Skip Happens Podcast - Every Boot Has a Story!

Songs, Grit, And Water At A Wedding - Greylan James

• Skip Clark

Share episode

Send us a text

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/@skiphappenspodcast

SPEAKER_02:

Hello, everybody, and welcome to another edition of Skip Happens. Uh, my name is Skip Clark, of course, your host, and uh, we're talking with a guy, you'll see him there on the screen, uh, whose story feels straight out of uh a country song. And I'll tell you why. His papa handed him a guitar at the age of five. He grows up playing every show he can around Knoxville, I'm told, then moves to Nashville, becomes one of the most in-demand young songwriters in town. I know for a fact he's written for Kenny, Cole Swindell, Chris Young, Billy Zimmerman. I think he had a track on the Morgan Wallen album. Um, we talked about that when he was in town here. Of course, uh, he got his ACM song of the year with the Jordan Davis song. Uh, next thing you know. How about this? Wait till you have kids and water at a wedding. If you don't know who I'm talking to, this to give you a little idea.

SPEAKER_00:

I couldn't help but notice. You're drinking water at your wedding girl. Ain't no bubbles up in the drink. If I'm a bedding man, I'm bedding girl. You're scared of devil up the small top thing. I think the tears ain't happy tears. I think you don't love him at all. I think the two pink lines appear. Now you can't have no alcohol. Daddy's shotgun and your mama's pearls. Drinking water.

SPEAKER_02:

If you still do that, no. Maybe this will bring back memories here. Listen. That's when we brought up the steroids. Playing the son of the wolf.

SPEAKER_00:

Listen up. Here we go. Wait till you have kids. Wait till you're there, Superman. Wait till they're your whole life. Right now, you think you've grown up, think you know what tough and tired of real love is. Wait till you have kids.

SPEAKER_02:

There he is. Everybody say hello to my friend Graylin James is with us here tonight. What's up, brother? It's so good to see you.

SPEAKER_01:

What's up, bro? So excited to be here. Chilling with you dogs.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it's good to see you, man. We had you in town, I know with the radio station uh a while ago. We did what we call a um what's next private listener showcase. Yeah, and uh Wait Till You Have Kids was the one that we were playing on the radio. And uh now, of course, it's Water at a Wedding, which is pre is that actually older than Wait Till You Have Kids? Because I remember hearing that song like long before the other.

SPEAKER_01:

It's gotta be Yeah. So no, I mean Wait to Have Kids was uh a song that I wrote, I think it was like two or three years ago, but was kind of sitting on it for a minute. Um and yeah, I was just trying to figure out you know what I wanted uh to put out, but then uh my record label got heard Wait to Have Kids and was like, man, you gotta put that song out. And uh it really struck a chord with a lot of people. So uh yeah, when it went with that song for a little bit and uh was really blessed with it. But um yeah, I uh I read what her at a wedding and I was like, Yeah, this is the this is the one that I feel like could change things for me. And um you know, we're just trying to find the right time, and yeah, it did. Yeah, it's been uh it's been a roller coaster.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, I I have to ask for anyone who doesn't know you yet, and I don't know if that's even possible because you're doing so well, how would you describe Grayland James in about 10 seconds? How would you do that?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh man, I think just uh stories. Um, I think that that's uh what I've been trying to do with uh especially my last few releases is kind of just uh thread a story and uh kind of walk people through through my life, but also uh hopefully take a little bit of their journey uh with me as well. And um yeah, I would just say stories is kind of what what I'm trying to do with my music.

SPEAKER_02:

And because you're a songwriter, and it's all about stories. I love that. So you know, you gotta take us back. Your papa gave you a guitar at the young age of five.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And do you still remember that?

SPEAKER_01:

Do you yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_02:

And was it uh, you know, was it a hit in your household?

SPEAKER_01:

It wasn't a hit in the household, but um, it was it was a loud, uh, a loud experience, I think, for everybody. But um, yeah, I remember uh getting that guitar. It was just a a guitar you got into Kmart. And um it was supposed to be just another toy uh under the Christmas tree, but uh you know, I looked at it like, oh my gosh, like that's that's what I want to do. I want to be a you know play guitar and be a country singer. And so I uh the story goes, I played that thing till my fingers bled that Christmas night and just never put it down. Oh my god. And uh before I knew it, they were like my entire family just said, yo, if you're gonna be singing and uh playing guitar, like you might as well be good at it. So started taking guitar lessons and singing lessons, and yeah, kind of never stopped from there.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, but when did the songwriting come into play? Because really, I mean, before these songs hit the radio, I mean, you you're on so many other songs. Tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean, songwriting was kind of a uh up and down journey for me when I first did it. I I gotta give credit to Taylor Swift. Uh, because from afar, I remember being 11 and 12 years old, and that was when she first started to kind of pop off. Um, and all I heard about in school was just how Taylor Swift is this girl that's writing songs about her her boyfriends and ex-boyfriends and all that. And even just then, I heard about a girl that wrote songs, and I thought that was so cool that um somebody was writing songs that you know people were connecting to, even in my age, and um, so I wanted to do that. And I started writing about the girls I was dating in middle school and high school, and um, but they were terrible. That that was the problem, is they were they were bad songs, and so yeah, do you remember the very first song you wrote? Yeah, the first time I wrote was uh about my grandmother passing away. Um, because uh yeah, my my family they were really struggling with that, it was unexpected, and uh you know, and at that time I was just starting to kind of learn guitar chords and writing songs, and so I wanted to write a song for it. And so I I sang that at the funeral. I remember that being the first time I made people, you know, like obviously, you know, cry with my my singing, guitar playing that was because of songwriting. So um, yeah, I definitely think that that had an impact on me. But um even then this that song was you know it was sentimental, but it was uh not great, and so um never is, but it's awesome. No, no, yeah, you know, but it uh it was definitely a uh kind of a life-altering experience, and um I just kept trying to ride and get better, and um that really didn't happen until I got to Nashville, but uh yeah, I've I've always had a kind of a bug for it.

