← Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight
Takin' A Walk - Music History with Buzz Knight
Inspiring Conversations with Buzz Knight: Amy Grant Discusses Recovery, Music, and Creative Journeys on Takin' a Walk
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- [00:01]
Buzz Knight
Taking a Walk. I'm Buzz Knight and welcome to the Taking a Walk podcast. Now, there are artists who have a career and then there are artists who have a life. And somehow they managed to turn every chapter of it into music that connects with millions of people. Amy Grant is the latter. She's a five time Grammy winner, a 2020 Kennedy center honoree, and the first artist in contemporary Christian music history to go platinum, hit number one on the pop charts, and perform at the Grammys. 30 million albums sold, over 2.2 billion streams, more than 50 years in music. But numbers don't tell the whole story, especially not Amy Grant's story. In recent years, Amy faced open heart surgery and a traumatic brain injury from a serious bike accident. The kind of experiences that make you stop and ask some pretty fundamental questions about who you are, what matters, and what's left. And when everything gets stripped away, the answer, it turns out, is a new album. Her first collection of all original songs in 13 years. It's called the Me that Remains, produced by the great Mack Macanali. And it is something special. 10 songs about healing, connection, endurance and grace rooted in hard won perspective and a voice that has never sounded more honest or more free. Coming up next, Amy Grant on takin a walk.
- [01:31]
Ad/Promo Voice
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human introducing the all new Mazda CX5 featuring more connection. Hey Google, where's the nearest Pilates class safety that has your back? More discovery on the scenic routes, more passion in the details and more control in changing weather. The all new Mazda CX5 more to move every side of you.
- [01:58]
Amy Grant
See it in five films at mazdausa.com
- [02:01]
Ad/Promo Voice
fivesides Google is a trademark of Google LLC. Sequences shortened and simulated. I turned off news altogether.
- [02:09]
Amy Grant
I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything.
- [02:13]
Various Other Voices
It's the rage bait.
- [02:16]
Ad/Promo Voice
It feels like it's trying to divide people.
- [02:20]
Buzz Knight
If we got clear facts, maybe we
- [02:22]
Amy Grant
could calm down a little bit.
- [02:26]
Buzz Knight
NBC News brings you clear reporting.
- [02:28]
Various Other Voices
Let's meet at the Facts.
- [02:30]
Buzz Knight
Let's move forward from there. NBC News reporting for America.
- [02:36]
Ad/Promo Voice
Picture this. Me, Reese Witherspoon in London ordering fish and chips so often they might start wrapping me in paper. I'm traveling with my Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card, so I earn rewards wherever I book. Travel five times points with hotels, four times with airlines, three times on restaurants and other travel and one point on other purchases. Imagine getting rewarded for eating a toad in the hole.
- [02:59]
Amy Grant
Wait, what is a toad in the hole?
- [03:00]
Various Other Voices
Visit Wells Fargo.com autographjourney Terms apply.
- [03:06]
Amy Grant
Are you really? Buying a car online on AutoTrader right now.
- [03:09]
Ad/Promo Voice
Really?
- [03:10]
Amy Grant
At a playground? Yeah, really.
- [03:11]
Ad/Promo Voice
Look at these listings from dealers.
- [03:13]
Amy Grant
Wow, your search can really get that specific.
- [03:16]
Buzz Knight
Really?
- [03:16]
Amy Grant
And you just put in your info and boom, car's in your budget.
- [03:20]
Ad/Promo Voice
Mom needs a second.
- [03:21]
Amy Grant
Honey, you can really have it delivered.
- [03:23]
Ad/Promo Voice
Really? Or I can pick it up at the dealership. One sec, sweetie. Mommy's buying a car.
- [03:28]
Buzz Knight
Mommy, look.
- [03:29]
Amy Grant
I think your kid is walking up the slide.
- [03:31]
Buzz Knight
Kyle.
- [03:32]
Ad/Promo Voice
Again? Really? Auto trader.
- [03:34]
Amy Grant
Buy your car online.
- [03:35]
Ad/Promo Voice
Really? A burst pipe? A dead water heater? The AC calling it quits? Who do you call? HomeServe is an easy way to handle unexpected home repairs with plans covering stuff basic homeowners insurance usually won't. Instead of scrambling for a contractor, you make one call to get the repair process started. Join the millions of customers who trust HomeServe right now. Go to HomeServe.com podcast for 50% less your first year. That's HomeServe.com podcast savings compared to renewal price void in Florida.
