Tony Scott: 0:21

Welcome to The Jay Franze Show, a behind-the-curtain look at the entertainment industry, with insights you can't pay for and stories you've never heard. Now here's your host, Jay Franze.

Jay Franze: 0:49

Well, hello, hello, hello and welcome to the show. I am Jay Franze and this is your Backstage Pass to the Music Industry. This week we get to talk with a country music recording artist. We get to talk with Robby Johnson. We'll talk to him about what it was like playing at Tootsie's, what his production process is like, and well, we'll talk to him about his go-to food when he's recording in Nashville. Now, robbie, he is not only an amazing singer, songwriter and recording artist, but he's an amazing guy and I can't wait to talk with him tonight. So if you would like to join in, comment or fire off any questions, please head over to jayfranze. com. Now let's get started. Robbie sir, how are you?

Robby Johnson: 1:35

Hey, Jay, I'm doing great. What about you? How are you doing?

Jay Franze: 1:38

I am having a great day, sir, and it's much better now that I get to talk to you, or at least that's what I'm going to tell you. All right, let's just go ahead and kick it off. I know you had an opportunity to perform at Tootsie's, which is an iconic location in Nashville. Can you tell me what it was like performing there?

Robby Johnson: 2:01

Oh, it was pretty intense. I had some people visiting out of state, out of country, and they just had a blast. It was a lot of fun and it's funny because we stayed there after and my son got on stage for Sweet Caroline. I'm pretty sure you know that song very, very well and I mean we had a blast that night. It was great. It's always great to get up there Last minute thing. You just get up there and you sing a couple of covers and you just get the crowd excited and you know live performance. It's the best thing in the world.

Jay Franze: 2:36

Well, Tootsie's has been around for a long time.

Robby Johnson: 2:47

I mean it's been around since the Hank Williams days when he used to sneak over from the Opry.

Robby Johnson: 2:50

How has it changed over the years. I wasn't there when he was sneaking no, you weren't present and everything and people knowing that and enjoying that at Tootsie's. It's the real deal and it's fun. And I mean there's a ton of honky-tonks downtown, you know. And now the new is every artist major artist has a bar downtown and all you know tearing down the places and making new bars. I mean the vitality of Nashville is amazing and I'm fortunate that Tootsie is still around, and a bunch of others Legends, corner, and all those honky-tonks that were there, like you were saying, when Willie Nelson would write a song on a napkin All those it's great that you're still around.

Jay Franze: 3:37

Well, I know things have changed over the years. We used to have Fanfare, now we have CMA Fest. I know you've had an opportunity to spend some time at CMA Fest, but have you had an opportunity to perform?

Robby Johnson: 3:49

Yeah, I had an opportunity to perform Not this summer, though. This summer I did the signing booth and that was crazy. It's always amazing to see a lineup of people that want to see you get your autograph, get to chat, meet and greet. It's so amazing to see a lineup of people that want to see you get your autograph, get to chat, meet and greet. It's so incredible to have this opportunity. It's funny because after my live shows I do sign autographs and I got to say it's probably one of my favorite moments of the show After, when you get to meet the people and talk and they tell you how much they connect with the music, with the music and. But I did the not this summer. The summer before I did have a chance to perform and that was on the spotlight stage and that was really, really, really cool.

Jay Franze: 4:31

Is that different to you than performing at a regular show?

Robby Johnson: 4:35

Yeah, I mean it's different. You know, yes, people do gather because they saw you on the schedule and there's people that don't have a clue who who I am, and they just discover it and then it's, it's fun, it's a lot of fun, you know, and uh, it's always great to meet new fans, make new fans and and, uh, just spread, spread the word out.

Jay Franze: 4:57

Well, you also mentioned the time and the experience when you're signing the autographs or meeting the fans. Yeah, how does that make you feel? I mean, it's got to be a great feeling.

Robby Johnson: 5:07

It's a great feeling and you know it's music business and doing this it's a lot of sacrifices, and even on the family. And I remember one time after a show I was signing autographs and my kids were right next to me and they had the opportunity to witness that and a guy walks up to me and he says you know, I got to tell you something One day. I was really down. I was really considering ending my life. I saw you on TV talking about your crazy story, how you became an artist and how you dreamt about this and you never gave up and you just believed it. And he said it saved my life and I was happy that my kids were able to witness that, because it's a lot of sacrifices, but it's great when you hear someone like you know share this with you and others. You know how they relate to the music and all that. So it's it's really great. It's always fun. You never know what people are going to tell you.

