singer Archives - The Travel Wins

Big Sandy – Flyin Rite

Big Sandy is my guest today on The Travel Wins podcast. Rockabilly Hall of Fame inductee, Big Sandy and his band the Fly Rite Boys has been touring the world since the early 90’s. Robert “Big Sandy” Williams started his music playing career in the mid-80’s and his touring career started in the early 90’s. Almost 30 years later and he has played in multiple countries and most states in the US. We talk about the differences in traveling in t he90’s without technology and traveling nowadays.

Big Sandy and The Fly-Rite Boys have no slowing down in them as they get ready to start a European tour next week then coming home to play in 10 different states this summer. 35+ shows, 9 countries and 10 states this summer alone made Big Sandy a great interview for business travel.

Big Sandy on social media:

Big Sandy’s listening choice while traveling for work is:

He listens to the various albums he bought while traveling on previous trips.

Click here to see other guests choices for listening while traveling

Big Sandy Background

“Twenty-five years, hundreds of thousands of miles, and over 3,000 live performances; what a dream it’s been!” said Robert “Big Sandy” Williams. “When I first got together for a garage rehearsal with a group of musician friends in the spring of 1988 in Anaheim, California, I never imagined that I would someday be celebrating the silver anniversary of the rocking little band that formed that afternoon”

Indeed, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys are beloved by many, with fourteen albums of undiluted joyful music pulled from rockabilly, rock & roll, honky-tonk, rhythm & blues, soul and doo-wop. What A Dream It’s Been, on Cow Island Music, is a collection of the band’s favorite original numbers. All acoustic, reinterpreted with fresh new arrangements, rhythms, and instrumentation.

“Here I am, looking back at a wild ride that has taken us around the world countless times and put us in front of national television and radio audiences,” said Big Sandy. He and the band have made three appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, featured on NPR’s Fresh Airwith Terry Gross. “Putting together this new record has brought back a flood of memories. It is our way of looking back at everything that has led us to where we are now. I feel like we’re sounding better than ever and experimenting musically. While it’s a reflection of our past, this album is really a hint of things to come.”

ALBUMS

All of the albums are represented here, and the new arrangements happened organically. “Often during sound checks and rehearsals, we’ll get to messing around with songs,” Big Sandy explained. “I Know I’ve Loved You Before was originally recorded as a slow, jazzy number. But one night at band practice after a few drinks, I started strumming the song with ska upstrokes and tried singing it in a more soulful, rocksteady style. The rest of the band fell in together and it started to sound like something that (Jamaican legend) Ken Boothe might have done. We all knew in that instant that we had to record the song that way as soon as possible.”

“The last song on the album and title track, What A Dream It’s Been, (a duet with acclaimed voice actress/Grammy Award winning vocalist Grey DeLisle) is a love song, but not in the conventional sense. As Big Sandy explained, “I wrote and recorded this song in 1998 after a couple of the Fly-Rite Boys told me they had to move on. Unsure if I would be able to continue on without them, this song sums up and pays tribute to the wonderful times that we had together.”

Since forming 25+ years ago, Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys have toured continuously and become torchbearers of American roots music. As a singer, songwriter, bandleader, and entertainer, Big Sandy has few contemporaries. With the release of What a Dream It’s Been, Big Sandy is at once acknowledging and celebrating the successes of the past 25+ years, while setting the stage for further exploration and interpretation of the musical forms he is most passionate about.

5 for Friday with Big Sandy

Here is the 5 for Friday with Big Sandy podcast.

Robert “Big Sandy” Williams started playing music in the mid-80’s and his touring career started in the early 90’s. Almost 30 years later and he has been inducted into the rockabilly hall of fame, played in dozens of countries and most of the states in the US.

We talk about the differences in touring in the 90’s without technology and what its’ like traveling today.

Big Sandy and The Fly-Rite Boys have no slowing down in them as they get ready to start a European tour next week then coming home to play in 10 different states this summer.

35+ shows, 9 countries and 10 states this summer alone made Big Sandy a great interview for business travel.

I’m very thankful for the time he gave me before his Europe tour starts and don’t forget to check back on Monday for the entire episode.