- [04:09]
Buzz Knight
Taking a walk. Amy Grant, welcome to the Taking a Walk podcast. An honor to have you on.
- [04:14]
Amy Grant
Thank you so much. Buzz.
- [04:16]
Buzz Knight
The new album Congratulations is called the Me that Ru Remains. Now, that is a phrase that carries a lot of weight. I wanted to ask you about that phrase and what it means to you right now.
- [04:31]
Amy Grant
So the me that Remains appeared to me as a poem. You know, I always say creativity comes to us and through us. I was encouraged in this. In the summer of 2024, two years after a horrific bike accident, I was encouraged by a neuropsychologist that I was seeing to lean into my life. I'd done some testing at the hospital to kind of get my new baseline. And some of the scores were really good and one was really low. And I was going, that's what's wrong with me. That's why I feel like I'm down the hall in another room. I can't. I don't feel like I'm participating in the immediate conversation. There's no, like, bam, bam, bam. And he said, how's that affecting you? And I said, well, I feel myself withdrawing. And he said, I'm going to give you some advice. This is my professional opinion. Lean in. Lean in. And so I started writing again because music has always been a therapeutic tool for me. And I created a space in my home where I could close the door and be vulnerable, at least with myself. And anyway, I sat down in a child's chair and started writing what became the lyric to the Me that Remains. And just writing how it felt, and it really was specific to my recovery from a head injury two years out. But then I just thought, you know, everybody's recovering from something and all you have on any given day is the person looking back at you in the mirror and you go, well, this is what I've got. And I'm gonna lean in and live this day.
- [06:25]
Buzz Knight
So that's powerful. And that leads into a very powerful creation that you have made with this music. We're gonna talk about it in some detail. It's the first album of all original songs in, in 13 years. What finally made it the right time and how did it ultimately come that you'd be working with Mac McInally?
- [06:51]
Amy Grant
Well, it's always a great time to be creative. Always. I, unlike my husband, I mean, Vince is all about music all the time. Every day, different times of the day, he's got his hands wrapped around the neck of a guitar and strumming. He's always thinking about songs. Me, like, creativity happens in so many different arenas. How I throw a pot of soup together is creative. What's in the pantry, you know, how you navigate what you're going to wear in a day. It's like, what's clean and does it match? And to me, conversation is creative. But so. And I honestly had just used my creativity in so many other ways for a decade. We hosted two weeks of a camp that was 60% scholarship. Just trying to get people from all different kids from different backgrounds for their first experience with somebody that looked different from them that was positive. It's called Barefoot Republic. So so many different racial, socioeconomic, cultural differences in those kids. That was so much fun. But it took a lot of energy and I donated the use of our farm, but it kind of took energy all year long because a lot of the workers were volunteer. You know, I'm 65. I had friends that helped me for 10 years. And so that ended the summer of 24. That was our last summer. And then shortly after that is when I started writing for this record. Because it was like, you only have so much resource, you only have so much time. And I feel like my creativity was just going to very specific things that needed my time and attention. And I finished that 10 year commitment. It was like, whew. What did I used to do with my time and writing just was natural. I was leaning in. And honestly, I sent that lyric, the me that remains, to Mac. We had worked together a few times, but we'd never written together. And I did have issues with short term memory. And so I just said, hey, I'm struggling a little bit with music, but I'm writing lyrics a lot. Any chance you want to help me with a song? And he said, I'm so busy, you know, give me a few months. And in the meantime, I had two other songs that I just really wanted to record. I didn't have a record contract, but I. In the fall of 24, I said, any chance you could help me put together a rhythm section and go in the studio? And he said, give me till January. I said, yep. I mean, nobody's holding their breath waiting for a record. And so we recorded two songs in January, and six weeks later, I said, hey, I've got some more songs. Any chance we can pull that same group together again? And he said, yeah. And then another month went by, and I said, hey, can we do that one more time? Like, we never signed a production contract. And after that third day of recording, he said, you know, we. We have enough songs for a record. And I said, wouldn't it be great if I had a record deal? And. And I found. I mean, I had a catalog deal, you know, for music that was 30 and 40 years old, but. And then we kind of took our time, and everything fell into place, and it was just so much fun to do a project without any pressure. I mean, zero pressure from a company. Yeah, it just felt very organic and fun.