Robby Johnson: 6:09

It's a lot of fun to meet the fans and just say thank you, just thank them for everything, because, I mean, we're not the stars of the show, the fans are. It's people that share the music, stream the music. I mean, if I'm on a stage by myself, I'm not a star. If there's 80,000 people in the stadium to see me, they're the stars, they're the ones that make it happen. It's not me, it's them. And we don't decide. We just hang in there and hope that people relate with the music, and if it relates with a certain percentage of the population, great, and if it's a higher percentage, even better. You know it's, you don't know, you don't it's. It's music that makes it happen and the fans that listen, stream and share the music of course, before we leave the.

Jay Franze: 7:01

The subject though, that ride home with your kids that night. What was that conversation like?

Robby Johnson: 7:07

well, I mean, it was like it's funny because you know they were like whoa, we didn't have, we never thought we, you know we'd witnessed this. It's pretty powerful, Music's pretty powerful and just being like a role model in the media, they understood, you know, what it represents to be in the public's eye and be an artist, and that was the conversation.

Jay Franze: 7:34

Well, I know family is very important to you and that you've had your daughter in one of your videos. What's it like having that moment with your daughter?

Robby Johnson: 7:43

Yeah, my daughter. I mean it was funny because for that music video we're like, okay, so we're shooting a music video in Tampa. And I was like, hey, do you want to be in the music video? And she's like, well, if I get to pick the guy, of course I'm down for it. So she, she went online and she, she, uh, scouted some some guys for the music video. And it's funny because in the music video they look like they're really, you know, going out. You know it looks like they've been together for years. It's really crazy.

Tony Scott: 8:18

That's good. Acting is what that is.

Robby Johnson: 8:19

Yeah, but I was so stressed because when we started the day shooting it's crazy because you know I'm daddy, so I'm looking at her perform I'm like, oh no, it's not working. And I call my wife it's not working and she's too nervous, blah, blah, blah. But actually it turned out great on screen because she's meeting this guy for the first time, so of course she's going to be kind of nervous, you know, a little awkward. So it worked perfectly and later in the shoot she got comfortable. So everything was perfect, it all. It all worked out great. And uh, yeah, that was a lot of fun and it's. It's sad because that bar was totally demolished. It's in, uh, it's not in tampa, it's in, uh, clear water. It's a section in a restaurant, j Jimmy's Seafood, I don't remember the exact name, but he has a bar section. It's exact. It's like everything Packers, packers.

Tony Scott: 9:21

And it was complete.

Robby Johnson: 9:23

No, it was completely destroyed by the hurricane man. They got another one coming.

Jay Franze: 9:30

That's crazy, the hurricane man and they got another one coming. That's crazy Sad times, yep.

Robby Johnson: 9:39

So the the video trying to get over you is the name of that, that song, yeah, it's great and the video made its way on on CMT on rotation and that was really, really cool.

Jay Franze: 9:47

Well, that song. Let's, I guess, get into your music a little bit and talk about the song, because it primarily it has steel and fiddle in the song and I've noticed throughout your music. There is a consistency of steel and fiddle throughout your songs. Is that done on purpose?

Robby Johnson: 10:03

yep yep, done up. I love steel fiddle, I mean it. I mean you don't need it to call a song you know country to. You know say that a song is a is country or not. I think it has more to do with what you say. The authenticity is a, genuine, is it? You know down to earth, Is it real? I think that has more to do with you know what makes a song country or not. But me, I just love fiddle, I love steel guitar and I don't know. I for me, if a song requires it, it requires it.

Jay Franze: 10:39

That's it well, I notice it gives. It gives an old school feel, which your music has, an old school feel and a vibe to it and including, I think it was, if I ever was a kind of had a George Strait feel to it.

Robby Johnson: 10:55

Yes, yes, yes. And that song, man, it's crazy. It's approaching the one million streams. It's doing really great. It's featured on Spotify's traditional country playlist, which is incredible to be on that playlist right next to Cody Johnson, george Strait, alan Jackson you know all the greats that carry that traditional country sound. You know John Party and all that. It's really it's crazy and I've been on that playlist for a very long time and it's doing great and my song is going up the list. So I'm really happy and it's funny.

