Brad Paisley on His Grandfather, Generosity and the Gifts That Last

Summary

Podcast Summary: Making Space with Hoda Kotb

Episode: Brad Paisley on His Grandfather, Generosity and the Gifts That Last

Release Date: December 24, 2025
Host: Hoda Kotb
Guest: Brad Paisley

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Episode Overview

In this heartfelt episode, Hoda Kotb sits down with Grammy-winning country star Brad Paisley to explore the roots of resilience, the enduring influence of his grandfather, the meaning of generosity, and the quieter, lasting gifts in life. Through stories of childhood, family, and philanthropy, Brad reflects on purpose, staying true to one's values, and the impact of small, persistent acts of kindness. The conversation weaves nostalgia, humor, and wisdom and offers listeners a sense of hope and inspiration, especially during challenging times.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shared West Virginia Roots & Early Childhood

• Connection Over West Virginia:

  • Hoda and Brad bond over both growing up in West Virginia, sharing memories of idyllic small-town life.
  • Brad describes his upbringing in a "Mayberry, RFD" style (03:47), emphasizing community, simplicity, and fishing with his grandfather.

• Importance of Small Communities:

  • Brad laments the declining population of his hometown but celebrates the beauty and simplicity that characterize West Virginia life.

    "It's sadly fewer and fewer people, which kind of is great for the esthetics of the state and the beauty of it and the simplicity of it." – Brad Paisley (03:22)

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2. The Foundational Influence of Brad’s Grandfather

• Grandfather as Mentor & Music Catalyst:

  • Brad’s grandfather, a telegrapher for the B&O railroad, introduced him to the guitar, gifting him his first instrument at age 8. (06:57)
  • The relationship was formative—not just for Brad’s music, but emotionally and morally.

    "No one has had more of an impact on my life than he did." – Brad Paisley (05:10)

• Persistence and Parental Influence:

  • Initially, Brad played guitar to please his grandfather. After quitting, his grandfather gently insisted Brad try again.

    "The only reason I took it back up was because he was... he just kept bugging me, you got to learn how to do this. And so then the next time I grabbed was like, for some reason something clicked." – Brad Paisley (07:06)

  • Hoda and Brad discuss how persistent encouragement sometimes trumps backing off:

    "Obviously we're not sitting here. I promise. I don't know what I'm doing if it weren't for that persistent old guy." – Brad Paisley (08:20)

• Grandfather’s Legacy and Loss:

  • Brad’s grandfather witnessed some early success—Brad playing at the Wheeling Jamboree and opening for the Judds at age 13.
  • The loss at age 15 was profound, marking the loss of a best friend and mentor.

    "The best, probably best friend I ever had." – Brad Paisley (11:51)

  • Brad continues to sense his grandfather in his life and career milestones.

    "There's so many things where, you know, like he was like... there's things he loved about music and people that really heavily influenced him and they all became my friends." – Brad Paisley (12:32)

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3. Mentorships & Career Highlights

• Connecting with Country Legends:

  • Brad credits his grandfather for inspiring his reverence for classic country artists like Buck Owens and Roy Clark. He actively reached out to these icons, often developing friendships and collaborations.

    "I wrote a letter to Buck Owens when I made my first album...I'm sending it to you before it even comes out. I think you’ll hear yourself all over it." – Brad Paisley (14:10)

• Notable Career Anecdotes:

  • Visiting Buck Owens, playing New Year’s gigs at the Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, and forming a friendship with Roy Clark, who once gifted him a guitar after Nashville’s floods.

    "I open up a case and there's this old Fender Stratocaster and Roy's like, heard you lost your guitars... here's one." – Brad Paisley (18:21)

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4. Boldness, Relationships, and Family

• Moxie and Making Connections:

  • Brad describes the importance of confidence and “just asking” in both career and life—whether inviting Mick Jagger to collaborate or connecting with his future wife, Kimberly.

    "That's how you ask. That's how...I mean, it's like, you want to do something together!" – Brad Paisley (20:25)

  • Shares a humorous, touching story of his son, Huck, casually questioning Mick Jagger about Muddy Waters:

    "He turns and says, 'Mick, was Muddy nice?'... and Mick’s like, 'Oh, yeah, he’s great. He was so nice to us.'" – Brad Paisley (22:01)

• Meeting Kimberly and Songwriting Origins:

  • The story of writing "Part Two" after a painful breakup, inspired by nostalgia and closure:

    "I go home for Christmas. I buy a ticket to Father of The Bride Part 2 at theater we went to by myself...She didn’t come in. But the movie’s good, so I stay." – Brad Paisley (24:53)

  • Eventually, Brad calls Kimberly to be in the video—sparking their romance, marriage, and a close-knit family.

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5. Giving Back: “The Store” and Philanthropy

• Values of Generosity:

  • Brad and Kimberly were both raised to give back—her mother was active with Meals on Wheels, and Brad’s parents made him perform music for hospice patients and those in need.

