Last week we reported that Brooke Graham will, on June 22 at the Ranch, give Milam County residents a sneak peek of her new songs she’s been recording in Nashville with Tex Whitson, Merle Haggard’s long-time manager. This week we go into more detail about the recording process and her new songs. This interview was conducted Friday.
The Rockdale Reporter: How many new songs did you record in Nashville?
Brooke Graham: So far there are five, but I’ve been writing like crazy for upcoming recordings. We were hoping to have all of them ready in time for The Ranch, but there will only be three that will be finished by then if I’m lucky. I’m hoping to play the actual recording that will be released nationwide. We were hoping to have all of the songs ready by June 22, but the Nashville folks have decided to master the new songs on a brand-new type of Dolby machinery, so it’s taking longer than we had hoped.
RR: What is the first song that will be released?
BG: The first one, and the one I’m most excited about, I didn’t even write. The song is called “Easy Does It” and it was written by Leslie Satcher. She wrote “Troubadour” for George Straight and has also written songs for Martina McBride, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Gretchen Wilson, Pam Tills, Cheryl Crow and Miranda Lambert. And that’s only a partial list. My recording of that song is already being shopped to national radio stations. The song is also being shopped to Kenny Chesney and Jimmy Buffet’s camps.
RR: Who are the musicians who backed you up in these recordings?
BG: All of the musicians have backed up people like Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, George Straight, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn and many others. Great people and very talented musicians.
RR: Tell our readers about a new song that you did write.
BG: “Deja Brew” is a fun song I wrote that will first be released by me, but it’s also being shopped to Zack Brown, Kenny Chesney and Jimmy Buffet.
RR: For those of us not wellversed in the music business, if one of those country music stars decides to record one of the songs you’ve written, how does that work?
BG: I’m just learning all this stuff. I think they buy a song from me, but I also get royalties from it if they record it. And there are several other ways to work it out. That’s the business part and I am more focused on the songwriting.
RR: Let’s play devil’s advocate. What if when your recording of “Easy Does It” is so popular that it makes you an “overnight” star?
BG: That’s what these folks plans are! Tex Whitson and Jimmy and
Heather Collins have created this whole company around me called Loud Mouth Entertainment. And that is so exciting. It really wasn’t my plan for fame and fortune, but it is definitely their plan and they believe in me. They’ve already started planning lots of tour dates with buses and everything.
RR: What do you think all of these industry experts that you’re now working with see in you?
BG: The best answer to that is that Tex Whitson and Jimmy Collins have for a long time wanted to start a female Jimmy Buffet music genre, but they’ve never found the right person.
RR: That sounds right up your alley.
BG: When Mary Lou Loehr hooked me up with Tex Whitson and he heard my music, the first call he made was to Jimmy Collins and he told him, “I’ve finally found our girl. Brooke Graham is our female Jimmy Buffet.”
RR: That must have been a big honor for you.
BG: Everything is happening so fast and I have been humbled many times. Just working around these people telling me what a good songwriter I am solidified in me that I am a good songwriter. This is not my just my Daddy telling me I’m good. But my Daddy was and always will be the first. Mark Maynard is a big promoter in Nashville. He’s the promoter for Steve Wariner, Patty Loveless and Jimmy Buffet, and he believes in me more than anyone which just surprises and humbles me even more.
RR: Speaking of your dad, will he be in your touring band?
BG: Unfortunately no, and that’s disappointing. They are putting together a traveling band for me, but he’ll still play with me when I’m performing locally.
RR: The first time we tried to hold this interview you were busy outside at the farm digging up potatoes. If you become a big superstar, do you still want to dig potatoes?
BG: Being born in Rockdale and having both my Mama and Daddy growing up in Milano, Milam County has a super special place in my heart. I’ve got a lot of wonderful kinfolks here and I will come home and dig taters every chance I get. I love Milano!
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