#691 - Alan Jackson vs. Brooks and Dunn & The Best Heartbreak Country Songs

0:06 Welcome to another episode where we will have a death match between alan jackson and brooks and dunn dang.

0:13 Exactly these are getting harder and harder.

0:15 Yeah so i've taken their top 10 songs each of them as they're given to me and we're matching them up against each other in the past our winners have been garth brooks over george straight and then last week it was Tim McGraw over Kenny Chesney.

0:29 But all really good battles. All have been close. So I'll introduce the people here, the judges. My name's Bobby. This is Eddie.

0:36 Hi. Eddie's here. And then singer, songwriter, producer, Brandon Ray is also here.

0:43 Can we work on an intro for me, though? Like something?

0:47 Ladies and gentlemen.

0:48 Like, good guy. Good guy, Eddie's here.

0:50 You know?

0:51 You guys ready for this?

0:53 Yeah.

0:53 All right, so.

0:54 All I did was say, give me the top 10 Alan Jackson songs in order and give me the top 10 Brooks and Dunn songs in order.

1:01 I did not make the pairings. Here we go.

1:05 Alan Jackson, Chattahoochee versus Brooks and Dunn, Boot Scootin' Boogie.

1:10 Dude, that's crazy. Eddie, as always, you get the first vote. This is crazy.

1:17 The only reason I'm going to go Chattahoochee is because I think Chattahoochee might be one of the best country.

1:22 Songs ever, ever made. you don't feel that way about boot scootin' boogie? No, I didn't say that.

1:29 But I feel like Chattahoochee is one of the best songs ever made. And so it just has to be Chattahoochee, even though boot scootin' boogie is amazing.

1:40 Brandon?

1:42 This is probably the hardest one ever.

1:45 And I have to agree that boot scootin' boogie is one of the greatest country songs ever made. Oh, man.

1:55 I'm going to go Boot Scootin' Boogie.

1:56 Wow. Wow. Grape Snow Cone, guys. You remember this, right?

2:01 Yeah.

2:01 Hoochie Coochie.

2:02 They wrote the words Hoochie Coochie in a song.

2:06 I'm going to go Chattahoochie.

2:08 Yes. I'm so glad.

2:11 One point, Chattahoochie. Guys, it's going to be like that every song.

2:14 I know.

2:16 I know.

2:17 Number two, Alan Jackson, Remember When.

2:21 Hmm.

2:22 For to seem so young. Or Brooks and Dunn, Believe. Two powerful ballads. Brandon.

2:34 Brooks and Dunn, Believe.

2:35 Brooks and Dunn, Believe. Brooks and Dunn, Believe. Three Believes.

2:38 Yeah.

2:39 Remember when wasn't ever really one of my favorite Alan Jackson songs?

2:44 I loved it.

2:45 It was good.

2:46 My wife and I used to dance to that. I think we danced to it at our wedding after it was over. Y'all did?

2:49 Yeah.

2:50 Oh, we went there. Yeah, when everybody left.

2:52 That song's like so great to me and to us, but man, Believe is just, that's Ronnie Dunn.

3:01 Yeah.

3:01 Vocal. So amazing.

3:03 Okay.

3:05 Next up, Alan Jackson, Don't Rock the Jukebox. Why I love that one is it starts hot. There's no intro music. It just goes, boom, don't rock the jukebox.

3:17 That's right.

3:18 It does go right into it. It kicks right into the chorus immediately.

3:20 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

3:21 Or Brooks and Dunn, Brand New Man. Oh, hey, another one that starts right there. I saw the light of it. Yeah. Oh, wow, wow, wow. So I'm first on this one. I'm going to go Brand New Man, Brooks and Dunn. And then how does Don't Rock the Jukebox start? Don't rock the jukebox. I want to hear some Jones. Okay.

3:47 Oh, this is really tough. But, man, Brand New Man was like. That is quintessential Brooks and Dunn. We got to go Brand New Man.

3:56 Soundtrack of my childhood, Brand New Man right there.

3:59 I believe it's two to one now. Two to one.

4:01 Okay, Brooks and Dunn, take a small lead. We're now at song number four from Alan Jackson. Chasing that neon rainbow. Living that honky-tonk dream. Versus Brooks and Dunn, Red Dirt Road. Oh, yeah.

4:19 Where they drank his first beer. That's where he found Jesus. Only one of them drank.

4:24 That's where I found Jesus.

4:28 Eddie, you're up.