Robby Johnson: 11:33

I wanted this song. I wrote this song because, you know, every day I mention Cody Johnson. You know Cody Johnson he's a rancher, he's a real cowboy, he's the real thing. But oftentimes in music, in country music, when we talk about cowboys it's, you know, bad boys, that cheat and never there, not reliable. And I wanted to talk about the good cowboys out there that the kids look up to. They're in the church pew on Sunday and hardworking man, loving wife, great family, like I said, kids looking up to them. And I just wanted to do a song about that. And me personally, I I wish cowboy. So it's really uh, kind of a personal song where I'm thinking, hey, if I ever was a cowboy, that's what I'd be well, I mentioned it kind of has a george straight feel to.

Robby Johnson: 12:26

It was george straight, uh, influence of yours not consciously, but of you know, I've been listening to country music pretty much all my life. But other genres of music, you know pop, rock and everything. Of course we pick from all of that. Oftentimes it's not consciously that you do it, it just happens. And the way I write my music is I sit down, I grab my guitar and I just, I just let it out, it down. I grab my guitar and I just, I just let it out.

Robby Johnson: 12:56

And every time you fight a song and you try to fabricate it, anytime you know, to mold it to a certain way, it doesn't work. You have to let it be what it wants to be. And so if it's going that direction, just let it go that direction. That's, that's where it comes from from and that's what it wants to be. Uh, so many times I've tried, you know, I wanted the song to be about this and then I'm I'm trying hard to make it work and it just, it just doesn't work. Even have a song. It's funny, I have a song. That it's not that we were trying to make it something, it just we didn't know it's on my uh, my album. Don't look back, it's a song. It's uh, I ain't the guy. That's the name of the song, and so we track the song, I cut the vocals, we're in the mix, we're mixing the song with james strout, back then my producer for that album, and the song really doesn't work. It's not going anywhere. You know where you're, you're playing with the faders and you know it's like I don't know and that's not going anywhere. You know where you're playing with the faders and you know it's like ah, I don't know and there's something wrong with this song.

Robby Johnson: 13:56

And I turned to James. I'm like hey, what if you send it to your friend and have him make a? You know, just play a solo. Vince Gill. I said why don't you send it to Vince? You know, maybe he could play a solo? And sends the song to vince gill and he plays an electrifying guitar solo with his signature sound and tone and when the song comes back it's like eureka, oh, my god, this is what the song wants to be.

Robby Johnson: 14:26

So we call in brent mason, who redubbed some guitars because vince only did the solo. So and it and it's funny because Brent was like Brent Mason was like oh, that's Vince Gill. He knew instantly it was been Vince Gill and so he just he, he had a full stack. He just tweaked everything he started playing and he made the song what it meant to be and it was great and it's on the album and it's it's. It's one of my favorites and there's a Vince Gill collaboration on it. But he saved the song because you know, he just listened to the songs, like, oh, that's what it wants to be, let's just let it be. And he saved the song because it wasn't making the cut. But now it did.

Jay Franze: 15:08

All right, you talk about your process and letting the song take on its own direction, yeah. However, when you sit down, do you typically sit down with lyrics in mind first, or melody?

Robby Johnson: 15:23

It's funny, it depends Sometimes. Well, no, I mean, mostly I will start with just, you know, just fooling around with the guitar and playing a chord progression, and then kind of a melody will come out with some words, and I just build on that and then a story starts to happen. You know, I start to visualize a story in my mind and that's that. That's how I build the song. Yeah, so it's never really where I have a lyric or I wrote down a hook or something, or I have a notepad with a bunch of stuff. No, it's really just me sitting down and, just like I said, letting it out. I know that, you know, like you know, ashley gorley and all those top hit songwriters, they have, like you know, those notebooks or in their phones they have. Every time they hear a hook or something, they just note it down so I gotta write about this. And then they get on, they get with two other guys and they're like, oh, what do you got? It's like, oh, I got this hook, and they just, they, just, you know, start with that and and craft a song in three hours, which, well, I mean it happened.