SPEAKER_02:

I love it. You know, you were talking about Taylor, and um I gave her one of her first radio interviews, and she might have been only 17 and she had come out with Tim McGraw. So if you were 12 and so you were right right there, yeah, yeah. I mean, how cool is that? And to be a fan of you know, of what she was doing.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I'm I'm I'm really blessed that you know I uh I came up in a time where yeah, there was somebody that was you know in in middle school and high school, and kind of in uh just earshot that was doing that. And I remember she was uh on my hometown station, W IBK, um, and just hearing hearing her on the radio, and uh again, everybody really just talked about how this young girl is such a great songwriter. So um, I'm definitely thankful I had that inspiration uh you know from afar because that really uh introduced me to songwriting.

SPEAKER_02:

Is uh W I V K, that's a froggy station, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I I think so. I think so. I think so.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, all right, but back to back in uh tennis. That's right. Yeah, tell me about your hometown. Tell me about your hometown.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, again, man, I've I've just been blessed with uh with where I've grown up and how I did. But um I growing up there, you know. I grew up down the road from Kenny Chestney, where he grew up. Uh he's from Knoxville, uh Morgan Wallins from uh within five minutes of me, and uh Kelsey Ballerini, same thing, five minutes away. Um, and then further back, you know, Chet Atkins grew up, you know, probably about 10 or 15 minutes down the road from my childhood house, and then Dolly Parton from out there.

SPEAKER_02:

Um dude, how cool is that to know that you you were brought up in that neighborhood.

SPEAKER_01:

Insane.

SPEAKER_02:

That's that is insane.

SPEAKER_01:

There's something in the water out there in each other.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you think it had a lot to do with why you're doing what you're doing?

SPEAKER_01:

I I definitely think so. I I think it more had what to do. I guess it more had more influence on me just moving to Nashville and uh also an influence on the people around me. Um, because when I you know what to tell people I wanted to be a country singer when I grow up, it wasn't that crazy because uh there were so many people that did that around me. And um even you know, there was a bunch of songwriters from out there. I mean, Travis Hill, uh Screw Scooter Caruso's from out there, and um you know, so I I I think really growing up there um helped me tell my parents, you know, hey, I'm not gonna go to college, I'm gonna move to Nashville, be a country music singer. I was gonna ask you about that. Okay, yeah, I you know, I just had the blueprint from all these people that had done it before me. So um, you know, it's not like I grew up somewhere where you know chasing dreams was you know such a uh a taboo thing, you know. For me, it was um it was what people from eCinnessee did a lot of times. We grew up loving country music and around country music. So um for me to chase that wasn't wasn't that crazy.

SPEAKER_02:

So when did you make the the move though? You go from a songwriter to being an artist. How did all that happen? Did somebody say, Hey, you're writing these great songs, why not perform these great songs? Or how did all that go down?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, no, for me it was uh it was crazy because you know, growing up I wanted to be a country singer, not a songwriter, even though I was writing songs, um, you know, I wanted to be the one singing them. And um to back up, even when I was 17 or 18, I uh yeah, I was gonna move to Nashville to sign a publishing deal. There was this lady named Leslie De Piro who's married to a Hall of Fame songwriter, Bob De Piro. And um together they had a publishing company and they saw me on YouTube one night and offered me a publishing deal, and I didn't know what that was. But um, and for people that don't know what it is, it's just basically a company that calls you and then they pay you to uh write songs. And you know, they'll they'll take those songs and try to get other bigger artists to record them, or just wait for for you to record them yourself and uh make them big. So uh yeah, they offered me twelve thousand dollars, moved to Nashville and write songs, and I thought that meant write songs and put them out, but uh I figured out really fast that I was I was bad, you know. I was I was really bad, and um I just wasn't prepared to write songs with other people and it it really set me back.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, I felt insecure and why do you think, Grayland? If you don't mind me asking, why do you think that set you back? I mean, just because you felt insecure, maybe you inside said, What am I doing? I don't think I can do this.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it was just you know, I mean a small fish in a massive pond, you know, where I was like, you know, but if you don't do it, you don't know. No, I didn't, and you know, I but it was the first time I didn't know how to get better. Um and yeah, felt just like I didn't have control. You know, I had control over moving to Nashville and uh had control of picking up guitars and uh singing at you know little hometown spots, but uh I felt out of control, you know. I I didn't have uh I didn't have the power of just making myself famous, you know. It was uh it's just this thing. I didn't know I didn't know how to write a good song, I didn't know what it was. Um and uh you know it turns out I lost that first publishing deal after two years. They dropped me, which is basically fancy word for being fired. And uh so they let me go. And then um for six months, seven months, I didn't have uh I didn't have any form of income. I was living with uh with a buddy here in Nashville and um and his wife, and and then I had a another buddy that was writing for another company in town, and they were also a very small company in Nashville. Um but he convinced this guy that was running this company to to take a chance on me and sign me. Um and the guy told me he's like, Look, I I really don't believe in you. I don't think your songs are that good. Uh I don't like what you're doing with this whole pop country thing, but um, I'm gonna give you a year because I like you and I like your friend. Um, I'm gonna give you a year to write songs for me and just try to find something else. And uh thank God he did because that gave me another 12 months of just really having to figure it out back up against the wall. And um, that's where I fell in love with songwriting was because I kind of had to, and I I uh Yeah, but that was a hurdle and you got over it. Yeah, yeah. Well, I'm super competitive. I I hate being bad at something. Uh all my friends know that. Anybody that watches this and knows me will be like, yeah, that makes sense. But uh I hate being bad at something, I hate not being good, and um I wanted to figure out how to be better, and so I just started uh studying the living hell out of it. And yeah, yeah. I listened to a uh I get you. Yeah, I listened to an old Dominion record, looked at the lyrics, and I kind of figured out what they were doing. They were writing songs like poems, they were describing sunsets in ways that I didn't know how to do that. They were using wordplay and all this stuff, and I was like, oh man, I I I figured it out.

SPEAKER_02:

And uh ever since then it was kind of a uh I don't know, it just kind of clicked, and beyond that, I yeah, being a songwriter, one of the the big things is that uh you need to learn how to put a play on words, you need you know, yeah, you need to learn how to do that. I I think uh I when I hear the new Lee Bryce song Kill the Man, yeah, I'm going, that's a hell of a play on words. When you listen to the song, it's not you know, you hear the title, but then you go into it, and we all know that Lee's a great songwriter, so that's exactly it. You gotta have a be able to put a good play on words.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, absolutely. Yeah, uh, and I I I didn't know that the first few years I was here, and then um, yeah, figure that out. And I don't know, it just kind of uh all changed for me. Um uh before I knew it. Yeah, people were recording my songs, and I fell into the whole songwriter thing, but I love that's so cool.

SPEAKER_02:

That is so cool. I have so much respect for the songwriters, and a lot of people don't even think the songwriters they hear the songs and they think it's a great song, but you gotta look a little bit further on because it's people like you in the small print, yeah, yeah. Like Rail and James, you know, and you got a song on the Morgan Wallen album. I mean, we talked about that when you played here in Syracuse, and that is you've done that, man. Uh to be picked out of how many songs to be put on that album. One of them is yours.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that was a crazy, that was a crazy experience. I uh I kind of felt down. I've I've been on a lot of like records I wanted to be on, and uh, but you know, Morgan was one that you know, growing up in Knoxville, I wanted to to be on those records, and so you know, to miss out on the on dangerous, uh, one thing at a time, was it one thing at a time? I think it was the last one. Uh yeah, and then uh yeah, I just was like, I you know, I want to be on those records. They're they're so big and they're so influential, but um also all my friends uh have been on those records, and I was like, damn, you know, I I I can't be the guy left out. So I I was chasing that for for five, six years, and then uh finally got one on there. And um, it's it's funny because it's also a song that talks about Tennessee baseball, which for me, you know, was uh a cool thing being from Knoxville. So to get that in there, that was pretty sick. But uh yeah, I mean that's those albums are huge, and um, you know, to be part of a career, Black Morgan's uh especially being from the same hometown, it's uh it's definitely a bucket list thing.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, are you a uh baseball player? Were you a baseball player?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I was the baseball player back in the day.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I mean, did you play in college or was it high going up? Well, all right, where did you play? Did you play?

SPEAKER_01:

Did you watch I ran into high school and then uh I I got homeschooled, uh I got sophomore year of high school and then uh to to do the whole music thing and then uh watch from afar. But uh definitely loved it growing up. That's where I think I got my competitive straight.

SPEAKER_02:

We're a big uh yeah, we're a big baseball family here, and of course, our team is the New York Mets. Sorry, but uh yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Hey, I'm I'm a Braves fan. Oh my god. Sorry, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

No, that's okay. It's all right, it's all right, but um, you know, we're a big baseball family, and then I know a lot of people in your position now, a lot of artists in Nashville. Uh, I mean, look at Morgan, he played in the Little League World Series. He uh, you know, my son did too, by the way. But yeah, but he was uh he played in the challenger lead, but it was pretty cool. Pretty cool, but still, oh my god, it's just just awesome. But uh, you know, um having that opportunity is just wonderful. But it's so cool when I hear that uh artists like you, songwriters like you, you know, baseball is your second love. That that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Braves fan, yeah. I mean, it's the closest thing to uh to East Tennessee. Either that or being a Reds fan, which uh you know oh my wife is a huge Cincinnati fan.

SPEAKER_02:

The Reds, she's all about the Reds. She goes back to the Johnny Bench days. I mean, let's it's like wow, it's crazy. But uh let me ask you now you've written songs, uh, Luke Combs, Chris Young, uh so many more. Uh be honest, do you remember where you were when one of those artists first cut your song?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I I pretty much remember where I was for for all of them because it's it's such a monumental thing. Uh okay. Somebody that you've you've listened to for a long time or that you hear all the time on the radio, uh, when they take a chance, you know, I I know what that feels like now being an artist myself, you know, how how big of a deal it is to to record a song, put it out. Um, I'd say, you know, for me, like Kenny Chesney was you know, he's such a monumental part of my life. Uh just going back to when I was just growing up as a kid, I I absolutely I wanted to be Kenny Chesney when I grew up. And uh so when I was um I'd say I was 22 years old, and I I wrote a song that talked about palm trees in the chorus, and somehow Kenny heard the song and recorded it. And uh, but for me, you know, when he he called me to let me know that uh the song was going to radio, um, I knew that that was gonna change my life. And you know, it's just such a I mean, the financial impact of me, I was broke as hell. I was eating tomato soup every day and ramen noodles, and uh my dad was actually in town and we were uh we were taking a nap on the couch and I got that phone call, and my my phone was on my chest, and I remember just answering it. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_02:

Um's this? What?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean it was when he called me. It was a block number, you know, and it says like private number, and I was like, either, you know, either Kenny Chesney's calling me or I'm getting sold car insurance. And uh and it turns out, you know, it was Kenny, and uh yeah, bro. I I I remember just playing it cool on the phone. I'm like, oh man, so you know, acting like I've been there before. Oh, that's so sick, dude. You know, let me know how it goes, whatever. And then get off the phone and just screaming. And I was just gonna ask, what happened when you hung up? So you know, I I'd be all over the place. Yeah, I definitely ran around and you know, me and my dad ran in the backyard and uh with my dog, and we're just freaking out because I, you know, I just knew that however it was gonna change my life, however big, I knew it was gonna make a massive impact on it. And so uh yeah, it it really did. That was the a turning point for me. And um, you know, and since then it's been a uh it's been a really fun journey.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you do do you ever like kind of pinch yourself and go, damn, look what I've done. This is effing crazy. I've done this and I've done that, and I've I've written these songs and they've become big hits. And you smile every day when you walk out to the mailbox. Uh, you know what I mean? It's wow. Do you have to what do you think? What do you do you ever get that moment where you're like sitting in a in the chair with the television on and go, holy crap, I'm doing this?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh it's never it's never really that. I mean, I think that um, you know, I definitely feel blessed, obviously. Um, you know, if I if I could go back to being 18 years old and see, you know, where I'm at now, um, I'd definitely be like, holy crap, you know, but uh I think just the way the the music business and entertainment, honestly, just live, you know, the way it it kind of goes, you know, with more uh with more work becomes more stress, you know, and you just become more busy and um you know you kind of see how the sausage is made, and you're like, oh my gosh, like it's even when the song gets recorded, well then you hope it makes it to the radio, and makes it to the radio. You hope that it keeps climbing up the charts, and then it's climbing up the charts, and you're watching. Like making sure that the charts and go back and forth.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I was gonna ask, how how much do you watch that? Because I don't know if it's good to watch it. I think I would wait a little bit and then go back, but uh I get the excitement and I get the you know the feeling of watching a song climb the charts, but I don't if I saw it going the other way, I'd be like, Oh crap, what now what's going on?