- [10:49]
Buzz Knight
Now, I've only spoken to you for about seven minutes, but I have a feeling when you ask of a friend or a potential collaborator, you have such a wonderful way about your style and your elegance and your way of asking. I think it's pretty easy to say yes to Amy Grant on a project, don't you think?
- [11:17]
Amy Grant
I don't know what it feels like to be asked. I'm asked a lot from other people. I love. I just love the community that is created every time anybody does anything, because nobody does much by themselves. I will tell you that I reached out to Tom Douglas, a great Nashville songwriter, with a lyric that I had written about my mother's passing. And I just said, hey, I know we've never written together, but I have a lyric. Any chance you'd help me with some music? And do you know what he said?
- [11:54]
Buzz Knight
No. What?
- [11:55]
Amy Grant
He said, yes. Send me the lyric. I'll let you know in five minutes.
- [12:01]
Buzz Knight
Really?
- [12:03]
Amy Grant
And I said, no. Sacred cows. Feel free to change anything. But I thought, well, this is what the Gong show feels like.
- [12:11]
Buzz Knight
Well, we often say it's better if you're asking to get a quick no, right?
- [12:15]
Amy Grant
Yeah. Yes.
- [12:17]
Buzz Knight
Rather than nothing. Because so much goes into silence, radio silence, with people.
- [12:23]
Amy Grant
So, yes, you know, in fact, I mean, to me, the people should always be able to ask anything. And we also have to be able to say yes or no. Years ago, it was the year that Ray Charles died, and I was part of an entourage doing the Fourth of July celebration in D.C. on Capitol Hill. And Cissy Spacek was part of that celebration honoring Ray Charles. And she and I found ourselves in the workout area. I'd never met her, and we were the only two there. We were two treadmills apart, and I was going, oh, my gosh, just. Just ask her if you can talk to her. Don't assume, just ask. And so I finally got my guts up And I said, Ms. Spacek, would you mind if I ask you a question? And she said yes. And I went, thank you. And then I thought, well, I asked her yes or no? And she said, she. I mean, it was just so. And I was like, okay. And we just both kept walking. And there it went. There it went.
- [13:46]
Buzz Knight
Yeah.
- [13:47]
Amy Grant
Never be afraid to ask and always be ready for a no.
- [13:50]
Ad/Promo Voice
Yeah.
- [13:50]
Buzz Knight
Yeah. What I note on the new music is how stripped down it is, really, and very singer songwriter, which I love. Very intimate. Was this a conscious decision from the start, and was this part of that organic development of everything that you described earlier?
- [14:15]
Amy Grant
Well, I think we tend to return in the course of our lives. We return to what we. What is most familiar and what our sort of first. I think we sort of return to our roots in a way. And musically, singer songwriter, I mean, that was. That was how I spent most of my listening time. I would spend hours as a kid just playing records. I needed no other entertainment, just watching it spin and listening. And all the singer songwriters that came up through the 60s and 70s and, you know, everybody from James Taylor, Carole King, Bob Dylan, early Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Seals and Cross, Dan Fogelberg. You know, there are just so many. Nobody sounded like anybody else then Jackson Brown. I mean, I had all the Beatles records. I had Jackson 5. I had Aretha Franklin. I had. But, you know, I don't know. I feel like I'm returning to what is most my DNA. And also Mac is just. He brought such a great collection of players together. And so some tracks we cut with a click, some we didn't, which was lovely, and it was just so much fun. He did some overdubs and had Eric Darkin do some percussion. But, you know, so much of it just happened in the studio right there. So that was Lovely.
- [16:08]
Buzz Knight
I love that. I love hearing about that. And I could relate in my own world, returning to where I started because after time in the radio business and then, you know, in leadership positions, my roots were being an on air disc jockey who liked interviews and liked other people's interviews. So I'm completely gone full circle. And yes, totally appreciate that and understand that for sure. So I, I love what it's manifested itself with your, with your work. Now. The title track, it references the, you know, the bike accident, obviously, and, you know, brain injury directly. The line in there, life cut me wide open when my head hit the ground. I mean, how hard was it to put that experience into words and into that song?
