True Country

In this 2-part episode, the creator and curator of provocative country reporting site Saving Country Music joins the show. Kyle Coroneos has been writing columns, sharing news and information on great up-and-coming artists, and working to speak for the under-represented voices of talent across country music for over 10 years. His work has developed a large following of observers to include fans and long-term loyalists, as well as a few dissenters. Hear Kyle in Part 1 discussing what his goal was when he created Saving Country Music, what he sees from artists and the industry today, and more.

Singer/songwriter Hilary Williams, granddaughter of Hank Williams & daughter of Hank Williams Jr., joins the podcast and tells her story as a member of the most iconic family in country music.

Hilary Williams, granddaughter of the one-and-only Hank Williams, and daughter of country superstar Hank Jr, joins the podcast to talk love for music at an early age in the family (1:47), the car wreck that nearly took her life and was the inspiration for the music on her 1st record (3:04), making her Grand Ole Opry debut, and the talent throughout the Williams family (8:23), the venues and locations that she'd love to play (11:20), the relationship between the Williams family, its legacy on country, and country music fans (12:18), what True Country is to her (15:00), and more.

Rod Picott, singer-songwriter based out of Nashville, joins the podcast to share how he's built a long career with his guitar and the songs he's written.

How does an indie country artist sell out the first 2 live performances of his entire career? Frank Foster takes us through his development into a true country star on this episode … Continue reading FRANK FOSTER

Frank Foster, Nashville-based independent artist with a unique approach to his success, joins the podcast and talks songwriting inspiration, selling out shows before he'd ever played live, what True Country is to him, and more.

Lloyd Maines, prolific musician & producer, father of Dixie Chicks Superstar Natalie Maines, and ACL Hall of Fame inductee joins the podcast! He discusses how he started playing music and where he got his first pedal steel guitar (1:55), developing from a teenage honky-tonk player to studio musician (5:16), the different styles he played that brought him different work (7:00), coming to produce, play, or both on more than 4,000 records (12:27), some of his favorite musicians to work with while making current records (16:53), tough moments in his career (18:50), one of the best decisions he made in his career that lead to his success (22:02), getting to see and contribute to his daughter Natalie’s success with the Dixie Chicks (25:06), what it’s like to be a successful musician and also a father to a superstar artist (27:38), keeping things in perspective while watching his daughter and the Dixie Chicks become wildly successful (28:22), what he’d do differently if starting out today (32:20), a chance encounter with Chuck Berry (39:21), what True Country is to him (44:25), and more.

Radney Foster goes to the well and shares singer-songwriter insights from years in the music biz.

Radney Foster, singer/songwriter with multiple top-ten hits, joins the podcast and discusses starting out as a musician (2:43), answering the call from Nashville (6:25), his development in the songwriting process (10:17), the tough moments in a long career (16:35), personal voices and perspectives that are represented in each song written (18:44), the best moments in a long career (20:54), what he sees in the industry today, and how he would approach it as a newcomer (22:21), what he's working on today (28:00), a unique day of writing with Guy Clark and another unexpected star (31:19), what True Country is to him (35:57), and more.

Country legend and Urban Cowboy Johnny Lee shares personal insights on his storied career!

Country Legend Johnny Lee, the Urban Cowboy, joins the podcast and shares insights on his early career (1:43), how things changed after his success with the classic film 'Urban Cowboy' (4:42), the lows (7:50) and highs (9:33) of a long career in the music business, what he'd do differently if starting his career today (12:03), what True Country is to him (15:12), and more.

Ray Scott, artist and songwriter based in Nashville TN, joins the podcast and tells all about how he started playing music (1:40), his goals when arriving in Nashville (5:07), what it took to get songs cut and progress made in Nashville (7:31), a few key things he learned from that process (11:55), the good and bad of working as an independent writer and artist (17:45) and support for that music (19:54), what he is working on next (27:55), what he’s doing differently with his current efforts with years of experience as a successful independent artist (30:51), what True Country is to him (35:05), and more.

Mike Severson, founder and owner of Songwriter City based in Nashville TN, joins the podcast and talks how he got started in the music business (2:46), making the move to Nashville (6:30), what he experienced during the big radio station consolidations (9:56), some of the high points in his career (15:20), how he started Songwriter City and what his unique shows provide (20:09), what True Country is to him (25:28), and more.

Hall of Fame songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman joins True Country and talks about writing with the biggest names in music, the struggles that come with decades in the business, what … Continue reading BETH NIELSEN CHAPMAN

Beth Nielsen Chapman, Hall of Fame Songwriter with multiple #1 hits to include Strong Enough To Bend (#1 for Tanya Tucker) and Nothin’ I Can Do About It Now (#1 for Willie Nelson) to name a few, Beth is a True Country professional with decades of experience. She joins the podcast and discusses her roots in songwriting (2:00), experiencing and participating in the incredible music from Muscle Shoals (4:25), the top 20 Billboard single "Down on my Knees" being heard for the first time by then-receptionist Trisha Yearwood, through the wall of the publishing company office they worked at together (5:45), the time it took to come back to music after her first major solo effort went nowhere (7:30), one of the Beach Boys pushing Beth to move to Nashville after hearing her songs performed in a lounge in Mobile, AL (9:18), the major struggles in personal life and the industry that she endured during her career (11:00), the high points of her career, including getting a call to write a song personally for Willie Nelson and being inducted into the Hall of Fame (18:32), what True Country is to her (29:13), and more.