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. Joining me tonight is my good friend, keith Sensing, and we get to talk with an amazing country music recording artist. We get to talk with Billie Jo Jones. We'll talk to her about what Christmas for the kids was like, her new album, and we'll discuss her latest award, emerging Artist of the Year. Now, billie, she is not just an amazing artist, she is an amazing person, and I can't wait to talk with her 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. Billie, my friend, how are you?

Billie Jo Jones: 1:37

I am doing great. How are you? I am doing great. How are you?

Jay Franze: 1:40

I am good I have that slight bone to pick with you about being in Nashville and not letting me know, but other than that.

Billie Jo Jones: 1:56

Why don't we jump in there and talk about what Christmas for the kids was like? Oh my gosh? I know I'm sorry, it was very well. I wouldn't say quick, I was there for like five days, but it was. I had 800 things going on. I was back and forth doing different stuff. Was it five days? Maybe it's only three or four days, but it felt like I was there for like 10 days. But yeah, it was. It was a good trip, it was a quick trip. Um, we got a stuff done and I'm actually going to be back in Nashville January 8th through the 10th recording my second album with Kent Wells. I'm super excited about that. We haven't done Christmas yet. Actually, we are getting ready to. Santa Claus comes tonight to our house, so that's what we're getting ready for.

Jay Franze: 2:35

Okay, let's explain why tonight Okay, let's explain why tonight.

Billie Jo Jones: 2:40

Well, so we have a blended family, and so in order to have everyone where they need to be, then that's kind of how we have to do it.

Billie Jo Jones: 2:49

All right, Well, hey, that worked Well I want to talk about the second album, but tell us why you were in Nashville recently. Yes, so I was in Nashville for I had a couple of different business meetings that we had and then we also did a couple of interviews. I performed on CCM there in Nashville and then I also did an interview with RFD TV and then the biggest reason I was there, I actually got to be a part of the Christmas for kids event that they do in Hendersonville, tennessee, where they bring all the tour buses. They had over 80 tour buses this year, over 80 artists that were there and families and friends and kiddos and everything come out and you pay five dollars a piece and you get to meet the stars and have us autograph stuff for you and, but more importantly, it's raising money for the kids that aren't able to have a Christmas.

Billie Jo Jones: 3:43

So I think that's pretty special and I think, like Conway Twitty was one of the first ones, one of the first artists that did that, you know, several years ago when they started it. So this year Chris Stapleton was there, chase Matthews was there Gosh, I'm trying to think I was on my bus so I didn't see too many people. I stepped off my bus and I went and met Nancy Jones, which is George Jones' widow. I'm telling you what she was just the sweetest and cutest thing. I absolutely loved her. I got to spend about 10 minutes with her on her bus and she was very, very sweet.

Jay Franze: 4:19

That's very cool, I know. I saw so many people that I know at a bus and I was like what is going on? Why are there so many buses there and everything? It was pretty cool. How did you get involved in it?

Billie Jo Jones: 4:31

So my media team is 2911 Media. They're in Nashville, and so Jeremy and Scott work very closely with the label that I'm on, get Joe Records, and so they invited us to come out and be a part of that and it was just. It was incredible. It was so much fun. I'm hoping I get invited back next year because I love it. I would go every year if I could.

Jay Franze: 4:51

So you said there was 80 plus buses.

Keith Sensing: 4:54

Yes.

Jay Franze: 4:55

And you obviously manned one of them.

Billie Jo Jones: 4:58

I did?

Jay Franze: 4:58

How did the guests interact with the people on the buses?

Billie Jo Jones: 5:03

Yeah. So I know that when they get there they like pay their I think it's like $5 per person to help raise money for the event. And then they they are given a like an autograph book that they can carry around to have all the artists sign, or they'll have their own stuff with them. Some, some of the guests that came brought their own, you know, pictures or t-shirts or whatever that they wanted signed, and so they will just make their way around. A lot of people will go and head straight to like Chris Stapleton, like his bus was there, so his line was long, all night long, like people were just waiting in line to go see Chris Stapleton. So as soon as some of them went onto Chris's bus and they started, you know, going around to the other buses and so they would just come up, they would come on the bus and my bus driver oh my gosh, he was just the sweetest thing and it was raining.

Billie Jo Jones: 5:53

That was the bad part that evening. It was raining off and on, the weather was terrible, but there was still so many people and my bus driver went and stood outside in the rain and was like hey, you met Billy Joe Jones. You need to come on here and meet her and say hi. And so he was, you know, coaxing people to come up and see me Cause I'm a. I'm a new face, I'm a new artist and I don't have the name like Chris Stapleton just yet, so people don't really know who I am. But they started piling on the bus and I took so many pictures and signed so many autographs and they went and wandered through the back of the bus and saw the bunk beds and all the cool stuff, so it was a lot of fun.

Jay Franze: 6:27

That is cool. What did you take away from the event?

Billie Jo Jones: 6:31

I literally didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what it was going to be like, how it was going to go, and I was just. I mean, I honestly was just blessed. I was just, I mean, I honestly was just blessed. I was blessed for the opportunity. I love to meet people. I mean, if you go to, you know live show of mine, a full band show, I always wait after the show and go to my merch booth and greet, you know, anybody and everybody and sign autographs, as long as it takes, cause that's that's my favorite part of the show. I love to perform, but my favorite thing is meeting all the people. It felt like they were at my show, coming to hang out with me. It was a lot of fun.

Jay Franze: 7:02

How long was the event?

Billie Jo Jones: 7:04

It started at 5. I think the doors or whatever opened at 4. Then people started going around around 5 o'clock. Then we were there until about 9 or 9.30.

Jay Franze: 7:14

Oh wow, it was about four and a half hours.

Billie Jo Jones: 7:17

Yeah, it was good, though it was a lot of fun.

Keith Sensing: 7:19

How is your tour schedule nowadays? Are you just constantly on the road? How many, how many days a year are?

