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Bobby Bones
Something unexpected happened after Jeremy Scott confessed to killing Michelle Schofield in Bone Valley season one.
Dylan Scott
Every time I hear about my dad is, oh, he's a killer. He's just straight evil.
Bobby Bones
I was becoming the bridge between Jeremy Scott and the son he'd never known.
Dylan Scott
At the end of the day, I'm literally a son of a killer.
Bobby Bones
Listen to new episodes of bone Valley Season 2, starting April 9th on the iHeartRadio app.
Dylan Scott
App.
Bobby Bones
Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
George Birge
I mean, after my girl, I just had my first son. I mean, I'm starting my life, really. And I have a number one song. The money's going up a little bit. The shows are good.
Dylan Scott
Everything's. The guarantees are getting bigger on the show.
George Birge
Yeah, everything's great. Like, I'm supporting my family, doing music now. I don't want to lose that.
Dylan Scott
Episode 503 with Dylan Scott. Dylan has five number one songs. He has that's my girl in the passenger seat. He has nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody. I think there's more words than that, but I love that song. I really feel like Dylan Scott is, I will say, undervalued by the people that really don't matter, which is the industry. We talk about that. So I'm gonna. I'm gonna save that for the podcast, but I'm not even gonna act like that. Dylan Scott and I are like, great personal friends, because we're not. We've worked together a couple times and done show stuff, and I really like them, but it's one of those stories. I would compare it to Parmalee, where so much success on such a level, but for some reason, nope, I'm not gonna do that here. What did I just say? Not gonna do that here. Cause we do that there. Now. His current song, this Town's Been Too Good to Us, which is probably number one maybe by this point. We recorded this, like, the day before the chart came out. He had a number one earlier a couple months ago with boys back home with Dylan Marlo. He's currently the fourth most played artist at country radio so far this year. Born in Louisiana, moved to Nashville as a teenager. He talks about his influences. He's a fitness fanatic, I would say. I mean, he's ripped. I really like him. I really like his story, and I really hope that light gets shined on him a little more and you'll hear why. So here he is, episode 503. Follow him on Instagram at Dylan Scott Country. D Y L A N Scott Country. Here we go. With Dylan Scott. Without giving any specific details. How far do you live from here?
George Birge
I live 45 minutes.
Dylan Scott
Oh, you're out of town, huh?
George Birge
Oh, yeah. Purposefully, 100%. Why? You live downtown.
Dylan Scott
Oh, so you went from downtown?
George Birge
I'm talking like three blocks off Broadway downtown. When I first moved here for a couple of years.
Dylan Scott
Why? Why did you live downtown? Because you wanted to do the Nashville.
George Birge
Yeah, I wanted. That's what I thought. Experience it, you know, Which I was way too young to even like go do anything, but.
Dylan Scott
How old were you?
George Birge
I was 19 when I moved to town.
Dylan Scott
So I had a place downtown. It was like church and 4th.
George Birge
Okay.
Dylan Scott
So it was like two blocks off of Broadway. Bought the top. It was when I first started to make money. So I always wanted to live downtown. Yeah, like the dream was like, live downtown and like be in it. I was touring so much, like doing stand up. And so we went and looked at this place. Did you live in a condo?
George Birge
It was, but it was like a high rise condo. That was the dream.
Dylan Scott
It wasn't a high rise. No, See, mine was like a six. Mine wasn't a high rise either, but it was like a mid to low rise. But it was like six stories.
George Birge
Yeah. I was on the third floor of like a four story similar condo deal. It was nice.
Dylan Scott
And so we. I bought it. And I remember going to look for it and look at it and they were like, oh, look out. It's great. Because it was right over Printer's Alley. Like, you look down, Printer's Alley's right there. And I don't even go out. I just thought it'd be like the romantic idea of living near downtown.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
And so looked at it, loved it, bought it. Significant for me, Significant purchase for me. And I remember the first time that I was home at night because I wasn't home on weekends a lot because I would just be on the road. I was like, oh, my God. I never toured. To look at this place in the evening on a weekend, the music, dude, it was a disaster.
George Birge
I had a train.
Dylan Scott
You did?
George Birge
Right outside my window.
Dylan Scott
What time would it run?
George Birge
Oh, just random times, like middle of the night, early morning. I kind of got used to it after a while. But yeah, I lived downtown and then moved over, like off of West End and then moved out of town Right before I got married. My wife and I did long distance, like six years.
Dylan Scott
Wow.
George Birge
So we bought this little house or we rented this little house and then we were going to buy a house or we had no kids yet and I was like, let's just. Let's go back downtown. Because she never got to experience that.
Dylan Scott
Where'd she move from? What state?
George Birge
Louisiana. We're from the same town. We grew up 10 minutes apart.
Dylan Scott
Got it. So you did long distance, but did you have some sort of relationship even just knowing each other from back in.
George Birge
The day as far as lives?
Dylan Scott
Did you know her before you moved here?
George Birge
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. We started dating. We was 15.
Dylan Scott
Okay, so you moved here and she stayed back?
George Birge
Yes.
Dylan Scott
So you didn't meet long distance?