4:28 Dude, I think melodically, Red Dirt Road is just a perfect song. I love the melodies of that song. And then when it goes into that chorus. So give me Red Dirt Road.

4:40 Brandon? I'll take Red Dirt Road. We're going with another Brooks and Dunn here. Sweet, baby. I went to their show a month or so ago.

4:49 And they purposefully drop their vocals and let the crowd sing.

4:54 That's when I found Jesus. And it's so loud. Did you partake in that singing?

4:59 I was watching the Arkansas football game.

5:01 Oh, bones.

5:01 We were getting really ran by Utah at the time. So I really didn't sing much. But you noticed that everyone else had touched it. No, I wasn't.

5:08 I was paying attention to it.

5:09 Yeah.

5:11 I love those parts because I feel like that's when I shine.

5:13 Oh, yeah.

5:14 Oh, you want me to sing it?

5:15 Is it my turn?

5:16 Next up, here in the real world, Alan Jackson, Play Something Country, Brooks and Dunn. Brandon, over to you.

5:26 I'm going to go Play Something Country, Brooks and Dunn. I'm going to go here in the real world. Play Something Country is not my favorite. I do like it when it comes on, but I'm never going to choose that one. I feel like that's way down the list. Are you able to sing? Play Something Country.

5:42 If I need to. Yeah, I don't think I really know that one.

5:45 Hmm.

5:46 My wife loves Play Something Country. But if we have to sing it to you, that means you don't know it.

5:51 Then don't go. Yeah. And what's the Alan Jackson song? Oh, you don't know Here in the Real World? Oh, no, I know Here in the Real World.

5:56 That's kind of low on my list.

5:58 That's why I don't know. Of Alan Jackson?

5:59 Yeah.

5:59 Yeah, same. But I'll go Alan Jackson just because I don't know the other Brooks and Dunn one.

6:04 There you go.

6:05 Play Something Country.

6:07 No.

6:07 No, nothing?

6:07 Uh-uh.

6:08 Okay. All right, next up. It's 5 o'clock somewhere. Only in America. Oh, it had to be hard, didn't it? Brandon, you're up first.

6:21 It's five o'clock somewhere.

6:22 I don't like Jimmy Buffett.

6:26 I know.

6:26 I know.

6:27 And please don't go on a rant. Just make your pick because you're going to piss me off.

6:32 I'm just not a Buffett guy. Who says that? Like, who says that? Because that's Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett.

6:41 The talking part is super awkward in that song.

6:44 By the way. But that song was also, I think, a five-week number one. I know, dude. For a reason. And Only in America is a good Brooks and Dunn song. Come on, baby.

6:54 And I love Brooks and Dunn. I mean, Ronnie Dunn sang at my wedding. I feel like I need to say that every time.

6:59 Do it.

6:59 When I don't pick them. I'm going to go. It's five o'clock somewhere. Yes.

7:05 Yes. I have a question before I make my pick. Why Brandon thinks the talking part is awkward. I love that talking part.

7:11 Oh, no, it's great. It's Alan Jackson. It's just awkward.

7:15 Yeah.

7:15 Yeah.

7:15 It's like he doesn't know how to respond to Jimmy.

7:17 He doesn't want to talk.

7:18 Yeah.

7:18 He wants to sing, you know, because he's sick. And you're right at the very end. They kind of go like, well, let's go.

7:23 All right.

7:24 I'm out.

7:25 Me too.

7:25 Oh, okay.

7:27 You first. They don't know when to stop. You first. Okay, I'll go. You go first. So it's not going to matter for the point, but what do you pick?

7:34 Oh, dude, 5 o'clock somewhere. That might be my favorite beach song. You know, there are a lot of country beach songs, but that might be my favorite.

7:43 Okay, when there. Do you understand the 5 o'clock somewhere reference? What kind of stupid question is that? I mean, I don't know, man.

7:48 You don't really know the Jimmy Buffett lifestyle. Do you understand that it's 5 o'clock somewhere? Yeah, it means work is over. Let's have a drink.

7:55 Yeah, and anywhere in the time zone. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, so we can drink.

7:59 Oh.

8:00 But you never had a drink, a drop of alcohol. I don't know if you know these rules. I still know. I've never done crack either, but I get crack references. What are those references?

8:07 Like, it tastes like crack, or like, it feels like crack.

8:11 Taste the dragon.

8:12 Yeah.

