diagnosed with schizophrenia and took his own life, and that was really tough, and you know, it just kind of kept leading into like a hell of a year. And so a few months after that, I lost, you know, my team, And I mean, that's honestly the most insignificant part of the story. The story is beautiful because I got to see so much fruit in my life because of this community I have in Nashville and how much people surrounded me, and they came around me when this happened like they always have. When my husband was in the hospital, they came around me when my brother passed, they came around me and it was it was just such a just such a beautiful story of artistry and storytelling in Nashville and how that always kind of comes first and it's always the pinnacle. And I think people saw this story and we're like, you know what, we don't care what happened. We just kind of want to help push this story into the world because we think it's really beautiful. And my families come from a lot. I mean, I've come on your show before and I've talked to you about my dad and you know, surviving abuse and me and my siblings just kind of banding together and just surviving the odds. And so the fact that I get to tell this on the other side of things with my brother being gone is like, man, it's life is so precious and time is so precious. You know.
It's funny.
When I came on your show last time, I think you asked me a question of like, what do you want? And I kept answering, like I want a Grammy or something some bullshit like that.
Has that changed? I mean, if I asked you that question, hey, madam, what do you want? Now? What do you want?
I have everything I want now for you, that's perspective, it is. I live a beautiful life, you know. I guess I to walk into a studio almost every day and make music and write stories with beautiful people, and I think that's the best life in the world.
You shared a lot about your brother. Let's go pre your brother that couple years and then post your brother. Were you working on something and did that change after that very difficult time. You're still in that difficult time, But did that change what you were creating and how you were creating it?
No?
Actually, well yes, and no, I was.
I had already started an album about the redemption of my family and our story and you know, us kind of banding together in the name of Jesus and trying to live an absolutely normal life against the odds. And I think Jonah's passing just further propelled that story and just showed that we could come together in some pretty significant ways. My family is so strong. I'm so proud of my siblings and the way we tell our story. My brother out in Houston, his name is Mike Edwards. He goes by mister Texas Soul. And you know, he's the second oldest so he and I would step in a lot and parent the younger kids when you know, when they were off doing their thing and my dad wasn't around and my mom was just kind of surviving abuse, and you know, my brother and I it took a toll on a relationship being parents and not just getting to be best friends and siblings, and so there was a lot of time that passed where you know, it was a lot of tension and it's crazy, it's so full story because I invited him here to Nashville to come write with me for his record, and while he was writing with me, we got like the last minute call to do the Opry for Dolly Parton's birthday, and I told him, I'm like, listen, I'll only do this on one occasion, if that's if my brother can sing a song with me on the Opry stage. And so that was his first time being at the Opry. Ever, like let go, it was incredible. I mean, we did some back catalog of Dolly's and we got texts from our siblings all night being like, man, we get to feel Jonah's spirit again. It's like our family is surviving this again, and we get to see our story continue to thrive by seeing us kind of like be up on that stage together. It's crazy, like there's so many full circle things like that.
I feel like too, what you're saying is a bit of a parallel with the song Sunshine and the rain m hm, because rain is a difficulty and how you see the sunshine whenever it's raining. I mean telling me about the song.
I wrote it with Foy Vance. He's incredible.
He's an incredible singer songwriter in the folk space, and he's done a lot of stuff with Ed Sheeran. And you know, I came in with a song a few months after Jonah passed and it's called Other Side Grief and Major C and I into the studio and it was just me and him.
And he's crazy.
He has this like crazy like twisted mustache and he looks like a character out of like a.
Lord of the Rings film or something. It's wild.
But I walked in and I'm like, I have this song, you know, I would love for you to finish it with me. And I walk in and he's like, you know, I think you have this song done. I'm gonna go get coffee for an hour and you're gonna finish this song by yourself, and then we're gonna start another one. And so he left for an hour and left me in this room with like all of these instruments in this beautiful grand piano, and it's just this gorgeous loft space. I can't remember whose studio it was actually, now that i'm thinking about it, but I just stayed there for an hour and finished out the song and then he came back and then we wrote Sunshine in the Rain together.