George Birge
No, no, no. Yeah, yeah, we met. We met in seventh grade. Never talked to each other. Eighth grade, never talked to each other. Went to two separate high schools, and then our sophomore year, just.
Dylan Scott
God, that long distance makes sense.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
It wasn't like you met her on the road and. Oh, yeah, you worked it out with a girl in Michigan.
George Birge
No.
Dylan Scott
Okay.
George Birge
No, no, no. Yeah, it was kind of the deal. Like, we knew that's what was going to happen. And then.
Dylan Scott
Did she not want to move downtown?
George Birge
No, she wanted to. We were looking at places, and then as soon as we were about to, like, all right, let's go downtown for like a year or so, let you experience it. She found out she was pregnant with our first Beckett. And where you want to live, we're not doing that. And I'm so glad we didn't because, I mean, I was over it, really. I just kind of want to do it for her, let her experience it. But, yeah, it worked out.
Dylan Scott
Do you have land?
George Birge
I do now. That was the dream.
Dylan Scott
Do you take care of your own land or do you take care of a little bit of your own land? And then the rest either just lives and it's. You don't have to take care of, or somebody else does.
George Birge
Yeah. So, I mean, right now it's. Look, we bought this property and I rented an excavator and a dozer and off road truck and basically developed it with a buddy of mine. Like, spent every day for almost a year when I wasn't on the road pushing trees over and burning and making ponds and house pads and all that stuff. So, I mean, I do take care of my property. I remember when we bought our first house, the house we're still in right now. I was so excited to mow my yard. I love doing yard work. And I bought this John Deere zero turn. I was so proud of it. And then never even got to use it because I was gone so much and the grass would get so high. So I had to hire somebody, which Made me feel less of a man. But at least my yard guy, he's a buddy of mine now. He came to my show this past weekend, brought his girlfriend, and they hung out on the bus and stuff. But my wife had a garage sale shortly after. Why she had a garage sale, I have no idea. And she's like, do you want to get rid of your lawnmower? I was like, I don't want to, but I probably should because I'm never going to use it again. I mean, got the guy now, and I don't have time. And guy pulls up, he's like, what do you want for the lawnmower? She's like, I don't know. Thousand dollars. He's like, I'll be right back.
Dylan Scott
What'd you pay for it?
George Birge
$4,000. It was only, like. It was only like three months old.
Dylan Scott
So she didn't talk to you about what. What price to put on it?
George Birge
No.
Dylan Scott
That's funny.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
And a little bit that's on you. You knew what you're doing at garage sale?
George Birge
Well, it was kind of random. Well, no, I didn't know the. The lawnmower was going to go. She text me, hey, would you want to sell your lawnmower? I just said, yeah, that's fine. We could probably do that. I'm not going to use it. And before we could even get into it, I guess she was right there next to the guy who was going.
Dylan Scott
She text you while he was there? That's funny. We have a few acres behind here that we don't have to keep up with. Like, that's the purpose of it, you know? Yeah. Do you have any jobs where you were excavating? Did you learn that on the fly?
George Birge
Yeah, on the fly. So one of my best friends is from Louisiana and South Louisiana. Him, his dad owned a huge land development company, and he pretty much taught me everything. I mean, I've done some stuff on, like, a little small skid steer, but we're talking, like, huge excavator, Tracko, Big Dozer, D6. I mean, it's a big deal. I was like, all right, I got this. I'm gonna help you. He's like, man, it's not that easy. But I picked it up pretty quick. I feel like I could. I feel like I could go do some work if I needed to.
Dylan Scott
Do you have any jobs while you were here that weren't music related?
George Birge
No, not since I moved to Nashville.
Dylan Scott
How did you make money? Did you get a publishing deal? Quick.
George Birge
Got a publishing deal. Wasn't enough money to really survive. So I had to go in and negotiate some stuff to make a little extra more money, but I just had to hit the road.
Dylan Scott
That sounds like prostitution, whatever that means. Like, wasn't enough. I negotiated more.
George Birge
Yeah, basically. So I was like, hey, it's not enough to live on, so can we, you know, I'll. We can redo some stuff on the contract that's better for y'all and worse for me if I can get a little more. More money up front, which bit me in the long run a little bit. But hey, help you get through that.
Dylan Scott
Time, help me get through it.
George Birge
And it's part of business.
Dylan Scott
So you move here at 19?
George Birge
Yeah, yeah.
Dylan Scott
You drive up with a bunch of stuff?
George Birge
I mean, no, not really. I got stuff when I got here. I mean, luckily my parents were awesome and they didn't have my. I grew up in just a regular middle class family, you know, my dad went to work every day and I remember my mom scratching pennies out of the ashtray of the car just to get Sonic cheeseburger on, you know, a regular day. But they helped me get some stuff for my apartment and then it was kind of on me from there. I remember calling my dad, though, one day and my dad put me to work when I was. I was 15 years old.
Dylan Scott
During what?
George Birge
I was cleaning boat carburetors and mowing the grass at a marine place.
Dylan Scott
I worked at a marina forever, dude.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
People think that I didn't have the good job, like, to meet the girls. I wasn't that. I wasn't like the doc boy.
George Birge
Yeah, yeah.
Dylan Scott
No, I was.
George Birge
You were.