- [17:14]
Amy Grant
My memory of writing that song, no kidding, was sitting down and just writing it straight through. A lot of songs are not that way. But I think I was ready to lean in to myself, to my experience and just to. I'm overthinking it. But I was just trying to welcome what was, you know, I was not trying to be clever, I was just trying to be honest. And even, even just writing, you know, the me that remains, like, I don't remember laboring over that phrase. It's. As a songwriter, the hardest song to write is one when you don't know what to say. And. But to have a clear, to have a clear landscape or a clear objective, you know, you might have to circle that area again and again to find the way in. You know, how we describe creative process, I'm sure is different for every one of us, but you have to. It has to be interesting to you, to the person saying it. If it's going to be interesting to anybody, it's got to capture the audience of one first. And I knew what I was struggling with every day. I knew that landscape of I am not what I used to be. And how do I wrap my head around this and why is it this way and how is it this way? And so anything that you give your time and attention to will emerge. That's a crazy thing about the energy of attention. And so I didn't labor over that. You know, maybe I sat in the chair 30 minutes and. And it felt, I had that good feeling that you have any time when you're consciously trying to capture something in a poem in a journal and you go, oh, that's what I felt. Now it doesn't have to just ramble around in my head. I freed up so much mental space because I'm not just like circling and circling and circling that unarticulated feeling. I'VE said it. Now let's move on.
- [20:16]
Buzz Knight
You know, we produced this other podcast called Music Save Me, about the healing power of music and all perspectives of it, scientifically and in words and from a creator's perspective. I have a feeling, though, Amy, you inherently, even before taking on that song, you certainly believed, I think, that music had a healing force in. In people's lives. Am I correct in that?
- [20:52]
Amy Grant
Yes. Well, it's had a. It's had a healing force in my life. And I. I was reminded, I can't remember who said this recently in a conversation, but. But they said, music has never let me down. I try to tell my children that music will never let you down. And so if you're struggling with how you're feeling, if you want to look at something through a different lens, you know, I would just challenge anybody who is feeling like they're in the deepest rut and they're wheels are spinning. Just find the public radio station and listen to classical music. And you go, oh, my gosh, this brilliance came out of one head. Every note was a selection. It took an entire stage of musicians to create this. And then you're just reminded none of us lives in a vacuum. You know, I mean, life is really just trying to discover and fulfill your purpose. And even if you don't, just having curiosity about it, you know, the people that cross our paths, there's. There's. It's all part of the puzzle. I. My. I've. Vince's. Our marriage is my second marriage.
- [22:18]
Ad/Promo Voice
Our.
- [22:18]
Amy Grant
My first marriage was to a man from Texas and his mother, Mary Chapman. We had a conversation one time. I was right in the middle. It was early 90s. I was doing interviews all through the night. I had young children. I was exhausted. And we were over the coffee pot one morning. They were in town helping with the kids. And I said, mary, I don't think I've prayed a succinct prayer in weeks. I just, like, all I'm doing is the next thing on the to do list. And she said, oh, Amy, it just takes one good prayer. And I said, well, that runs contrary to my Church of Christ guilt. Please tell me what that one prayer is. And she just threw her head back and said, oh, just every day pray, Lord, lead me today to those I need and those that need me, and let something I do have eternal significance just having to do with love. And she said, you'll never know what that is, but. And I thought, God, what a way to look at life. And, I mean, that changed me. I don't think a day's gone by that I haven't said that, haven't prayed that prayer. Because, you know, you go to the gas pump and then you're looking at the person across filling their tank and it's just a reason to say, hey, what's up? You know, you don't ever know. And you know, what if they need me not for something big, but just something inconsequential. What if I need them? That would really be the mystery.
- [23:59]
Buzz Knight
We'll be right back with more of
- [24:00]
Various Other Voices
the Taking a Walk podcast.
- [24:04]
Ad/Promo Voice
I turned off news altogether.
- [24:07]
Amy Grant
I hate to say it, but I don't trust much of anything.
- [24:11]
Various Other Voices
It's the rage bait.
- [24:13]
Ad/Promo Voice
It feels like it's trying to divide people.
- [24:18]
Buzz Knight
We got clear facts.
- [24:19]
Amy Grant
Maybe we can calm down a little.
- [24:23]
Buzz Knight
NBC News brings you clear reporting.
- [24:26]
Various Other Voices
Let's meet at the Facts.
- [24:27]
Buzz Knight
Let's move forward from there. NBC News reporting for America.
- [24:33]
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- [24:52]
Various Other Voices
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- [25:26]
Ad/Promo Voice
Ask your doctor about eglis and visit eglis.lilly.com or call 1-800-LilyRx are 1-800-545-5979.
- [25:33]
Amy Grant
Are you really buying a car online on Autotrader right now?