Robby Johnson: 16:33

It happens sometimes where you can write a song in 30 minutes. It happened to me and sometimes it takes weeks and you know it's just how much you fight it and you don't. Like I said, sometimes you want to fight it, I don't know why, but yeah, you just got to let it be what it wants to be. I think sometimes it feels like the song was already written, you know, and I just found it, and so it's not really for me. It already kind of existed, so it's kind of like almost spiritual, so it's kind of divine. So the less you find it it means the more it comes from you know something higher than you. There's a better chance. It might be better than if you know a mortal like me with all my imperfections. Uh, try and make a great song.

Jay Franze: 17:22

Well, you mentioned some of those great songwriters. Do you ever collab with another writer?

Robby Johnson: 17:28

Uh, at the beginning of my career I did and I still do. You know my co-producer, danny Rader. Well, he's like the producer and I'm kind of co-producer I don't know how to call it. You know, it's just that we start working on a song and then I just finish up the song and I will you know, do some overdubs.

Robby Johnson: 17:50

I handle all the vocals, all the editing, the pre-mix and all that. So I'm hands-on on the process. So I'm kind of a co-producer, but he's there with me. I write songs and then I sit down with Danny. Danny Rader is an amazing session player, songwriter, producer. He's a CMA Award musical director, also CMA Country Christmas musical director. He plays on all the big records Kenny Chesney, jason Aldean, john Party, thomas Ratt I mean all the big records. He's on there. You'll find him. Dierks Bentley he just finished touring with Kenny Chesney the big stadium tour. He was there. He just finished touring with kenny uh chesney, the big stadium tour. He was there. He's amazing.

Robby Johnson: 18:36

So I sit down with him. We go over my songs. He will help me, you know, challenge the lyrics. Sometimes he will come up with some lyrics uh, things we need to change and arrangements, core progressions. You know the bridge, oh, we could go in this direction instead. So he becomes a co-writer of the song. But it's, it mostly comes from me. But sometimes we do sit down and yeah, after the fact. But sometimes we do sit down where I only have a chorus and he will come up with a verse and something. Uh, it happened for my song june and july. I just had a chorus and he came up with a really hooky melody for the verse and and like the backstory for the verse, and we finished the song. So, yes, I do that.

Robby Johnson: 19:15

At the beginning I did some co-writes but I was really great, starting where you know you get a word in and you're all happy. It's. They're pretty quick. Those professional songwriters, it's. They get very if nothing's happening, you know they start impatient like what's going on? You know, because they need to, they have a publishing deal, they need to deliver a song, you know, and in three hours they're not gonna be, they're not gonna stay there for five hours they're having, they have another session coming up to write another song. So, yeah, it's very different from my. Yeah, which is crazy. I mean I don't know how to do it. Maybe I should try it again, maybe I could pull it off. I don't know. I'm getting better and better, I guess. I think I hope.

Jay Franze: 20:07

Well, of course you know, repetition makes it better and, like you said, some of them flow out of you in half an hour. The thing is, you can't control when those things are happening. No, no, no, no, you can't just dial it in.

Robby Johnson: 20:20

No, no, if you want to crash, that's the best approach. I would say it's like okay, I got a half hour. I'm going to write a song you know, write you know, like you're saying, repetition, also trusting you know that you can do it and not second guessing your ideas and all that. And, like I was saying, the more you fight it, the harder it is you mentioned before that you take on some production role yeah when it comes to editing vocals and so forth.

Jay Franze: 20:48

So does that mean that you're recording the vocals at your own place and truly taking on uh producer's role when it comes to the vocals?

Robby Johnson: 20:58

Uh, no, no, actually I, I still. I will go to, uh, starstruck studio on row yeah Well, was Reba's place. Uh, and cause they? Cause they have, they have. They have two studios, a big one, a small one, the pond, the gallery, and they're amazing, but it's it's really because they have the best mics and also or I will go to Blackbirds also very, very Hills.

Robby Johnson: 21:27

So I just, I just get with an engineer and the way I, before you know, I would just sing and then the engineer would just comp as we go. But it's time-consuming, it's tiring, there's downtime and all that. So now the way I do it is, I just sing, sing, sing, and he just adds some tracks and tracks and tracks and I just sing, he playlists and I sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, and he just adds some tracks and tracks and tracks and I just sing, he playlists and I sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, and when I know, because as I sing, I kind of listen, you know to what I I did and and remember it and know what I need to get, and then I just I just go back home and I comp everything plays, it pocketed, and do all that. That's how I work. And then when I get the full session back. Sometimes I will get overdubbed with drums, bass or whatnot, and I just listen to the whole session.