Dylan Scott
I, I was grease boy.
George Birge
Yeah, that's what I was.
Dylan Scott
Yeah, Me, I worked at a golf course too. And I wasn't the guy that did the golf carts. I was the one that was weed eating.
George Birge
You didn't get the cool stuff.
Dylan Scott
I didn't have a rich dad that was a member at the country club.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
And so I'm, as you can tell, I'm still resentful about that. So you work for your dad?
George Birge
Well, my dad, no, he just found he had a buddy at work there and asked him if I could work. I tried to get a job at Walmart, but you had to be 16, I guess, at that time, but went and did that. And I mean, I've been paying for my stuff ever since. So to call my dad and ask him, like, dad, I'm out of money. Like, I got bills and stuff was like, that was a big deal for me. And I remember the truck I was driving at the time was a. It was an F150, like a early 2000s model that I went and bought, and I was paying the note on it. But what I didn't know was my granddad, his dad bought it, and so it was paid for. I didn't know. So every month I was making a payment for my truck. I was just. It was just going to a savings account. And so my dad goes, well, I figured this day would come, blah, blah, blah. And he told me about it. It's like, oh, I had several thousands of dollars that helped me get through that as well. So pretty cool.
Dylan Scott
That's love.
George Birge
I thought that was one of the coolest things.
Dylan Scott
That's. It gave me chills a little bit, like, that's love. Years in advance. Looking out for a time that he knew you would probably need it, but you were getting what you needed by earning it at the same time, like, didn't know.
George Birge
Was still paying the note.
Dylan Scott
Learning responsibility.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
Learning how to be disciplined. Yeah, that's a good one.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
What they think about you doing music?
George Birge
So my dad did music.
Dylan Scott
In what capacity?
George Birge
Moved to town, moved to Nashville in his early 20s to pursue a, you know, a country music singer. Whole deal, you know, and slept on people's couches and did the whole thing. And, you know, this is a tough business, you know, My dad. I mean, I've heard old stuff that my dad's recorded and whatnot. My dad was a great singer.
Dylan Scott
Sound like you. Deep voice.
George Birge
Not as deep, but just a great singer. Just a real nice, rich voice and on pitch, and it was great. I've seen old videos and performing on stage, and I was like, dang, dad had it. You know, that was really cool. But ended up playing on the road with older guys like Freddie Fender back in the day. Wasted days and wasted nights. So did that for a while and man just gave it all up when he met my mom and moved back home and started doing regular blue collar work. My mom had two kids prior, and they were, you know, 5, 6, 7 years old. And so he had a Go to work immediately.
Dylan Scott
How do you meet your mom?
George Birge
Just through some friends. So they're from. She's from Louisiana as well. Same little place a little town over and just mutual friends put them together on a blind date and was together ever since. What's your hometown like now or then?
Dylan Scott
Now.
George Birge
Now. It's run down. It's run down pretty good.
Dylan Scott
How many people? Is there a sign that says Pop?
George Birge
I know there used to be like maybe like 11,000 in the town. But we had a. We had a paper mill. International Paper Company.
Dylan Scott
We had a sawmill. Paper mill stunk though. We play ball.
George Birge
Oh.
Dylan Scott
But anywhere we went, went to Ashdown and they had a paper mill. Dude, we had to hold our nose playing the whole time.
George Birge
Smelled like home to me though.
Dylan Scott
Really?
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
You got used to it.
George Birge
Oh, 100%.
Dylan Scott
It smell like that to people when you would go away?
George Birge
No.
Dylan Scott
They'd be like, what's wrong?
George Birge
No.
Dylan Scott
So you weren't like stained by the paper mill smell.
George Birge
Now I will say I ended up through the year, summer job working at those paper mills. And you do smell like it when you work there. Yeah, it's awful.
Dylan Scott
But I just remember going into Ashdown, which had the paper mill and there the outfield wall was against the back of the paper mill. And mostly I played first base. I was left handed. But if I. We play tournaments. If ever, ever to play outfield, it was already miserable. You could just smell it when you got to town.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
But then not they couldn't because they lived in it.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
And that's. It's a distinct memory.
George Birge
We lived in it too. And we did smell it. No doubt. But. And it did stink. Don't get me wrong. But it was also like that's home, you know, what we grew up with is what it is.
Dylan Scott
But that's an advantage too.
George Birge
Yeah. Mill shut down and man, everybody kind of moved out. Some people stayed and it just. The economy went down. I mean it's still home. I love it. It's called Bastrop. Bastrop, Louisiana.
Dylan Scott
Sawmill collapsed in Mountain Pine as well. And that's what gave everybody jobs. Yeah, I mean population 700. That was my hometown. And I would say 80% of this in any city. 80% of the town worked at warehouser.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
And when it went down, everything got bad. School got bad, Everybody left.
George Birge
Same here.
Dylan Scott
What's on the property now?
George Birge
Nothing.
Dylan Scott
That's what warehouse.
George Birge
Nothing at all.
Dylan Scott
It's weird driving back and I've heard.
George Birge
Of people coming in like wanting to do. What are they doing now? They're like mining for. I don't know what it is. It's a wave of my head.
Dylan Scott
It's like bitcoin.
