Walker Hayes!

Send us Fan MailThis episode makes Gary’s soul sing. Walker made Gary reassess what he knows about life. They dove into some REAL topics. This might be a short episode, but it’s PACKED!In this episode:The amazing thing Walker did for GaryHaving a stillborn childExperiencing the highest of highs on Earth and the lowestWhat he and his wife are surprised the fight about nowWhat really matters in lifeRunning away from and to GodHaving the freedom of not having to understand why good things and bad things happen to usAssumptions we makeHow Walker values humanity more nowGetting over yourselfThe importance of stopping and serving othersChoosing the best outcome vs fearing the worstBeing a  humble parentWhat Gary’s mom told him when he was 10 that has stuck with himThis episode is sponsored by Habana Cuba.Get 15% off with code "Gary" when you order!About Walker:It took Walker Hayes over a decade to break into the mainstream country, but when he finally landed a Top Ten hit in 2017 with "You Broke Up with Me," it hit with the force of an explosion and proved an appropriate song title since its parent album was called boom. The 2017 album came six years after his full-length debut, Reason to Rhyme, announcing a promising talent in a bro-country vein, but boom. was fresh and fused modern R&B, contemporary country, hip-hop, and rock, announcing a distinctive talent. Hayes consolidated this breakthrough with the clever "Fancy Like," which reached number one on Billboard's Country charts in 2021, a hit that was the cornerstone of his third record, Country Stuff the Album.Hayes is a native of Mobile, Alabama. Born on December 27, 1979, he grew up in Mobile, dividing his time between music and sports as a child and teenager. He wound up earning a music degree from Alabama's Birmingham-Southern College, then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He and his wife moved to Nashville in 2005 with dreams of him becoming a professional musician. He signed a song publishing deal, and then, on the strength of a demo he recorded for Keith Urban, Hayes inked a deal with Mercury before quickly moving to Capitol Records. He released his debut single, "Pants," in 2010, which wound up reaching 60 on the Hot Country Songs chart. The full-length Reason to Rhyme followed in 2011, but it didn't chart. Over the next few years, Hayes worked as a songwriter, landing placements with Colt Ford and Rodney Atkins in 2014. Capitol dropped him, so he worked at Costco and continued to write, releasing the single "Pimpin' Joy" to little attention in 2014. Shane McAnally signed him to SMACK/RareSpark in 2016, leading him to release two EPs -- 8Tracks, Vol. 1: Good Shit and 8Tracks, Vol. 2: Break the Internet -- that year. Hayes landed a contract with Monument in 2017, which released "You Broke Up with Me" that year. Connect with Gary:Gary's WebsiteFollow Gary on InstagramGary's TiktokGary's FacebookWatch the episodes on YouTubeAdvertise on the PodcastThank you for listening. Let us know what you think about this episode. Leave us a review!