    "If you’re getting to play music, you should be doing something good with it—not just selfish with it." – Brad Paisley (29:45)

  • Brad recounts singing "You Are My Sunshine" with a nonverbal patient as a poignant giving experience. (30:30)

• The Store in Nashville:

  • Inspired by a program in Santa Barbara, they co-founded The Store in Nashville—a dignified, choice-based, free grocery for those in need:

    "So the concept is, it's called the store because what do you say when you tell your kids you're going to get groceries, throw them in the car and you're going to the store. There is so much dignity and choice getting to choose the food that you would feed your family versus handed something..." – Brad Paisley (32:36)

  • The Store is designed so that children don’t realize their parents can’t pay, preserving self-esteem and normalcy for families.

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6. Hope, Action, and the Power of Doing

• On Maintaining Hope:
  • Brad believes action is the antidote to despair.

    "It's hard to not be hopeful if you are proactively doing something." – Brad Paisley (35:47)

  • Hoda agrees:

    "The antidote for despair is just action. Do something." – Hoda Kotb (36:42)

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7. "Snow Globe Town" and Creativity

• New Album Inspiration:
  • Brad discusses writing the title track for his holiday album “Snow Globe Town,” contributed to a Hallmark movie about family, songwriting, and legacy. (37:02)
  • Enjoys the meta nature of writing songs for the film’s protagonist, paralleling themes of memory and generational bonds.

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8. Finding Peace: Brad’s Ideal "Making Space" Day

• A Day All to Himself:
  • Describes a perfect day at the family farm: pancakes, Legos with his youngest, time in the music studio, baseball, and late-night music lessons from his oldest son—demonstrating generational exchange and savoring family time.

    "I might work on Legos as much as he does, you know, slightly more...And then at night, my oldest loves to go for a drive with me and make me listen to an album he thinks I need to understand." – Brad Paisley (38:32, 39:23) "It's a beautiful day." – Hoda Kotb (40:04)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Grandfather’s Influence:

  "No one has had more of an impact on my life than he did." – Brad Paisley [05:10]

• On the Pain of Loss:

  "The best, probably best friend I ever had." – Brad Paisley [11:51]

• On Generosity & Dignity:

  "There is so much dignity and choice getting to choose the food that you would feed your family...There's dignity in the normalcy of it." – Brad Paisley [32:36]

• On Hopefulness:

  "It's hard to not be hopeful if you are proactively doing something...but it's hard to not be hopeful when you are feeling like actively doing something." – Brad Paisley [35:47]

• On Parental Encouragement:

  "If you’re getting to play music, you should be doing something good with it—not just selfish with it." – Brad Paisley [29:45]

• On Action in the Face of Despair:

  "The antidote for despair is just action. Do something." – Hoda Kotb [36:42]

• On A Perfect Day:

  "If I’m home on a Sunday, Kim likes to make pancakes and fry bacon…me and my youngest would work on something like Legos...and then at night, my oldest loves to go for a drive…" – Brad Paisley [38:32, 39:23]

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:47 – Brad’s idyllic childhood and community in West Virginia
• 05:10 – The pivotal influence of Brad’s grandfather on his life and music
• 11:51 – The loss of his grandfather and processing grief
• 14:10 – Brad’s boldness in reaching out to musical mentors
• 18:21 – Story of Roy Clark’s gift after the Nashville flood
• 20:25 – On confidence and inviting collaborations
• 22:01 – Huck Paisley’s hilarious moment with Mick Jagger
• 24:53 – Songwriting “Part Two” and the story of closure
• 27:43 – Brad and Kimberly’s approach to giving back
• 32:36 – The Store: preserving dignity for those in need
• 35:47 – Hope, action, and the antidote to despair
• 37:02 – Writing “Snow Globe Town” for Hallmark
• 38:32 – Brad’s perfect “making space” day

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Tone

Throughout, the episode is warm, nostalgic, and quietly optimistic—balancing humor and humility with wisdom about what lasts in life: love, persistence, kindness, and the rippling impact of relationships across generations.

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For listeners seeking reassurance, inspiration, and a celebration of genuine kindness, this conversation is as uplifting as it is memorable.

Transcript

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[Interviewer]

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[Interviewer]

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[Brad Paisley]

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[Interviewer]

Have you ever met somebody who seemed to know, even as a child, exactly who they were meant to be? Somebody who held onto a dream not for the glory, not for the spotlight. But it spoke to something deep and undeniable within him. Brad Paisley is one of those people. Brad Paisley is a three time Grammy winner, a world class guitarist and a renowned songwriter who has earned more than 20 number one hits, sold more than 11 million albums, and spent more than 25 years creating music that reflects exactly who he is. From his first chords in Glendale, West Virginia to stages around the world, Brad has stayed rooted in one guiding truth. Do what you love, say what you mean, and let the art lead you. That simple idea has carried him through the changing tides of country music and into work that reaches far beyond the stage, using his voice to lift communities, support families, and stand with people who need hope the most. Through it all, he has never lost sight of where he came from or who he hoped to become. He built a life of love and purpose with his wife Kimberly and their two sons, and he still believes that the most important things we do are often the quietest. In our conversation, Brad reflects on the grandfather who placed music in his hands and heart, the inspiration behind his new album, Snow Globe Town, and what it means to hold on to your true self even when the world gets loud. I'm Hoda Kotb and this is my podcast, Making Space. First of all, I'd like to give.

[Hoda Kotb]

A shout out to wild, wonderful West Virginia.

[Brad Paisley]

Oh really?

[Hoda Kotb]

Uh huh. I grew up in Morgantown.