George Birge
Something crazy.
Dylan Scott
Like digital. Like digitally.
George Birge
Yeah. Like they want to use the property for that, but nothing's there at all.
Dylan Scott
Ever think you work at the mill?
George Birge
Did I ever think I would?
Dylan Scott
Yeah, like after high school.
George Birge
Oh no.
Dylan Scott
Because you always had. You knew you were going to do.
George Birge
Dude, I told. I remember Being on the playground as a kid in elementary school, telling my buddies, I'm moving to Nashville to be a country singer. Now, when you're that young, I didn't know what Nashville was. I knew it was a city and where you go to be a country music singer. But, you know, I was trying to be my dad, you know, in fourth grade I wrote a book called My Future Life. And looking back Now, I mean, it was stories that I've heard of my dad and whatnot that we. He. He would tell me about. But if you go open that book right now, I saw it the other day, my wife had it in our closet and I ran into it and I look at that book, I've pretty much done everything in that book that's fun. And I was just always a believer of just man, manifest it, tell yourself you're going to do it. And I think you can do anything in life like that, you know. Now, if I was a terrible singer, maybe not. But I don't know, man, I just never, I never told myself I was gonna go to college or go work at the mill or do something like that. I was like, I'm gonna go to Nashville, know whether it works out, we'll see.
Dylan Scott
But my grandma adopted me for a lot of my life, and so she kept this thing in kindergarten where it was like, what do you want to be? Classic, right? Kindergarten thing. And I wanted to be a. Be on the radio, be a stand up comedian and be on tv. And so it's wild that I'm five, right, and already wanted that. There was no one around me that did that. So it's like, where did that even come from? But, you know, you talk about manifesting. I feel like I just like subconsciously and even consciously committed to it at 5 years old. So it was like I said it, I'm doing it. But it's crazy. You have the same story. Like you knew it and you're looking at it now. Isn't it kind of weird that kid, even though your dad did it, even though it was in the blood, even though it was in the house, but still from fourth grade you knew and here you are now.
George Birge
Yeah, I mean, even before fourth grade, I knew, but I mean, I think about it all the time and I don't believe in coincidences either, man. I think. And I try to tell people, it's like, even young kids, I try to tell, like, man, just whatever you want to be you, you can do what you want to do. Got to work hard. It's not going to be given to you. You can do whatever you want to do. Just tell yourself you're going to do it. And don't listen to anybody else because they're the first people that'll talk you out of it or, you know, make some negative comment. I mean, I remember my buddies like, ah, you ain't going to Nashville. Like, oh, you're not going to do this, you're not going to do that.
Dylan Scott
People that can't or are scared to do it are often the ones that tell other people they can't do it.
George Birge
Yeah. And as soon as you tell yourself you're not going to do it, you're not going to do it.
Dylan Scott
I have a very similar feeling about life. I think the world is completely bendable.
George Birge
Yep.
Dylan Scott
Weird to say and feel, but I think everything is negotiable. Everything. And, like, you know, you, me, we're from tiny towns.
George Birge
Oh, yeah.
Dylan Scott
Nobody gets out of those towns to do where I come from. Nobody did. It was like Disney. Disneyland was like the stuff on TV to move to Nashville to want to do TV again. That was Disneyland. That was like crazy big bunnies. And, like, that wasn't real.
George Birge
Yep.
Dylan Scott
And there wasn't anybody there to say you can't do it. But there definitely wasn't anybody that said you could because nobody did it.
George Birge
Right there. Yeah.
Dylan Scott
How influential was your dad on either way? On, I just want you to do what you want to do or if you want to do music, like, let me guide you a little bit.
George Birge
So, I mean, my dad took pride in the fact that I wanted to go do music. Right. But my dad was. And my mom both were also the type. It didn't matter what I wanted to do. They were behind it. If I was to say, I'm gonna go to college, then, okay, go to college. If I didn't want to go to college, which I didn't. They weren't the parents. Like, no, you need to do this, you need to do that. Right. They were just. They pretty much let me decide what I wanted to do in life and never. I mean, the only thing my dad told me, like, this is probably some of the best advice I ever got. I didn't realize it at the time was it's not an overnight success, you know, it can be for some people.
Dylan Scott
Well, it also looks like it for everybody. Whenever you're from far away.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
It looks like everybody just got famous one day.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
But as your dad knew and as you know now, cutting it is so the opposite. Even for people that have overnight success it ain't overnight.
George Birge
Yeah, no, it's not overnight. And I mean, sometimes I'm really bad about this. It's like I get so caught up in looking in the future. What's next? What am I going to do? How am I going to do this? How am I going to keep this thing going, you know, that I forget to sit back and go. Yeah, it may have. It took some time for me. You know, I was 25, 26 before I had my first hit. And has it moved as quickly since then as I would want? No, but at the same time, I have to sit back and go, man, but look what. Everything that's happened, look what's happened so far, you know, look where I'm at. I'm exactly where I wanted to be. Living in Nashville, I'm on a bus, we're playing music to a bunch of fans, sold out shows, and we've had number ones and, you know, you forget that kind of stuff sometimes. Let's take a quick pause for a.
Dylan Scott
Message from our sponsor.