So, and this is the first song of eventually the album, right, So what's the plan time wise on other songs? And then when does the full bot the album come out?
So Sunshine in the will come out on March twenty first, and then I'll be releasing single number two six weeks after that, and then single number three six weeks after that.
Oh, that's what it is like every month in a couple of weeks.
Well, the album's going to drop in June, so a few, you know, weeks before the Bob and Willie tour, which is.
Exciting, and I do for sure we'll talk about that. And I'm not going to play the whole song because it's not out yet. I want to steal it, but from my phone from far away here it is. That's all you get. Dan's just playing in the room, don't about it. That's all you get, just played low key, so loady have it. So when you say Bob and Willie, Bob Dylan, yeah, casual, Yeah, how'd that? How'd that come about? That's pretty that's pretty cool.
I have an incredible agent that stuck with me through all this, and she's the one that got me the Stapleton tour for my first tour. And you know, she reached out to the right people and said, I think this is a story that needs to be heard. This is a woman who survived a lot, and she keeps pressing forward with this story of redemption and how you can live between joy and pain and a really beautiful life.
And so, I don't know.
She sent them my demos and my work tapes and then they got back to her like I think a day later and offered me the tour quicker.
Than I got back to you. Bob Dylan got back quicker than that. Wow? And right? Yeah. And with Willie, how'd that come about? Same thing, same thing.
It's the same tour, Outlaw tour I'm taking.
You're doing stuff with Cheryl.
Right, so Outlaw is going to be Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Cheryl Crow, Waxahatchie, and me for that Littlest Coast.
Round all that's on the same show.
While I feel like Bob and Willy have been touring done shows together for so long.
I think they have.
Yeah, I think they've done the Outlaw tour together before. Actually, now that I'm thinking about.
It, it's really cool.
Yeah, that's pretty legit.
Mm hmm.
I'd for sure like want to get them to sign something, but I guess she gotta be cool. Huh.
I mean, do you want to come with me?
No? No?
No?
Wow?
You know what he means though, Like I want to go anywhere? Like, how do you ask Bob.
Dylan and Willie Neils for an autograph without looking not cool?
I don't think I think they would know. Maybe they Wouldn't you met Bob Dylan at all?
Ever? Nomm met Willie at all? Met Willie? Super nice, super nice?
Right, he seems super nice nice?
Oh a gentle but old.
Yeah, Like he doesn't have to give you a minute of his time, but he will give it to you and he will look at you the whole time and talk to you for as long.
As you've met him too.
Oh yeah, yeah.
Did y'all smoke weed with him?
Though he did?
No, I did not. That's my biggest regret in my life. I thought of you. He offered it to me.
But I'm pretty sure he's just on eddies.
Now. I was driving, and I drove. I drove to Willie's ranch, me and a and a reporter that were going to interview him about some relief show he was gonna do. Yeah, And we got there in his ranch and and so it's really cool is his bus is parked outside, like three buses parked out, plugged in, and his house is up on a hill. He never goes in the house. He lives on the bus.
Really.
He says he's comfortable.
He says his wife's up there. But he's like, this is this is where I stayed.
I'm dead.
Yeah. So then like after forty five minutes he busts out a joint and wait, when was this probably two thousand, I would say around two thousand, Yeah, And I said I can't William driving and he's like, oh, you should have.
You should have gotten a hotel this uber.
You should have just slept in your car, like honestly.
I know, yeah, maybe no Ubers in though. No Ubers And you can't really put a pen at Willie's house.
No, and his ranch is so out, so far out there.
Oh my gosh. Was this in Austin?
This was in Austin.
Yea, yeah, that's where I met him too. It was Austin. He did the show what.
Did you guys? You guys talk about He.
Was in Duke's Hazard, the movie, and so he came into the studio because he lived in Austin. So he just came in the studio. Yeah, it's it's super cool. I know a soun pretty well too. I know, a son better than.
Lucas is so great.
He's awesome.
I love him.