Robby Johnson: 22:26

And it's funny because sometimes players they will do stuff out after the song's over or before and they do cool stuff that sometimes you can bring in the song or something they do at the end that's cool in the intro or, and so I sometimes I move stuff around, if you know they. There's a bad, bad note somewhere or something and and you know, because it happened, like you said, three minutes the song's done right. Sometimes it happens so fast. You're in the moment, you're all excited and you listen back and sometimes there's just one note and I'm I'm a little perfectionist sometimes, like ah, this over here?

Jay Franze: 23:05

yeah, exactly, yeah, well, that's pretty cool. So what software are you using? Uh, pro tools, okay, studio. Yeah, so you're using pro tools, which is what most of the studios in? Yeah, well, that's pretty cool. So what software are you using? Pro Tools? Okay, studio. Yeah, so you're using Pro Tools, which is what most of the studios in Nashville typically use. Yeah, the time that you spent with James what type of producer was James?

Robby Johnson: 23:23

He was a great producer and he had man. I'm so happy, you know, so fortunate, so thankful, because it's James Stroud. Everybody in Nashville worked for James Stroud. I mean he's been, you know, Clint Black, chris Young, he's. I mean he's sold.

Robby Johnson: 23:41

More than 90 million albums were sold that he produced. I mean it's. It's crazy, the numbers. It's funny because when we were working on the album there were some new albums being released. It's funny because when we were working on the album there were some new albums being released and if the album would sell 80,000 units, people were happy and Jim was like we would sell that in the first hour and now it's like lifetime 80,000, and everybody's excited Album sales. It was crazy, but he was a great producer. And also he knew he was able to get me some co-writes, some great songwriters JT Harding I wrote Don't Look Back, the title track of the album I wrote with JT Harding. That was really cool. Also he brought in some outside songs from triple play writers, you know, ashley Gourley, dallas Davidson, ray Adkins and all those credible songwriters. So that was really cool. And also he, he picked the right players and he just let. He lets them do their thing. You know it's he trusts the process. He just gives a direction and he knows the guys are going to deliver.

Jay Franze: 24:46

You know they're professionals, they're they're the best musicians out there so does he take that role of picking the studio and the musicians and organizing everything as well?

Robby Johnson: 24:59

well, he has, you know, multiple. He had a bunch of assistants. He had doug that was handling, and tammy, you know he had a bunch of people you know worked for him. But yeah, I mean, he guy's a great producer. There's one song it's funny because, uh, we recorded on the row, it was uh. Now it's uh, I don't know how, I think it's, it's it's with uh, belmont. Now I'm not too sure. But, um, what was the name of that? Loud recordings?

Tony Scott: 25:27

I'm not too sure the name of this. Yeah, it was right there yeah.

Robby Johnson: 25:31

So we tracked vocals over there and one of my songs the 1, 2, 3, 4, needed a gang vocal, you know. So one day we just came out of the studio and there was Belmont. There were students outside, you know. It was like, hey, kids, you want to be on a record. And they just brought in a bunch of Belmont students, you know, in music. And he just brought in a bunch of Belmont students in music and they just sang and everything. He was great, he was so funny. We had a lot of fun in the studio.

Jay Franze: 25:58

You say that you couldn't pick a better group of students. I mean, Belmont has some of the best music students in the world, so I mean that's kind of funny. So let's talk about the difference now between the way James approaches a record compared to the way that.

Robby Johnson: 26:14

Danny approaches it Well. The difference is that Danny is a genius.

Jay Franze: 26:21

He can play everything.

Robby Johnson: 26:23

No, I mean not. No, james is also. He's one of the best, a different type of genius he was. You can ask session players and they will tell you that James Stratt was the best drummer, session player, best drummer that Nashville ever had.

Jay Franze: 26:39

Which it kills me, by the way that there's some amazing drummers that are also amazing producers. You don't typically think of a drummer as being a producer. He proved he was great at both yeah Him and Paul Lyme most recently.