8:12 Heroin. Heroin. Taste the dragon. Yeah, I get the references. Okay, okay. All right, score, Mike?

8:17 3-3.

8:18 Oh, wow. Tied up.

8:20 All right, next up. Possibly my favorite Alan Jackson song. We already said Chattahoochee. Not my favorite.

8:28 Midnight in Montgomery. Is that a cover?

8:33 No.

8:35 I would not have the knowledge to answer that, but I'll allow Brandon to have it. I believe you wrote that one. Midnight in Montgomery. That's a good one, though. Or Neon Moon. Who's first? Is it you? Brandon can go first.

8:51 I don't want to go first.

8:52 Come on, you can go.

8:53 Oh.

8:55 Oh, man. If Midnight Montgomery was up against any other song.

9:03 I almost agree with that. Really?

9:06 Yeah.

9:06 I mean, almost any other song.

9:08 But Neon Moon is tops.

9:11 Because Neon Moon, to me, is the number one Brooks and Dunn song.

9:14 It's probably one of the number one country songs.

9:17 No, Eddie has picked his number one song as Chattahoochee of all music in the history of the world.

9:20 Country music. No, you said all music at one point. No, I didn't say that. You said it's your favorite song ever. Didn't say that. We got to go back to the tape. We will.

9:28 Rewind.

9:28 Do you go neon moon?

9:30 I'm going neon moon.

9:31 It's neon moon. And why?

9:34 I really don't like talking about this, but that's what Ronnie Dunn sang at my wedding.

9:38 Oh, they sang at your wedding? Every single one.

9:40 I had no idea.

9:41 No, dude. Do you not remember this?

9:43 I mean, I was there.

9:44 I just. This was awesome. He's kidding. I remember. And they dropped a big moon. I don't know. Maybe he was drinking. I have no idea. Yeah, the neon moon. He was like, it's 5 o'clock somewhere, and he started getting ripped.

9:54 And Ronnie like held out the note forever.

9:57 Yeah yeah neon moon yeah neon moon okay it's this i don't even have to think about this one okay good job.

10:04 But shout out midnight yeah i got a bad pairing yeah good song but neon moon gosh that's a that's a what do you call the haymaker okay how about this gone country She's gone country.

10:18 Look at her roots. You know what that song's about? Yeah, yeah. She was a rocker, and then she went country. You're being very literal. She's moving to the country? No.

10:31 You're right, but it's mostly about the idea of people just embracing country music when they've never really been country music, and it's kind of cool to go country.

10:38 Oh.

10:38 Even though you're not. You're just kind of wearing the stuff.

10:41 And was that perfect for that time? Because that's what was happening. Because in the 90s, it was very much embraced.

10:46 Yeah. like now for a while, it was the number one format for, you know, for a minute. Yeah. That's kind of what that song's about.

10:52 Okay. That's deep.

10:53 Uh, so yeah. Uh, gone country. Do you like this song? I love gone country. Okay. Do you like, you're going to miss me when I'm gone from Brooks and Dunn.

11:01 Don't be confused with, you're going to miss me when I'm gone.

11:04 You're going to miss me by my hair. You're going to miss me everywhere. Uh, man, I think she's gone. Country's the one though. I mean, yeah. Gone country. Look at them boots. I'm going that one. Okay, what do you have?

11:21 Gone Country.

11:22 You're going to miss me when I'm gone, but it doesn't matter because you two already have it.

11:25 Bobby, can you sing a little bit of that?

11:28 Yeah.

11:29 But don't do the cup song. Well, now it's on my head. I know. So I kind of have to be... When I'm gone. Hold on. You're going to miss. Hold on, hold on. I'm going to pull it up. And when you look it up, it's even Anna Kendrick comes up first.

11:43 Oh, gosh.

11:44 Yeah, hold on a second.

11:45 Okay.

11:49 Cause you're going to miss me. Boom. You're going to miss me when I, I.

11:55 Don't sing very well. I don't sing very well. Cause you had to kiss me when I can't get.

12:03 Okay.

12:03 Whatever. Okay. We get it. I got cups in my head. I know that's hard. It's not easy. Okay. So that one didn't win. Okay. Let me mark those off. Is Alan Jackson in the lead now?

12:13 No, it's still tight again. Four to four.

12:15 Oh, it gets, goes back and forth. It's like a Rocky movie. We have two left. Alan Jackson, living on love.

12:22 Riding on time without somebody, nothing ain't worth a dime.