Bobby Bones
Something unexpected happened after Jeremy Scott confessed to killing Michelle Schofield in Bone Valley season one.
Dylan Scott
I just knew him as a kid.
Bobby Bones
Long, silent voices from his past came.
Dylan Scott
Forward and he was just staring at me.
Bobby Bones
And they had secrets of their own to share.
Dylan Scott
Gilbert King. I'm the son of Jeremy Lynn Scott.
Bobby Bones
I was no longer just telling the story. I was part of it.
Dylan Scott
Every time I hear about my dad, it's, oh, he's a killer. He's just straight evil.
Bobby Bones
I was becoming the bridge between a killer and the son he'd never known.
Dylan Scott
If the cops and everything would have done their job properly, my dad would have been in jail. I would have never existed.
Bobby Bones
I never expected to find myself in this place. Now I need to tell you how I got here.
Dylan Scott
At the end of the day, I'm literally a son of a killer.
Bobby Bones
Bone Valley Season 2 Jeremy.
Dylan Scott
Jeremy, I want to tell you something.
Bobby Bones
Listen to new episodes of bone Valley Season 2 starting April 9 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear the entire new season ad free with exclusive content starting April 9th. Subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.
Dylan Scott
And we're back on the Bobby cast. Good perspective, I think, myself included. And I bet if we got 10 creatives in whatever way at different levels of success and we said, how you feel about it? I just don't feel like I'm doing it fast enough. I don't feel like I. I don't. It drives me Crazy.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
Like, I'm Like, I'm. I'm not where I want to be. I'm not moving at the rate I think I should be moving. Like, there's places where progression has completely stalled.
George Birge
I'm really bad about the stalling part. Like, I feel like I'm just, like, sitting in limbo when really there's a lot going on. Right. It's just I feel like I'm sitting in limo and what I used to be really bad about in. In my 20s, really, all through life until my late 20s, early 30s when I figured it out, I used to sit back and look at everybody else and try to compare situations. Well, why is this happening for them and why is this not happening? Blah, blah, blah, blah. And I used to wear myself out over it, you know? And then one day, I don't. I don't know if it's just getting older. I don't know if it's having three kids now that keep my mind somewhere else or my wife, but I don't. I don't feel that way anymore. You know, it's just like, hey, I'm having fun. It is what it is. I don't care what anybody else is doing. I'm super happy for everybody. I just got to worry about what's going on in my life. And that's when I got really happy.
Dylan Scott
Did your dad keep playing music a little bit at home? Like, did he play for fun or.
George Birge
Man in church. Played in church and keep a guitar in the house? Kept a good. Kept a guitar in the house. We'd play together, but not a ton, man.
Dylan Scott
Did he teach you how to play?
George Birge
Yeah, he taught me guitar. He. He taught me the chords I needed to learn. And after that, I mean, it was pretty much kind of on my own in a way. I mean, I'd be in my bedroom playing guitar, singing, and he'd walk in and open the door, and he'd look at me and go, you're over singing, and just shut the door, walk back out, you know? But it was really it. I mean, most everything I've done is by ear. I learned piano when I was super young, try to take lessons, and piano teacher calls my dad. She's like, I really can't teach him. Like, if I play anything, he'll just learn it by ear without reading it. It's like, I don't know what I can do here. So I've just kind of all picked it up on my own. I mean, my dad has taught me a lot. Don't get Me wrong.
Dylan Scott
But I picture you, like, screaming out of the womb like this.
George Birge
I remember playing basketball, like, outside in the neighborhood as a kid, and buddies be like, man, your voice is deep.
Dylan Scott
Was it always deep?
George Birge
I mean, I guess for a kid it was.
Dylan Scott
Yeah. I mean, if you're. Was there a. Like a puberty where it just kind of did that, or was it always just deep and it just got a little deeper?
George Birge
I think it was just deep as a kid and got deeper. I mean, I remember going through, obviously, puberty, and he had the little. Huh. But it wasn't un. Crazy. It wasn't like all of a sudden, whoa, what just happened?
Dylan Scott
I'm still.
George Birge
I don't remember that.
Dylan Scott
Anyway, I can't wait for my voice to get deeper. Like, when puberty hits me, I'm gonna be so cool. Yeah, I'm have a good voice. Your kids, are they all boys or girls?
George Birge
So two boys and a girl. So the oldest is seven. Beckett, he's a boy. And then it's my little girl, Finley, she's five. And then we have a year and a half year old boy, Baron, and we're done.
Dylan Scott
Is there any connection to the names?
George Birge
No, just whatever. Whatever my wife wanted.
Dylan Scott
Yeah.
George Birge
Yeah, I'd say whatever, not whatever. She threw some stuff out that I turned down really quick, but.
Dylan Scott
So you had veto, but you let her cheer?
George Birge
For the most part, yeah.
Dylan Scott
And that lawnmower got me. She got you.
George Birge
She got me.
Dylan Scott
She got you.
George Birge
She better be glad she's pretty, man.
Dylan Scott
Got you on the lawnmower. When did you sing in public? And not just in front of your parents, but when did you ever sing in front of people that didn't know you?