And man, when he sings, I know, it's like religion in your guts. I know, it's like there's a little chart service happening right in your belly. Huh. And so uh, I'm super happy you're here. And you know, we were talking before you came in about the million dollar show that we've been doing for a long time, and I was talking about like some of the artists that I brought in selfishly, like from bands that I loved when I was a kid too, like people that are my friends. And then it was like there were artists that I've said, man, they are so good, I want to put them on stage even if they haven't popped yet. And I say yet, because I've never put anyone on that I don't believe is going to just pop like crazy. And You're obviously one of them. Were you last year or the year before? My years get messed up?
I think it was like twenty twenty two.
See covid COVID's covis fired my brain for knowing who I wouldn't brain. Yeah, was that your you were.
There, you were playing guitar coorse, Yeah?
Was that?
Yeah?
That was my Yes, it was. And you took a video of me crying during sound check. If you still have that, I want you to hear drop it to me.
I don't know if I still have that.
Okay, that was amazing too, because it was just sound check. I'll look, I'll look and for people that don't know. It's like the day of the show is sometimes just the only time we can really rehearse with people playing the show, and we do it from like all day till the show starts and yeah, you got really emotional.
I mean, how can you not like you feel the history. Also, I think I was still so new to Nashville that like soaking that all in and just realizing, like, hey, I always have to have these little check ins with my thirteen year old self and be like, hey you did this, Like I almost just said, bitch, hey, bitch, you did it like anyway, but you have to like it goes by so fast. This industry is so fast paced, and then before you know everything's gone. And so I'm having to like mentally take these checkpoints of this is what you've always wanted to do, and you get to hear your voice, fill this space. Make sure that you congratulate your younger self for doing that. And so I think in that moment when you caught me crying, it was just me recognizing that I'm getting to do everything that I've always wanted to do and it doesn't take Grammys and it doesn't take any crazy awards or recognition. It's just getting to understand that you get to sing in front of people and let them hear your story.
It's cool then and not you crushed and they loved you obviously.
Oh I did crush.
You crushed so good.
Yeah, and that's so cool for you to know you did so because you did. I mean, you absolutely walloped the room and they appreciated you wallopping the room. It was real, it was a real moment. But yeah, it's always important for me, like in my personal film my cup self is to find people that deserve it, or maybe we'll deserve it in the future. Maybe they don't even know they deserve it yet, and go all right, here's a little taste of the big leags. Let's see how you do. And then you just crushed.
It's awesome, Thank you, thank you. Well, so did you and.
So did you? You know I tend to no, we didn't.
How musical are you? Because like one thing I did notice when you walk, even the first time we rehearsed, like you know, you know what you want, you know what you're doing, you know what to tell Walker on keys, like hey, yeah, you needn't play this, and like how musical are you? Like could you play everything?
Well?
I can play keys and drums. I just started on guitar last year and I'm absolutely it's absolutely it's so bad.
I did it for more than a year, but I'm not too.
Yeah, so bad.
You're better than I am, though possibly I can only play and drop D right now.
Well okay, well you just don't even know.
Yes, I'm just saying, but yes, I would like to consider myself musical.
I'm producing my album right now or I go produced it.
So I think something too is that you? And Ringo Star. I was talking with him, he was at the house doing the podcast last week, and we were talking about because the Beatles are put in the book Outliers about doing ten thousand hours, and he's like, yeah, we're referencing the book because they would play six hours at these six hours, six hours every day. But you had to play a lot in like restaurants, Yes, like for hours and hours. You had to learn how to be so versatile that all.
The best I ever sounded. Mm hmmm, what do you mean, oh, man, Like your voice is.
A muscle because it's just worked. You're working at work.
So I would sing five nights a week for like four or five hours a night and play piano and sing, and my voice was just cream of the crop.
I need I need to do that again.