[Brad Paisley]

No kidding.

[Hoda Kotb]

Now have we talked about this before? No, we've never talked about this.

[Brad Paisley]

I didn't know that. My dad taught at WVU you have hidden that well.

[Interviewer]

I have hidden.

[Brad Paisley]

What did he teach?

[Interviewer]

He taught petroleum engineering.

[Brad Paisley]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

We were there from babies until sixth grade and cried like a baby when we had to leave.

[Brad Paisley]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

It was like. It was the most idyllic, like, upbringing.

[Brad Paisley]

No idea.

[Interviewer]

What.

[Hoda Kotb]

What are your favorite things about West Virginia?

[Brad Paisley]

Well, let's see. It's. It is. It's the low. I mean, they have it in the. The sort of mantra of wild, wonderful. Yeah. I mean, it's just.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's everything.

[Brad Paisley]

It's sort of like. It's. It's sadly fewer and fewer people, which kind of is great for the esthetics of the state and the beauty of it and the simplicity of it.

[Hoda Kotb]

But.

[Brad Paisley]

Yeah, no, there. There's no. Like, I don't think the population's growing, which is weird because it's such a great place to live.

[Interviewer]

It was.

[Hoda Kotb]

It was my favorite.

[Interviewer]

What was your.

[Hoda Kotb]

Like, what are your favorite kid memories when you think about West Virginia and look.

[Brad Paisley]

Well, I mean, I grew up in Mayberry, RFD I really did. It was 1200 people. I think it might be less than that now. And it was the prototypical little town with barbershop. My dad's pal, Chuck Rexroad, was the local barber. That's where he went to find out what's going on. Yeah, yeah. You know, there was the. The. You know, the little community pool that everybody would go to, and then there was the. The train tracks, and the Ohio river was right there. So we had this massive. I spent my childhood fishing in that.

[Hoda Kotb]

I was gonna say, I bet greatest.

[Brad Paisley]

Memories with my grandpa are down there fishing. We would walk down over the railroad tracks to the river and just fish.

[Hoda Kotb]

You were an only child? I was, yeah. I love the bond with you and your grandpa, the way that was important. How would you describe your relationship with him before he passed?

[Brad Paisley]

Well, luckily I had him Till I was 15, which, now that I think about it, having teenagers myself, my parents are still, luckily, knock on wood, very healthy and been a part of their lives the whole time, too. And so I didn't really process that. That's only 15 years of your life. But no one has had more of an impact on my life than he did.

[Hoda Kotb]

No one.

[Brad Paisley]

No one. I mean, my parents would even admit that without his influence in my life, I am not who I am. He was the. I think he had grown up with two. He raised two daughters, my mom and her sister. So I was the first boy, and then my aunt had two girls, so I was still the only boy in the Family. So it was like, he's like, here we go.

[Hoda Kotb]

Me and you, buddy. Me and you.

[Interviewer]

So he was the guy who put.

[Hoda Kotb]

The guitar in your hand. He was the guy who showed you how to fall in love with music. What do you remember as a little kid watching him play?

[Brad Paisley]

Well, he wasn't very good, but he was good enough like he was to sit in the chair like this Archie Bunker chair with a guitar. Worked for the railroad, the B and O railroad, and would go to work in the night shift, and he would. He would leave at 3 or 4 in the afternoon and work till midnight. That was his shift. He was a telegrapher on the B and O railroad. So back when the way that you would communicate with trains was with a telegraph. He learned that in the war, World War II. And then was good at that. And then he had that trade the rest of his life. So he would leave with his lunch pail and coffee and go drive to the station. And then he would. Weren't communicating between trains. And in between, he had a little time to play and he took a guitar and sat.

[Hoda Kotb]

So when he brought you a guitar and said, why don't you try this out?

[Brad Paisley]

Well, I grew up watching him do that. I mean, my earliest memory might be grabbing the strings of his guitar when I was a toddler, even just while he's sitting in this. And I would grab it and mute it and just say, play with me or something. And so, yeah, I mean, he gave me an old guitar of his, wrapped it up for Christmas when I was 8.

[Hoda Kotb]

Did you take to it immediately? Were you.

[Brad Paisley]

No, I didn't really like it at first. I did it for him. Yeah, weirdly. And he. He said, this will be the thing that gets you through everything in your life.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, my God.

[Brad Paisley]

He's like, whatever. Whatever you want to forget. You can sit down with one of these and you can just forget anything and you'll be lost in it and an hour will go by. And it's true, he's right about that. But at first, it's not fun. You're. I'm eight. Yeah, it hurts. Doesn't sound like anything that you're listening to, right? So then, yeah, I went from there to. I think I quit for a summer the next year to play baseball and just, you know. And he was devastated. I could tell it. So the only reason I took it back up was because he was. That he just kept bugging me, you got to learn how to do this. And so then the next time I grabbed was like, for some reason Something clicked and, you know, fell in love with it.

[Hoda Kotb]

Isn't that so funny? The way we raise kids now? It's like you give them about three shots, and if they don't like it, you're like, that's not meant to be. But your grandfather just kind of kept on you.

[Brad Paisley]

Yeah, he. You know, I mean, there's probably, ironically, there's probably psychologists out there that would say, leave him alone and let him find his own way.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah, let him find his own way. Yeah.