12:27 Or, it's hard for me to sing, and I know this song, My Marie. My Maria.

12:35 Wow. Living on love or My Maria.

12:38 Do I go first?

12:39 Yeah.

12:40 I think My Maria is probably my favorite Brooks and Dunn song. Wow, more than.

12:44 Neon.

12:45 Moon, Boot Scootin', Red Dirt Road.

12:48 Okay where the sidewalk ends all of them uh greengrass grows tim mcgrath i knew was wrong uh so yeah i'm going my maria dude that's so good brandon my maria come on my maria that's a cover that is a cover that one for sure is a cover yeah uh fun fact about that song oh you wrote it uh no.

13:10 When we he wrote it with joe dippy good times no uh we played the rhyming and brooks and dunn we all did yeah yeah all of us yeah for the million dollar show and i was so pumped about this song this solo started the solo in the wrong key i.

13:28 Didn't even notice that did you notice that i was like you're in the wrong key man you idiot stupid no i didn't notice that yeah i didn't notice that brandon.

13:35 Nobody noticed but you know the one person who you notice.

13:38 No ronnie Kicks. Oh, yeah. Did he punch you?

13:41 He looked at me and he's like, good job, buddy.

13:46 You know.

13:47 That's his impression of kicks. It's pretty good. It's pretty good. Hey, Ronnie. I don't know.

13:55 Next.

13:55 This guy's in the wrong key. You know what? Kicks is way bigger than I thought he was. They're both large.

14:02 Yeah, like I knew Ronnie was tall, but kicks, I just felt like because Ronnie was so tall, kicks would be like little.

14:08 He's not little. He's a big dude.

14:10 Because they stand next to each other, you really don't know, based on scale, how large they are. It's very Brothers Osborne-ish. Those dudes are monsters. Yeah, they're so big.

14:19 They're large, very large. All right, last one. Brooks and Dunn up one point?

14:23 Yep. Alan Jackson, where were you when the world stopped turning? 9-11, right?

14:30 9-11.

14:31 Brooks and Dunn. I'm a hard-working man.

14:38 This is hard.

14:38 And you know what he wears? A hard hat. A steel hard hat.

14:43 Must be heavy.

14:46 Must hurt his neck. Who's up on this one? Brandon.

14:52 Sorry, Alan Jackson. I got to go B & D.

14:56 Hardworking man.

14:57 B & D.

14:57 Hardworking man, yeah.

14:59 This is hard because 9-11, dude, that hit hard. When that song came out, like, where were you? Give me a second on this one, dude. This is tough.

15:10 Because Hardworking Man is great.

15:14 Dude, are you going to cry?

15:15 But I feel like I did cry the first time I heard Where Were You? When the world stopped turning. Brandon changed his tone.

15:22 Are you going to cry? Dude, that was very emotional. I'm going to go Alan Jackson.

15:28 Yeah.

15:29 Well, now I feel like a jerk if I don't pick him. And he's in tears. Give me a second, guys.

15:33 You know, what makes me emotional is When people have to work hard to support their families. And I get emotional about that sometimes because people just go in, they're just trying to support, living paycheck to paycheck, wearing their steel hard hats.

15:50 Hardworking man.

15:51 Wow.

15:53 All right. Final score? Brooks and Dunn, six. Allen Jackson, four. Wow. That's like main event type status. Yes, it is. Pay-per-view. Fun, though. A lot of fun. Dude, I love these. Very Sophie's Choice, though. Are you familiar?

16:10 No.

16:10 I don't know what that means. Who is Sophie and what was the choice? You had to pick which kid died. Is this biblical? Sophie from the Bible? You really don't know Sophie's Choice?

16:19 Uh-uh.

16:20 Like the movie... Was it Bette Midler?

16:23 No.

16:24 Beaches?

16:25 I don't know who.

16:25 Oh, that's Beaches.

16:26 Never mind.

16:26 Meryl Streep, I believe. Yeah, I don't know who played Sophie. I don't know anything about movies. Is this an old movie? So is this a movie that you've never seen?

16:33 It's actually from 1982. It's a psychological drama written and directed by Alan J. Pakula. It's based on the book from 1979. It's set in 1947. The story, a young aspiring writer moves to a Brooklyn boarding house. He befriends Sophie, a Polish Catholic Holocaust survivor, through flashbacks and her pain and her imprisonment in Auschwitz. And then she had to decide, yeah.

17:00 And what's this movie called? Sophie's Choice. Oh, the movie is called Sophie's Choice.

