Every once in a while, the music world gifts us a true gem, and during the latest Country Music Connection podcast, I had the pleasure of polishing up one such gem in an intimate sit-down with South Carolina's very own Joshua Graham. This rising country star shared his unique path to stardom, which didn't follow the typical Nashville blueprint. Instead, Joshua's journey was carved out by his relentless spirit and a pivotal pinky injury that turned his guitar playing on its head. Listeners will get an earful of how a cover of Zach Bryan’s "Something in the Orange" and a viral social media moment can change everything for an artist hungry for the spotlight.
As the conversation flows like the serene Black River that inspires so much of Joshua's music, we delve into the dreams that drive an artist's ambition. Imagine the buzz of performing at the CMA Fest or the Carolina Country Music Festival—Joshua certainly can—and the allure of sharing the stage with country legends. This episode doesn't just spotlight a musician; it spotlights a journey of passion and perseverance. For those eager to keep their finger on the pulse of Joshua's rising career, we share how to connect with him across social media platforms, ensuring you don't miss a chord of his unfolding story.
Every once in a while, the music world gifts us a true gem, and during the latest Country Music Connection podcast, I had the pleasure of polishing up one such gem in an intimate sit-down with South Carolina's very own Joshua Graham. This rising country star shared his unique path to stardom, which didn't follow the typical Nashville blueprint. Instead, Joshua's journey was carved out by his relentless spirit and a pivotal pinky injury that turned his guitar playing on its head. Listeners will get an earful of how a cover of Zach Bryan’s "Something in the Orange" and a viral social media moment can change everything for an artist hungry for the spotlight.
As the conversation flows like the serene Black River that inspires so much of Joshua's music, we delve into the dreams that drive an artist's ambition. Imagine the buzz of performing at the CMA Fest or the Carolina Country Music Festival—Joshua certainly can—and the allure of sharing the stage with country legends. This episode doesn't just spotlight a musician; it spotlights a journey of passion and perseverance. For those eager to keep their finger on the pulse of Joshua's rising career, we share how to connect with him across social media platforms, ensuring you don't miss a chord of his unfolding story.
Speaker 1:
Welcome to the Country Music Connection podcast. My name is Steve Rudden and this is the first episode, so I'm very excited to be interviewing Joshua Graham. Welcome to the Country Music Podcast, Joshua. Hey, how are you, Steve? I'm well, I'm well. It's been a really beautiful day here in maryland on uh monday here in south carolina too.
Speaker 1:
Here in south carolina too, the heat's starting to turn up a little bit, though yeah, yeah, I actually had to turn on my ac because, uh, I had my heat set to seven uh to 68 for most of the uh the winter. Now it it uh raised up to 76 in my house. So I'm like, well, I'm getting a little bit toasty.
Speaker 2:
Finally starting to warm up, sure enough.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, so, um, we were uh connected, uh, by your representatives and, um, I'm just uh, just trying to learn a little bit more about you. Um, and I'm just looking at your social media right now, Um, are you, are you currently doing shows right now? Um, the last.
Speaker 2:
Yes, yes, Um, so I'm doing, I'm I'm traveling around and playing, mostly in South Carolina, but we do dip out the state a little bit, Um, myself and my band as well. But yes, sir, I'm playing. I'm playing all over the place in South.
Speaker 1:
Carolina right now. And what made you start playing music like who? Who are your idols growing up?
Speaker 2:
so I always liked to sing. I was never. I never really played and sang. It was never on the forefront of my ambitions. It was always kind of a backseat thing I did in private. Toby Keith and people like Toby Keith, brooks and Dunn and so forth have always been my favorite singers that I've listened to growing up. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I actually started playing and singing seriously and and and thinking that I could do something with it. It started as kind of a way to maybe pick up some side money and as it grew a little bit I started I started getting more and more focused on maybe making this time, this thing, a full-time deal.
Speaker 1:
Okay, and um did you? Uh? Who was it? Tik TOK, that um got you a little following, or was it? Uh, how did you get your start and how did you get your following?