Billie Jo Jones: 7:28

you, yeah. So this year I think I did about 140 dates this year. Next year is a little bit on hold. We have some stuff going on that I can't talk about that we're working on. So January through March I'm a little little tied up so I don't have. I've only got a couple of things where people can see me like January through March because of some stuff we're doing. But I'm hoping after that we will get back at it and I know that we've had. We have a lot of out of Texas dates that we are working on. So I'm excited for that because I love playing in Texas. That's where I live. But I think we are ready to branch out and start touring some bigger stuff now.

Keith Sensing: 8:12

My daughter lives in Tyler, Texas, actually.

Billie Jo Jones: 8:15

Oh, very cool. I'm literally 45 minutes from there. Oh, wow. Yeah, I live. I live in Grand Saline, texas, so I'm about 45 minutes from Tyler. Oh, wow. That's cool. Yeah, very cool.

Jay Franze: 8:30

So you said you're going on my birthday, you're going back into the studio to record your second album. So you're working with Kent again, so tell me about the new album.

Billie Jo Jones: 8:42

Oh gosh, we actually went today to my guitar player's house and we did like six, six or seven demos so that we could send them off to Kent so he can get all that all that hard work done for it. But I am super excited for this next album. My first album, I only wrote, I think, two or three songs on it and so far for this album, out of the uh, I only wrote I think two or three songs on it and so far for this album, I think we're doing 12 songs and out of the 12, so far I think I've written either nine or 10 of them or co-wrote nine or 10 of them that'll be on the album. So I'm very excited about it. And it's gosh, I don't know. It's really good.

Billie Jo Jones: 9:22

I didn't know if we would be able to beat the first album because I feel like my first album is really strong. I've had two number one songs in Texas off that album, two number ones on CDX, true Indie and working on our third. But this next album, we've got some really strong songs on it too. So I'm excited.

Keith Sensing: 9:37

Nice. Could you tell me a little bit, how did you approach your writing process?

Billie Jo Jones: 9:42

I'm not one of those people. If I like force myself, you know, to write or force myself to come up with something, it's usually not going to be my best work, because my brain will just it, just it gets tired and I just don't want to think about it, I don't know. Or sometimes I'll think about it too much and then I can't sleep because I'm thinking about this dang song that you know I'm trying to finish. But for the most part, gosh there's. There's only been a couple songs that just really, like you know, float out of me within like 30 minutes. You know they were, they were really easy to write, but most of them I have to spend a little time on. Or I'll start a song and I'll get a verse and a chorus and it'll sit like in my phone. I have so many notes in my phone of songs that I have started and I haven't finished, and so usually I take those songs when I get stuck and when they, you know, book me a co-write with someone in Nashville, or I have several friends that I'll call up and be like hey, I'm stuck, you know, you want to help me write this song.

Billie Jo Jones: 10:38

Or the guy that owns my label, len Snow is an incredible songwriter. He wrote, I think, eight of the 10 songs on my last album and so usually I can, you know, call him up or shoot him a text and be like, hey, fix this, or, you know, help me out, or whatever, and he does the same with me, so he'll send me stuff as well. So, yeah, I don't really have like a exact process of of things that I do, but I'd I definitely try, but I'd I try not to, you know, just keep on and on and on it. Just, it's just it wouldn't be my best work if I, if I try to just force it, I guess did you approach the co-writes differently this time versus your last album?

Billie Jo Jones: 11:19

uh, I definitely think that.

Billie Jo Jones: 11:23

So I mean I, I came into the writing game later on in life.

Billie Jo Jones: 11:27

I wasn't one of those kids that you know was 12 or 13 years old and you know, you know writing in their diary, like you know whatever, like I, I wasn't one of those like I could write you a letter, but I I've never really tried writing a song until I had to live some life honestly, I think is my best answer for that. I lived a lot of life and a lot of heartbreak and things that I went through and after I turned probably 23 or 24 is when I put a pen to paper and started trying to write some songs. So I'd probably say the last, especially the last couple of years I've, I've gained more confidence from it. I've learned, you know, a lot from writing with different people and learning other people's styles and how they write as well. So it's been a really a really good growing experience for me with my writing and I think I'm just more confident now than than I ever, than I've ever been, with my writing, and I think I'm just more confident now than than I ever, than I've ever been.

Keith Sensing: 12:21

So who are some of your favorite songwriters, slash country artists that you draw inspiration from?

Billie Jo Jones: 12:30

Oh man, I love Lainey Wilson. I actually got to write a song with Trani Anderson. One of ours is going to be on my, my next album. I love Paul Overstreet. It was one of my favorites. I would absolutely love to write with him sometime. I've been writing quite a few with Bobby E Boyd. He wrote God Bless the Broken Road for Rascal Flatts. I love writing with him. He's just a sweetheart too. He lives there in Nashville, so I love writing with him.

Jay Franze: 13:00

What makes writing with him different?

Billie Jo Jones: 13:03

I don't know. I think we just kind of have similar styles. I love traditional country music. I love the older, the old school songs and he's definitely an old school style rider I didn't say old, I didn't say old.

Keith Sensing: 13:20

You said old school. Right, old school, all right. Well, keith say old, you said old school.

Jay Franze: 13:23

Keith's old. It's okay, I'm a music historian.

Keith Sensing: 13:27

When you say old, what are we talking about? Rascal Flats, Keith.

Billie Jo Jones: 13:33

Yeah, a whole 90s era.

Keith Sensing: 13:36

Buddy Mott used to write for Joe Diffie. I didn't consider that old school. When you say old school, I tend to go back to like 1927.

Jay Franze: 13:47

Nobody goes that far back.

Billie Jo Jones: 13:50

I think I could see that. But yeah he's more of a traditional Style writer. I guess we blend Really well. Plus, he can Play the guitar phenomenally, so that I mean that's a big help, you know, for me writing, because I can play the guitar, but not like that, like he's really good.

Keith Sensing: 14:08

Yeah, man, I tell you, some of those Nashville musicians are just off the hook. Oh my gosh, it is crazy.

Billie Jo Jones: 14:14

It is very crazy, very crazy. Can you play the guitar well enough to to write like to whatever, whatever you hear in your head, can you put it out on the guitar pretty much, and I have a couple of cheat chords, because I uh, I'm not very good at at making bar chords, so I've got a couple of cheat chords that I do and then I can get around that. But yeah, I can do. I do pretty well when it comes to stuff that I want to, that I want to write, so it works out.