Robby Johnson: 26:52

Yeah, paul Lyme. The first time I was in the studio, paul Lyme was there. I was like, oh my God, it's funny. This song kind of sounds like an Elvis track. People started laughing. Well, you have the guy that was going to go on tour before he passed and now he's in charge of the official elvis tour. Yeah, so that's pretty crazy. But you know, going back to james stroud one time, you know we were talking about the record, the album. It was like what kind of sound, you know, do you want for the drums? And I was like, oh, I really like old time rock and roll. And his assistant, tammy, started laughing. I was like what's going on? Well, she's like he's the one that played on that record. I'm like what? No, no, I was like, oh my God, I can't believe this. Wow, that's so crazy. Yeah, he played on the demo and they kept the demo for this, because it was that good.

Robby Johnson: 27:51

Yeah, because there was something happening on the demo that he couldn't reproduce, you know, when they tried in the session and everything. So they kept the demo, a lot of stuff from the demo, even some vocals, some scratch vocals from the demo as well. Yeah, but with Danny, you know, he can play everything. He comes from a musical family. He's played music all his life. He has a catalog in his mind of all the music, all the styles, all the genres. It's crazy, everything he knows. So he can play pretty much everything.

Robby Johnson: 28:23

So in his studio he will lay down a basic drum loop or track and then he will just add on, you know, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass, b3 keys, everything. The only thing he will not play is fiddle. Yeah, all the rest he can play. And then I will sometimes get some overdubs. You know, for the drums with uh, wes little who played on my don't look back album when james produced. I really loved him so oftentimes he's the one that I go to for playing drums, overdubs. And yeah, sometimes, you know other I, it happened sometime. Uh, I needed a guitar. You know when I need a guitar of a dub and and danny's is is uh to slam, then I will go to another guy I sometimes work with, justin ostrander, who's an amazing guitar player crazy guitar player as well. Yeah, that's how it works.

Jay Franze: 29:17

Some of these guys. You know another lesson or two and they might be pretty good yeah they're getting there.

Robby Johnson: 29:24

They're almost there, almost there. Yeah, they're so good.

Jay Franze: 29:29

Well, let's talk about Up All Night for a second Yep. Which producer did you collaborate with on that song?

Robby Johnson: 29:37

That was Danny. Yeah, that was Danny. But Justin plays on that song, justin Ostrander. And it's funny because the song was kind of different and I went back with Danny to change the verses, change the chord progression of the verses, and then when I had the final session, I was like there's a little something missing. So I reached out to Justin and he did some overdubs, guitar overdubs. The two guitars are kind of it's two different sounds and they're kind of complement. It's weird, but it works perfectly right, they really shouldn't yeah, exactly, and it's in it.

Robby Johnson: 30:19

It came out great. And, uh, my mixer you know I kind of did a pre-mix but I left more in jack clark, who mixes my songs now mixed this one and he picked the right parts and all the good parts and that's what he did and he called me. He's like there's a lot of parts that are pretty much the same, you know, because, justin, when I sent him the session, I didn't put what Danny had played and it's crazy how both of them played kind of the same thing without even knowing, because it's crazy how both of them played kind of the same thing without even knowing, because it's what it needed. It's so crazy how these guys can do it. Sometimes you have a feeling it's coming from somewhere else, but he picked the right parts and mixed it together and it sounds great.

Jay Franze: 31:08

Well, I wanted to ask you about this song particularly. I mean, besides the fact that it has a B3 in it and sounds awesome you mentioned, when you work with Danny, that you take the tracks home and you comp the vocals yourself. Well, that song has a different feel to it than the other songs. The vocal has a little bit more gravel to it and has a little bit more aggression. So how many tracks did you put down to get to what you wanted on that song?

Robby Johnson: 31:37

I would say around. You know eight to 10 tracks. You know I will start singing. I will go through the song, the entire song, sing it like three times just to warm up and place things and feel it, and then I will start with the verses. You know verse one and then I will do a couple of verses, then I'll go to verse two, a couple of verses, then come back to chorus or you know all the lower sections where you're not pushing your voice as much, since you can be singing for an hour and a half. If you start screaming from the get-go, I mean you're done. You're done. So you got to be careful. So you just do it progressively and then you make sure that everything ties together and that you got everything you need, and then when you go back home you just play with that.

Jay Franze: 32:28

That's another tune that has that old school feel to it. I really like it.