Big Sandy on social media:

BIG SANDY BACKGROUND

“Here I am, looking back at a wild ride that has taken us around the world countless times and put us in front of national television and radio audiences,” said Big Sandy. He and the band have made three appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, featured on NPR’s Fresh Airwith Terry Gross, as well as All Things Considered with Melissa Block. “Putting together this new record has brought back a flood of memories. It is our way of looking back at everything that has led us to where we are now. I feel like we’re sounding better than ever and experimenting musically. While it’s a reflection of our past, this album is really a hint of things to come.”

ALBUMS

Sandy Knights – Singing and Chasing Dreams

Today’s podcast is with singer Sandy Knights. Sandy started singing in her home state of California. She decided to make a career of it and moved to Las Vegas several years ago. Sandy started singing and touring with a local Vegas band, Whiskey Maiden. She traveled to several western states this past year and got to experience life on the road as the only woman in a five piece band. I was excited to speak with a female lead singer that traveled with a band. Part of our discussion was about the hardships of traveling while she was missing out on her hobbies, friends and family.

“I’ve recently come across some free time and I kind of sat back with some solitude and thought to myself, when is the last time I rode a horse? When’s the last time I shot a gun? When’s the last time I went fishing? These are all things I did on a weekly basis back home.”

Connect with Sandy Knights:

I am truly thankful for the time Sandy shared with me. Our conversation was one of several I’ve had with different friends as we are all trying to figure out where we fit in the world and what are we contributing to it. I hope you enjoy the conversation with Sandy Knights.

Sandy’s BIO

They say some people are born to do what they do and Sandy is living proof of that. Since before she could talk and barely walk Sandy’s grandmother would catch her pulling herself from the ground up her high chair and use the handle as microphone to sing in. This came as somewhat of surprise since no one in Sandy’s family had any kind of career in music.

At the young age of 3 Sandy began dance classes and started performing on stage in recitals and in church plays. At age 12 Sandy fell in love with musical theater where she was able to not only dance but also use her vocal talent and began performing in various musicals through Junior High and High School. During her junior year in high school Sandy began thinking about her future. As much as she loved performing she could not ignore her family’s expressed concern for a more stable career path.

Sandy then became a Volunteer Fire Fighter (Fire Explorer) for the city of Fremont and was ranked 2nd in the Academy. After high school Sandy went on to college for Fire Science Technology and was looking to have a career in the Fire Service. Call it fate, call it what you will, or you could just say life took a few different turns and Sandy ended up in Sacramento at age 19. Finally out of her hometown she began searching for her own identity. She worked a couple of fun, but dead end jobs in her first year on her own while continuing various college classes. One night she went out with a few guy friends to dinner at Hooters and was offered a job on the spot. Flattered and ready for new adventure; she accepted. Sandy went on to be crowned Miss Hooters of Sacramento 2007 and competed in Miss Hooters International Pageant in Las Vegas. While in Vegas she appeared on an episode of ESPN’s Best Damn Sports show with Pamela Anderson and Randy Couture. Upon Sandy’s arrival back from Vegas she received a message from the WWE that she had been scouted to audition to become a WWE Diva. During her audition Sandy was asked if she could sing…being out of singing for so long she replied “yes???”. Sandy was then asked to sing for the first time in 3 years and had an overwhelming feeling of stage fright. Sandy made it to the top 25 and was cut in the last round. After the audition Sandy could not stop thinking about singing and wondered how or if she would ever overcome being afraid to sing on her own. Just before turning 21 Sandy was introduced to a friend of a friend who was going to be opening a new country bar in Sacramento and was offered a bartending position.

Sandy, up for another new adventure, accepted. Soon after the bar opening, they began to have karaoke every night and Sandy began singing again. Shyly singing karaoke turned into her becoming “THE Singing Bartender”, which then turned into live bands asking her on stage during shows, which then created a buzz and people began asking Sandy why she doesn’t sing in a band. After 4 years of encouragement and persistence from customers and friends, Sandy joined her first band in 2011. She has since developed as a performer and singer and had no intention on stopping.