George Birge
Yeah, I mean, I've sang in church my whole life. I was in a gospel trio with two other girls. We traveled around for a couple of years. When I was a teenager, like 14, 15 years old.
Dylan Scott
What was the name?
George Birge
It was called 11th hour, which 11th hour's still around. They're still doing their thing.
Dylan Scott
That's actually a pretty cool name. A lot of times when people go, I was in at something at 15. It's kind of like, that's a good name.
George Birge
Yeah. 11th hour, man. So we were, you know, Southern gospel music, and they. I mean, they've had hits on Southern gospel radio and stuff, so it's really cool. But I mean, I used to play little. I don't know what you call them. There's the thing called the Louisiana Hayride. Background from which is kind of iconic. Elvis used to play it a bunch of guys used to play it, but we'd play the little small town theater shows with the house band. It's where I met Lainey Wilson. She's from the town over for Mile. And we were.
Dylan Scott
She from Baskin.
George Birge
14. Baskin, yeah. Yeah, we were 14, 15 years old and met her at one of those shows. I was about to walk on stage, had gum in my mouth. She puts her hand out, she goes, give me your gum. I said, are you serious? She's like, give me your gum. So I put my gum in her hand and been buddies ever since. So we've been doing that a long time.
Dylan Scott
That's pretty cool.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
Two people from two small towns.
George Birge
Yep. Right there together, playing the same little shows.
Dylan Scott
And now here. Yeah, playing basically same shows.
George Birge
Yep. Yeah, that's.
Dylan Scott
That's a good one.
George Birge
Yep.
Dylan Scott
When you moved here, you say you were 19. I think you said you were 25, 26 before you had a hit. What were those years like? What were you doing 19 to 25, 26?
George Birge
Just a lot of. A lot of writing here in town, meeting a lot of songwriters. And then I hit the road. I bought a. A 1999 black Ford van from some bluegrass group in Kentucky. They converted it into like a little. Has a little bunks in it, you know, I thought I was. Thought I had it going on, you know, but we hit the road playing shows for $500 a night and for nobody, you know, around the whole country. We were driving this van.
Dylan Scott
Tell me about a small show. Like, what comes to mind if I say, tell me about a small show.
George Birge
Six people in Montana at a bar. That's a small show. And I mean, you gotta understand, we had no hits at the time, but we. We were putting music out and I didn't know how I was gonna do it. I had no. I mean, six people, full band show. That's tough.
Dylan Scott
Like, how do you maintain an appropriate energy.
George Birge
Yeah, for six people. And I don't know, I mean, who I was back then to now is just night and day. A buddy of mine from that same band from the very beginning sent me a video the other day of us on stage. And I said, man, I said, who is that kid and why would anybody give him a record deal?
Dylan Scott
Why do you say that? What was different about that kid?
George Birge
The body, mannerisms of how I performed, the way I sung was totally different. Just everything. It was just like, I just. If that kid would have. If I'm at a record label today and that kid myself, early on, walking to the room, I'd been like, I don't know. I don't.
Dylan Scott
That.
George Birge
That's my opinion anyway.
Dylan Scott
But didn't that kid try and they said, I don't know until you get better?
George Birge
I mean, I got a record deal before I graduated high school.
Dylan Scott
Wait, what? Yeah, like, what? How?
George Birge
Started coming to town at 16.
Dylan Scott
What the crap? You gotta record.
George Birge
I had two offers. I had two record deal offers before I graduated high school. One from Curb Records and one from Warner Brothers.
Dylan Scott
Those are real labels. Yeah, that was going to be like from Westland Dixie Record Company. Like a guy that worked.
George Birge
That's what I'm saying, man. It's like all getting back to what we're talking about earlier. Manifesting stuff and no coincidences and believing that. It's like, I don't know how I just knew that that's what I was going to do.
Dylan Scott
And what they hear. What'd they hear from you at 17, you obviously like had a CD or something, right?
George Birge
Yeah. And I mean, I'm not saying I was terrible.
Dylan Scott
I don't take it as that, you.
George Birge
Know, it's just the way I sung and the way I carried myself. I was just like, man, what do these people see? But I don't know, dude, I was. I was doing like the really old school country stuff. Like I grew up a huge Keith Whitley fan and obviously my dad with his past, like, I grew up on the old stuff. And so when I moved to town, like, I was. I guess what I was trying to do was be something that I wasn't. As far as the way I sung.
Dylan Scott
I was going to say, did you try to sing like Keith Whitley?
George Birge
Yeah, 100% pure Whitley. Pure. Yeah.
Dylan Scott
Not that you're not. It's a different. Texturally. Completely different.
George Birge
Completely different. In my opinion, just one of the best voices there will ever be. But yeah, and I think I just had to find myself is all it was. And I think those little shows for six people in that van and going and doing it every weekend is what got me better. Being in the studio and singing made me find who I was as not only a person, but as a singer.
Dylan Scott
I did a show at the Ryman last night and it doesn't matter who the artist is, but they're super successful now. But I think what you're saying lends to what I was explaining to some of my friends after the show is that there are certain artists, they get famous so fast because of technology.
George Birge
Right.