Jay Franze: 14:48

All right. So this time around, you wrote more of the tracks that are on your record or is going to be on your record. Did you do any of them a hundred percent solo, or are they all co-wrote?

Billie Jo Jones: 14:59

I had one solo right on the last album and I don't I don't think I have any solo rights on this one. They're all. They're all co-writes, I believe.

Keith Sensing: 15:12

So Jay was telling me you did a Christmas song this year.

Billie Jo Jones: 15:18

I did. I. I did my version of I'll be home for Christmas. So that was my first ever Christmas song I covered Okay.

Keith Sensing: 15:22

So all right, jay, that was my first ever Christmas song I covered Okay. So all right, jay, what's your favorite Christmas song? Oh dear.

Jay Franze: 15:28

God, I wasn't prepared for that.

Keith Sensing: 15:31

Yeah, you know, off the hook, what do we got?

Jay Franze: 15:35

Baby, it's Cold Outside.

Keith Sensing: 15:37

Baby, it's Cold Outside. And Miss Billie Jo Jones, what about you?

Billie Jo Jones: 15:44

Mine is probably. I'll Be Home for Christmas.

Keith Sensing: 15:48

That was my great favorite song. Oh, okay, we already know that one.

Billie Jo Jones: 15:54

Oh gosh, you know what?

Jay Franze: 15:56

Jingle bells Keith.

Billie Jo Jones: 15:59

There's one called the Nativity. Leigh-anne Womack did a version of that and it is. I do love that song and a lot of people don't know, they don't even know, haven't heard of it. But I love that song. It's called the nativity.

Keith Sensing: 16:12

Yeah, we hear it on the Hallmark channel yeah, christmas on a series XM there down the end. So, yeah, that's cool, that's cool down the end. So, yeah, that's cool, that's cool. And so tell me about, uh, why did?

Billie Jo Jones: 16:28

you decide to do a Christmas song this year. Um, we honestly weren't going to, and then I'm not really sure why, but my label was just like, let's do a Christmas song and put it out to radio. And I'm really glad that we did because we just we made so many connections even with that song and I got to play at a Charlotte McCoy's Music Row radio show that she hosts at CMA during CMA week or whatever there in Nashville. That's how I got to team up with her and then she wound up loving my Christmas song and put it on her. She does like a cumulus radio show or something that goes out and it got put on there and that song has just been crazy and was, you know, one of the most downloaded songs for the Christmas like radio part of it. So I think it was really cool. But we picked that song because it's my grandparents' favorite song. My grandparents raised me, so they are 90 and 86 years old, so it's their favorite Christmas song.

Jay Franze: 17:26

And they still go to every one of her shows, Keith.

Billie Jo Jones: 17:29

They do, they come to almost all of them, almost all of them.

Keith Sensing: 17:33

Oh, that's awesome yeah.

Jay Franze: 17:34

That's awesome. They are her biggest fans, for sure. When did you record, like what time of the year did you record the christmas song?

Billie Jo Jones: 17:46

it was one of those super last minute things because you know how you're supposed to record your christmas song in like august in july or july, I don't know.

Billie Jo Jones: 17:53

July, august is when normal people do it and I'm telling you, I don't think we even went to the studio until like October. It might've been literally in October, and so Kent just like got it done super fast and right back to us so we could send it out, I think like November or so. Oh, there's my grandparents. They're precious. Papa looks like he's sleeping, but he wasn't. He was just listening to the music.

Keith Sensing: 18:24

Yeah, yeah, my wife accuses me of that quite a bit.

Jay Franze: 18:29

Yeah, because you actually are sleeping. Looks like I'm sleeping, but I'm not sleeping, so you recorded it fairly recently. Where did you record it?

Billie Jo Jones: 18:40

At Kent Wells. Kent Wells did it on his studio there in Nashville.

Jay Franze: 18:43

Yeah, Did he do all the parts, or did you actually bring in musicians for this?

Billie Jo Jones: 18:49

No, we had musicians I was, I was there whenever we did that part of it and there was gosh, I don't know four, four or five of them, I think there. And then Kent kind of went over the top and added, you know, added other stuff, whatever producers do after that, but it was, it was really good and he uh, it wasn't a version that I was prepared for. Like I went in thinking I was doing the Martina McBride, I'll Be Home for Christmas version and went in there and Kent's like no, I'm thinking we can do something different. Let's add this whole, like you know the part it was like I'm dreaming tonight of a place that I love even more than I usually do that whole like real pretty part or whatever. So I had to learn this, this whole part, and then we made it more of like a um, like a george straight swing, country swing thing. I don't know, for you know the rest of it and it turned out. I love it.

Billie Jo Jones: 19:39

yeah, it's, it's really I don't know I'm, I don't want to brag, but't want to brag, but it's pretty good, it's pretty good.

Jay Franze: 19:45

It is actually pretty good.

Keith Sensing: 19:48

So how do you like the whole studio process of recording? How long have you been involved in that?

Billie Jo Jones: 19:55

I mean I've been involved for a little bit. I mean I recorded my first album when I was 18 years old. I did my, I did a gospel album and then I released like singles from like 2016, like 2016 to like 2022. I was releasing singles Well, a few singles and then I radio radio so expensive. So then I kind of I quit releasing music to radio for a little bit and then got involved with get Joe records and was signed to them for a recording and publishing deal. We still release singles to radio, but I have an actual album now. But I love the process and I love it.

Billie Jo Jones: 20:40

Whenever you write a song and you record, you know this little thing on your phone. You know the song that you just wrote and you're so excited for it. And then you go and record like a little demo and a little better setting, you know so it sounds better. So the producer can tell kind of what you're going for and then you give it to your producer and then sometimes your producer just changes it all up and does what producers do do, which me and Kent just work so well together and he, he knows what he's doing and and he definitely helps. You know, push me to that, that next gear, that next level, because I'll go in with this note and then he's like, oh, let's do this one, you know, and then he'll come in there and show me if I can't, if I'm not hearing it, and like, listening to him try to hit the note is even more fun, but I love it.

Billie Jo Jones: 21:23

He's compared me a couple of times too, because he works with Dolly. But he's compared me to Reba a couple of times, and Reba is one of those people that just goes in and she can nail it within the first couple of times of going through her song. And sometimes I can do that. Other times it takes me a little bit and we got to, you know, go over a few parts here and there. I'll have to step outside and get some air, because I get. I don't get mad at him, I get mad at myself, because I'm very hard on myself and I'm a huge critic of my voice and I know what I can do, and sometimes my voice just doesn't want to work, I guess, and so I'll have to go, you know, step out, take a little break and come back and have some hot tea, and then we're good to go.

Jay Franze: 22:05

So let me ask you a question on that note. You say you're a little hard on yourself when you were recording the Christmas song. Was that more of a relief to you in the studio than recording your own songs?

Billie Jo Jones: 22:19

No.

Jay Franze: 22:20

So you still felt the pressure, even though Absolutely not.

Billie Jo Jones: 22:24

Yeah, it was more pressure because it's one of those things that, like, everybody's done it, everybody's gone in and you know everybody goes and records covers or you know whatever, and it's already been done and some of the best of the best have, you know, put their versions out there. And so I went in with the mindset that I mean, whatever I do, I always want to work really hard and put out the very best quality that I can. But there's more pressure because it's like when you go in there with your own song, you can do whatever you want. No one knows what it's supposed to sound like except for you, you know. Until you put that music out there, everyone knows what this cover is, or should sound like, I guess.

Billie Jo Jones: 23:05

So I had a little more so you felt more pressure, yes, but it actually wound up being one of it's one of my favorite like recordings that I've done, even even off of my whole country album that I just did. I think just the quality and my voice and like the music was just I loved it.

Keith Sensing: 23:26

I love this Christmas song and hopefully it'll be around, for it will be around for forever, hopefully, so yeah, so the whole, the whole, you don't mind the producers and all that kind of stuff, changing up your, you know, changing up your arrangements or anything like that.

Billie Jo Jones: 23:43

I work really well with them and I've I mean, I've kind of I've always been like that, though I've, I take, I take criticism really well. I don't I don't really get mad or, you know, argue or you know whatever Like I've kind of learned through the years on on how to act. Now, if there's and for the most part it's you have to find, you have to find, you have to find your people, you have to find your team and I've found mine and mine. My team works really well together, from the label to my pr team to to my producer. We kind of all go, we work really well hand in hand and, if you know, someone has an idea and put it out there and we all kind of talk about it and you know, we might change up some words. Even while I'm recording the song, we're like, uh, I don't know if those words are working. You know, let's you change. You know, let's change some of these words up, you know does that freak you out at all?

Billie Jo Jones: 24:31

not, not really, because it most of the time it's like man, why, you know, why don't I think about that? You know, we just, we just work really well together. So I know that there's probably some sometimes or some people that that go in there and they they're like no, this is how, this is how I want it, this is, this is my song. You know, this is how it should be, you know, whatever, and if you're like that, ok, that's how you are, but I'm, I'm not. I work really well with others and I try to keep an open mind. I do have my moments where I'm. I might can try to be a little bit of a brat on certain things, if I'm kind of stubborn about it, but for the most part I know that Kent knows what he's doing, so yeah, that's cool yeah that's cool.

Keith Sensing: 25:12

Jay doesn't take criticism very well.

Billie Jo Jones: 25:14

No, I criticize him all the time. I can see that.

Jay Franze: 25:19

I'm married, I'm getting used to it very quickly.

Keith Sensing: 25:22

You're too short and you got to get rid of that hat.

Jay Franze: 25:26

Yeah, it's my Boston hat, buddy. All right, I want to talk about your album here for a minute, your new album, but before we get into it, you mentioned earlier about the challenges of life and having to live life before you could work on your writing process. Was there anything specific that happened in your life that was a turning point for you when it came to writing?

Billie Jo Jones: 25:53

I think it was just the moment where, I think I was a little, I was scared.

Billie Jo Jones: 25:59

I was scared of writing, I was scared of putting things out there that people didn't know or they may not have known, or, you know, writing about my I do really well writing about things that I've been through in my life, my life story. I wrote a song about my grandparents you know as to why my grandparents raised me because my mom was, and still is, a drug addict, and so I wrote a song about that and put it out there, and that I think it really just kind of came down to the point of I'm going to do this, I'm going to put my story out there, I'm, you know, going to put pen to paper and actually, you know, actually do it. I think it took it took a little bit of time to get the courage to do that, I think. So there wasn't really like a moment like, oh my gosh, I have to write about this. I just finally decided to stop being shy about it and and just do it. So that was that's kind of what I.

Jay Franze: 26:52

So where I went you said you got 12 songs for this new album and you've demoed them. So you do a rough demo guitar vocal, either on your phone or some sort of recording device. You take them. You then take them to kent and you go ahead and take them in the studio to record them. So are all the demos done at this point?

Keith Sensing: 27:10

or do you have like a, a multi-track, on your phone nowadays?

Billie Jo Jones: 27:17

no, no, you just kind of mine are just voice like voice recordings. And then, like today, we went to my guitar player's house because he has like a fancier setup, kind of like a mini studio type thing, and so he does his fancy guitar stuff and maybe puts like a bass guitar on there and then I put my vocals on there and that's what we send to Kent. I'm pretty sure they're all. We're still writing one song we're not completely finished with it and we have another song that's supposed to be a duet, a girl girl duet that we have written but we haven't figured out what girl we want just yet. So we're still working on that. But we have all the other ones done.

Billie Jo Jones: 27:55

There's actually one song that is that I've already recorded in the studio with kent, because we just couldn't wait. We were like we got to get this in the studio, the music. Because we just couldn't wait. We were like we got to get this in the studio, the music. Everything's done on it, it is completely mastered. But the rest of them we are going in and recording those in January.

Jay Franze: 28:09

So Tell us about the duet for a second. Why Girl, girl, and what's the story behind the song?