- [25:36]
Ad/Promo Voice
Really? I can get super specific with dealer listings and see cars based on my budget.
- [25:41]
Amy Grant
You can really have it delivered or pick it up. I think kid is walking up the slide.
- [25:45]
Buzz Knight
Really?
- [25:46]
Ad/Promo Voice
Autotrader?
- [25:47]
Amy Grant
Buy your car online?
- [25:48]
Ad/Promo Voice
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- [26:19]
Various Other Voices
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- [26:52]
Buzz Knight
Welcome back to the Taking a Walk podcast. The amazing thing about, about music, I mean it's, it is such a, it's a known and it's an unknown and the unknown is the fascination of, of, of sonic waves and the impulses that it gives us and what it does to the mood. Yes, I could say personally, like two places come to mind and I'm sure I could find 10 more where I'm thinking, God, if anybody was ever in a bad, having a bad day, if they went to the Ryman and listened to music like I've been fortunate to do at the UMG lunch where your husband plays there when the country radio seminar is going on. If, if you go to that event and you're in a bad mood, you will leave and you'll be in a good mood. There's no question about it. The other place I think about too, same thing I tell people this all the time. There's a place, New York, at the Carlisle Hotel and it's, it's called Bemelman's Bar. And Bemelman's is, is this place that has small little jazz quartets there, very stripped down. If you go up there and you're in a bad mood, I guarantee you will come back and be in a good mood. I don't know what it is. I mean, I often think, what if a space alien was plopped on this earth, Earth and we had to explain to them what music is about, how Would we explain it? Yeah, it's amazing.
- [28:34]
Amy Grant
Would we? I know. I mean, you can take. My cat just came in. You might have to edit around.
- [28:41]
Buzz Knight
Oh, no. We welcome cats.
- [28:43]
Amy Grant
Okay.
- [28:43]
Buzz Knight
Dogs.
- [28:44]
Amy Grant
Okay. Yeah. I love being in an audience with music or being on stage with an audience and there's music and everybody is just clapping along and nobody's saying, who did you vote for? Nobody's saying, what is your opinion on this piece of legislation? No one is attacking anyone. It's just like, we are built to experience this.
- [29:20]
Buzz Knight
That's incredible. It's something.
- [29:23]
Amy Grant
Yeah. But I do think, you know, I think that the harmonics, all those things are. I think they're a mystery, and I think they have so much more power and place in our world. Yeah. I think it's something intrinsic in all of. In people, in nature, and it's going to remain a mystery.
- [29:55]
Buzz Knight
We need it more than ever, though. We really do. You know, you co wrote the Saint with Michael W. Smith. That's a relationship that goes back decades, I think.
- [30:06]
Amy Grant
That's right.
- [30:07]
Buzz Knight
What does it feel like to still be creating with someone who has known you through so many, so many times?
- [30:16]
Amy Grant
Well, you know, Michael's like family. I was born into a family of all women, and I just met Michael when I was in college and we started writing together. And, you know, your life, you sort of take on more and more responsibility when you're young. It's just like you can go anywhere, you can dive in, and then you. Once you. All the circles of responsibility, I feel a little less free, you know, to. I don't know what I'm trying to say, except for Michael and I will occasionally have a phone call or a text. I'm thinking about you. Are you writing? I'd love to see your face. But there were a lot of chapters in life that we saw each other weeks on end. And so the Saint was another. I wrote the lyric following a conversation with two sisters. One was a recovering addict and one is a nun. And I just asked them, would they tell their story to each other and could I witness it and write about it? And they never told each other their story. And I knew them. I've known them both for a long time, and their lives are so different. But anyway, I don't know why that occurred to me, but they said yes. And I said, come over as soon as you wake up. I'll put on a pot of coffee. And that was in January of 25. And, I mean, they talked and talked. We all cried. And I was just the witness. And you know, because everybody, the lens through which you see a circumstance is different for every person in the room, every person in the story. And that was so beautiful. And we talked through lunch, or they talked and then they left. And. And the next morning I woke up before the sun came up and I went and sat in that same place and I thought, I don't. I feel like the musk is still in the air. And I'm going to sit here until I can figure out how to capture something from that conversation. And I wound up just writing about the younger sister's story. But Michael has typically always written music and given it to me to write the lyric. And this was only the second time in our 40 year history of writing that I said, I have a lyric and I kind of know the feel. Will you create a playground for me to play on? And he said, I'm not even sure what to do with this. And I said, well, let's create a drum loop. Let's find the right tempo. I'm just. Just record me speaking the lyrics in the rhythm. I said, you don't have to write a melody. Just come up with a chord progression. And he. And I'll. I'll do the rest. And he sent me the first thing and I said, I don't feel like you've captured it. He said, okay, let me go back in, let me go back in. And then he sent, you know what we wound up building the song from. And I took it to Mac and I said, do we have enough here to go to record this? And he said, absolutely.