SPEAKER_01:

So I I think depends on you know how how big the song is, you know, just in in the world. I think uh, you know, for for my Kenny song, it was uh during COVID, so it was like who knows who knows what's going on, you know. Um watching it was a emotional roller coaster that definitely took exactly life took years off my life, but uh and then uh with the next thing you know, that was a song that um it took like 15 weeks since it was tell everybody what song was that.

SPEAKER_02:

I want you to tell everybody.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, next thing you know, I wrote that for Jordan Davis.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh yeah, and what about the Kenny song?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh Kenny, uh it was uh Happy Is as Happy Does. Uh yeah, I wrote that song for him. Um and since then I had a had a few more uh with him.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh go ahead, name them, throw them out there.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah. I wrote uh he put out a new album um called Born. Uh I think it was this year or last year, and and uh it was a really cool story. So I also wrote a song called Come Here, Go Away. That's on that album, too. But um the title of the track Born, I wrote that song. Um kind of like freshly out of COVID. And uh I've really gotten into golf, and so I was out golfing one day, and I was actually with my dad, and uh Kenny called me to tell me he was recording it, and he wanted to match the demo, which had a bunch of like gang vocals, which gang vocals is just it sounds like there's a crowd singing along with the vocalists on the uh on the song, and so um he wanted he wanted that, but he wanted there to be more like girls singing with him on the song. He's like, bro, can you get a bunch of girls over to your house and record record this song? And I was like, Oh yeah, dude, like I'll do that after I get done golfing. Like, I know so many girls, and uh and so I looked at my dad, I was like, Yeah, we gotta we gotta wrap up golf, we gotta go back to the house. And uh, and so I had my dad just sing the song over and over and over and over in my stuff in my little studio that I had uh back then, and uh and I just pitch shifted my dad's voice. I mean, probably a million different ways, and I sent sent it back to Kenny, and he thought it was a bunch of girls. He was like, Oh my god, like those how many girls did you have your house? I'm like, Oh, so many. And uh the place was packed. Yeah, the place was packed, and then uh you know the track listing came out, the album came out. My dad one got the the copy at Walmart, uh back in Knoxville. And uh when you open it and you read the credits, it says vocals, Kenny Chesney, and then it says my dad's name right after uh oh how cool, then it says mine after that. So uh yeah, it's pretty cool. So yeah, so my dad made a he made a Kenny Chesney album.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my god, that's so cool. Tell me about the relationship with your dad. You've mentioned him quite a few times. Yeah, uh, you play golf with him, he seems to get involved with your recordings, uh your songwriting. How is that relationship? That's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01:

That's been great, man. I mean, my my entire family's been super supportive uh from the very beginning, and um you know, made a lot of sacrifices. I think uh anybody that you know chases a dream in any family, you know, they have to have the the support uh somebody there. And uh luckily I have my my whole family, they're all like super proud of me anytime I'm playing a show within you know, probably 300 miles. Uh I'm gonna have uh entire crew there, and so um I've been super blessed.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. What do you um what comes first when you're writing? When Grayline James sits down to write, is it the title, is it the hook, or the therapy session?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, probably uh a little bit of all that. I think uh definitely the therapy part is part of I think every song I've been writing lately. But um, yeah, I think that uh titles typically what I it's like what I like to start with, I think. And um I think just mainly because I I I just want to kind of see the movie playing in my head. Yeah, yeah. Uh I don't know. And then uh just yeah, a cool concept is always it's always just a fun thing to chase and you know, and and and to either make up or uh you know walk through and in real life.

SPEAKER_02:

And uh so if somebody wants to do what you're doing being a songwriter, which it's like the uh the hero that's not recognized because, like I said a few minutes ago, I mean you're putting all the songs together and somebody else is singing them, but for the most part, now you're doing your own thing. But what what advice would you give to somebody that wants to be a songwriter? What should they do?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh man, I think uh you know, a big part of it I would say is just finding favorite songs of yours and the songs that make you cry, laugh, uh, drink a beer, whatever it is, and figure out why it makes you feel those things and what to do those things. Um what makes them great, what makes them connect to you, and try to apply that same knowledge and that same feeling to your own stories and yeah, to your own imagination. I think that I didn't know what made my favorite songs my favorite songs for a long time. And when I figured that out, um it changed everything for me. So um I think just kind of peeling back the curtain, studying them and uh find your favorite songwriters, whether it's the artists that's singing them too, or whether it's the behind the curtain people, you know, people that are in in the studios writing songs. I think just figure out what their techniques are. I think it's like a you know, an NFL quarterback, dude. You think it's as simple as picking up a court uh football and throwing it, but there's a lot more details that you're not a Phillies fan.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm not no, no, no, okay, good, because they lost three in a row, they lost another one last night.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah, I'm just kind of curious.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I got both lots.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm a Titans fan, dude.

SPEAKER_02:

So we oh, okay, all right. Yeah, well, I get that. I get that. Of course, of course. So you're living in Nashville now. That's right. What part of town are you in?

SPEAKER_01:

Of Mount Julia, Tennessee. Oh, okay. So I home about like 25 minutes uh each.

SPEAKER_02:

Outside of town. Yeah, yeah. On a good day, it's a 25-minute drive.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, hey, then today when it when I'm I when I get up, it's 25 minutes. When everybody else gets up, I think it's uh yeah, 45, 50.