[Brad Paisley]

But obviously we're not sitting here. I promise. I don't know what I'm doing. If it weren't for that persistent old guy.

[Hoda Kotb]

Wow.

[Interviewer]

Did he get to see, like, what.

[Hoda Kotb]

Sort of success did he witness? You were only 15 when he passed.

[Brad Paisley]

He got to see enough. When I was 12, I was invited to play the local radio show called the Wheeling Jamboree, which was, wow, a really cool thing because it was the second oldest running country radio show next to the Opry. Back in the 30s. These guys like Hank Williams and Jimmy Dickens and these old pioneers would play. The Grand Ole Opry was the pinnacle. But the next stop would be Wheeling, West Virginia, WWVA 1170, which was an even stronger, like, it's 50,000 watt radio station. You could get it because of where it was located. You could get it in Europe. And there's like, my grandpa could listen to the Wheeling station in. In like the war and stuff.

[Hoda Kotb]

Like, wow.

[Brad Paisley]

And. And then I've got stories of people that on a. On the right night, when the solar winds were doing the right thing, you could pick it up. If these guys stationed in during World War II could pick it up.

[Hoda Kotb]

Wow.

[Brad Paisley]

And so you asked. That radio show was every Saturday night, and that was a classic thing. So I'm invited at 12 to come play it because of a Christmas song I wrote.

[Hoda Kotb]

That's amazing.

[Brad Paisley]

And he saw that, and then he saw me. The next thing was when I was 13 or 14 or so, they came and invited me back to play again, but this time they said, why don't you open for the Judds? So that was the Judds. Like, they were the. They were already the Judds. It wasn't like these were. They were about to become the Judds. No, they were the pinnacle of everything in country music at the time. And they were coming through and they said, this kid's really good. He's. I was a novelty act. I mean, I was 13 years old and playing and singing.

[Hoda Kotb]

And that's amazing.

[Brad Paisley]

Of course, everybody's like, you know, who's this kid, there's gold in that, that gimmick right there. My dad used to say though, what, you're cute, you won't always be. You're cute. Now, eventually you're going to need to be good. And that was actually really.

[Hoda Kotb]

That's good advice.

[Brad Paisley]

Good advice that I don't think many stage parents give. Were you nervous?

[Interviewer]

I mean, being 13, once you knew.

[Hoda Kotb]

It was a bigger stage?

[Brad Paisley]

No, I don't know why, I was just excited. Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

That's good.

[Brad Paisley]

You know, and there's. I'm rarely nervous to perform because of that. Because I kind of did it early enough that I didn't know any better. Like why be nervous, right?

[Hoda Kotb]

You're doing something.

[Brad Paisley]

Did you practice? You know what you're doing? You know, if I know what I'm doing or even if I'm in a comfortable situation and don't know what I'm doing, but it's fun. I don't get nervous.

[Hoda Kotb]

You don't get nervous. So your grandfather saw that and he passed shortly after that time or he.

[Brad Paisley]

Had cancer already when I opened for them. So he got to see that and then died, you know, later that year. So he saw that and I think he knew, you know, that either that I had, I had a chance, you know, he didn't maybe know what would happen, but he would have told you. He did.

[Hoda Kotb]

What did you lose the day he passed?

[Brad Paisley]

The best, probably best friend I ever had, you know, that way. That was weird. At 15, you know, when I, when I think back to it, I didn't really realize. You don't realize what's going on. Even at 15, you realize that it was horrible. But I don't know, I, it's like such a weird thing to look back now and, and I just don't think any of us are equipped to really.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Brad Paisley]

In the moment understand what just happened.

[Hoda Kotb]

Do you still get senses of him or feeling you do? In what way or how?

[Brad Paisley]

Well, I mean there's so many things where, you know, like he was like. There's things he loved about music and people that really heavily influenced him and they all became my friends knew like weirdly like in a, you know, and maybe it's that I, you know, attracted that by, by being such a fan of Buck Owens and being a fan of that. He raised me listening to Buck Owens and Roy Clark and Johnny Cash and he loved anything guitar based country music like Chet Atkins and. And so, you know, the next thing you know I'm. And George Jones and I was like, I'm Best friends with Buck Owens because. But that was partially because I knew who they were and I really paid reverence, I think, to those guys.

[Hoda Kotb]

So you're, you're going on your way. Your North Star isn't there anymore. Did it affect you as you were going through your early career?

[Brad Paisley]

No, I just, I always. Just what mattered to me is what mattered to him. Yeah. You know, so if he loved a lot of that music and had started me down that path, I sought out a way to be a part of these things that. And, you know, like, I wrote a letter to Buck Owens when I made my first album because I'm heavily guitar influenced by that style and, and Buck was one of the most innovative entertainers ever in country music and just an icon and so much fun, you know, and I didn't know him yet, but that was my grandpa's guy. And I wrote him a letter and I just said, I said, I. I'm a new artist. This is my album. I'm sending it to you before it even comes out. I think you'll hear yourself all over it.

[Hoda Kotb]

Wow.

