Music Saved Me.

I like to try and make a song for up a conversation as much as I can, because I want to feel like we're alive, and I think it's part of the relatability I guess, or at least what I've tried to.

I'm Lynn Hoffman and welcome to the Music Save Me Podcast, the show where we go behind the scenes and explore musicians and their incredible bond with the transformative power of music.

Thank you so much for listening.

By the way, and while you're here, I'd like to let you know about another podcast produced and hosted by Buzz Knight, who is a dear friend of mine, and it's called Taking a Walk.

So if you like this podcast, you're really gonna love his podcast too, So check it out wherever you get your podcasts.

Now.

Today I am joined by rising BMG Nashville star Colby Cooper.

He was born in Bradford.

Can you tell him excited?

He was born in Bradford, Texas.

Colby's journey from small town roots to national acclaim is truly a dedication to his passion.

With a unique blend of outline country in southern rock, Colby has certainly captivated audiences with his electrifying performances and truly his heartfelt storytelling.

So let's delve into how music has been a source of strength and inspiration for Colby Cooper on Music Saved Me.

Colby, Welcome to Music Saved Me.

Thank you for having me.

I appreciate it.

I get really almost too excited to even speak sometimes because you know just the energy you bring.

Even though we're on zoom right now, you.

Can just feel it the minute you popped on the screen and it's there, not just with you personally and we haven't even really spoken yet, but with your music.

It is just so powerful, your voice like buttah, don't get me into it.

I appreciate but thanks for being here today.

I want to start, you know, at the beginning where you first got interested in music.

Can you share with us that was there a defining moment or an experience that you realized that music was going to be your passion?

Absolutely?

I think I think as a as a young kid, me and my dad really bonded over over music.

He drove over a cow truck and I went with him so many times.

It would be, you know, a few days, we're gone, just me and him in the trunk was It was the best of times.

It went into like first grade even I was missing like the maximum of school you can miss to go riding the couch truck with that, and we would listen to uh to Waylon Jennings.

It was he's like one of my heroes.

He was one of my dad's heroes.

Uh.

You know, it's one of those things.

So I would say, like being the couch truck is definitely like the first moment like this, how how we bonded over music really was like oh, like you know, this is cool, like and you know, my dad was like my hero, so like here we thought music was cool together and I was like, wow, maybe one day I could maybe I could do this one day.

It just took me, you know, a few years.

Just a couple of years, but you caught in the buck.

You caught the bun absolutely well.

Growing up in Bradford, Texas.

How did your hometown influence the songwriting and your sound?

Because you have a unique sound.

You're not just rock and you're not just country or southern rock.

You're just the whole blend of goodness.

I appreciate that.

Yeah, I just I'm just a music fan in general, I listened to so many things, but being out in Bradford, I mean it's you know, it's it's lonesome.

You know, you look at the population, it's like thirty forty people whatever.

I've got a family in five.

Yeah, yes, man, man, I've got a family of five.

So we've got to We've got a you know, and my family.

We're probably out of the thirty twenty plus or family members there.

It's half the town exactly exactly used to make me there.

You should call it Cooper Texas.

Hey, come on, but yeah, I think just growing up out here, it's it's very it's very country.

And you know, my dad worked haulled cows and he was a cowboy.

I mean here it wasn't all in was working on ranches.

So you're listening to to chrys to do as well.

I grew up on a bunch of just old just some of the best country music really in my opinion.

And then as a you know, young man, my dad got me an Assie Osborne CD for my birthday, the Yeah No More Tears record, and that was like my introduction to rock.

And like then it was guns and Roses and def Lever and all that and then I found grinds and punk and all that, but it was, you know, there lonesomeness out here in Bradford.

Just the Also it's such a small town, so it's easy to get inspiration, you know.

Yeah, yeah, Well you mentioned earlier about Waylon Jennings and driving with your dad.

The song Rose in Paradise, I believe I read somewhere you said was a sort of a big inspiration for you.

What was it about that song that resonated with you, especially as a young songwriter.

I think just the storytelling and just like the the one thing got that I think as cool as like the open ended list on the end of it is you know, did he did he run away with their needy killer and leab her buryed in the garden?

That was so cool.

But not only that, but so that was like the storytelling songwriting aspect, and also the melody and just you know, his voice is just so just ai It's smooth, it's perfect.

But the the production and the guitar, like that intro lick is so I mean, it's it's one of the most it's probably the most underrated guitar of all time.

Just throughout the lead thought the whole song is so tasty.

It's it's nice.

Yeah, tasty.

I like that word for I've never heard anyone describe a song as tasty or even a guitar lick.

That's fair.

I want to talk a little bit about your songwriting process.

I Love You good Night, which I was just perusing through some of the tracks.

Your songs often draw from, you know, personal experiences you've said, also from friends and people in the neighborhood.

Yes, how how do you balance well, First of all, when you when you look at all of the even just the titles of your songs, you know, things jump out that are completely relatable, you know, to me just the title of the.

Song, much less the song itself.

So how are you able to sort of balance your storytelling telling other stories with a relatability?

And are you ever surprised at how relatable your songs are?