- [33:59]
Buzz Knight
Oh, man, that's great.
- [34:01]
Amy Grant
But, yeah, I mean, creativity is just. It's just the. It's such a welcoming landscape. There's not a right or wrong.
- [34:17]
Buzz Knight
Right, right. You know, not right, wrong. Right.
- [34:20]
Amy Grant
Correct. Yeah, correct. Yeah, there's not. It's. I mean, really what you. The whole point of anything is just to capture a feeling, a moment, and to be moved by it. And you either move to laugh, dance, cry, shout, anyway. But I, Yeah, I loved working with Michael on that one. But it was funny because usually he comes in and he's just playing and I go, okay, let me record it. Hold on, let me work on this. It'll take me a while. And it was fun for him to go, I don't even know where to start. I said, let's find it together.
- [35:00]
Buzz Knight
Friend like you features this guy named Vince Gill on it and Sarah Cannon, Karina Gill. Very personal inclusions in that part of the project. Can you talk about what those relationships to you Mean, at this stage of your life?
- [35:22]
Amy Grant
Well, you relate my relationships with my family. Those you don't have to have an invitation, you know, you have to invest in your family. It's not a guarantee just because you're related by blood or marriage. There's no guarantee of the quality of relationship. But I love singing friend like you with Vince. I said, thank you for doing this. And he said, well, who else were you going to sing this with? I said, I don't know. It was so much fun. On May 8, when the album was released, we did the whole record top to bottom as the second half of the show. And everybody who had participated came, made their way to the Ryman Auditorium. And so it's one thing to do something in the studio, it's a totally other thing to do it, the experience of doing it together. And so Sarah and Karina, the two youngest of my daughters, they sang together on one of the songs and, you know, I couldn't even look at them. And so, because, you know, it's emotional. But they wound up when they walked out on stage, they had gone into the attic and pulled out some of my old tour jackets, like things I performed in decades ago and which made me laugh. And so we didn't get choked up. We were just tickled the whole time we were doing that song. But, yeah, just to get to make music with family is beautiful.
- [37:09]
Buzz Knight
Wow. The album artwork, I want to touch on that. It's kind of a mixed media presentation there. It's got pieces of quilt and seashells and your childhood bible. It's part of the imagery there.
- [37:28]
Amy Grant
Yes.
- [37:29]
Buzz Knight
Talk about how that inspired you and how it sort of feels today when you think about that creation of that artwork.
- [37:39]
Amy Grant
Well, I was not familiar with Wayne Brzenka's work when he was suggested as the artist to do the album cover. I was just thrilled that it wasn't going to be a photo shoot, which we did wind up doing, but at least not on the COVID I spent two days with Wayne and one of those days we were working here at the house and recording in the studio. I wasn't recording, but I was cooking a meal for everybody that was in the studio. And so really it was two days of getting to know Wayne and I had no idea how he worked. And so I've. I'm thinking he's just a very curious person. I gave him a cutting board and a knife and I said, I to me, chopping is very therapeutic. Would you like to help cook the meal? And he was like, yeah. And so Everything that we talked about. He would say, could I. Bo. Could I have that? Could I borrow that? He would say, what collections do you have? And I said, well, I've collected different things through the years. You know, I love maps. I actually love magnetic maps. And he said, show me your favorite. And I've just got a couple of them now. I give them away all the time. And he said, what are your two favorite states? Like, which states make you think the most of music? And I said, well, Tennessee. And then I spoke, did several records at Caribou Ranch, which is now in the Colorado Music hall of Fame. And he said, may I have the state of Tennessee in the state of Colorado? And I said, like, and ruin the map? And he said, yes. I went, okay. And, yeah, and he did that with everything. What's the first. I collect books or I love to read. And so he asked about different books. May I have that? And I said, am I going to get this back? And he said, well, maybe, you know, and he left. The second day. I was a little depressed. I was like, whoo. But he actually gave me back a lot of things that I was glad to have back, like my shell collection. I actually gave him. I had found a starfish one time on Lido beach, and it was dead, and. But I've never found a starfish. And I had given him that. And I was like, he's gonna, like, put it in an art piece. And he just. He actually just used very common shells, and the shells that I thought were sort of special or the starfish. He gave back the special things. I do collect quilts. Probably my nicest quilt was given to be my Aunt by Andre Agassi when I had sung at a benefit that he was hosting for the school that he started. I didn't give him that quilt, but I said, I've got another quilt that's over 100 years old. And he said, you're not going to get this back. And he just cut it into shreds. I said, okay, well, yeah, so interesting.