17:04 Mm-hmm.

17:05 Oh, okay. I didn't know that.

17:07 And don't you guys think it's crazy, though, that the director of that movie was Alan J.

17:11 That's Alan J. Axson. That, and we just did Alan Jackson.

17:16 Yeah, I thought it was about just trying to pick a couch.

17:20 Stop. Sophie, yeah. Before we go. Yeah, man. I'm going to give you guys a category, and you tell me what song fits. Okay.

17:31 So, because you guys haven't had time to think about it, I'll go first. Category number one. What is the greatest country song for driving with your windows down?

17:43 Ooh.

17:43 Windows are down. Eddie, you have a Jeep. I have a Jeep, so it's always down. Top can be off.

17:47 Yeah.

17:47 So my selection, and I try to do this fairly. I give myself 15 seconds to come up with an answer. I picked, Oh, play me that mountain music.

17:58 Like Alabama mountain music.

17:59 That's so good.

18:00 And it comes on at the beginning of like, I go Alabama mountain music.

18:08 Wow.

18:09 That's good, man. My mind went straight to Tim McGraw, something like that.

18:18 Barbecue stain.

18:18 Yeah.

18:19 Cause those, those fiddles when they come out, I love that. Brandon.

18:26 I'm going to go somewhere new that I didn't expect to go. The first place I went was... Let your head down, head down. Give you some of that rain on back.

18:37 Randy Houser? Yeah.

18:41 Oh, those are two different songs.

18:46 Those are two different songs? Yes.

18:49 So you're singing Running Out of Moonlight and you're singing How Country Feels.

18:52 Okay, so yours is How country feels.

18:58 That's a good one, Brandon. All right. What song, Getting Dumped? Oh, dude. Has to be a country song? Has to be a country song. Getting Dumped. What I selected was What Hurts the Most. Oh, that's really good. Fun fact, he sang at my wedding. You didn't really want to talk about that. Yeah, I don't want to, but Gary LaVar sang at my wedding, yeah.

19:24 Man, Getting Dumped. I think a good one would be It's a Great Day to Be Alive.

19:33 Great one. Because, like, getting dumped sucks. But you know what?

19:37 It's not the end of the world. You got to look at the bright side. And that's what Travis Tritt does in the song. Because there's trouble in the neighborhood.

19:45 You know? But that doesn't bother him. There's rice cooking in the microwave. Mm-hmm.

19:50 You know what he's grateful to be alive so there's a bull named fu manchu uh-huh roll with me here follow me and tim mcgrath what is what is Travis should have on his face.

20:02 Fu Manchu. Whoa.

20:05 No way. He says he thinks he might grow me a Fu Manchu. And now what's the bull's name?

20:11 Fu Manchu. I've never thought of that until right now. Damn, that's crazy.

20:14 This is crazy.

20:18 Wow. I think we just discovered something crazy in country music. Wow.

20:23 What if it's the same writer? And that's his like, you know how like some... Like the wet bandits from Home Alone, their signature is to.

20:30 Turn the water off. We start finding Fu Manchu in all these great country songs. It's the same writer. Brandon, getting dumped.

20:37 Nobody answers when I call your name.

20:42 Dang.

20:42 Ben Skill.

20:43 Dang, dude.

20:45 Randy.

20:45 So you guys like to just drown in your sorrows.

20:48 Oh, just cry, man.

20:49 Oh, I hurt so much. Yeah. Mine's a little more feminine than his, though.

20:54 Mm-hmm.

20:55 Rascal Flatts is for the ladies. It's for the ladies. For the most part, Rascal Flatts is for the ladies. Okay. Winning a championship. You win something. What song, what country song comes to mind? Okay.

21:11 Go ahead. You go first, but I got something.

21:14 How do you like me now?

21:16 We went same artist. Same artist, but different song. Now that I'm... What do you got? Put the boot in your butt. What's that one called? I put the boot in your.

21:26 The red, white, and blue? The red, white, and blue.

21:29 Yeah.

21:29 So are you on the Olympic team? I don't know. It could be anything. Got it.

21:33 Brandon?

21:35 Garth?

21:35 Yeah.

21:35 Wait, no, that's different. You just did Saved by the Bell. That's not a country song, man.

21:47 So what are you doing?

21:48 Saved by the bell. Um, ain't going down to the sun comes up. Okay.

21:54 That's a good one.

21:55 Yeah.