[Brad Paisley]

You know, because I really stole everything from Buck. And I get a call back from Jerry Hufford, who's his right hand guy and still one of my best friends to this day. He introduces himself, says, I work for Buck, and Buck has listened to your album and he has a couple of questions for you. The main one is who played all the guitar on that? And I said, I played all the guitars on this album. That's all me. And he said, well, Buck says bull. And he'd like for you to come out here and prove it. And so I got on a plane and I flew out to Bakersfield and sat in with him and played.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, my God.

[Brad Paisley]

That's how I met him.

[Hoda Kotb]

Wow.

[Brad Paisley]

And then many, many. That's like, you can imagine what I'm thinking of when it's New Year's eve of like 2000 or so, 99 or 2000 and I'm a new artist and I call. There was an ice storm in Nashville and we get these ice storms there that are different than the snow. You guys just got up like it's, it's freezing rain. Everything's coated with that much ice on every branch and every. And so all the power goes out for a week because, you know, all the power lines fall, tree limbs fall. You can't drive because it's that much ice on the road. We're not, we're not. We haven't figured out how to prevent it. And, and so it was nasty that year. And around the 28th or so, I called Jerry Hufford and I said, what's Buck doing for New Year's? And he said, he's just playing the palace because he had a place called the Crystal palace in Bakersfield. I said, does he want a guitar player? Because I gotta get out of here, go somewhere warm. And he said, oh, he'll lose his mind. I'm not even gonna tell him if you're coming. He said, we'll buy your ticket and everything. So they bought me a Southwest flight, and I got on a plane and flew out.

[Hoda Kotb]

Love it.

[Brad Paisley]

And then I ended up spending four different New Years with Buck where the ritual for me was to get on a plane and go out and be his guitar player.

[Hoda Kotb]

What a cool. It's all like. It's all meant to be. All this stuff is meant to be. I mean, it's so crazy with your grandfather kind of at the helm. It's like all these bits and pieces of your life, and you're right. You sitting here and, you know, you.

[Brad Paisley]

Think about Buck on Hee Haw with, like, the red, white and blue guitar. Or you'd have the Sparkle Telecaster that Don Rich played. So we would. When I would do that on a New Year's or any of these gigs, I would go up and I would sit and have dinner with him in his office before we go down and play his club, you know. And I'm sitting there and leaning against the couch is the red, white and blue guitar used on Hee Haw. And I'm sitting there and I just pick it up and we're strumming and playing the way me and my grandpa did.

[Hoda Kotb]

Wow.

[Brad Paisley]

But it's with his hero. It's so weird.

[Hoda Kotb]

Wow.

[Brad Paisley]

You know what I mean?

[Interviewer]

It's so weird.

[Hoda Kotb]

What a cool life path that you're on.

[Brad Paisley]

There's a bunch of those moments, too, that I can't even go into here. Just all of those guys. He liked Roy Clark, the other half of the duo on Hee Haw.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Brad Paisley]

Here's one of the greatest entertainers, guitar players of all time. I grew up listening. My first memory is Tiger by the Tail, Buck Owens on the turntable. Musically, I remember hearing that blaring out of my grandpa's house. The other is Roy Clark stuff. And, like, Roy and I became pals. And the next thing you know, Roy sends me. When we had the flood and we lost a lot of gear in Nashville, all of us had our gear in storage near the river, which is smart. And we still do river floods takes out half our gear. What do we do? Put it right back in. Buy new gear and it's now waiting on the next one. But. But Roy sent me a guitar and signed it. Like out of the blue, I open up a case and there's this old Fender Stratocaster and Roy's like, heard you lost your guitars.

[Hoda Kotb]

I can't.

[Brad Paisley]

Here's one.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay. See, this is your life.

[Brad Paisley]

Yeah, it's pretty neat.

[Interviewer]

More with Brad Paisley after the break.

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Welcome to Walgreens. What can I help you with today?

[Walgreens Customer]

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We've got Ferrero chocolates, artisan coffees, even a spa kit. Any vibe you're going for?

[Walgreens Customer]

Whatever says, wow, this guy's great at giving gifts.

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[Brad Paisley]

Well, happy holidays gifts, holiday decor and more. The holiday road is long. We're with you all the way, Walgreens.

[Hoda Kotb]

So as you're going through life, I love the story about how you met your wife. You asked her to be in one of your music videos. How did you have the moxie?

[Interviewer]

How'd you have the moxie to even do that? You saw her in a movie and then you.

[Brad Paisley]

I've always had moxie. I don't know what it is.

[Interviewer]

What are you doing?

[Hoda Kotb]

It's smart.

[Brad Paisley]

It's dumb. Sometimes it bites me.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Brad Paisley]

When I. When I'm a little forward, but usually it's like, I have no problem. That's. That's been the thing that. That. That has served me well is. And I find that a lot of new artists, maybe, either they either don't care or they just don't think to ask, but, like, just like with Buck and George Jones and Mick Jagger's a really good example, I was like, you know, I really like you guys. Would you like to do something? Like, I'm literally like, that's how you ask. That's how. I mean, it's like, you want to do something together. And Jimmy Dickens is like, yes, sir, what are we going to do? And I said, what do you like to do? He said, I like to fish. I said, let's go fishing. So the next thing you know, I'm fishing with Jimmy Dickens, one of my heroes. And Mick Jagger was the same thing. They had me come open a show or two for the Stones, and I said to Mick, I said, I got this bar recording studio on my farm and Nashville. It's real secluded. You ought to come to town, and we'll write and record and hang out. Next thing. A month later, he's like, when do you want to do that?