Dylan Scott
But they do not have the skills to actually sing because they haven't had to do It. In tiny places, in small places. Learn how to do it. Sick. Learn how to do it three nights in a row. Learn how to do. And so they can have massive songs, they can have success in that way, but they haven't been given the time or the ability to actually learn how to, one, do it. Two, find themselves.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
And they are who they are. And there's almost nowhere for them to go. In a weird way, they're kind of trapped.
George Birge
It's.
Dylan Scott
It's a great place to be trapped at first, but they're kind of trapped, but they don't have that skill. And then at times it can end up. Because everybody records everything. It can end up on social media and people are like, this person sucks. When really they don't suck. They just haven't learned how to sing. And I don't mean how to sing, but I mean how to sing.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
As a career. Good. Good days, bad days, when you're sad, how much can you drink before? Like, all the stuff that you talk about that you did, like finding yourself.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
I think that's so important for people to hear because you're in the middle of it. You're going, man, this kind of blows. I got 11 people here. And all, you know, and all I got said an apple. Like the writers and an apple and an old, warm, mad dog.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
You know.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
But I think that's so. It's so valuable for you and in.
George Birge
Finding myself, what I mean, for me, anyway, it was actually literally finding myself because I was trying to be something I wasn't.
Dylan Scott
And again, I was trying to be. That's a part of it.
George Birge
What my dad wanted me to be or what these labels thought they wanted me to be or whoever else was in my ear, you know, it was like finding the true me.
Dylan Scott
But I think if you had like one American Idol, for example, and. And you didn't know who you were as a vocalist, as what you wanted to say, you would have been Dylan who won American Idol, and that's what everybody would have known you for.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
That. That's your stamp.
George Birge
So getting back to what we talking about a while ago, as far as it's taken me a long time to get to where I'm at. I'm grateful for that because I really think if I would have had success early on, I might not be around anymore or I might be something that I'm not today. Right. My wife said the other day was talking about something what not. And maybe the same conversation. She's like, it's just all in God's plan, you know, just do you. It's gonna. Whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen, you know, so just keep pushing along, doing your thing, and it'll happen when it's supposed to happen. And that's the same way with my music career is like, it happened when it was supposed to happen and how it was supposed to happen. The Bobby cast. We'll be right back.
Bobby Bones
Something unexpected happened after Jeremy Scott confessed to killing Michelle Schofield in Bone Valley season one.
Dylan Scott
I just knew him as a kid.
Bobby Bones
Long, silent voices from his past came.
Dylan Scott
Forward, and he was just staring at me.
Bobby Bones
And they had secrets of their own to. To share.
Dylan Scott
Gilbert King. I'm the son of Jeremy Lynn Scott.
Bobby Bones
I was no longer just telling the story. I was part of it.
Dylan Scott
Every time I hear about my dad is, oh, he's a killer. He's just straight evil.
Bobby Bones
I was becoming the bridge between a killer and the son he'd never known.
Dylan Scott
If the cops and everything would have done their job properly, my dad would have been in jail. I would have never existed.
Bobby Bones
I never expected to find myself in this place. Now I need to tell you how I got here.
Dylan Scott
At the end of the day, I'm literally a son of a killer.
Bobby Bones
Bone Valley Season 2 Jeremy.
Dylan Scott
Jeremy, I want to tell you something.
Bobby Bones
Listen to new episodes of bone Valley Season 2 starting April 9 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear the entire new season ad free with exclusive content starting April 9th. Subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.
George Birge
This is the Bobby cast.
Dylan Scott
What label did you sign with it? Seventeen.
George Birge
Curb. Curb Breakers.
Dylan Scott
Same. You're still on the same label.
George Birge
Yeah. Been there almost 15 years. That's crazy. Yeah.
Dylan Scott
That's an anomaly.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
And I mean, not the 15 years. The fact that it took you however many years. 17 to. How old were you when you had a hit?
George Birge
30. When I had a hit.
Dylan Scott
Yeah.
George Birge
Oh, I was like 26, maybe.
Dylan Scott
Nine years at a label.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
No commercial success. I'm sure they saw a lot in you. But to have you for nine years and you're still there. Nine years of. We'll call it nothing. It's not nothing, but it's growing. And they kept you.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
Not common.
George Birge
Yeah. And that's. That's another. That's why I'm grateful for all that. You know, I look back and, you know, record labels are record labels. You know, everybody can say anything they want about them. And it's with any business, too. There's always good and there's always bad. But in my situation, it's like, man, I don't really have anything bad to say. They've stuck with me from the time I was a kid trying to find himself. And, you know, it's. And it was a tough road, too, because, like, when I signed with Curb Records, they opened up a subsidiary label called Sidewalk Records, and I was nobody at the time. They still had Tim McGraw guys like that. And so they were putting all of their. I would call them CX and maybe BX over on Sidewalk just to spread it out a little bit. So I got moved over and it was tough. I hit radio tour with nobody explaining to me what radio tour was. And so I walk into the first station I went to not knowing what I was supposed to do. There was. You know, it's just so much stuff to it back then. I look back now and go, man, if I just had somebody to tell me, hey, you need to do. Here's what we're going to do. You know, maybe learn how to do this or do that or. And so I was like this shy kid that. And I really wasn't shy, but I came across that way because I had no idea what was going on, you know. And so we had failed singles and this, this and that. And honestly, what really got me back over to the Curbside where I needed to be was just YouTube, social media. We weren't really releasing music. And so I told myself, I'm not going to sit here and wait for somebody to make me make my career for me. He's like, I want to do it myself. And so I started writing songs and making little homemade videos with buddies and throwing them on YouTube. And it started gaining success, and that led to other things. And they're like, oh, we need to do something. So got back over on Curb, and.