SPEAKER_02:

So you say when you get up, I mean what are you you up super early? You're out the door early. What are you what's what's you oh late? Yeah, yeah. I was gonna say because musicians or songwriters, you're never up early unless you got a flight to go to another radio show or something. Other than that, uh yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean when I'm getting home and when I'm home and having to drive into Nashville, it's usually when I've I was flying in the next the day before and I uh I slept in and needed it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, absolutely. Um, water at a wedding. Wow, you know, I mean that's on the radio now, and uh, I'm watching it grow, although we've heard that for quite a while now. And I know you played it when you played here in the Syracuse area. Uh, but tell me a little bit, is that a real life experience? You went to somebody's wedding and it you it was an old flame, and uh it's like wow, but why is she drinking water speaking, right? Yeah, is there something going on? You know, read between the lines a little bit, but tell us about that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I mean, I think uh you know, uh it's no secret to my family and to my friends, and I mean, I'd say to a lot of people I work with that um I I've kept my my personal life pretty low-key. Um and a lot of that's been because I I've just been so married to my career. Um, and so I've been married to my career, I've watched other people I've dated marry other people and uh and go down through that whole thing. And um yeah, this year I I finally wanted to kind of let people in on myself because I've just been kind of putting out songs that I thought were other people's lives and you know it was really cool. And um, I was honestly taking a songwriter approach of just writing other people's stories and instead of telling my own. And so um I got to the point where I just wanted to put out a song that uh was really personal to me, and it doesn't get more personal than water at a wedding, obviously. And um it was so personal that I I was afraid to put it out myself. You know, I I teased it for the first time on a fake account that had zero followers, and um, I did that just because I wanted to hit people that just didn't know who I was, right? Exactly, you know, I can just but you know, and and just see what happened. And uh I thought I'd get you know 100, 200 views max. Yeah, I got millions of views, and uh all of a sudden that fake account was you know is I'm getting more views than my main one. Yeah, it was great.

SPEAKER_02:

You brought up a good point, Grayland, that uh you're married to your job, and there comes a time where Graylin James, maybe you don't want to be Grayland James for a day, you know what I mean? You want to go out and do things that you want to do. I've had people come up to me, some very good friends of mine, and I've been doing the radio thing for a long time is Skip Clark. They're like, you know, don't I don't want you to be Skip Clark. You need to take take a break from that for a day, you know. Because you you know, being who you are and being who I am and what I do, you feel that you always got to be on, you gotta shake hands, you gotta talk to people, you gotta be nice, you gotta do everything you gotta do. But you know what? To be honest with you, it gets tiring. Although, yeah, yeah, you know, so you need to take that break. And I'm I'm so glad somebody told me that doing what I do, and I'm telling you, you need to take a break too, but but not a break like a break, you know what I mean? Just yeah, of course, maybe take a day and uh maybe go hit a baseball or go hit a golf ball or go fishing, hunting, just break away from it, you know.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah. I'm I'm looking forward to the Christmas break coming up there. Yeah, I was gonna ask.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so the Christmas break is right around the corner. I know the charts uh they shut down here in a couple of weeks, so you don't have to worry about watching it. But um, so are you off the road now? Or you gotta you got more shows before the holiday, or well, how's that working out for you?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I'm actually heading to uh tomorrow morning and heading up to uh Albany, New York.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh, GNA?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I think I'm I'm I'm heading up there and uh doing some stuff and then um then heading out to Long Island. Uh and then after that, bro, I'm uh I'm chilling. And uh I'm really looking forward to just relaxing and uh hanging out with my my dog and um yeah, just catching up all sleep. It's been uh it's been a a great, but yeah, really, really long year. And it's just an emotional year again, like um you know, going through the whole water at a wedding thing, you know, let letting people in on that part of your life, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

It's uh did that hurt I mean, did yeah, you know? Yeah, I mean the the whole thing was uh yeah, definitely a uh maybe that's a stupid question, and I apologize for asking that, but um no, it's just sometimes the heart works in mysterious ways.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, no, for sure. I mean it it's uh it's been one of those those songs that you know letting people in on that that part of my life. Um, you know, I I took that chance and uh I let people in on that that part of things and I didn't really know what all that entailed, and it's been it's been amazing to see how people uh connect to something that they've never been through. You know, that's um that's a song that I thought was a original experience, and uh it's definitely uh it's it's really connected with a lot of people, and so um yeah, it it definitely hurt, you know. I mean, getting uh text from friends and family and people that were involved but not involved and all that stuff. But uh more than anything, it's been amazing to see people uh just sing that song and um and sing it back to me. So uh yeah, man, I'm uh blessed.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm just looking at some of the comments here, getting quite a few of those. Uh and uh let's see here. Britt, uh so proud of you, Grayland. Hope to see you in 2026. Dude, your fan base is yeah, they crush, man.

SPEAKER_01:

They crush.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh oh yeah, there's Britt again. So that's pretty cool. Yeah, yeah. Listening and editing, that's so cool. So um let me just click that here. I'm trying to do five things at once here. I do I do my own thing just like you do your own things.

SPEAKER_03:

I love it, dude. Hell yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So do you have a studio in the home now?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, bro. I'm actually sitting in my studio right now. Uh it's my my upstairs, and it's uh it's a lot nicer than what uh what I started with and where I wrote most of my early stuff.

SPEAKER_02:

Cool, cool. Yeah, so how long have you been there?

SPEAKER_01:

Bro, I've been uh I've been in Nashville 10. This is my 10th year. Uh and so uh, but I've been in the uh Mount Julia for for a year. I got you. And uh I live uh I live right around the corner from my buddy George Burge.

SPEAKER_02:

He lives uh like George and I are really good friends, and I'm not just throwing that name out there. We text each other all the time. Um, he's just we had him back here again for his show and just love him and the family, and uh that's cool. So if you do see him, if you do see him, tell him Skip said hello.

SPEAKER_01:

I see him every morning, dude. He's he's just walking around with his kids and uh and his wife and uh Brandon Lancaster from Lanco. He lives in uh yeah, yeah, and then uh yeah, a bunch of bunch of great songwriters live in this neighborhood. So I've um yeah, I've been just loving uh being around people uh in the music business, but not too close to them. It's been uh it's it's been a dope place to live. Yeah, um Albany's gonna be cold, just telling you, and there's I think uh they love sending me to the northeast when it's cold, dude. Uh I think it's just to challenge me to to drink with everybody up there, which I uh accept every single time now.