[Hoda Kotb]

You're kidding me.

[Brad Paisley]

So you did? Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

So Mick Jacker is at your house?

[Brad Paisley]

Yeah, he's at the house. And one of my proud. You know, one of my proudest moments ever was when Huck. Mike, my oldest, was probably 8. And we're sitting at my bar, and I made Huck of Shirley Temple and Mick something harder and myself something. And we're sitting around, and Huck's just sitting there with, like, nursing his drink like he's Norm from Cheers. And here's Mick having a beer next to my son.

[Hoda Kotb]

I can't.

[Brad Paisley]

And this is my proudest moment. It's thanks to Huck's mom. It wasn't my doing, I think. But he. He turns and says, mick, was muddy nice? And Mick says, excuse me? He said, muddy Waters. What was he like? Was he nice? And I'm like, what in the hell is happening? And Mick's like, oh, yeah, he's great. He was so nice to us. He was a major influence on the Stones. And then he, like, turns to me and he's like, how does this kid? And Huck goes, that's cool. I just. I just wonder. Gets up and walks away with his drink.

[Hoda Kotb]

I can't.

[Brad Paisley]

And I turn to Mick, and Mick goes, what in the hell was that? And I was like, I I don't know, I said. But what it is, is I think Kim had given Huck a book or one of his teachers had given him a book on the Rolling Stones. And it all talked all about Muddy Waters, and I love it. That's the best moment I've ever had as a parent.

[Interviewer]

So you and your moxie ask your.

[Hoda Kotb]

Girl to be in a music video. She says yes, right? So back to that song and then what was it?

[Interviewer]

Sparks.

[Hoda Kotb]

Right away.

[Brad Paisley]

Well, we. So I'd written this song called Part two that was written about this experience. So this is a story worth telling. It'll take a second, but it's worth it. So my first serious girlfriend in college was a girl I went to high school with, and we were dating for a year or two. And our first date was high class Pizza Hut out by the mall. Always, you know, 20 minutes away. We had a mall and Pizza Hut and a movie, and the movie was Father of the Bride. So later, when I moved to Nashville, still dating that girl. But I have to go. It's time to move to Nashville. I transfer to Belmont and go to school in Nashville. It's an excuse to get there, leaving her behind in my hometown. And she does the best, gives me the best gift she could have ever given me, and cheats on me with my best friend. And as a songwriter, yes. Thank you so much. Perfect. Honestly. Couldn't have written a better script. Didn't think so at the time, but, yeah. So I started writing these songs, and I. And I. After I moved to Nashville, out comes Father of the Bride part two. And I'm still not quite over this girl and my songwriting best friends. And all my friends were songwriters and. And co writers, and they were like, you just got to get over this. So just go. Where'd you go? See that? I said, well, we went to the Ohio Valley Mall, and we went to see that, you know, the, like, 7:30 show and went to Pizza Hut, you know, and all. And they're like, well, go. What day? I said, it was my mom's birthday. It was December 28th. And they're like, well, all right. Are you gonna be home for Christmas? So December 28th, you're going to pop Father of the Bride Part 2. Same show, same theater, okay? And if she's there, it's fate, and if she's not, shut up about it, okay? And that's closure, and you need that too, okay? And I'm like, okay, that's actually a really good idea. So I do that. I go home for Christmas. I Buy a ticket to Father of The Bride Part 2 at theater. We went to by myself. By now, having thought for weeks about this, she's gonna be there. Yeah. You know, that's gonna work. And I go in. Movie starts. I'm sitting in the back and watching people come in. You know, she doesn't come in, but the movie's good, so I stay. So I leave, go to get in the car, and I'm gonna put the key in the door. And it's like, closure. I needed this too. But as I'm doing that, I'm thinking, did we go to the 7:30 show or the 9 something show? We couldn't have gone to the set. We went to Pizza Hut.

[VRBO Announcer]

Yeah.

[Brad Paisley]

Oh, God. So I had to go back around.

[Hoda Kotb]

No, you didn't.

[Brad Paisley]

Buy another.

[Hoda Kotb]

No, you did not.

[Brad Paisley]

Sat down in the back. She didn't come in again this time. I left, got in the car, drove back to Nashville and sat down with one of these idiots that told me to do this.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Brad Paisley]

And wrote a song called Part two, which is. Which became the title cut of my second album.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Brad Paisley]

And it's. It's that concept of Hollywood always makes a sequel. Why don't. Why can't we do that? Why can't we, you know, and it's a really cool song, and somebody requested it in Vegas last week. And I told the whole story on stage, which was really neat because I haven't told it in a while. But the really. The real kicker is that that's when I asked her. I said, I called. I got Kim's number from a friend and that knew her, had met her. I didn't know much about her at all. And I just said, it would be poetic justice if you were in the music video, wouldn't it? And there's more to it than that. But. But in the end, like, we talked on the phone, I talked to her manager first, told the manager the story, and the manager's like, she'll call you.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Brad Paisley]

So she calls me. The manager calls Kim and says, I know. He says he wants you to be in a video, but you're gonna date. Isn't that hilarious? I love it. Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

All right, great. How many years have you guys been married? Well, quiz.