Uh?

For sure, there's some that are.

Like a song from our first album called Curse Artober is by losing my Dad, And that was one that was really personal.

It was a song that I tried to write for a few years and I guess I finished through I was like twenty or so, and uh, when I finished and that was where I was went there and showed my life and you know, cried about and I was like that's awesome, cool, and that was it.

And I didn't plan on release it, and she was like, hey make me She released that song, and you know, I showed it to my people that like, oh this is incredibly she released it is all right, I guess, so you know, I was realimbarous about it, but then I released it add hundreds of people message be like, oh my god, this you know I just lost my dad or just lost a brother or a friend or something.

Uh, this one means the world.

So it's yeah, it's it's I think since I've learned, you know, everybody's story is very very similar, or you're gonna have similarities.

I guess everybody's got that brokenness about them and you know, shit's happened to really uh you know, it's far a live uh.

But then also like I think whenever putting like putting an album together, like if I was just totally right thing about my life, it would be uh, you know, there wouldn't be uh, there wouldn't be any you know, breakup songs or any of the the fun like uh, the fun ones to jam too or whatever.

I just you know, I've got a beautiful life and three babing.

I'm so super lucky.

But you know, so when we put an album together that I wanted to, I want there to be my story, but then I want there to be an overall theme, kind of an overall like a relatability, I think.

And uh so that's like part of the process is like here's my story and then here's like stories of the world and probably your story, Like you know.

Yeah, it's it's got to be scary letting your songs go.

But when you just described to me, you said that after you were finished, it made you cry.

Oh yeah, absolutely, that's.

How you knew.

But you actually even said that sort of sideways, almost like you're not allowed to admit that.

But I thank you for saying that because I think I think a lot of young men need to hear that it's okay and that yeah, oh my god, that happened to you and it happened to me, and wow, if you can do this with your life, what what are the options for me?

So it's about the big deal.

So I always tell everybody anyone that comes up to ask, like you know, Oh God, what should I do?

You know, I want, I want to make music or I want I did, so you just got to do it.

Just go do it, and you know, chase your dreams you rather.

I feel like you'd probably rather chase it and it not work out and not chase it and thinking about it.

You know, Wow, what if I'd done that back when I was out of your email?

So true?

So true?

And could you walk us through a bit of that process of creating a song.

I think some of your favorite tracks you had said were are We on Fire, which, by the way, if you haven't seen the music video, brilliant.

I love the story, or Storms Coming?

Can you how did you make that all come about?

Yeah?

All We're on the Fire?

That was I read it with Jordan Walker, and I remember well year we were from the rear.

I mean we'd been throwing ideas around for thirty minutes or so, an hour or so, and it was been I've been there for a long week.

I was like, man, I wonder if we're out to get anything today?

And then the smoke alarm went off downstairs and the lights kept flickering and just like laughing and did it again, like damn it, and we're on fire, and we just kind of chuckled and be like that that's cool.

We should write that we wrote it, and just I think, you know, I like to try and make a song, throw up a conversation as much as I can, because I wanted to feel like real life.

And I think it's part of the relatability I guess, or at least what I try to it.

Is it truly is?

I mean it's like you're talking telling the story, talking about yourself or talking about Actually, after I saw are we on fire?

I thought, oh, he must have gone through really bad breakup and then I read no, he's happily married with three kids to his high school sweetheart.

Am I correct?

Yes, ma'am.

I mean the three kids, and you're only what twenty five?

Maybe?

Is sure?

I have twenty Clive, I turned twenty six in May.

All right, I've got a few more months, you know, insurance and whatnot.

Yeah, well, you figured out some secret sauce obviously, so maybe that'll be some few sure songs that you'll write about how how to make it work.

Yeah.

Absolutely, we'll see that.

We need that, we need that.

What what's a lyric or title that you've written that holds like a special place in your heart that stands out to you.

Probably so many then there are, but for the new album let Me Goodnye, I would say that that's the title track, and I would say that that song specifically, there's just uh and they're very just like casual phrases and stuff, but it's what I wrote it.

I've been on the road for two weeks and then I got home on a Sunday for about an hour and said hey to my babies and my wife, and then I had to unpack my bag and repack it and go to the airport and fly to Moine And I got there with my guitar player bo to the hotel and I was just I was bumming.

I was really sad.

I wanted to be back home.

My babies were sad.

And he was like, I'm gonna get some coffee you and go like I just gonna stay from the room and just beat a sad boy or whatever.

And he's a car man.

Let me know if anything scar.

He left his guitar sitting on my bed.

Uh, So I picked it up and I put my phone down.

I started recording and had like a two minute voice memo and just sang like the first thing on my head and like wrote the first verse and chorus and uh second verse of the song and I was like, I need to put that down and digg an apple whatever.

And a couple months later I finished it with my producer Andrew Bayless, and just that song, the it feels like it's kind of described describes like our whole situation.

Uh it's the push and to pull pull the whole deal, uh, trying to find who's fake and what's real.

And you're the only one that I feel, uh just because it's you know, it's a song about b M my road and uh, missing my wife and missing my babies and you know, feeling like, wow, am I doing the right thing?

