(CSC) 1. Thank you for your time and congratulations on having three #1 singles in the past few years! (“People Are Crazy,” “That’s How Country Boys Roll” and “Pretty Good At Drinkin’ Beer”)
(Billy Currington)
Thanks a lot, and as you say, they’re very nice to have; no doubt about it.
(CSC) 2. As a writer, what are the first few thoughts that run through your mind when you gather ideas for a song?
(Billy Currington)
Well, it’s always different for me when it comes to writing songs. Sometimes I’ll hear someone say something that sounds like a good title and just start from there, or just be sitting there playing my guitar and melodies will come out and words will follow that. It’s never really too much of a thought process just something that naturally happens; they just start coming out.
(CSC) 3. Tell us about your brand-NEW album, “Enjoy Yourself” and how does it define you at this current point in your career?
(Billy Currington)
Definitely when I listen to this album versus the first three, I could tell each year that I get older, wiser (laughs), more mature in my vocals and in the production itself. I feel that this album is full of good songs that represent me and where I am in life. They’re mostly really happy songs, laid back; that’s the way I see them and that’s just how I am.
(CSC) 4. You’re hitting the road with Kenny Chesney this year. What are you looking forward to most about this huge road show and opportunity?
(Billy Currington)
Man, it’s an honor to be out with an artist as big as Kenny Chesney. It’s something that I’ve been wanting for awhile because I knew if I ever got out there with him, I’d be in front of lots of people that I’ve never played in front of; it’s an opportunity to bring my music to those people and hopefully gain them as new fans. I hope that they’ll go buy the new album and come to the next show that I’m playing in their area. That’s one thing, and another thing is that I look forward to learning from Kenny as a businessman and as an artist; see how he connects with his fans like he does and take some of that of what I learn and put it into my own show. Whatever he’s done, he’s done it right.
(CSC) 5. When you take the stage to perform, what do you feel is the most important quality that you bring to the fans?
(Billy Currington)
I think the most important quality is the energy, as a whole band. We always talk about it how even if you’re having a bad day, remember when you walk on that stage you have to bring the best energy that you got because you want to light these people up and you want them to have a great time, and walk away wanting to come back. It seems like every night we all focus on that; we bring a lot of positive energy to those people. I hope that every one of them feels it!
(CSC) 6. Growing up in Rincon Georgia, how has your Southern heritage played a role in your musical style?
(Billy Currington)
Well, I was born in Savannah, Georgia and eventually after living on one of those little barrier islands for about a year, we moved inland to a town called Rincon; it was a little red-light town at the time, a very simple place to grow up, a lot of dirt roads, a lot of fishing holes, and a lot of things that turn a boy into a country boy no doubt early on.
(CSC) 7. How has your southern heritage played a role in your musical style?
(Billy Currington)
Yeah, well definitely being from the south, you know the part of the south I was from, Savannah had lots of music and not only country music but it was deep in blues and rock and everything else. There were bands all over that type of world that played it all and I got exposed to that. I guess that’s why people say when they listen to my music, some of it sounds R&B, some sounds really, really country and some of it they can’t say what it sounds like. (Laughs) I guess that’s from all that mixture of music.
(CSC) 8. I’d imagine you were the envy of every guy around when you made a flirtatious video (“Party For Two”) with Shania Twain a few years back. How did that happen and do you still keep in touch?
(Billy Currington)
Well, the Shania duet kind of happened out of the blue, I got a call one day from her and she asked me if I would sing the song with her, that her husband Mutt Lange (now ex-husband) would be producing it and I ended up out there in Europe doing a couple of shows with her and yeah man, that’s how most of those type of things come about. Just all of a sudden and then next thing you know you’re on a fun train; that’s what that was. That definitely helped me out in my career and brought a lot of new fans to the table and just kind of got things going in my opinion. As for keeping in touch, I haven’t talked to her in a couple of years but I’m sure that we’re gonna’ run across each other again and it will just be like old times. I was hoping she’d have some new music out, but I’m sure it will be one day, but she’s doing what she’s gotta do right now.
(CSC) 9. What was it like being able to hang with Shania without the cameras or the press around?
(Billy Currington)
Yeah, I did not, I actually didn’t because the only time I really got to hang with Shania was through work and there were always a lot of people around, so outside of that I never really seen her.
(CSC) 10. “Good Directions” has become a big hit for you, and was written by singer/songwriter Luke Bryan, being that you’re both from Georgia; did you two ever cross paths back in the day before moving to Nashville?
(Billy Currington)
Luke Bryan and I never crossed paths before we both got records deals for some reason. I think I might have met him maybe once before he got a record deal, because I think I had mine about a year before he did. It’s kind of odd that we didn’t because we played a lot of the same clubs but that’s what happens when one guys on one side of town and the other guys on the other; you just don’t run into each other.
(CSC) 11. What have learned since moving to Nashville, and how have you applied that to your career?
(Billy Currington)
I learned that music comes along with a business and I learned that I definitely needed to learn a lot about the business before I got a record deal. I did that, I read books; lawyers’ books, publishing books, I read it all and that to me actually helped me get a really good deal when it was finally time versus ending up in a bad situation because I had all that knowledge. I ended up in a really good spot no doubt.
You know and the people, it’s a three-block town in Nashville, the music business itself and its very, very small. Everybody knows everybody’s business so I learned what things to say and what things not to say to a lot of those people; who to trust, who not to trust. Everybody is fighting to be number one; so, I just gathered the right camp that I felt like I could trust and just stayed attached to those people and it seemed to work out a lot better for me.
(CSC) 12. Where would you like to see yourself professionally two or three years from now?
(Billy Currington)
Professionally two or three years from now I definitely would like to be in the same spot as Kenny Chesney, all the big names that you can think of, selling out arenas, playing football stadiums, having more #1’s, and just personally having a great life. What I’ve got going on at the moment is so good; it’s hard to think what could be better.
(CSC) 13. Other than the Chesney tour, what else do you have going on in your world?
(Billy Currington)
At the moment I’m pretty boring, I only have this tour that I’m focusing on and it’s taking a lot of time to get this thing going so my whole focus has been on this and I just can’t see past it at the moment.
(CSC) 14. What type of set list can the fans expect to hear from you on the Chesney tour?
(Billy Currington)
Yeah, well fortunately and unfortunately, I’ve only got about 45 minutes, so that’s just enough time to play all the songs that have been on the radio that they know. I would love to be playing songs that they’ve never heard, all the new stuff on the new album, and the covers that I love but it’s not going to be able to happen on this tour. When we get our own tour, I’ll be bringing out a lot more songs back to the table!
(CSC) You will have to come back to Chicago and play Joe’s Bar!!
(Billy Currington)
Joe’s Bar; yeah man I love that place. That place rocks. That’s on the list; when people ask me what’s one of my favorite venues, I always say Joe’s on Weed Street in Chicago. It’s just got something to it, I don’t know what it is but the energy in there and the venue itself, the guy who runs the place, just everything about it makes for a very special venue for us. You’ll have to come and see us when we come back there next time we play!!
Comments