[Brad Paisley]

Coming up on top, 22 beautiful kids.

[Hoda Kotb]

You've got a cool life.

[Brad Paisley]

One's not so bad.

[Hoda Kotb]

So you got this.

[Brad Paisley]

One of them looks like me. That's probably so bad.

[Hoda Kotb]

So you got this. You got your Grammys, you got your family. The thing I've always admired about you and Your wife and the way you live your life is you don't tell, you show, you just do it. You do good things.

[Brad Paisley]

That's nice.

[Hoda Kotb]

You don't talk about it. You just. Unless people ask you about it, you just do it.

[Interviewer]

And I feel like I have to.

[Hoda Kotb]

Say, I mean, I know we're sitting here before Christmas, and there's so much turmoil in the world that it's even hard to function.

[Brad Paisley]

It's been something this last weekend.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah. I mean, it's like the piling on is beyond comprehension.

[Brad Paisley]

I know.

[Hoda Kotb]

And everybody seeking helpers, people who are doing good things to show that the world is actually okay, despite what we're seeing.

[Interviewer]

Just talk to me a little bit.

[Hoda Kotb]

About your values, because I feel like.

[Interviewer]

This is something, what you do on.

[Hoda Kotb]

A daily basis, and we'll talk. You have this place called the Store, where people can come with dignity and get things that they need for free. And it's a beautiful spot in Nashville. And you do it with toys. So during this time of year, parents can scoop up just what they need for their kids. When you look at the world, Brad, I mean, you're doing your part over here, but do you ever just look at the big picture and go, like, what's going on here?

[Brad Paisley]

Oh, yeah. I mean, I look at it every day and think that. And I think this goes back to the reason that we do. The charity you're talking about called the Store. The values instilled in Kim by her parents. Some of her earliest memories are driving around with her mom, who was delivering Meals on Wheels. That really stuck with her. She would take her kids in the car, and meanwhile, they didn't have any money. You know, like her, she said she was always. Her younger sister and brother both had hand me down baseball gloves and tennis shoes that she outgrew. And they didn't have a lot of money or anything, but meanwhile, they're giving food to other people. And then, in my case, my parents used to really make me give back because I was doing these cool things, like playing that radio show and opening for really neat people like the Judds and Charlie Daniels or. Or whoever would come through town and. And Charlie Pride and got people like that. And then they would say, well, you're booked. We. You're doing this week. You're going over to hospice and singing for the hospice floor at the hospital. And I remember even thinking and. And I knew better than to complain because it didn't feel right. But I remember thinking, oh, man, I don't want to do that. That was at Christmas. I always remember that at Christmas, like, my mom saying, you gotta go do that. And it was, like, instilled in me that, okay, so if you're getting to play music, you should be doing something good with it. Not just selfish with it. Not just trying to make it in the music business, but, like. And I remember singing in the hospice ward for, like, there was a woman that had had a stroke, and she was always. She was there multiple times when I would come through, and all she could say was okay. Like, somehow she'd had a stroke. And so the only word she could say was okay. Even when it was no, she'd shake her head no and say okay. Weird. And then she could sing, though. So she could sing you are my sunshine, every word of it. So I would sing that with her. And so that's what my parents, like, they made me do that. And that's unique. I think that's a unique parenting, that they're actually. Okay, here's our kid. He's doing really well. Local, locally, people want them to sing for them and all these things. You need to be going and singing for these people that really need it. And so when we got one year, we have our own kids. And I slowly became very selfish after that, went through the selfish phase, and then got married. And Kim now brings the best out in me again. That's my. You know, she hates it when I say she's like the. She took up where my parents left off, but she hates that.

[Interviewer]

Not your mother.

[Brad Paisley]

Yeah, no, exactly. But one year, we have these kids, and we're out in Santa Barbara. And she says, okay, these little rats need to understand that there are people in the world that are hungry. They were. I don't know, they were acting up or something and said, we're getting in the car and we're going. And they. We find this charity that. It's called Unity shop out there. That's really remarkable. And its vision. It was the vision of a woman named Barbara, ironically, Santa Barbara, I think, named after her at that point. She's a saint, you know, and she had this vision for what it could be. And so we took the model that they have and did our own thing in Nashville with it. I said right away when I saw it, I was like, this needs to be a Nashville. They will eat this up, literally. And the people of Nashville will get behind something like this. So the concept is, it's called the store because what do you say when you tell your kids you're going to get groceries, throw them in the car and you're going to the store. There is so much dignity and choice getting to choose the food that you would feed your family versus handed something that you a bag full of things that maybe aren't what you would choose. And there's dignity in the normalcy of it's the store and, and it. And it. We raised the money, built the building. I partnered with my alma mater, Belmont. So here's this building that looks like a little corner grocery, says the store on it, little logo with the apple and things. And you walk in and there's shopping carts and people checking out and they're all wearing green aprons and looks like a little mini Whole Foods. And people walk through and there's a family of four and you know they're pushing one of them and the the cart and there's a little play area and there's a little horsey that you put a coin in and they go all the way through the process and they never feel like they never know. The kids in the cart don't know their parents aren't paying for this. That's beautiful because they get in the card and it's beautiful, you know.

[Interviewer]

More with Brad Brad Paisley when we come back.