Being gone so much?

And that whole idea.

Uh that one, that one's along with my favorites.

And that's the title track, I Love You good Night, Yes, yes, ma'am.

It sounded like a you know, a bedtime song.

And I have to say, even though this podcast is about music, I would love to know what one one tip from you that makes your family stay so complete, especially with what you do for a living, because that's not easy to share a relationship with someone.

When you're a musician, you perform for thousands of people.

Absolutely, and I think that uh unfortunately, honestly, the biggest thing is my wife is just a rock star.

She is.

He's she's like we've known each listen to her in fourth grade or third grade, and we've been best friends since fourth grade.

And I mean I started playing music back in middle school.

Uh so, like she's she's known for a long time that I wanted to play music.

And uh when we got together, seniors like her and my mom brother two that even pushed me to just like to not go to nursing school after I've finished the year, my last year of basics, and they're like, you should try, you know, music.

We put some music on.

It was decent, and uh so I think, really it's just I'm super blessed and super lucky.

My wife was.

Uh, she's awesome.

He's awesome.

But also face timing, I mean, you know, I facetimed as much as that can on the road.

But you know we're not far from family too.

That that helps a bunch.

But you know, other than that, it's just my life is awesome.

Oh that's the right thing.

To say, by the way, it's all your way.

I'm just kidding.

So now you said to me just in that just earlier you were going to go into nursing.

Isn't it interesting how healing music can be and almost in a sense you wanted to be in a profession that gave back immediately originally.

Yeah.

Absolutely absolutely.

I think it feels really good to you or are to have people just you know, come up.

And I love hearing people's stories about what my songs mean to them.

If they mean thing to it, I mean enough for you to have.

You know, there's core memory that stuck with it.

You know, it means enough for me to hear it, and it's like that's part of it.

That's like the whole, the whole thing.

And also found out that I hate blood, so that was like the rich doctor that just saw patience or something, but not patience with anything nasty.

No, that's so funny.

Do you how has music helped you navigate some personal challenges?

You mentioned you lost your dad when you were fourteen, and when you lose your dad at such a young age, it changes you and you really could go in two paths.

My husband lost his father at fifteen, a friend of mine also lost their father, and it's it really changes you, especially if you had a really good relationship.

So was music ever obviously it started with him.

Was that something that helped you get through losing him?

Sure?

And I just like he got diagnosed with brain cancer when I was thirteen, and uh, I just started like really playing guitar and singing within those past year and a half.

So he got just on.

He got to see me kind of start and it was really pushing me to keep going.

So that was a big inspiration in the end.

But uh, yeah, after you passed away, I mean I was definitely I mean dove deep off in music and you know, I know every Whalen song and uh on the cloud Cross Canadian Ragweed was one of his funeral songs and Cross Kane Ragweed is an arclehole band, that's one of it was one of our favorites when we were growing up.

It was another one like Whalen that we just listened to and I'm still one of my favorites.

Uh.

So like that, you know, I definitely dog deep off in music and uh lost myself but I started writing at lunch and making music too, and uh, trying to get better, you know.

Yeah, so it was definitely big inspiration the.

Fact that he was supportive of you and that you have that connection with Whalen geez.

You know.

I just can't help but to think that when that happens, you really could go in two directions in life, and and you pulled yourself out of it and created a career for yourself and married someone and had children.

I mean, it's a really good story and it's a beautiful story.

My brother too.

I have a brother of two years younger.

I mean he so you know, he was I was fourg and he was twelve, and he manages me.

Now.

So it's it's all the fan, Yes, it is.

It's really awesome.

I feel very lucky.

Do you feel that there's a specific song that resonates deeply with your fans and brings them, you know, comfort or strength or to rephrase, what song of yours would you prescribe to comfort or inspire someone who really needed it?

Yeah?

I think we got a few different a few different realities, you know, if you just need like a big to hell with that.

Uh, we got a couple.

We got one called hate You Too, which is uh, it's it's one of my favorites and stuff if I'm live and the other cub two words, the whole the whole hook is just f you.

Uh and it's very fun.

Yeah, you know if you're if you're in love and you know you're you're loving somebody that got a few of those.

A Fall is one of our our bigger songs.

Uh.

And I've had selly people come up and say like this was our first dance song.

Like me, you know, we were one you do concerts and my boyfriend asked my friend asked me to be his boyfriend during you know whatever blah blah blah girlfriend.

Uh, you know, so we had so many of those.

Uh.

One of my theorites is a song called coming Home, and it was me and my wife's wedding song.

Actually it was just about me being gone and coming home.

But off the new record, there's uh this one called One Big, Happy, Sad Family.

If you're going through it and your family's driving you crazy and you just want reassuring, say not alone, that everybody's family is a little lackey.

There you go.

Like I said, when you read the titles of the song, it's almost like you're going what do I need today from Colby to make my day?

It's so perfect.

Colby Cooper.

I wish you nothing but continued incredible success.

You're with an amazing group.

BMG.

Hello and thank you for sharing your story with us on music Save Me and I hope that you do come back when you release the next EP.

Absolutely, thank you for having me.