21:56 Cause you're going out to party afterward.

21:57 Yeah.

21:57 After this, yeah. After the game's over, you go out to party. Yeah. Okay. All right. Two more. You're getting ready for a Friday night out. Ooh, got it.

22:10 Go.

22:11 I have, um, how catch them. Um, Small town Saturday night. Come on.

22:17 Yes.

22:18 They're at the moon. Shoot out the lights.

22:20 It's a small town Saturday night. Dude, I love that question. The getting ready to go out. Like, dude, that was so much in my high school. My answer is stupid because I only gave myself 15 seconds. Man, I feel like a woman.

22:34 Oh, that's good, dude.

22:37 What's wrong with you? I don't know. I just thought. So you get ready, right? It's just like a get ready song. You got your clothes on. Yeah, like I'm looking in the mirror. Time to go. Man, I feel like a woman. You know what? I'm sure a lot of people feel that way. And that would be their song. You're not alone. Thank you. It's me and all the women?

22:58 Yes.

23:01 Brandon?

23:01 Man, feel like a woman is a great one. But for some reason, I'm going.

23:07 Lord have mercy, baby's got her blue jeans on.

23:11 And again, you're looking in the mirror, looking at your blue jeans. Yeah, I'm like, ooh. Good one. Mel McDaniel?

23:18 It's Mel McDaniel.

23:20 Down on the corner. In the traffic light.

23:24 One more.

23:25 Come on.

23:26 The final scene of your life in a movie. We probably have the same answer. I mean, mine came to me within one second.

23:36 Yeah, same.

23:36 What if we all answer at the same time?

23:39 Would be confusing. Yeah, that'd be terrible, Brandon. But I have mine written down. What do you have? There goes my life. Oh, I don't have that, but that's a great one. There goes my life. Ah, Kenny Chesney. But it's very literal. Like, you're looking at your life.

23:54 Yeah. Yeah.

23:56 Good one. I feel like yours is going to be deeper. It's not.

23:58 Okay.

23:59 Because it came to me in one second.

24:00 You?

24:01 You?

24:01 Well, dreams like a river.

24:04 Oh, that's good. That's good, too.

24:05 Good.

24:05 None of us picked the same song.

24:06 Cool.

24:07 So you're doing The River. Yeah, The River. Can I guess yours? Yeah. I'm between two. The Dance. Ooh.

24:16 I got it.

24:16 Or Tim McGraw, Live Like You Were Dying. Don't Take the Girl. Don't Take the Girl! No, I'm just kidding. No, I'm not doing that one. You dug it. After a while, like, uh.

24:25 I was going to say Country Girl Shaken for me.

24:28 Basically, it's you do it all again, even if you know the ending.

24:35 Hmm.

24:35 You got it. Oh, I picked it. Yeah. Oh, so it's the dance. The dance. Okay. Okay. That's good. Meaning even though you know how it ends, you do it all the same way. Yeah.

24:45 You're here.

24:45 You did it. You're happy. You did it.

24:47 Sucks.

24:47 It's over, but thumbs up.

24:50 That's a good one, man. You know, when, when I first heard that song, I just thought it was about a dance. You were probably also 11. I was 12, 11.

24:56 Yeah.

24:57 But the music video really changed that for me because they showed all dead people. Oh, like Lane Frost, Marilyn Monroe.

25:04 John F. Kennedy, I believe. Chris Ledoux. Oh, no.

25:09 Keith Whitley, not Chris Ledoux. Keith Whitley. And so I was just like, wow, showing all these dead people. Realized that's what it was.

25:16 I've enjoyed this, guys. Dude, that was fun. As always.

25:20 Thank you for watching. Next week, two more country stars battle it out. Thank you for watching. Thank you for listening.

25:27 Hang tight.

25:28 The Bobbycast will be right back. And we're back on the Bobbycast.

25:44 Okay, so now I want to highlight one of the podcasts on the Nashville Podcast Network, Get Real with Caroline Hobby. And if you like this, go subscribe. Caroline talks with Cara Burge, who's married to George Burge. And Cara talks about moving to Nashville, dropping George off to audition for a label executive and a bunch more. It's a really great podcast. I hope you check it out. Get real with Caroline Hobby.

26:04 Here you go.

26:05 So we renovated this house. Thank God that we did because then it came to he's potentially going to quit his job and go try and be a musician.

26:17 So when did he realize, because he goes to college for golf and then he has a corporate job, but when was he like, I'm actually going to pursue music full force I mean that's a big.