Kevin Krohn – Music and Eating Vegan

On my Travel Wins podcast is pianist/keyboard player Kevin Krohn. Kevin has been a professional musician for 30+ years. He spent time touring as the keyboardist for the 80’s band Missing Persons and more recently toured with the Pink Floyd Experience. He is continuing his playing as part of a dueling piano ensemble in Las Vegas playing to thousands of people each week.

“The work and being away from home it’s sort of a necessity, I grit my teeth and bear it”

I was really happy getting the chance to speak with Kevin because of his eating choices and being a vegan for the past 27 years while being a touring musician. I know many of us business travelers struggle eating healthy while on the road. Not that we have to eat a vegan diet but more of the idea of making smarter, healthier choices while traveling. I know it’s just as easy to grab a candy bar, soda and some chips versus a protein bar, banana and water. Personally I am trying to be more aware of the positive aspects of eating healthier, maybe it’s just my advancing age?

Again I would like to thank Kevin for his time and sharing his experiences.

Connect with Kevin Krohn:

Cowboy Troy Coleman – Hick Hop and Business

A great talk with country music star Cowboy Troy Coleman about his life on the road, balancing work/life commitments, family life and diversification in the music/entertainment business.

“It’s kind of that gypsy lifestyle”

A six-foot five-inch, hick-hop artist is going to get a response, and Cowboy Troy is okay with the strong reactions and endless questions. “I have crazy intentions,” he says with a grin. But anyone who thinks that the Cowboy Troy experience ends there, doubts his country credentials, or is inclined to dismiss him as a novelty, is in for quite a surprise. “People have different paths,” Troy says. “I’m not going to apologize for my music, because this is who I am. I didn’t just wake up one morning, put on a cowboy hat, and get a gig rapping on a country album. You don’t do something for 15 years on a lark.”

Cowboy Troy rapped his way into the country mainstream on the first cut of Big & Rich’s 2004 debut Horse Of A Different Color. And while his admonition to “let go of all your preconceived notions” certainly wasn’t the first time elements of rap had been incorporated into country, it was the boldest statement yet. Explaining the journey that placed Troy Coleman at this unlikely intersection is as complicated as explaining the evolution of American culture. At the same time it’s as simple as the story of a kid from Texas who did what all kids do–he soaked up the world around him.

Troy spent his childhood in Ft. Worth, where his dad took him to rodeos and stock shows. “We’d listen to Willie Nelson, Jerry Reed, Charlie Daniels, Kenny Rogers, and other artists who were getting airplay on the adult contemporary stations at that time,” Troy says. “I didn’t realize it was country music, I just knew it was what my parents listened to before they went to work in the morning.” Troy spent his high school years in Dallas and collegiate years in Austin, Texas at the University of Texas.

In addition to solo releases [Loco Motive (2005), Black in the Saddle (2007), and Demolition Mission (2009)], Troy has spent time on TV. He’s been a part of the ESPN College Gameday video intro along with Big & Rich since the 2006 football season. He also served as co-host for USA Network’s Nashville Star in 2006 and 2007. Most recently Troy performed on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars on the final episode of 2012 Spring season. His appearance in Big & Rich’s Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy video, as well as his own I Play Chicken With the Train and Hick Chick videos remind viewers of his “party starter” nature.

Troy knows he’s challenging conventional thinking about what country music is, but expects that his music will find its place. “I’ve never been like everybody else and it wouldn’t do me any good to try,” he says. “Some people are going to love it and some are going to hate it, which is probably how it should be because it means they’re talking.” The way Troy sees it, “innovation is a tradition, not a trend or secondary option…authenticity comes in the commitment.” Troy calls Warner Music Nashville his recording home. His latest installment of music, “King of Clubs” was released March 11, 2014.

He released his 7^th studio album this year called “Laugh With Me”.

Troy speaks extensively about his calculated plan to diversify, as the industry constantly changes. Troy also talks about the work/life balances of traveling while being a husband and father of triplets.

Troy is one of the good guys and I know he appreciates your follows, comments and likes on his various social media pages.

Connect with Cowboy Troy: