YOU THINK FROM YOUR GRANDPARENTS
GRANDPARENTS, HOW DOES IT AFFECT
YOU AND MOVE YOU IN YOUR MUSIC
CAREER?
>> WHEN YOU ARE DOING WHAT WE DO
AND YOU GO FROM NOBODY KNOWS YOU
TO SELLING MILLIONS OF RECORDS
WHAT THEY COULD GET MESSED UP.
YOU COULD GO NUTS.
IN DUMPSTER, I STARTED GETTING
PRETTY UP WITH THESE GUYS
ESPECIALLY ON WHAT KIND OF SONGS
WE SHOULD RECORD.
I GOT COMPETITIVE ABOUT IT I GOT
A PHONE CALL THE DAY AFTER MY
BIRTHDAY AND I’M 98, JANUARY 8
GET A PHONE CALL AND THEY SAY WE
NEED YOU TO COMMENT THE
MANAGER’S OFFICE, WE ARE HAVING
OF MEETING, HAVE A SEAT, THE
MEETING IS ABOUT YOU.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT’S ABOUT ME?
OKAY.
THEY SAID LISTEN, WITH THE TIME
FOR YOU TO LEAVE THE BAND.
THEY SAY YOU GOTTA SHOW IN TWO
DAYS, YOU NEED TO GET YOUR STUFF
OFF THE TOUR BUS, IT’S ALL OVER
JUST LIKE THAT.
SO WHAT CAN I STILL CONTROL?
I WENT DOWN, THERE’S A PENCIL
AND NOTEPAD AND I STARTED
WRITING AND WRITING AND WRITING
AND AFTER ABOUT A YEAR END A
HALF OF EXTENSIVE WRITING, I GET
A RECORD DEAL FROM THE SAME THAT
LONE STAR SIGNED.
HOTDOG, I’M BACK SO I GET SOLO
RECORD AND I GOT MY CONFIDENCE
BACK AND PUT OUT A FIRST SINGLE,
TOTALLY OPPOSITE RADIAL.
A SECOND SINGLE AND DID WORSE
THAN THE FIRST ONE.
THE SECOND SINGLE IS I’M OUT
THERE PROMOTING IT AND DRIVING
TO KENTUCKY VISIT THE RADIO
STATION TO PLAY THE SONG LIVE ON
THE AIR AND ALL THE WAY UP THERE
WE GET PHONE CALL THAT MY RECORD
MUST.
>> I’VE HEARD THOSE SONGS AND
THEY ARE GREAT SONGS.
>> FROM A BAND, YOUR SOLO DEAL
IS OVER LIKE THAT, IT DIDN’T
LAST SIX MONTHS.
NOW WHAT?
NOW YOU’RE REALLY IN TROUBLE AND
AT THAT TIME I’M STILL
CONTENDING TO WRITE AND I’M
GETTING MAD, ANGRY AND I RUN
INTO THIS GUY MAD AND ANGRY, HIS
NAME IS -- CANDY.
>> TELL ME HOW YOU MET BIG CADDY
CADDY.
>> WHOSE PLAYING AROUND
NASHVILLE AND THIS GIRL WAS
TELLING EACH ONE OF US, YOU NEED
TO MEET BIG KENNY AND JOHN
CHRIS, JUST, HE’S PLAYING A
SONG, SEE HIM, I’LL BUY YOU A
DRINK SO I GO OUT THERE AND OF
SITTING IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM
LIKE I DON’T LIKE THIS AND I WAS
LIKE THAT WAS INTERESTING.
I’M A GUY?
I KNOW I’M LOOKING AT.
HIS ENERGY IS OFF THE CHART.
IT GETS OVER AND THEY INTRODUCE
US AND I’D DESCRIBE IT LIKE A
COUPLE OF BIRD DOGS SNIFFING
EACH OTHER OUT AND WE ARE GOING
TO PUT TOGETHER AND FIGHT BUT
OKAY, TOMORROW.
I WAS OCTOBER OF 99.
OUT OF THOSE SONGWRITING
SESSIONS COMES THIS BODY OF WORK
NOT ANYTHING HE COULD HAVE COME
UP ON HIS OWN AND I COULD NOT
HAVE COME UP ON MY OWN AND
NEITHER OF US COULD DEFINE THIS.
IF YOU ASKED HIM FOR ME HOW TO
DEFINE IT, WE CAN’T.
IT’S A CHEMICAL REACTION.
>> TELL ME WHAT IT WAS LIKE WHEN
YOU GOT A RECORD DEAL, WAS THAT
LIKE?
>> NEXT THING WE KNEW WE GOT A
CALL FROM PAUL, ONE OF THE
BIGGEST PRODUCERS IN NASHVILLE
AND GOT A JOB RUNNING WARNER
BROS. RECORDS.
WE CAME IN THINKING WE WERE
PITCHING HIM SONGS FROM MARKINA
PINK BRIDE WHO HE WAS PRODUCING
AND WE GET SINGING AND HE SLAPS
HIS HAND DOWN ON THE TABLE AND
HE GOES WISE, I WANT TO DO THIS
AND WE SAID YOU WANT TO DO WHAT?
HE SAID THIS.
WE SAID YOU KNOW THE SONG?
HE SAID NO, I WANT TO SIGN BIG
AND RICH TO WARNER BROS. RECORDS
RECORDS.
BOOM.
BIGGEST WE WERE HAD IN HAVING
THE TIME OF OUR LIVES, TURNED
THE RECORD IN AND NOT PAUL BUT
THE OTHER PEOPLE AT THE LABEL
SAID OKAY, WE LOVE THE RECORD
EXCEPT THIS ONE SONG THAT SAYS
SAVE A HORSE, RIGHT COWBOY.
♪ SAVE A HORSE ♪
SAVE A HORSE ♪
♪ WRITER COWBOY ♪
♪ RIGHT RIDE A COWBOY ♪
♪ WHILE THE GIRLS ARE DRINKING ♪
♪
[LAUGHTER]
I SAID YOU DON’T LIKE THAT ONE?
THEY GO IT’S JUST -- THEY HAD
THAT LOOK LIKE -- WHAT’S WRONG
WITH IT?
THEY GO IF THAT SONG IS ON BACK,
PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE YOU
SERIOUS AND I SAID JUST MAKE IT
AN ALBUM CUT, THE AREA IN THE
TRACKS, WHO GOT TO PUT IT ON.
OKAY, FINE.
WE’LL LET YOU PUT ON THE RECORD.
FANS ARE BUYING THE RECORDS AND
THEY LISTEN TO IT AND WE GET A
REPORT SOME RADIO STATION DOWN
IN FLORIDA STARTED PLAYING TRACK
SEVEN, SAVE A HORSE, RIDE A
COWBOY AND HE PASSED IT ON TO
ANOTHER STATION AND ANOTHER AND
ANOTHER AND THERE WAS THIS
MOMENT WERE ALWAYS HAVING RADIO
STATIONS ARE PLAYING IT SO A LOT
OF LESSONS YOU LEARN, YOU HAVE
TO FOLLOW YOUR OWN VOICE.
THIS IS THE WAY I’M SUPPOSED TO
MOVE, YOU STEP NO MATTER WHAT
THEY SAY SO I STEPPED INTO
SONGWRITING AND I WROTE HITS FOR
TIM TAYLOR SWIFT, JASON ALBION,
GRETCHEN WILSON AND BIG AND RICH
WHICH MADE ME SONGWRITER OF
FIGURE THREE YEARS IN A ROW, NOT