Speaker 2:
So actually the way I started was when Something in the Orange by Zach Bryan came out. That was the first song that I really played and sang together, because before I kind of liked to pick on the guitar a little bit and I liked to sing as well. But when that song came out I just picked it back up Because, like many guitar players, a lot of times you'll start, you'll get frustrated and you'll quit. And you'll start and you'll get frustrated and you quit. And then about the time that that song came around, I had a little sidebar from that. I actually shortened that pinky whenever I turned 18. I accidentally cut it off working and it took a couple of years to get to where it was, I guess you'd say, conditioned enough to be able to use it again. As far as playing guitar, I mean, it was usable, but when you're pressing strings it can get kind of sensitive. So when that song came out, I learned how to play. That song came out, I started, um, I learned how to how to play that song and and I started singing, and that was, I'm gonna guess, may of two years ago. Now I want to say I think that's about right, um. So then I learned to play and sing that one and I put it on instagram. That was, may, we'll say, probably june, and that's all I could play. And I got like a, a thousand views on facebook and instagram and I thought I thought, wow, you know, wow, look at this. And uh, you know, I, I started thinking I've always been business inclined and I enjoy business and I, you know, I, I started thinking, you know, if I, if I start working at this thing uh, I got pretty good feedback on that Maybe I can figure out a way to play a gig or two and pick up some money. Um, and then. So I just went to know life in it and really, really worked hard at it and practiced over the course of the next few months and, um, over the course of the next few months, and, um, I bought a new guitar and then I bought an amp, started researching you know what I needed to do to gig. And uh, bought the, bought my, my my tower gigging speaker, that, uh, that I use for my solo stuff, even even now. And the first year rolled around and it was, uh, january.
Speaker 2:
We always go on a golf trip, myself and a and a bunch of guys, and, uh, we went down to play some myrtle beach and I told, uh, I went and asked the guy who owned the bar because it's a resort and there's a bar in there if I could play music. And they, uh, I never played in front of anybody before I I, by this time, probably had I don't know 25 songs that I could play, maybe 30. Maybe 30. And it's like 20 degrees and I know that's nothing in Maryland, but that's cold. It's cold, let's not say 20.
Speaker 2:
I think it was about 30 with wind, so it was cold for here and I wanted to play inside the bar. I was like, you know, I just set up and play. I just want to play, because we had 40 or 50 guys on the trip that were with us, yeah, and I just wanted to test my, test it and see how it would go. And he said, well, it's too loud in here, you know, just kind of blew me off and said that I could play on the back patio if I wanted. And, uh, I started and I, of course, took that and told my guys about it and that Saturday I went out there and started playing and, uh, it went from 70 people, 50 people on the back. That were my guys from the trip to probably 150 175 people and I made a lot of tips. That's awesome, that's so great. Yeah, it was surreal to me and it just lit a fire and it was a little bit of gratification for the work that I put in over the past few months.
Speaker 2:
And then when I got back home from the trip I started talking to some restaurants and stuff that did live music around my area mm-hmm and then we did that and I got a few gigs and started practicing and then probably, you know, you hear all kinds of stories about uh getting heard and seen and I'm by no means discovered and and or anything like that, but, um, hopefully we're on the way to doing something special with it. But I found out that my little small town was going to do a talent show, out that my little small town was gonna do a talent show, and, uh, they had a, a special guest coming which was morgan miles. She was uh, okay, from from the voice, and uh, and I never I had never met her. Of course we'd heard her sing fantastic vocalist, I mean absolutely fantastic. But she was coming to my town and I haven't googled the population of my town, but it's like was coming to my town and I haven't googled the population of my town, but it's like 5 000 people, 6 000. I mean small, super small um town, which I love, but um, just uh, for the stars to align on that, and that was exactly.
Speaker 2:
You know, basically, I played three gigs and then she came down and and did the show and um did the talent show and I got to meet her and hang out with them as we were, uh, you know, in the pro after, after everything was said and done, and then over the um, and, of course, to take a step back, her representation and my representation, uh, um, her same and my representation are the same. Jared, yeah, jared. And then, whenever, over the next few months, we kind of stayed in contact and I really just talking to her and trying to soak up all the knowledge that I could from her, I just started really really grinding and then it started picking up and I started playing more and more places. I just started really really grinding and then it started picking up and I started playing more and more places and, you know, just kept on practicing and playing and practicing and playing and trying to grow it into a business. And probably through the end of the summer they gave me the opportunity to go and open for her.
Speaker 1:
I saw her Instagram um instagram post uh last august.
Speaker 2:
Yeah yeah and uh and and that was a, that was a blessing and that was a surreal experience and uh, super thankful for her and everything she's done for me. You know just not uh, not necessarily just the uh. You know the opportunity to open, but the guidance that somebody that somebody that's in the industry like that can provide is you can't really stick a price on it. There's so many questions that can only be answered by someone who's fully immersed in it. They can save you some mistakes, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:
They can save you some mistakes.
Speaker 1:
Do you still? Oh sorry, what's that?
Speaker 2:
Go ahead.
Speaker 1:
Do you still keep in touch with her um?
Speaker 2:
yeah, well, like I say, we're through jared. So, um, you know, we got I got to see him uh not too long ago and uh, you know she's she's doing well, she's doing her thing and got, uh, got got some stuff in the works I'm, I'm sure, coming up and uh, you know she's she's gonna continue to do her thing. Um, but, uh, but yeah, I still, I still get to see her, I still get to see her.
Speaker 1:
I still get to see her. What's the next step for you? Are you planning on seeing if you can get into CMA Fest?