26:27 Well probably when he realized he wasn't gonna be able to play professional golf because he would have chosen that over music if he could but he was like yeah I wasn't good enough.

26:34 For that okay but when did he realize was he always singing no I remember no like this just came out of the blue our college friends didn't even realize that he was like They knew he'd always get his guitar out at parties or sing or play, but they didn't really realize or appreciate that he wrote his own music and had had a band since he was in high school.

26:54 Okay, so he did have a band in high school.

26:56 Uh-huh.

26:56 He did. Yeah, there's been a number of bands. But in high school and then in college, I remember he was playing a charity event where they were like, let's learn some covers and do it for this charity. And that was the first time I ever saw him play live in front of people. And I was like, oh, my God, she's good. And then he had, like, some open mic nights at, like, the Mellow Mushroom in Austin. And, like, nobody would even be there. But, like, I was at every single one.

27:25 Yes, you were, Queen.

27:27 And then it just kind of, after we got married, they started, like, booking gigs at the local Austin spots.

27:33 So was this, did he pair up? Was he in a duo at that point?

27:36 This is by the time they had named the band Waterloo Revival. And where did Waterloo come from?

27:39 He and Cody.

27:40 Waterloo is, like, I think it's the original name of Austin.

27:42 Yeah.

27:42 I think Austin was Waterloo before. There's a lot of Waterloo influence in Austin.

27:48 I love it.

27:48 Y'all love Austin.

27:49 Okay.

27:50 So I remember him coming home and being like, I've come up with the band name. And I was like, oh, so we're doing this.

27:55 I mean, at 25 years old to say, like, I'm going full force in– a band when I've been in corporate and graduated from college.

28:02 Well, no, he was still working. He was still in corporate. I mean, he would play these shows and I look back at some of the pictures. I'm like, you didn't even change. Like you just came straight from the office and you're still in your khaki pants.

28:13 But when he got the idea to do the band, was he like, I'm not just casually doing this.

28:17 I'm going to do it.

28:18 No, it was casual at first. Started casual.

28:20 Okay.

28:21 Yeah. And they started doing it and all of their coworkers would come support them. And like, And then, you know, they're both from Austin. So all their, our family. And then he was just like packing out these venues. In Austin. In Austin.

28:34 Yeah. Stop it.

28:34 Just like on the weekends, we were having so much fun. And then his first like break came from a manager that came and flew to Austin to see him. And I think, gosh, it's been a minute, but. The manager was like, you got a shot? You can do this? His manager was like, I want to sign you. I want to like kind of take you and run with this.

28:57 And I want y'all to think about moving to Nashville. And I was like, well, I mean, maybe like in a few years. And then he had his first, what do you call it when they like audition for the label, like his first showcase or whatever. And we both came to Nashville. What was the label?

29:12 Sony.

29:13 Sony.

29:13 So they got an audition for Sony right away.

29:16 So this kind of moved quickly. Yes, it happened quick. There was one song they were all obsessed with, and they were like, we've got to go play this for all the labels in town. I mean, he had a very influential manager early on. And we knew nothing. We had no freaking clue. We were just learning.

29:31 But the buzz happened fast.

29:32 So, like, his– I'll never forget.

29:35 We stayed at, like, somewhere in the Vanderbilt area at a hotel. And he was, like, literally warming up, practicing. He was by himself. It was just George that came to Nashville because the band was a duo. And Cody was probably working. I have no idea. So he comes, and I remember dropping him off outside of the gates of Sony on Music Row and– Like we didn't like know how to get in. I was like, good luck.

30:02 And he's like just walking in this gate opens. He's just him by himself walking in with his guitar. And I was like, he never gets nervous. That man is so nervous. He did not get signed to Sony. They passed. And then we were like, yeah, I mean, whatever. It was just like a weird thing. Like I'm sure it's never going to happen. And then he ended up getting signed with Big Machine.

30:21 Big Machine.

30:22 Yep.

30:22 Okay.

30:23 Which is then like we started crossing paths with you. Did you know Amanda first? So I knew Amanda and Bill because my friend Lindsay from Waco. What was Lindsay's maiden name? um, was friends. So she was like, I have Waco friends. You've got to meet.

30:39 Okay.

30:40 And that's how we ended up at DeSano's.

30:41 Yes.

30:42 Because Amanda was like this.