SPEAKER_02:

Bring bring gloves and dress warm if you're heading to Albany, and that's right through away from where we are. I'll get another. Oh, yeah. So uh, what do you drink? Do you are you a jack drinker?

SPEAKER_01:

Or yeah, I mean I'm an alcohol drinker besides vodka. I think uh that I've walked straight away from vodka. I went out with uh way too many girls that drank that when I first started drinking.

SPEAKER_02:

So I feel another song coming out.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, vodka brings up bad memories.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh man, what about winter jack? Have you ever had winter jack? I have Jack Daniel Jack, yeah. Like apple cider.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's that's dangerous. I've uh it's very I've had some crazy Christmases with uh Winter Jack for sure.

SPEAKER_02:

I love that, I love that, and uh let's see here. Um I don't know if somebody was trying to read what they're saying. All right, never mind. Uh, what's the most Tennessee thing about you?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh man, um I mean, you know, writing country music, uh, I think it's a big one, but uh I'm a massive Tennessee Vols fan. Um, yeah, I I bleed orange. Uh anything Tennessee, bro.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm uh we bleed orange, but it's not Tennessee. It's yeah, it's a different orange.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, y'all put you watch the basketball game.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I know. Did you watch the basketball game?

SPEAKER_01:

I did, unfortunately.

SPEAKER_02:

I was about to go on stage when uh when I was at that game 62 to 60.

SPEAKER_01:

That sucked. That was unbelievable. Stuff, you know what? Like, I I knew y'all were better than what y'all played like in uh in Vegas, and so uh yeah, yeah, y'all were y'all were doing do a game.

SPEAKER_02:

I just nothing better than going to a game, it's always a lot of fun. Um, what would be your Chick-fil-A drive-through order?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh man, I usually do the spicy chicken sandwich with a certain joy. Uh but then uh you know, for breakfast it's uh the chicken minis.

SPEAKER_02:

So you being a songwriter, is there any song that you wish you had written?

SPEAKER_01:

That you oh yeah, I've got uh I've definitely got like a list um that I've been working on.

SPEAKER_02:

Um do you steal ideas from certain songs or you keep it all?

SPEAKER_01:

No, but I I definitely like you know, try to live up to, I mean, I mean, I love I love our format and you know, I just love country music. Um and so I always try to try to do it proud, man. I you know, when I when I was a kid and when I was a teenager especially, and I was kind of living the songs I was listening to. Um, you know, I I try to remember that there's kids out there that you know are living the same kind of life, you know, and going through the same heartbreaks and um moving away from home, going to college, again, you know, getting broken up with, breaking up with somebody, um, losing to a parent, losing their dog, whatever. You know, they're they're kind of retreating the music to uh to heal those things and um to live their lives through. And so uh yeah, I'm always trying to remember how my favorite songs affected me and helped me through things, and uh so I'm always trying to do that. I mean a song that I wish I'd written though. Um I Love the Good Stuff by Kenny Chesney. Uh that's one of my favorite songs of all time. Um He Stop Loving Her Today, I think is original greatest songs of all time. Um, yeah, and I can go on and on. I've got I've got I've got kind of good rankings, but I love that you know, we won't go through those.

SPEAKER_02:

No, that's okay. Uh if you could collaborate, I I'm sure everybody asks you this question, but if you could collaborate with anybody, male or female, dead or alive, who would that be?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, man. I mean, I Kenny Chesney was a big one for me. So, you know, knocking that one off, uh, it's been awesome. I'd still love to uh have a a feature, and I think one day we'll do that.

SPEAKER_02:

But uh it might happen, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah. I think we're we've we've gone back and forth about a few things on that, but um, you know, he's he's definitely up there. But um I always try to like shoot super high. Um right now, you know, Tate McCray's been uh following me on uh you know following a few of my songs and so and commenting on a few of them. So um she's pop star, so right now, you know, it'd be it'd be awesome to uh to kind of do that thing and bring uh bring her even more into country music. But um, you know, and I'd say dead. Uh Glenn Fry from the Eagles would have been really cool. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, absolutely. Have you seen the Eagles? You ever had a chance to do it?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I've never I've I've never seen the Eagles. I've uh I've actually played with Vince Gill before, like I didn't so you know, but but not one not one of the OGs, no. I've never I've never uh seen them. I I'd I'd love to you know one day take my my family out to to Vegas and Sphere and you know see that.

SPEAKER_02:

But uh I'd love to see the sphere. I haven't I haven't had the opportunity. I just see the pictures.

SPEAKER_01:

I saw Kenny at the sphere a few times.

SPEAKER_02:

Um have you played Vegas at all? Have you been able to do any shows there?

SPEAKER_01:

I actually played in Vegas on Sunday night. Uh played uh I played at the Palms out there, so uh still recovering from that. No, it was uh it was a radio show, so I played with uh Prison Cooper and Vincent.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh yeah, we've had them all.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, and Dasha and Bread, dude. So it was it was a good little time out there, yeah. We uh we had fun.

SPEAKER_02:

I love it, I love it. Um what um all right, so your full tell me about your band and how would your band describe you? How let me I put it in quotes here. My band would describe me as blank on the road.

SPEAKER_01:

Um uh tough one. I I would say dramatic, I would say dramatic. Are you dramatic? No, no, no, no, only because only because going through uh you you don't go you don't write a song of the water at a wedding and some of the songs that have come out since then without having a very interesting love life, obviously. Uh right, right. And and for reference, I've I've played, I think, 220 shows this year. And yeah, I've been gone only, I've been exclusively gone, and so I'm gone with my band. And so uh I'm an external processor, so going through those things, I had to have somebody to talk to, and that's my band. So uh being with them that much and going through that much, they know more about you than anybody. They know all that yeah, they know where all the bodies are buried for sure.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, exactly. You're all on the tour bus, you're all in a bunk, you're all doing whatever, hanging out together, drinking together, just having a fun in between gigs, and I'm sure the stories come out soon. Yeah, oh yeah, yeah. Pretty cool stuff. Um, let me ask um what's the difference between writing a hit and performing a hit?

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, definitely performing. Um I think writing hit, you never know that you're writing one when you're doing it. Uh I've I've never known that like I've I've I've had a few and it's been I'm I'm I'm blessed to say that, but uh I never knew ever uh that I was writing a song that was gonna change my life um or affect people like they have. And so um but yeah, when you're performing them, it's uh it's insane to see people singing it back to you and you know, and hearing the stories after the shows of people walking up and being like, That song was this and meant this to me and all that stuff.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah, that's that's gotta be so just so gratifying to hear, you know, they hear a certain song, you as a songwriter, you know, like that was me. Thank you for saying that. Thank you for writing that. Thank you. Because it made me realize, yeah, I love that. I love that. You know, Knoxville raised you. What's the biggest way your hometown still shows up in your music?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh man, I think uh it's been really cool to see Knoxville like kind of stand up as like a uh a go-to place to write about and sing about country music. Um a lot of people uh when I even just play shows, you know, I'll say, you know, I'm Grayland James, I'm from Knoxville, Tennessee, and uh I always get a big cheer for that. Um I think just in uh you know the way that we communicate, and I think it's just having an appreciation for so many different things about life, man. I mean, you know, growing up around nature with the smoky mountains, and um you know, there's a lot of God, and I think that that comes through our music, and so uh yeah, it I think it really affects uh every angle of my life, my career, and yeah, definitely my music.

SPEAKER_02:

So uh I'm gonna put you on the spot. What do you remember about Syracuse? Oh man, you know what? Uh dude, I didn't mean to do that to you because in all due respect, you did two over 200 shows. You never and and I totally get it. I don't know how you as an artist do it. You have to keep a diary, I guess, of who I would say this.

SPEAKER_01:

I I would say this. I uh I remember my radio rep or my sorry, my publisher who used to be a radio rep for Big Loud is from Syracuse. And uh one of my closest friends has a songwriter's name's Zach Alban. He's on the uh he co-wrote uh my that's my favorite country song for for Hardy. Uh he's also from Syracuse, and so uh I remember them just hyping me up. They're like, Oh dude, you're gonna have the best time in Syracuse. And I'm like, Yeah, you gotta hit. They sent me just a laundry list of spots I had to hit, and yeah, but you don't have time to do that, you know. But I will say, okay, I I played a show. Um, I'm trying to think what the the town was called. It was a little outside of Syracuse, and I pronounced it wrong, and uh people got mad at me for that. But then uh I had to redeem myself after, but uh I think it's Olean or Olean? Olean, Olean.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it's a radio station called the pig.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, but I said oh I said what it was.

SPEAKER_02:

It's hard if you're not from the area.

SPEAKER_01:

How are you gonna, you know? I I had no idea, but uh but I will say you guys have a great time, bro. I I did have a great time when I came back and I was just like chilling in Syracuse. I did not wanna uh stray away from there, but uh yeah, I always have a great time, and also you know, just watching uh Syracuse basketball growing up. Uh it was cool to see where that to see where that was and Jimmy Bahim being the Jimmy Bayheim, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Adrian Autry, no. But yeah, how cool is that? Good for you, man.

SPEAKER_01:

Seeing where Carmelo was from, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, yeah, and now his son is playing on our team.

SPEAKER_01:

It's crazy, yeah. Isn't that crazy? And and wow, I got bad respect for Syracuse, so yeah, I look forward to being back.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, well, we are orange, so that's true, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So not too far off.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, they put uh well, we were at the game the other night, uh back on the second, that uh every once in a while they'd show somebody in a Tennessee jersey in the place which is erupt and booze. It's a booze, yeah. You know, it's just it's just fun. Yeah, it's good fun, definitely good fun. So because yeah, what they're ranked uh number 13, I think you're too.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yep. And we fell after that, you know. Yeah, did you go down a little bit? But yeah, I think we're I think we're 20 now. Oh yeah, sorry, yeah. I know it's all right. We'll be back, we'll work our way back.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so if you weren't doing music, if you weren't writing, you weren't performing, what would you be doing?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh it's hard to imagine that. I've I've I've thought about that a few times, but uh I think now uh I can't find an alternative good enough that I would actually chase, but um now look at that, answer that question with like what I will be doing when I retire. Sorry, um when I retire from this. I think I'll uh I'd love to own like a boat marina or something like that, and just uh live on a water. Come on, kind of be around that, yeah. Uh you know, when I'm like 60, 70, dude, I'm chilling, and I'm just the guy that used to write songs.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, used to you'll still be doing it. I will be doing it. It's what's gonna keep you alive and it's gonna keep you happy, and you're just gonna be you're gonna be banging out those hits. Yeah, no, I guess you know, I'm just saying, and and you know, I'm the one that's gonna be retired. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, you can come to my marina, dude, and hang out.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, yeah, I'd love to do that someday. Absolutely. Were you at the CMA's?

SPEAKER_01:

I wasn't at the CMAs this year. I went to a couple after parties. Um, I it's hard. I felt like a little spoiled now. Um, you know, I was nominated last year, and um and so you know, this is uh the first year I wasn't um since I could go. So I think that now I'm just like trying to uh get back when I'm nominated.

SPEAKER_02:

Were you on you weren't on the red carpet? You didn't go to that either.

SPEAKER_01:

No, I I didn't hit it. I again I just I I I don't like uh going there without being nominated.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I respect you for that. Totally respect you for that. I don't I don't know if this is the right thing to say or not. And I apologize if anybody's watching this and I offend anybody, but uh watching the red carpet, I didn't know half of those artists. It's like all right, who's this person? Why are they talking to this person? Who is it? It's like, wait a minute, why don't they have somebody like a Graylin James or George Burge or somebody, you know, these are the up-and-coming artists, these are the up-and-coming stars of tomorrow. Uh, but we're not seeing those people. Well, maybe a few, but most of them weren't on that red carpet. And I'm going, This what's wrong with this picture?

SPEAKER_01:

So I don't know Yeah, no, I mean for sure. I mean, I think uh I think now it's it's so interesting seeing the difference in you know social media and uh oh yeah, different different versions of media. Uh you know, but um I think people are kind of kind of seeing the difference now, you know, seeing that Morgan's uh you know what's kind of going on with him and award shows and stuff. And so uh I don't feel bad missing them anymore. Um again, you know, I when I when I deserve to be there, I feel like I want to be there. I think people that walk the carpet that I'm like I to me, you know, walking the carpet at an award show, you should be walking from the carpet nervous, you know, that you're gonna win or you're not gonna win. And uh that's what I always thought it was. I love your attitude about that. That's what I want it to be. I want to I want to earn being there and not just awesome, chilling there and drinking there, you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_02:

Joe Joe Miller's saying Grayland opened up outside Buffalo for Luke Combs. Uh wrote the night, which we know, and incredible artist, Albany will be.

SPEAKER_01:

It was cold, it was cold in Buffalo. It was snowing that day.

SPEAKER_02:

I was that that was in the the stadium. Was that the one in the stadium? My wife and I took the drive up for the Luke Combs show. Yeah, froze our asses off. I'm just just saying it was freaking cold. Yeah, it was, it was but uh I felt sorry for what Jordan was on that show.

SPEAKER_01:

Jordan was on that show. I can't remember. Mitchell, was it Mitchell Tenpenny? Yeah, and I think uh I think Mitchell played Drew Parker was there. Yes, Drew Parker was there. There was a handful of buddies out there, but we all two shows, yeah. Yeah, yeah, we all froze our ass off.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep. How can you it gets that cold? How can you play? How can it it's gotta it affect the guitar and your hands, your fingers?

SPEAKER_01:

Don't play very good. I I I take pride in you know playing guitar solos and stuff, but I I definitely back off when I'm playing outside in upstate New York in the winter.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't you're right though, we get a lot of uh lot of artists are coming through, especially around the holidays. You know, radio stations are doing their holiday shows and this and that.

SPEAKER_01:

So y'all gotta get out of the house somehow.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I know, I know, but you'd much rather go south than north this time of the year. And you're like you say, you're heading into Albany tomorrow?

SPEAKER_01:

Sometime. I I I don't even know when I'm going anywhere anymore.

SPEAKER_02:

No, no, and I totally get that. But the the weather is very snowy, cold, stormy. They're talking, depending on where you are, uh, six to twelve inches of snow. I'm just saying, hell yeah. Can't wait. Okay, let's go. Graylin, James. You're awesome. By the way, you know, uh, would you come back on Skip Happens down the road if I if say, hey, I want Graylin back? Absolutely, dude. Anytime. Love it, man. Love it. I love what you're doing. I love your soundwriting. I love the music that we get to play. Thank you so much. And one thing I say as a program director and somebody that's on the air each and every weekday afternoon, that uh our radio station would not be where it is without artists like you. Um because it's a two-way street. And yeah, exactly. I catch you. Yeah, this is this is your dream doing what you're doing, it's my dream doing what I'm doing, and together we make it work. It's what we do.

SPEAKER_01:

But uh I'm blessed that people in Syracuse, New York are hearing my music, and uh, I appreciate you giving me that opportunity. It's uh it's really cool to think about.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you have um before I let you go, one big time experience that you will never ever ever forget? Was there a certain show? I mean, were you at and I always think of Red Rocks. Have you had the chance to play Red Rocks? Yeah, I played Red Rocks, uh Dominions because I always want to go there and I haven't been able to go there yet.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, bro, you you you gotta you gotta check that off the bucket list. I mean that that's that's definitely up there for me. I think uh I think now, man, um, you know, getting to say that my family, you know, could kind of watch me do this. You know, my my grandfather who got me that first guitar, he got to hear my Kenny Chesney song on the radio before he passed away.

SPEAKER_02:

How long ago did he pass?

SPEAKER_01:

He he passed away in 2021, and that's when that that Kenny song was out and uh doing its thing. So um, you know, I definitely got I got lucky there, and um, you know, getting uh to know that you know, because he listened to the radio all the time in his garage, you know, he was working on his his cars, and um and so the to imagine that his little workshop radio, he got uh hear a song that that I wrote, you know, on on a guitar.

SPEAKER_02:

With uh like a garage with the radio, a hundred percent station that you know your papa you papa used to listen to. Yeah, for sure. It would be so cool.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I definitely want to keep that stuff involved in uh yeah in myself, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And he's at every show, just don't ever forget that. Oh, you may not see him, but you know he's there.

SPEAKER_01:

I say that all the time when I'm up there. I'm like, you know, I know he's he's up there, uh, wishing he could be down here uh listening to us, but it's seven.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you have a pre-show ritual?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh shot of uh shot of whiskey or burber, whichever, whichever one's hanging around there. Uh I love it.

SPEAKER_02:

I love it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, we we take a shot and just uh again, you know, it's it's always uh it's always an experience getting to go on stage and uh sing my own songs because uh you know growing up I was covering everybody else's, so the I always I try to take a second and uh remember that it's it's a it's a blessing to get up there and uh tell my story through my music.

SPEAKER_02:

Absolutely. Just don't stop doing it, brother. Because you're giving us some great music. I'm proud to play it. Um glad to know you a little bit, and uh you know, we'd love to get you back on skip happens down the road, and uh we'll keep in touch and just kind of keep things moving ahead. Um somebody wanted to log on, check out whatever. I'm sure everybody already knows you, but um the website is what is it, Grayland James?

SPEAKER_01:

Just GraylandJames.com. Yes, I think it's just GraylandJames.com.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh and I'll link you to everything, your socials and all that good stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, just yeah, just type them on name. Uh, you don't have to spell it right. It'll it'll come up and you got it all covered, dude.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, just just got a good team, takes care of a lot of that. So I love it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I want to say thank you for being here. I want to wish you all a happy holiday. Um, everything hopefully you get home safely after your travels in the next couple of days. Enjoy the holidays, take some downtime, do what you gotta do. Um, maybe I'll see you at CRS. That's coming up in March this year. And uh, so look forward looking forward to it. Graylin James, uh skip happens. Thank you for joining me, my friend. I want you to stay right there. Here we go. Thanks for watching, everybody. And don't forget, subscribe, skip happens on YouTube right now.

Head Shot

Skip Clark

Host