Billie Jo Jones: 28:17

Oh, so it's got to be a Girl. Girl because, well, I actually originally started writing this song because my daughter got her heart broke. She was 13 at the time. She's now 14. It was a real good one. It starts out like Do you want to go trash his car? Do you want to burn the whole thing down? We can burn it down, something like that, anyway. So I started writing this song of, and I was gonna write it as like an angry mom, like you know, mom taking up for her daughter thing. Well, now I uh sent it to lynn over the label and, uh, we were on a radio tour. I was actually doing a radio tour up in like nebraska and wisconsin and stuff, and so we're just driving around writing this song and uh, it turned into this girl and another girl figured out they were like dating the same person, I guess, type thing. So then it.

Billie Jo Jones: 29:15

Then it turns into uh, well honey 13 honey you like the match and I'll throw it down, type thing.

Keith Sensing: 29:21

That is rough, but I've got a killer revenge technique that I saw here in Vegas.

Billie Jo Jones: 29:31

Okay.

Keith Sensing: 29:33

Somebody put bird seed all over a car in a parking lot. And the pigeons, needless to say did all the work for them. I like it Did all the work for them.

Billie Jo Jones: 29:45

I like it. Wait, are you in Vegas? Is that where you are?

Keith Sensing: 29:48

Yes, ma'am, I sure am.

Billie Jo Jones: 29:50

That's cool. I've got a show at Stoney's in Vegas. We're actually opening for Shenandoah. I think it's January 21st. It's like a Monday night.

Keith Sensing: 30:02

Really. Yeah, it's just down the street from me. Are we a company called our Christmas party?

Billie Jo Jones: 30:08

there. Oh, very cool, that's where the guy that owns my label he actually owns like a concrete company thing. So they're doing a concrete, the world of concrete or whatever.

Keith Sensing: 30:19

Oh man, that's huge here, oh yeah.

Billie Jo Jones: 30:22

We'll be over there the 21st, so I'm excited.

Keith Sensing: 30:25

Stoney's Well, all right Well.

Billie Jo Jones: 30:27

I might have to get some tickets and just lurk in the background. Well, you need to just just send me a message and I can. I'll get you in. That's it. It'll be fun, shannon, Do with me that are that live in Nashville, so it's going to be cool. It'll be fun. That's awesome, yeah.

Jay Franze: 30:45

Do you like playing in Vegas?

Billie Jo Jones: 30:48

I've only played like acoustic there. I've never done a, I've never done a full band thing there. So I'm excited for that. Oh very nice.

Keith Sensing: 30:56

I go to the NFR every year, oh really You're in the rodeo, I You're in the rodeo.

Billie Jo Jones: 31:01

I am.

Keith Sensing: 31:02

What do you call it? I am South Point.

Billie Jo Jones: 31:04

Yeah, I was over at South Point. Aaron Watson was playing a couple weeks ago.

Keith Sensing: 31:09

whenever I was there, that was fun, wow, and this last thing off subject, but I was driving through South Point and I saw a bus for the high school rodeo team, so I guess there's an actual rodeo for high schoolers, is that?

Billie Jo Jones: 31:31

correct.

Keith Sensing: 31:31

Yeah, you actually have rodeo teams.

Billie Jo Jones: 31:34

Yes, yes, Rodeo teams for high school. It's a huge, huge thing. It's big money too. You see, all the guys compete in the NFR for hundreds of thousands, and there's thousands of dollars even in the high school age. It's crazy.

Keith Sensing: 31:51

Wow, okay, I'm sorry. Back to the real stuff.

Jay Franze: 31:56

We've discussed the rodeo. She's no joke with this stuff.

Billie Jo Jones: 32:00

That's funny. I don't rodeo, though I love to watch it, but I've been thrown off of too many horses.

Jay Franze: 32:07

She's been on the bull several times.

Billie Jo Jones: 32:12

No, we don't do that either. I'm too old to be breaking things.

Jay Franze: 32:19

Dude, you ever go to the Wild Beaver in Nashville? It's a bar in.

Jay Franze: 32:25

Nashville it's down by the Renaissance. It's about a block over from Broadway. But every bachelorette party that comes through town and Nashville is the bachelorette capital of the world they all go over to the Wild Beaver and they have that mechanical bull and all you see is just pictures of people falling off left and right. I would not even attempt to do it, not even close. Anyways, back to this. I have a another bone to pick with you, my friend um. Since the last time you were on the show, you went ahead and won another award. I did, you did Emerging Artist of the Year I did. What was that night like?

Billie Jo Jones: 33:07

Oh my gosh, that was incredible. It was the Tex Country Music Awards at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, texas, and I was up for Emerging Artist of the Year and I won. And it was up for emerging artist of the year and I won and it was, uh, it was pretty incredible. And my grandparents were there and he actually wandered backstage and and took some pictures of me with my, with my trophy whenever I won. So it was, it was precious it was good, oh you already found it. Look at you.

Jay Franze: 33:32

We don't mess around here. We don't mess around here, we don't mess around. We just leave Keith off the screen whenever we do it, I just sometimes it's worth it just for that.

Billie Jo Jones: 33:42

Oh my goodness, Poor Keith Poor.

Jay Franze: 33:45

Keith, you're the first person to ever say that. Poor Keith. Exactly, jay, you boot Years of doing this and this is the first time anybody's ever said poor Keith. So back to your award, because that's really what we're here for, not Keith. So your award you had your grandparents there. How special is it to win an award with your grandparents there?

Billie Jo Jones: 34:12

Oh man, it's so special. They have been my rocks and my roadies for forever. They have put so many miles on vehicles driving me around to play fairs and festivals and churches and events and, you know, flown with me when I did the Voice and American Idol and they've just kind of they've just been everywhere with me and so they've watched me be this, you know three and four year old little girl and we've got videos of you know me singing Shania Twain and Billy Ray Cyrus and the Dixie Chicks and all that stuff to now going and, you know, headlining my own shows and opening for huge artists. And it's only just. It's only getting bigger and better from here and I'm just proud that they are still here to be a part of it and that I can make them proud in the process. So it's been pretty awesome yeah, what's, what's the future?

Keith Sensing: 35:00

hold clothing lines, private jets candles it holds candles.

Billie Jo Jones: 35:08

I do have. I do have candles. Do you know that?

Jay Franze: 35:11

I do know that. Come on, tell me about a candle. Where are we getting candles now?

Billie Jo Jones: 35:20

Oh no, I did a Christmas candle yeah. I did, but yeah no, I'm hoping for clothing lines. I mean, I'm hoping for a private jet. I hate being in the car. Oh, there it is, there's my. I'll be home for Christmas candle. And it smells amazing. There's my I'll be home for Christmas candle and it's amazing. Yeah, but no, I don't have clothing line yet. I need to get style first, I guess, before someone wants to do a clothing line.

Jay Franze: 35:45

I would say get style, look at you tonight.

Keith Sensing: 35:48

So what is in the future? What do? You hope to accomplish here within the next couple of years.

Billie Jo Jones: 35:57

What's your dream goals here? My dream goal, first and foremost I've dreamed with my grandparents since I was a little girl I want to play. I've been on the Grand Ole Opry, I did a benefit with Lee Greenwood, but I haven't had my debut, like I haven't stood in the circle moment, and that's something that I've. I mean, everyone wants that, but it's something that I have, you know, been trying to continue to work for, to to have that moment. So to play the Grand Ole Oprys at the top of my list. I want to get on a tour like an actual tour. I mean I I go and play shows you know all over and I've opened for like Ray Price and the Oak Ridge boys and Pat Green and Jared Neiman and Jack Ingram, but I've never been on like a consistent, like consistent tour. You know how people go out for you know, several weeks at a time. I want to do that. I feel like I would do really well with it. So I want to go on a big tour and then, hopefully, one day that would lead to doing my own stadium tour would be ideal. But I have really big goals. I am determined, determined. We're doing really, really well and we're meeting the right people and making the right connections and, you know, trying to do what we think is best and it's. We've had a really great year.

Billie Jo Jones: 37:08

I found out I'm also up for six nominations I don't know if you saw that for the texas regional radio award show and that's at texas Live there next to the Texas Ranger Stadium there in Arlington in March. I'm up for Female Artist New Female Artist. My song Some Girls Don't Cry is up for Single of the Year, Music Video of the Year and Album of the Year. Then I'm up for a Duo of the Year with Ginny Delorde Six nominations right now. I'm super excited.

Jay Franze: 37:37

That is very impressive. Yeah, thank you. You mentioned doing something with Lee Greenwood. What was it you did with Lee Greenwood?

Billie Jo Jones: 37:45

So it was called Helping a Hero Benefit that Lee Greenwood is a part of, and they give veterans homes. They have a certain number, I don't even know how many homes they gave away, but they do a benefit concert and they held it at, uh, the grand alabre, and mark wills was there. Um, another great artist. Oh my gosh, what's your name?

Billie Jo Jones: 38:06

um, we were matching uh paula dean uh, paula dean was there and we were almost matching in our clothes. I just thought that was was so cool. But it was cool. I got to walk around backstage and meet different stars and be on stage with Lee Greenwood when we sang God Bless the USA. So it was a pretty incredible night, for sure.

Jay Franze: 38:28

I only ask of that, keith, because Andy Hull is the drummer for Lee Greenwood Very cool, and his son actually plays guitar now as well.

Billie Jo Jones: 38:37

Yeah.

Keith Sensing: 38:40

That's awesome. I guess talent is genetic then.

Billie Jo Jones: 38:42

Oh, yeah, isn't that funny.

Jay Franze: 38:43

Oh my gosh. Andy Hall is one of the best studio drummers I know and he's on the road right now with Clint Black.

Billie Jo Jones: 38:50

Oh, wow.

Jay Franze: 38:52

Wow, that's awesome. He's the man. I also want to show this picture here real quick because I just think that is one of the best pictures you have, just throwing that out there.

Billie Jo Jones: 39:04

Thank you. That's my whole album cover too.

Keith Sensing: 39:07

We've made vinyls and stuff for my first album Did you, I'm going to have a vinyl collector, so I'll have to go on Amazon.

Billie Jo Jones: 39:15

Are you Good With all that stuff behind you there, Keith? Nobody can. I'm going to have to buy a collector, so I'll have to go on Amazon, Are?

Jay Franze: 39:18

you good With all that stuff behind you there, keith. Nobody could tell.

Billie Jo Jones: 39:22

Yeah, I couldn't tell. Couldn't tell at all.

Jay Franze: 39:25

I do love that picture and, matter of fact, I think, if I'm not mistaken, there's a post of mine going out on Instagram tomorrow that includes your photo there. I just steal your stuff, so don't don't mind me, it's fine, I just steal your stuff all the time.

Billie Jo Jones: 39:42

I'll let you. I'll let you.

Jay Franze: 39:44

Let me steal your stuff. I appreciate that I really do you earlier you mentioned doing some stuff while you're in Nashville, which includes TV. What's going on on the television?

Billie Jo Jones: 39:57

There's some stuff that I can't talk about that has to do with TV. Um, there's other stuff to tell us about where I can't, um, there's other stuff and I'm so bad with secrets, so that's not good. Don't do that to me, um what secret are you talking about? No um there's other stuff that I did. I did an RFD TV interview there in Nashville and then I did a CCM performance. Kent actually came and met me and we played my Christmas song.

Jay Franze: 40:27

Oh, he played it with you.

Billie Jo Jones: 40:29

Oh yeah, and we didn't even practice it. I was like, hey, can you play this song for me? Because I can't, I cannot play that song on the guitar. And he's like, yeah, I'll do it. So he ran up there in the middle of the session and walked in. He's like now, what song are we playing again? And I'm like, oh, oh, no. Like I'm like oh, no, I was like we're playing, I'll Be Home for Christmas.

Billie Jo Jones: 40:49

And he's like, oh, okay, you know, we go in there, sit in. He's like I'm not gonna do anything fancy, I'm just gonna. I'm just gonna strum the first note. And you go. And I'm like, okay, like we didn't. Like no, practice, no, no, he strums the note and I started singing and we played it all the way through first. Take no mess ups. And they posted the video, you know, a few hours later and he went on back to the studio, like and then he went to the studio and bragged um to the guy, k Kyle, that works for him, and he's like, yeah, me and that girl, we went up there and played that song and it was a mic drop. We were done. Oh yeah, there's Lee.