30:43 Real cute couple. I knew nobody. I knew nobody. Like I didn't have a single like starting point where I was like, maybe I'll meet a neighbor, which I did. I ended up meeting my neighbor and she's a great friend.

30:53 Love a good neighbor.

30:54 Um, but yeah, I remember when Amanda was like, you need to come out with us.

30:58 I just felt like.

30:59 Amanda and Bill are in a thousand horses. Bill's in a thousand horses. And so, yeah, we all met at DeSano's pizza.

31:04 Yeah.

31:05 And it was like, oh my gosh, okay, I'm going to be okay. Like I found a girl gang and like we've– it's a starting point. I have some people to call.

31:13 It's overwhelming.

31:14 Yeah.

31:15 Were you like all for Georgia's Dream? Were you like, let's do this?

31:18 100%.

31:18 Or were you like, no, I want to stay in Austin. This was not on our agenda. I was all for it.

31:23 Are you just like here for it? I'm here for it.

31:26 You're here.

31:26 You're perfect.

31:27 You're a perfect wife of an adventurous– you're an adventurous spirit.

31:30 I mean, I worked for– this is so cute. I just had this memory.

31:33 Yeah.

31:34 I worked for a recruiting company and I recruited engineers, like computer and electrical engineers, which is hysterical, right? Because they didn't know what to do with me. And I remember telling them that I was going to quit and I was going to move to Nashville because my husband was going to be a country singer. And I'm sure they were all like, oh, my God. Like, I imagine myself as like legally blonde Elle Woods. And the day that I left, the day that I left.

31:59 Like it's hard? Yeah, like what? Like it's hard?

32:02 And they're all looking like, oh, my God, it actually worked out. I remember leaving the building that day. It was a very large company. And they had like lined the hallway. All of my engineers like made a tunnel. And I like walked out of the office. And then we just went and moved to Nashville.

32:19 Kara, I feel like there's a common theme of just like.

32:21 That's so funny.

32:22 Fun in your life. Like you and George, do y'all always.

32:25 Find fun and like the joy and things?

32:29 That's amazing.

32:29 That's like the greatest compliment, right?

32:31 But like, I just love like your whole perspective on all this.

32:33 You're like, we had so much fun in college and then we got married and then we had so much fun in our jobs we recruited. And then like all the people that you worked for with recruiting came and watched George play. And then that's how he got his buzz because y'all were having fun doing what you were doing.

32:47 So like having fun really leads to a joyful experience. Aligned life.

32:53 I love that. I love that. And I definitely feel that. I was just talking to probably my sister. My sister and I are very close. And we were talking about having fun with your spouse. You know, like, you just forget. I think so many people also just having kids is hard and not always fun all the time. So now, like, our boys are a little bit older. Nine and six.

33:17 They are six and nine. Yeah, almost seven and nine.

33:20 So.

33:21 They are still like, they're still best friends. They still think we're like the coolest and love to be together.

33:28 And they go on the road.

33:30 But we just like, yeah, we have a lot of fun. Y'all do? And I think George and I consistently have fun with or without the kids like prioritizing that. I feel like that's kind of, that's the secret for us.

33:44 Do you think that's just y'all's demeanor?

33:49 Yes.

33:49 Or is it a choice?

33:50 I think it's a choice. I mean, he's been tired. Like, he's exhausted. So what's wearing him out these days? He's got a lot going on. His version of fun has, like, changed, too. But, like, when we're together, we are, yeah, like, there's nobody we have more fun with. Like, it's not always a party. Like, he's actually not a big drinker. Oh, yeah, we gave it up a couple years ago. That lifestyle, he's like, I just can't. Like, I don't. He has to entertain people all the time for his career, so.

34:20 How does he entertain without alcohol?

34:23 He does drink. He's not like a non-drinker at all. It's funny because when he comes home, he's like ready to detox because when you're out on the road, like hosting people backstage and like, you know, three times a week, everybody wants a drink.

34:37 Because everybody's ready for the party.

34:39 Everybody wants like a shot of tequila on the bus. Like that's the thing. It's the thing. It's so funny. His band doesn't drink at all. Like nobody in his crew drinks alcohol. So it's really funny. They they they were very good team.

34:53 That's good.

34:53 That's good to have. But he comes home and he's like ready to, you know, just clean up and eat clean and do all the things. And I'm like, let's pour a glass of wine. Finally, like you're back.

35:05 Thanks for listening to the Bobby cast. Share this episode with a friend because they don't pay to advertise us.