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[Brad Paisley]

And Doug.

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[Hoda Kotb]

Uh, limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.

[Liberty Mutual Announcer]

Cut the camera. They see us.

[Walgreens Customer]

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[Hoda Kotb]

When you look at the country, are you hopeful?

[Brad Paisley]

I think so. In the sense that, like, what's the other. What's the alternative? Right. That's a deep question. I feel like looking at what, like, we're doing, that's my way of, like, okay, I can. I can help this here in town. Like, we're going to feed these people and we're going to give them this. This thing that will help them get back on their feet then. I mean, it's hard to not be hopeful if you are proactively doing something. Doing something when I'm not hopeful is when I am removed from that for a while. Maybe don't stop by, don't have a board meeting, don't get. And I'm months of touring or I'm just reading the news too much or whatever, you know what I'm saying? Then you start to be a little less. But it's hard to not be hopeful when you are feeling like actively doing something. How do you feel?

[Hoda Kotb]

I mean, I feel like the antidote for despair is just action. Do something.

[Brad Paisley]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

I feel like if you do something, you suddenly don't feel so helpless. Like, what can we do? It's like, do something.

[Brad Paisley]

Yeah, yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

And you feel like, get your hands on something. And, you know, there are a lot of people who are doing that, I think, who are feeling that and getting their hands in it.

[Brad Paisley]

Yeah.

[Hoda Kotb]

But Snow Globe Town, you wrote this thing in the summer. It is. I just. I was just listening to the song Snow Globetown and I loved it. It's so beautiful. Thank you. It's such a beautiful album.

[Brad Paisley]

Hallmark did this great movie called Grand Ole Opry Christmas. It's one of those. But it's a really neat movie. And they had this great script about the main character. Nikki deloache goes back in time and writes a song with her dad's help that she can't quite finish. And she's a songwriter and her dad has passed away. So when she goes back to 1995, she's living back in those days, and she writes this with her dad. And so I wrote that song. That's the one they write.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, my God, that's so beautiful.

[Brad Paisley]

And then there's this other meta. There's lots of levels Back to the Future happening here where the movie starts with her dad singing on the Opry. And that's a song that I also wrote, but they're using my recording of it and I've made it sound like, that's another one. So meanwhile, her dad's voice or not her dad, but her dad's in a duo, and that voice is me. And then later, I sing her song on the Opry that she wrote, that I really wrote in real life. It was a blast. I love it, but it really works.

[Hoda Kotb]

And just lastly, Brad. So we call this podcast Making Space. So if you had a day that was all yours, not one obligation, there's not one thing on your calendar. You can wake up when your eyes say so. You can go to bed when you feel like it. There's nothing on the schedule. How do you start that day and how do you fill it?

[Brad Paisley]

So what would that day be? Yeah, so I would probably wake up on our farm. There's a lot of Sundays like this. If I'm home on a Sunday, Kim likes to, like, make pancakes and fry bacon or something. Right? If. If everybody's. Especially if all the kids are home and everybody's, like, around in the morning, you start that way. And then me and my youngest would work on something like Legos. I can get lost in that. I might work on Legos as much as he does, you know, slightly more. Okay. And. And then, you know, we. I would go down and work in the studio a little bit, probably, you know, and. And have a few friends over later at the bar.

[Hoda Kotb]

Yeah.

[Brad Paisley]

Watch baseball.

[Hoda Kotb]

There you go.

[Brad Paisley]

And then at night, my. My oldest loves to go for a drive with me and make me listen to an album he thinks I need to understand and. And. And focus on.

[Hoda Kotb]

Okay.

[Brad Paisley]

And it's everything from Dijon to Bon Iver and, you know, like, this stuff that he's way, way, way into. And Kendrick Lamar, the things that that he. And he'll. And he sits there and schools me.

[Hoda Kotb]

He's like, dad, he's like, listen.

[Brad Paisley]

He's like, this album works either this way or backwards, and here's why. And this is what Kendrick is saying, and it's really cool. Like, I'm learning about music from him. I love it. So that. That'd be the way we end the day.

[Hoda Kotb]

It's a beautiful day.

[Brad Paisley]

Yeah, it'd be good.

[Hoda Kotb]

All right.

[Interviewer]

Thank you, Brad.

[Hoda Kotb]

Thank you.

[Brad Paisley]

I'm gonna do that tomorrow.

[Hoda Kotb]

Oh, I like it.

[Interviewer]

Hey, guys, thank you so much for listening and for coming on this journey with me. If you like what you heard, and I hope that you do, please give Making Space a five star rating and review on Apple Podcasts and make sure you tell your friends. Follow us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you're listening right now. Making Space with Hoda Kotvi. Is produced by Allison Berger and Mitch Rissmiller, along with Kate Saunders. Our associate audio engineer is Juliana Masterilli. Our audio engineers are Matt Tierney and Joe Plord. Original music by John Estes. Missy Dunlop Parsons is our executive producer. Libby Least is the executive vice president of Today and Lifestyle.

[Brad Paisley]

And Doug.

[Liberty Mutual Announcer]

Here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug.

[Hoda Kotb]

Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us?

[Liberty Mutual Announcer]

Cut the camera. They see us.

[Walgreens Customer]

Only pay for what you [e-mail] Savings Ferry. Unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts.