Minnesotans love “Cowboys and Angels” hitmaker Dustin Lynch, and Lynch is loving the state he never thought he’d visit when he was a youngster.
With his debut album topping the Billboard charts the week of its August release, Lynch is quickly making his mark on the country music scene, and Minnesotans are lucky a stop at Ramble Jam in Farmington Friday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. is on his tour schedule.
“Minnesota has been amazing to me,” Lynch said in a Thursday morning interview. “It was a far-away state I never thought I’d visit growing up in my hometown in Tennessee. It was my very first stop on my radio tour.” “Minneapolis and K102 was the first stop on the radio tour, and I’ll never forget that day,” Lynch added. “That was stop one of hopefully a million more. You never forget your first. Everybody in Minnesota has been so supportive of my music, and it’s going to be awesome to get back up there and have a good time with everybody again.”
Lynch will be bringing a good time to the Ramble Jam stage, and now has that full album of material that fans can sing along with. “This album has been a work of my life, honestly,” Lynch said. Through the album-making process, Lynch wrote close to 300 songs, spent about a year completing the project, and made the record with two of his good friends – Brett Beavers and Luke Wooten.
“We’ve been working together about three years to find the sound and it was a lot of fun,” Lynch said. “It was kind of bittersweet when we finished it up because it had been something that had been our everyday schedule for almost a year.”
Lynch went on to say he is already looking forward to making his next album, and said when he found out his debut disc went to the number one spot, he was shocked. “It was very humbling,” he admits.
“All this fueled by the power of hard work and getting out there playing a bunch of shows. The main factor was country radio with ‘Cowboys and Angels.’ Without country radio’s help, nobody would know who the heck I am.”
Lynch said he made sure to call as many people as he could to thank them for helping him get his first album out and for being supportive of his first single, “Cowboys and Angels.” The song presently sits at number seven on the Billboard country charts.
“It really has changed my life,” he said. From the day he wrote it, he knew “Cowboys and Angels” was going to be a special song. “It was one of those that happened by chance,” he said. “It was an idea I’d had for a while.” He had the title “Cowboys and Angels” written down when he went into a songwriting appointment and, as if it were a sign, co-writer Tim Nichols had the same words written in his notes. “That was astronomically crazy,” Lynch said with a laugh. The song was written from a perspective Lynch had about his grandparents.
“I’ve written hundreds of songs since that, and have always known this was going to be the foundation for album one,” he said. “It’s been a life changer – it really has.”
In addition to “Cowboys and Angels,” Lynch’s debut CD is providing a number of other sing-along songs for fans at his concerts. He said “Name On It” and “She Cranks My Tractor” are a couple of the songs he is finding people are already knowing all the words. “Even the first week the album was out, you could tell people had been listening to it,” he said, adding that it is a great feeling to have fans singing every single song back to him and his band while they are on stage performing.
He said he is still dialing in on what his second single is going to be, but said it is going to be an up-tempo cut. Until then, he is going to keep watching “Cowboys and Angels” climb the charts. Lynch admits he loves watching the charts, and said now that he is getting to know more people in the industry, it has become a friendly competition for him. “I’ve watched the whole time I’ve been in Nashville and dreamed of having my name next to a song on the charts,” he said. “You better believe I’m looking at it. It’s fun.”
At a younger age, the Tullahoma, TN native kept looking for opportunities to pursue making a living in country music. He picked up a guitar when he was about 8 years old, but set it aside to hop on a dirtbike. He rediscovered the guitar again at around age 15 and has never looked back. “I grew up loving country music because of Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson and Clint Black – the class of ‘89 were my dudes growing up. That early-to-mid-90s country is some of my favorites,” Lynch said.
Because of guys like Brooks, Black, and Jackson, Lynch said he’s always had this dream, and has looked for opportunities to chase the dream and make it a reality. “For me, it was find a way to go to school in Nashville,” he said. “My parents were going to make me go to college – there’s no way I was getting out of that.” He chose a school in Nashville, conveniently located not far from the famous Bluebird Café. Every night he could, Lynch went and observed the folks who were there writing and playing. He didn’t know anyone in Nashville, and feels that was actually a benefit for him.
“I kind of had to teach myself how to swim,” he said. “Introduce myself to people. I didn’t have anybody holding my hand leading me around helping me out, which, honestly, I’m glad it happened that way. When you teach yourself how to do something, you appreciate it more, and you also are better at it.”
He went from sitting on the sidelines watching and learning, to performing on open mic night, to performing a specific time slot at the Bluebird. “Then when I found a fake ID, I started bouncing into these clubs and trying to land a gig,” he said. “Keep on pushing the envelope and looking for the next door to run through.” Lynch said he heard the word “no” plenty, and said it has taken him nine years to get to where he is at today.
His now-manager called Lynch out of the blue one day after coming across Lynch’s music on Myspace, and wanted to meet the singer/songwriter. That meeting led to a meeting with a Broken Bow Records representative, who told Lynch he was going to offer him a record deal. It was his first “legit” meeting with a label representative he ever had. Things just don’t happen like that in Nashville, Lynch said. “But we hit it of right away and got things rocking,” he said.
“Here we are now at Broken Bow, which is, in my opinion, on of the best teams in Nashville. They’re kickin’ butt for me and Jason Aldean and others right now.” Lynch said he has learned a lot from labelmate Aldean, and said, “He’s the hottest act in country music right now. He’s on top of the world. I love going to shows and looking to Jason for ideas He’s been nothing but kind to me.” In addition to Aldean, Lynch said he also has been spending time listening to Luke Bryan and Eric Church, and said Church’s “Chief” is one of his favorite albums.
Another artist Lynch grew up on, Tim McGraw, stopped by Lynch’s bus at a recent show and introduced himself to Lynch. “I couldn’t believe he did that,” Lynch said. “That was really cool of him to do. It was one of those things I’ll never forget.” He said the summer of 2012 has been fun and has been a learning experience for him. “It’s learn a lot and just dive in and hope for the best,” he said. “I think I’ve learned a lot from all these artists I’ve been around this summer.”
He said he has noticed he is a lot better at putting on a show, and said he is more confident in handling every sort of crowd. “Every fair and festival is a different animal, but that’s what makes it fun,” Lynch said. “You adapt to whatever situation you’re thrown in – it’s been a fun summer. I’m not ready for it end yet.”
Well, it doesn’t have to end quite yet. As Lynch takes the stage Friday night, the fun will continue. “Come get crazy with us at the jam baby!” Lynch said.
Joining Lynch at Ramble Jam will be Lee Brice, Josh Thompson, Randy Houser, Sunny Sweeney, Rocket Club, Whiskey Meyers, Sara Lynn Wallin with 2 Mile Final, Devon Worley Band, Greene and Hurst, Two Hicks and a Chick, Lost Highway, and Tim Sigler. At the gate, a two-day general admission ticket is $50. One-day passes are also available at the gate and cost $30 for Friday only and $40 for Saturday only. A Longbranch VIP Saloon pass is also available for $130, with a very limited number still remaining. Parking is free and the event is rain or shine.
Visit www.ramblejamcountry.com to order tickets and for more information.
Ramble Jam is an annual fundraiser operated by the Rotary Club of Farmington.
Ryan Gueningsman is at ryan.gueningsman@minnesotacountry.com or can be found on Facebook.