- [40:56]
Buzz Knight
It's really unique. It really is. It's a great, great part of the whole project and the amazing work. It's. It's wonderful. So in. In closing, we call this podcast Taking a Walk. We like to ask what we call the Dream Walk question. Amy Grant, who would you take a walk with, living or dead? And where would you go, maybe? And what would you talk about?
- [41:23]
Amy Grant
Well, I. I think you could take a dream walk with a total stranger, and it would be magical because everybody's life is so unique. I thought about two different people. One is my mother's younger brother, and he died in a car wreck his senior year in high school. Two of my sisters were already born, but my next older sister, my mom was pregnant with her. But my mother was different after she lost her brother, and she loved him so much, and I am so curious about him. And so. And the other person, I don't know why, it just came to me. You only asked me one, but I'm the youngest of four girls, and when I was in the second grade, we fostered a little boy who was 18 months old, and we. We fell in love with him. His baby bed was in my room, and I'd never been a big sister. And, you know, I have a widow's peak. He had a widow's peak. They're hereditary. His name was Jeff. And my parents, we just. We grew to love him very quickly, and my parents wanted to adopt him. And at that time in the foster care system, if you wanted. Now a lot of people foster to adopt, but because we were getting very connected to him, they removed him from our home. And so there's a lot about the foster care system that needs to be fixed. It's better now than it was then. So I would take a walk with him.
- [43:16]
Buzz Knight
I'm touched by having you on, and it's just so beautiful to talk to you. I really appreciate it. The me that remains is the new music. An honor to speak with you and thank you for what you continue to give us. Amy Grant, thanks for being on Taking a Walk.
- [43:35]
Amy Grant
Thanks for having me, Buzz.
- [43:38]
Buzz Knight
I'm Buzz Knight. And thanks for listening to the Taking a Walk podcast. Now please check out our companion podcasts, produced by BuzzKnight Media Productions with your host, Lynn Hoffman. Music saved me. Showcasing the healing power of music and comedy saved me. Shining a light on how laughter is the best medicine. All shows are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and are part of the iHeart podcast network.
- [44:08]
Various Other Voices
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- [44:11]
Amy Grant
We all get distracted when we drive, but how we handle these distractions can
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Various Other Voices
be a matter of life or death. Please put your phones on silent and take a mental note to focus on driving. Paid for by nhtsa.
- [44:23]
Buzz Knight
Here's the truth.
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Various Other Voices
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Buzz Knight
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Various Other Voices
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- [45:34]
Various Other Voices
big transfer news today. Who's moving me to the couch with Domino's? Best deal ever since they just added stuffed crust.
- [45:41]
Buzz Knight
Any pizza?
- [45:42]
Ad/Promo Voice
Any toppings?
- [45:42]
Buzz Knight
Now with stuffed crust for 9.99.
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Various Other Voices
It's a long term contract with no
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Buzz Knight
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- [45:49]
Various Other Voices
Yeah, that sounds like the move. I'm heading straight to DOM. Price is higher for some locations. Excludes Excel and specialty pizzas. Select this offer from 6:15 through 726 online only. Size availability varies by crest type max 7 topping 6 for pan and New York style crust. Minimum purchase required for delivery. Prices, participation, delivery area and charges may vary.
- [46:11]
Amy Grant
M&M's popped caramel do sound different.
- [46:14]
Buzz Knight
Oh no.
- [46:15]
Amy Grant
People are going to be obsessed. What do you mean? People hate the sound of chewing. Maybe they won't like the crunch.
- [46:22]
Buzz Knight
Maybe we're saved.
- [46:24]
Amy Grant
Wait a minute. Yellow. Have you been eating them this whole time?
- [46:31]
Buzz Knight
Mmm. So tasty.
- [46:34]
Amy Grant
Hands off us.
- [46:35]
Buzz Knight
M&M's popped caramel. It's more fun together.