Robby Johnson: 32:32

Yeah, thank you, yeah. And that's another tune that has that old school feel to it. I really like it. Yeah, thank you, yeah, almost. And that's a song that came up in the middle of the night. It's titled Up All Night, which was funny. And I woke up and I was like I got my phone and I recorded, you know, when I was just spitting out, and the next day I was like, oh, what is this? Oh, this is really cool and it's up all night, yeah.

Jay Franze: 32:58

Well before we leave the studio conversation here, you know any stories that stand out to you.

Robby Johnson: 33:05

Well, you kind of mentioned it earlier, how fast the process is. In Nashville. People don't realize that. You know, they hear those hit song, classic gold songs on the radio and oftentimes, how it happened in the studio, it's like six guys, they're sitting down and then they have. You know their paths.

Robby Johnson: 33:27

The band leader will have charted the song before you know. They give them the, the chart. It's all numbered and naturally they work with numbers and it's just a bunch of numbers and then the, the, the band leader and with the producer, will go okay. So guys, listen, we're going for this feel. You know, think about this song, think about this blah, blah, blah. And they talk for a minute and then then they just get up, they go in the studio, they tune their instruments and then you hear the drummer give the count and they start the song and everybody plays their part, everybody's in the right spot. They played a song one time and oftentimes that's what you hear on the radio. They never played it before, but they're so good. That's what you hear on the radio. They never played it before, but they're so good. That's what ends up on the radio.

Jay Franze: 34:18

Now you've mentioned some serious musicians and studio musicians, whether Brent Mason or even Vince Gill, coming in and playing. Who surprised you the most?

Robby Johnson: 34:32

Well, brent Mason is pretty impressive with that guitar that he uh that follows him around because it's it's a really epic guitar. But yeah, that was pretty cool and all of them. It's just they're down to earth but they're legends, you know, and but they're really down to earth and they're funny, they're're having fun, it's it's really incredible. You know how humble they are and down to earth and they talk about everyday problems. You know they're not divas and and all. So it's it's really cool to be around them and it's inspiring.

Jay Franze: 35:12

Well, one more thing before we leave. The subject is probably the most important piece where did you eat when you were working downtown?

Robby Johnson: 35:20

all right. So, working downtown, of course, chewy's, they have what they call the jalapeno creamy jalapeno, but we call it the crack sauce because it is so addictive. The first time you taste it you're like, yeah, I mean it's, it's okay. Then you get some again, again, again, and you can't stop. Then you, you pour it on your, your tacos and your fajitas. You want it everywhere. It is so good. I'm telling you guys chewy's, uh, it's, it's really good. Now there's bunch everywhere. So it's great. Hattie B's.

Jay Franze: 35:57

Let's talk Hattie B's for a second. Yeah, I took my daughter one of her friends and my daughter. We went down to Nashville to see the Arctic Monkeys play at the Ascend Naples Theater, one of my daughter's favorite bands. Was a great time, but we went there, we went to hattie b's. My daughter loves hot sauce like I do. I mean, we're, we're hot sauce people. Her friend, on the other hand, not so much, and I felt so bad for that girl.

Jay Franze: 36:23

The first bite she took of that chicken, sent her through the roof. She was over at that trash can just you know, waving her hand over her mouth and stuff.

Robby Johnson: 36:32

It was pretty bad, yeah. So you got to be aware of people. You go to Nashville and you order Nashville chicken. It's going to be spicy.

Jay Franze: 36:40

All right Back to the music. So what other venues have you played at that have left a lasting impression on you?

Robby Johnson: 36:48

I was headliner Country Jam USA in Eau Claire and that was pretty, pretty, pretty amazing. That was really really cool. A lot of people there. It's so funny because I went there, you know my truck, my camping trailer parked right next to those, you know those big buses of all those huge acts and I had just my little truck and my little camping trip. It's so funny, oh man.

Robby Johnson: 37:16

But it was a lot of fun and also did uh, one time I opened for keith urban. It was the first time they had a country act on the big scene because it's it's a festival that they have. You know, they had the rolling stones. Paul mccartney, all the big, big acts in the world have played that stage and it was their first country night ever and it was Keith Urban. You know the main event. There was 35,000 people there and when I went up the ramp they were chanting my name. So that was pretty intense. I don't know if it's my family in front that started them chanting my name, but uh, it was. It was a great moment, it was a lot of fun, that was pretty cool you mentioned working with keith.

Jay Franze: 38:00

What was it like working with keith?