And your piano skills, I'm sure were sharpest crap too, because I mean, you're doing it so often even if you don't realize it, like you're on oh yes, yeah. So when he said are musical, I thought, well, you kind of even if you are, which you always have been, Like those blades were sharpened so much. Yeah, by that four or five nights a week, for four or five hours a night, hm, when it maybe doesn't feel so glamorous, but who cares. You're paying the bills, right, That's that stage of life. We all had those, yeah, where you're like happy to do something you love and pay the bills.
Oh man, I mean I feel like that prepared me coming to Nashville. I'm so grateful for playing in steakhouses where people didn't give a crap if I was singing to them, because you know, you come to Nashville with almost more performance capability than some of these TikTok people that are coming in with none.
So I'm totally good with that, you know.
And also when you play that long that offen, you learn that a mess up really doesn't matter. Then you learn how you learn how to correct it quickly, you how to bounce back even if you don't correct it quickly. Because show must go on. Look, there are all these little skills that you can only get by doing it wrong. When I started doing stand up, that was it like I would be freaking out, screwed up, screwed up, but then I would do it wrong so many times. Yeah, sun comes up, Sun comes up tomorrow, regardless five minutes from now. I can't be thinking about that like a defensive back of my football. Okay, they just do intercept to a touchdown over your head. You can't think about it that it's going to affect the rest of your performance. And I'm sure that was valuable in that world.
And if you point it out, it's actually kind of funny.
Yeah, until but I'd pointed out like eight times in a row, and so then they were like, Okay, we get it. It's not that funny. So okay. So here's where we are, Sunshine and the rain is out. You'll be dropping songs every month and a half or so. You're on tour with I mean awesome people. That's crazy mm hmm. And you go to Madeline Edwards music dot com. I did not ignore you, and you do know that now, right, like.
I do know you did more than not ignore me. You went above and beyond.
Yes, well, she messaged again, this is my head. You message me, and I go, I can respond back with an answer that's going to seem like bullcrap and go, hey, I don't know what's happening. I know what our schedule is. Would luck and I would have meant that, but it would have sounded like typical garbage that everybody says here all the time. So I thought to myself, I'm going to say nothing because I would rather not think. I would rather not her think I'm like lying or kicking the game. So I said nothing, and I was like, I'd rather her think that I'm ghosting her or have changed that.
Which I wasn't offended. You're so like you're busy. I wasn't going to be offended if you didn't.
I just you know, but I thought, and then it would be extra like, Oh, I knew I had faith in that guy because I came up and talked to Scuba and we got it all set up.
Uh huh.
And I didn't even if you come up today, because we're doing this today and we're all good.
It all worked out.
Made sure that other things were cool in this situation, like that they you know.
So it's great Hyundai sponsorship, Like.
I do the hell, man, I did not ignore you.
What the hell? How do you find this? Like how does he do that?
Do what?
Yeah?
No, yeah, how do I do what? I don't know?
You're even saying like how do you find random like Hyundai sponsorships for artists?
Like what what is this?
So I Hyundai is that's my my team? Okay, so I'm a partner with Hundai. I have been a Houndai guy forever. Okay, love it. And when they're like who do you love, I'm like, I love her. Let's get her in.
It's that easy.
Hey, let's get her in. Let's promote her. Let's hey, heck, let's throw it, let's break off alltle something for it.
Well, I appreciate you thinking of me for that.
Yeah, because it could have been than you, you know what, It could have been anybody, but it was you, dude. I know what, but ten percent?
Hey, listen, I'll give you. I'll give you twenty you want twenty.
I'm really great to see you, looking forward to seeing this next phase play itself out, and the question like what do you want? It's changed, You've changed, perspective has been what has changed that. And perspective is like the greatest thing we can get, and you don't get perspective without going through hard times. No one in my life has ever got great perspective because everything was fun and easy. Like it is the most valuable tool that you could possibly have, but you have to get it through difficult situations. And I'm very sorry that. I'm very sorry about your brother. I feel terrible for you with what happened with you growing up. But from that you have a toolkit that not only will make you better but will help others, and there's real value in that. So I appreciate you and appreciate the time, and good luck with the music.
Thank you, thanks for having me.
Yeah, there she is. There's nobody clap y
