My ‘deer in the headlights’ moments
“Far and away the best prize life has to offer is working hard at work worth doing.” ~Theodore Roosevelt
My first was Jordan Rager. I met him at his home in Loganville along with his mom and dad, brother and family pets. We sat on the living room sofa for almost an hour talking about his life just out of high school, his gigs in the local pizza parlor and his Nashville dream that kept him pushing forward. At the end of the interview, he grabbed his guitar and sat on the tailgate of his pick-up truck, and I photographed him.
Jordan Rager, circa 2013.
As I drove away, I thought what an honorable, polite young man he was. He will go far.
Then, there was Brent Cobb and a phone call from the road. Later, we photographed him at Georgia Theatre in Athens when he was the opening act for another country act. Honestly, I can’t remember the act’s name, but I remember Cobb. My impression of Cobb was similar to that of Rager, a Georgia boy with incredible talent and impeccable respect for the climb.
There was another in-between; he oozed pride and arrogance. I forgot his name. I suspect, so did others.
Then, Florida Georgia Line. I sat in my hotel room in Key West, Florida, waiting on the call. I was a giddy as a teenager anticipating speaking with this duo that had taken country music by storm. Len quietly put his hand on my shoulder and reminded me, “They are only boys. They are your son’s age. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
The conversation overflowed with “Yes, ma’am’s.” Good Southern boys. They might do well at the upcoming Grammy’s.
Of course Dolly Parton absolutely took my breath away. I’ll give her a pass on being from Tennessee.
Our love for music has also put us before Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Jake Owens, Parmalee, Maxwell Russell, Larry Gatlin, and we hope, lots more before we pack up our notebook and camera.
We’ve had a love affair with singers and songwriters since the very beginning of our storytelling days. I think it’s our mutual respect for storytelling. Move past the melodies you hear on the radio and head straight to their backbone and heart. That’s when you discover who they really are and the price they have paid to climb the ladder. Some stories are sad; some are triumphant. However we have learned, every long-term success story involves respect, endurance, resolve and humility.
Just ask that guy whose name I can’t remember and whose song most have forgotten.