Robby Johnson: 38:02

oh my god, he's such a sweet guy really. I mean, before the show he was, he was out of his green room, he had his ipad, you know, he was, I guess, facetiming with Nicole and the kids and he was showing the place around. He's so sweet. When he did his ripcord world tour, he invited me there's two shows that I went and sang a song with him. You Can Fly Two Different Nights and that was amazing. That was the guy's another genius, a musical genius, a savant, musical savant.

Jay Franze: 38:35

Well, you talked about staying late and signing autographs Two things from that One. If somebody does go to your show and wants to get an autograph or have that opportunity, how do they go about doing that? Where do they find it?

Robby Johnson: 38:49

It all depends on the venue. Sometimes there's like a table with some merch or something like that At the end of the show thank you, thank you everybody. And I'd say, hey, I'm going to be over there signing autographs for you guys and meet me there, and then I'd just go backstage, change my drenched T-shirt and throw in a couple of gums and go signing autographs for an hour and a half and that's how I go about it. Sometimes it's right next to the stage. It all depends on the venue, and if there's another act after me, yeah, if there's another act after me, then it gets tricky because you don't want to take away from the other act. So that's when it's not as long.

Robby Johnson: 39:33

But, when I'm the headliner, no problem, you know, I can stay. I've stayed two hours after a show signing autographs.

Jay Franze: 39:39

Do you ever have any crazy requests?

Robby Johnson: 39:41

Anything is that have turned into tattoos or yeah, I have one that turned into a tattoo and also signing on body parts over the belt, over the belt, nothing under the belt. All right, I will not do that, Uh, but yeah, I've, I've signed some, uh, some pretty nice body parts. It's funny because sometimes people will grab any piece of paper you know receipt, restaurant receipts I sign, you know, and you just sign it and they're gonna keep it, and it's pretty weird anybody bring something to you like, specifically a guitar or anything like that yeah, guitar mostly.

Robby Johnson: 40:21

I would say mostly is, uh, the hats, the cowboy hats, but I did have a guitar that happened in um, yeah, many different things all right, sir.

Jay Franze: 40:33

Well, we do this thing here we call Unsung Heroes, where we take a moment to shine a light on somebody who's worked behind the scenes or somebody who may have supported you along the way. Do you have anybody you'd like to shine a little light on?

Robby Johnson: 40:44

Well, actually, yeah, kylie, she's from Australia. She was my first, I would say, fan right at the beginning, when I started posting my music on Facebook, when Facebook started becoming a big thing. She's actually the first fan that sent me a gift. That was really cool. She sent me a notebook, you know, for writing songs and all that that you don't use. Yeah, I didn't use it as a hook book, but I did use it, also an Aussie hat, and that was really. That was really cool. That was really cool. So, kylie, she was there at the very, very beginning the first song I put out there, which was I'll Be there Rockin' and Rollin', the first song I recorded in a studio. That started this whole craziness.

Jay Franze: 41:34

Do you remember what studio it was?

Robby Johnson: 41:37

Yeah, it was a studio in Montreal. It was great session players that played on all the big records over there. It was a gift. It was a Christmas gift because I was a sales rep on the road selling industrial products, never even thinking to be on the radio, playing on the radio, be an artist, a singer? I really wasn't there. Yes, I would. I was, you know, writing songs and singing in the car, singing in the shower and all that. But I never considered back then, I didn't consider myself being an artist or a singer. So my girlfriend was like you got to hear yourself. So she passed the hat and they gave me this present for Christmas. And there's a video where everybody's excited. They give me the letter, I open it and I don't. I really don't know what it is. I read the paper and it tells me you know, I'm going to be in studio to track a song. I'm like, oh, wow, this is a great gift.

Robby Johnson: 42:31

Oh, you know, I hated it. Yeah, I just needed that push, and that's the story of my life.

Jay Franze: 42:39

A big thanks to Robbie for taking the time to share his stories with us and thank you for taking the time to hang with me here. I really do appreciate it. If you know anyone that would enjoy this episode, please be sure to share it. You can do that and find the links to everything mentioned over at jayfranze. com/ episode 95. Thanks again for listening and I'll see you next week.

Tony Scott: 43:04

Thanks for listening to The Jay Franze Show. Make sure you visit us at jayfranze. com Follow, connect and say hello.