Keith Sensing: 41:26

He's so nice TV appearances, you're going to break into acting, huh.

Billie Jo Jones: 41:31

Oh.

Jay Franze: 41:31

Keith, don't get her to spill her secrets now.

Billie Jo Jones: 41:34

It's definitely not acting. I would love to try that sometime.

Jay Franze: 41:40

I think that would be fun. She's not supposed to talk about her new reality show.

Keith Sensing: 41:43

Don't stop, or Landman, have you seen Landman?

Billie Jo Jones: 41:49

I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. You know that.

Keith Sensing: 41:52

That's how my label found me she's going to be on Landman no.

Jay Franze: 41:58

Tell me about it, because I have no idea what you guys are talking about.

Billie Jo Jones: 42:00

I opened for Billy Bob Thornton like three years ago and that's where my label found me, because a friend of theirs was playing for Billy Bob Thornton in Lindell.

Keith Sensing: 42:09

She's going to be on land. Man, I'm not, I'm not, oh my gosh, I'm not.

Billie Jo Jones: 42:12

I'm not, I'm not. Oh my gosh, I'm not. I wish His wife and his daughter in that, oh my.

Keith Sensing: 42:22

Yeah, it's a concert, Jay. If you haven't seen it, it's one of the top series out right now.

Billie Jo Jones: 42:28

You've got to go watch it. It's on like.

Keith Sensing: 42:30

Paramount Plus or whatever. Billy Bob Thornton is a Texas oil man.

Billie Jo Jones: 42:37

Yeah, he fits the role perfectly.

Keith Sensing: 42:39

Yeah, it's, it's. You would love it you would love it.

Jay Franze: 42:42

He's awesome. I love him.

Billie Jo Jones: 42:43

It's so good. It's so good.

Keith Sensing: 42:46

And it's in Texas.

Billie Jo Jones: 42:48

It is, it is.

Keith Sensing: 42:49

That's very cool Is is. Is Midland Texas really like that?

Billie Jo Jones: 42:53

No, it is. I think they're making it look better than what it actually is, but yeah, it's pretty bad.

Keith Sensing: 43:02

Ooh Alright, back to your music.

Billie Jo Jones: 43:07

It's pretty bad. Well, I won't be getting any shows in Midland anytime soon Billy Bob Thornton's in my favorite Christmas movie.

Jay Franze: 43:17

Keith, what's your favorite Christmas movie?

Billie Jo Jones: 43:20

Oh, I just watched that the other day for the first time.

Jay Franze: 43:22

For the first time.

Billie Jo Jones: 43:23

For the first time.

Jay Franze: 43:24

Is that Bad Santa? Yes, I watch it every year for Christmas. What did you think of it?

Billie Jo Jones: 43:31

It was good. It was good.

Jay Franze: 43:33

Oh, it is hilarious, it is so hilarious.

Billie Jo Jones: 43:34

That's John Ritter's last movie too. I don't know. It was good. Oh, it is hilarious, it is, it is so. Oh, it's so hilarious, it's so hilarious.

Jay Franze: 43:37

That's John Ritter's last movie too.

Billie Jo Jones: 43:40

I don't know if I can let my kids watch that, but my 10-year-old daughter keeps asking me if she can watch it.

Jay Franze: 43:45

I'm like I don't care Not. Yet your mother already hates me. I don't care, Come on watch it, babe, if you're listening, it's just a joke, it's just a joke.

Billie Jo Jones: 43:58

You're going to be in trouble. You're already in trouble, I'm already in trouble.

Jay Franze: 44:00

Don't start. Don't spill the tea or I'll make you spill yours.

Billie Jo Jones: 44:04

Oh no. So what's the?

Jay Franze: 44:05

secret you're keeping Okay.

Keith Sensing: 44:08

Yeah, that's what I thought. What is your favorite Christmas?

Jay Franze: 44:11

movie Bad Santa oh man by far, yeah, Bad Santa by far. Yeah, I know that one Mine, oh gosh.

Billie Jo Jones: 44:19

I mean, I love all the Home Alones, but I would probably probably Elf. I love Elf, oh man, everybody loves. Elf, I love that. I love that movie. I've watched it so many times too.

Keith Sensing: 44:31

Everybody loves Elf man. I like A Christmas Story. That's my favorite. The dialogue in there cannot be beat.

Jay Franze: 44:38

I like a non-traditional one. It's not quite a Christmas movie, it just takes place over Christmas and it's not die hard. I like While you Were Sleeping oh, okay, yes. I don't know why, but I really like that movie very cool.

Keith Sensing: 44:55

What about are you trying to actively also work? But I really liked that movie Very cool. What about, yeah, are you? Are you, are you like trying to actively also work in in like television placement, sync, licensing or anything to you know? Push your songs into the next episode of land man or anything?

Billie Jo Jones: 45:10

We have not done that. I'm not saying that we won't ever, but it's, it hasn't been in the works or anything. We've, we've just had, we have, we've had so much. Yeah, there's, there's just been a lot, but I mean I would, I would love that. I mean I think there's a couple of songs that have mine that would be great for for some TV stuff, but we just haven't gone that route yet.

Keith Sensing: 45:39

You need to ring Billy Bob up right now and say hey, bbt.

Billie Jo Jones: 45:41

Well, my, my label, my label probably could. They are. They're they're good friends with him. But we've actually I don't know if I'm supposed to say this, but I don't want to give away too much We've, we've talked about possibly doing something with him sometime, not not in the TV part, but musically on one of my songs that we're remixing. So I'll just say that I don't know if it'll work out, but I think it would be really cool, especially since he's he's so hot right now with with his with land man, like it's what everybody talks about, like it'd be great to hop on that train.

Jay Franze: 46:17

I have man, like it's what everybody talks about, like it'd be great to hop on that train I have to watch this thing now. Yeah, you got to do it. I haven't seen any tv and now I'm writing it down.

Billie Jo Jones: 46:24

I'll watch it it's good, you'll like it, and then you have to let us know what you think after you do I will.