Speaker 2:
No, probably not this year. You talking about CCMF.
Speaker 1:
CMA Fest in June in Nashville. It's like a whole week.
Speaker 2:
No, I haven't looked into that, but that's something that I'm I definitely need to look into. Um, definitely, ccmf uh, carolina country music festival. That's the big one down here. That's that's a goal of mine to eventually to eventually play that okay, um, but but for for right now, uh got some music that I'm sitting on that I want to get out. Um, some some original stuff, and uh need to get that out and uh just going to continue to grow, um, grow my business and grow my following, build that social media following and just keep, just keep grinding it out, man, it's the only way to get better definitely.
Speaker 1:
Um, yeah, I was uh trying to find you on youtube and uh spotify, but I haven't been able to find any.
Speaker 2:
No, I don't have everything, everything is set up to do it. I'm just, I'm just trying to trying to get it right and uh and and and get some, get some music out there and, like I say, I've got a couple of songs that I'm sitting on okay just just wanting to want it to be right whenever they go, you know of course, yeah, I mean I'm excited to hear those um.
Speaker 1:
So who? Who would you love to perform with? Uh, down the road, if, if, if you had a dream of like, who would you like to have? Um, you be an opener for, or you have somebody opening for you?
Speaker 2:
uh, ronnie dunn okay ronnie dunn.
Speaker 2:
I mean, um, you know, I when you you don't necessarily copy singing styles, I don don't think. But in my experience I definitely, I definitely think that that that you have people that you that you learn from and you try to try to try to grow off of, and his singing style and the way that that that he sings is just there's. There's no one else like it, not in country music. It's just, it's beautiful. I mean, he's got a beautiful voice and he's got so many good songs. And obviously, rip to Toby Keith. But my answer would have been Toby Keith, just because of who he was, you know just what he represented. It was just everything America is. That would have been my first answer. But as far as living artists goes, probably Ronnie Dunn, big Zach Bryan fan too. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Zach Bryan fan. That would also be right up there together um, right up there together I I.
Speaker 2:
I saw your um instagram video of of you at the lake singing uh the toby keith.
Speaker 2:
It was yeah, so uh, really good, that was actually at my uh, it's, uh, it's, it's a place called black river, it's a, it's a river that runs through my hometown and I guess you could kind of say that's where I draw a lot of my motivation for my music, because it's just one of those places and I think everybody's got their special place that you can just go and everything ceases to exist, and that's just one of those places Dark water and cypress trees and it, just it, just everything else goes away. You can get a clear, clear mind and a clean slate, and all the stuff that goes on on your phone just just goes away right?
Speaker 1:
um, have you been to any, uh, growing up and like, up until like the last couple years years before you started to, you know, perform? Um, did you go to any country concerts? Uh, no, so I came to your area.
Speaker 2:
No, so I haven't. I haven't been to many concerts, but I've watched a lot of concerts. Um, I've watched a, a lot of. I mean, with the way things are anymore, you can consume any content that you want, um, good or bad, you know. Yeah, so I've, I've watched, uh, I've watched a lot of, uh, a lot of concerts, a lot of leonard, the old, classic, classic performances of leonard skinner, whiskey, meyer, zach, bryan, toby, keith, brooks, I mean you go down the list, pretty much anybody that that there is. I've, I've watched, um, I, I love, I love to to watch live music. It gives you a taste of, of the real thing, especially when it's done well and the mix is right and done on high-end equipment where you can really put some good headphones in and have a listen.
Speaker 1:
You know right, yeah, um and um. So uh, you said next year is is your goal to get into the CCM? What's the Carolina country? Yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:
That's something that we're working towards. It's not necessarily it's good to have goals like that, yeah of course, if it happens, it happens. It's definitely definitely a goal. Um, and just any, any of the bigger festivals that that are going to allow you to, to, to get some exposure and and and just have a flat out good time, yeah, um, that's that's what I want to do, that's what I'm gonna do so.
Speaker 1:
Um, where can uh people reach you uh if?
Speaker 2:
if they want to listen to your music or see you uh out, out, out and and about on so uh social media uh, social media uh, tiktok's gonna be joshua graham 221 if you just want to listen to, uh, my music and stuff that I play on there. If you're interested in developing more of a in-depth following as to where I'm going to be, my Instagram is jlgram underscore and I'll post all of my dates on there, and Facebook is also another really good way to find me. You can just look my name up, joshua Graham. If it doesn't pop up, look up Joshua Graham King Street, my hometown and it'll pop right up. It's easy to find me like that. I post all my stuff on both of those. You'll be able to see exactly where I'm at.
Speaker 1:
Awesome, awesome. Well, it has been an awesome interview and I'm very, very excited for you to be my first official interview for the Country Music Connection podcast, and we will keep in touch.