Jay Franze: 46:31

You guys will have to come back on now we're gonna do a reunion thing oh, and now we're gonna talk about the tv series. Yeah, what did you do with the number one plaque you received?

Billie Jo Jones: 46:42

it is hanging on my music room wall along with the other number one plaque, and there's no more room on the wall, so I need a bigger house or another bigger wall what else is in the music room?

Billie Jo Jones: 46:56

everything there's like there's so many trophies. My, I have a big record player that was literally free that we someone was just getting rid of and we picked it up and it's old, super old, but I love records, so I've got a record player that takes up like the whole wall. Um, I have my piano in there, a couple of banners and posters from gigs that have cool gigs that I've done. I guess I just need a bigger music room. That's all there is to it.

Keith Sensing: 47:24

Keith, get on that for her yeah, you're not that far away, jake gives me crap about my records all the time. I don't have as many as you.

Jay Franze: 47:35

I've been carrying it around for decades, since 1972. Back to our friend here, this photo here. Was it a special shoot? Did you do a shoot for these photos?

Billie Jo Jones: 47:52

I did. I actually did a photo shoot for that album cover a cover that you like um sunglasses and then we just took some more pictures while we were there to have um, that was, uh, jamie JME studios in Tyler Texas uh, actually did all those photos and she did my whole album artwork and everything as well. So she did. She's pretty awesome.

Jay Franze: 48:15

Well, that's what I was going to ask you, because those pictures I don't know what it is about them, but I think they stand out leaps and bounds from some of the other stuff.

Keith Sensing: 48:23

I mean, yeah, they really have something about them tell me about a photo shoot, is it, you know? Are the other photographers like zoolander or anything like that, you know? Just you know, show it, give it to me. You know doing all that stuff going around um, not really she.

Billie Jo Jones: 48:41

I mean, she and I have worked together, I guess, like growing up together in this business, because, you know, a few years ago she was just starting out taking pictures and I was kind of, you know, doing, doing a little bit more with my music and going full-time with it, and so we've kind of grown up together and not grown up, but not age wise, but we've you know, career wise career wise, yeah, and so she's just just she's killing it.

Billie Jo Jones: 49:06

And this last photo shoot was definitely one of my favorites that we've done so far and she, just she, killed it. We, we captured that album cover for my song, some girls don't cry. It was perfect. I don't know everything about, it was just perfect. So I enjoy getting to work with her. She's, but she's not crazy, but she knows, she knows, like what I need to like we'll put on, you know, different songs, like I love to listen to music while I'm doing a photo shoot um and she also shit like she'll show me what to do because I'm I'm not one of the natural, I'm not a natural person in front of the camera.

Billie Jo Jones: 49:36

I don't know, you know I can't. I can't do exactly what you know, natural models do, I guess. But if someone shows me what to do, then I can, you know, copy it and or my, you know, put my own little flair to it.

Jay Franze: 49:47

Do you like doing the photo shoots?

Billie Jo Jones: 49:50

I do. I actually have another photo shoot, photo shoot. That's why one of the other reason I'm going to nashville in january to work with uh, oh my gosh, happy, happy.

Keith Sensing: 50:07

Pain photographer or pain photography, I don't know maybe happy.

Billie Jo Jones: 50:09

Wait a minute, that sounds familiar adrian payne. Adrian payne is his name, happy is his wife um adrian pain photography in nashville I watched the furthest thing in the world from Happy. I don't even know. I don't know where that came from, but yeah, I'll be there in January doing that.

Keith Sensing: 50:25

So I love you in the photo shoots. So what music are you listening to? I mean, are you carrying your vinyls with you and cranking that up?

Billie Jo Jones: 50:33

No, for that one shot though. For that one shot. For that one shot the some girls don't cry shot that you like I was listening to some girls don't cry because I was trying to get into the character of I don't care that you broke my heart, I'm gonna go out and have fun with the girls, you know, whatever, like I got into my character. So I was listening to that song on that certain shot, but usually, usually I uh, even before my shows right now, I'm on a Zach Topp kick, like I'm obsessed with Zach Topp. Um, I think that we would be amazing doing a duet together, but I listen to his music all the time. So when I'm getting ready for a show, I put my AirPods in and I'm playing Zach Topp's entire album. I just I love it.

Jay Franze: 51:13

All right. Well, before we wrap things up here at the top of the hour, one more thing I wanted to ask you about. You get a lot of young girls that come up and talk to you and get involved with you and, I assume, idolize you. What's that feel like for you to have people just want to be like you?

Billie Jo Jones: 51:33

I love it. It's one of those things that my grandma's always grandma's always taught me. You know, from the moment oh my gosh, from when I was a kid is she's always told me to be careful, be careful what you say, be careful what you do, what you post on. You know social media. So anything I post or anything I do, or songs that I sing, or the clothes that I wear, I want to try and be that, you know, role model for those younger kiddos that are coming up especially my own daughter that is 14 years old, going on 30, I feel like.

Billie Jo Jones: 52:02

But, you know, having the younger girls, you know look up to me and, you know, want to be like me or want to follow their dreams, because it hasn't been easy. It hasn't been, you know, an easy time, you know getting to where I am, but I've worked hard, I put the hard work in and I feel like, if any, if anyone has a dream, no matter what it is, to go for it and that's the one thing I've wanted to show my kids is, no matter how big I get or how far I get in this journey, I, I love, I love what I'm doing. God didn't give me this voice to just sit at home with it. I know that I'm, you know, meant to be out there performing and touring and stuff, so I love it.

Billie Jo Jones: 52:37

There's a there's actually a girl her name is Bailey that lives down the road from me and she sends me messages all the time on on messenger. She's like 16 years old and she's, you know, watched me since she was like 13. And she's like I'm so proud of you. She saw that I won the award. She's like I'm so proud of you. You won emerging artist. I love your album, Like she'll try to come to my shows, like it's just, it's really cool, it's really cool to see. So I try to be a good role model to all of them.

Jay Franze: 53:04

So A big thanks to Billy for taking the time to share stories with us. A big thanks to Keith for joining me 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 111. Thanks again for listening and I'll see you next week.

Tony Scott: 53:32

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