Dylan Scott
That'S kind of forced their hand a little bit.
George Birge
I had to.
Dylan Scott
Yeah.
George Birge
Not that. Not that they didn't believe. It's just they had other things to go and they had bigger fish to fry.
Dylan Scott
Well, they had money that they had. They had to cover their own butts and make money so they didn't lose their job.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
And with an unproven entity, if they continue to invest in it and it doesn't make money back, they lose their job. Like, I understand the logic and why they. They wouldn't. I'm surprised. And not because it's you. That after failed singles, they were like, we still believe in you. Let's keep going. Even if it's moving to sidewalk. Who was it? Who. Like, who do you look at at that time that was, like, the one that believed in you?
George Birge
Jeff Turf is a guy over there who, from day one, has just always been there for me. He's on the marketing side of things, creative side of. I don't. It's a hard question because I don't know if there's. I don't know if there's anybody that just didn't believe in me, but somebody.
Dylan Scott
Had to be like, that's our dude.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
And maybe you don't know who they are or were.
George Birge
I mean, I really don't know how that all happened collectively. You know, I don't know what really went on there, but I did once I got back to Curb, so I had probably two. I think I had two failed singles at Sidewall.
Dylan Scott
What were they?
George Birge
My first single was a song called Making this Boy go Crazy. And when I say failed single, like, it didn't obviously.
Dylan Scott
32, 27.
George Birge
Oh, no, no. Didn't make top 40, you know, but it streamed well. And then we put out another song. I think it was a song called Lay It On Me. It didn't really do much. Streamed decently. And it was. At that point, they were like, man, these streaming numbers look pretty decent for a nobody. And so that's when they moved me back over to Curb and we put out a song called Crazy Over Me, which did go to, like, 32, 31. And then it was the next single, which was My Girl was my first.
Dylan Scott
Number one, the Crazy Over Me.
George Birge
So you said Crazy over me.
Dylan Scott
When that goes to 31 or 32, after you move back to the. The big label, is that a success to you, or because it wasn't a top 10 and you just got put back on? We'll call it the big leagues. Or was. Does it feel like. Oh, man, failed again.
George Birge
Yeah, failed again.
Dylan Scott
It wasn't a success, even though it was your highest.
George Birge
I mean, in my eyes, not failing is number one, you know, I mean, not number two, not number three. I want to be number. I want to have the number one song. That's what. That's what we're. What we're here for. Have a number one song. And so when we went to 32, 31, something like that, I mean, I was. I was fired up, right? Top 40 single. This is cool. We're getting played on quite a few stations, and I was. I remember them calling me, and just like, we lost it. I mean, that's. That was devastating. Yeah, because it's like, man, am I ever going to have a number one at that point? And then once you do have a number one, you're still like, golly, am I going to be a one hit wonder?
Dylan Scott
Dude, you're. It never ends.
George Birge
Never ends.
Dylan Scott
That's so funny you said that. I have a very close friend who had a number one hit this last year and he spent forever trying to just get on the chart.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
Gets a number one.
George Birge
But then he had another one.
Dylan Scott
Yeah. But then he's like, what am I gonna do? I'm like, what do you mean what are you gonna do? I'm gonna be a failure if I don't. I'm like, dude, four months ago you were begging for a top 10 just so you'd have another shot to have a song. But I do that too, right? It's like, we got it. And then we start hyper focusing in an unhealthy way.
George Birge
Very unhealthy. But you gotta be that way. Well, yes, not unhealthy, but you gotta have that drive.
Dylan Scott
Drive is different than an unhealthy expectation. I have full. I'm full of unhealthy expectations. And I also have drive. I try to balance them. Most of mine is very unhealthy. Yeah, I'm mentally very unhealthy. You get no men more mentally unhealthy than me. I'm so competitive, I want to kill everybody and everything all the time. So you're talking, we're talking out of the same mouth here. But when it's somebody else, you have a bit more perspective, which is what's odd. And I have a couple friends that will lend me perspective in the same situation. And they're like, you're out of your mind. Here's why. And with my friend, I'm like, you're out of your mind, here's why. Before you start to not sleep at night because you're worried about being a one hit wonder, how about when you didn't sleep worrying if you're ever gonna get a hit or be able to keep doing music full time to pay the bills?
George Birge
Yeah, well, that's, that's where I was. And I'm sure that's where he was as well.
Dylan Scott
Do you know what I'm talking about?
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
Okay.
George Birge
Yeah. I mean, after my girl, I just had my first son, so I got my wife, I've got a kid. I mean, I'm starting my life, really. And I have a number one song. The money's going up a little bit. The shows are good.
Dylan Scott
Everything guarantees Are getting bigger.
George Birge
Yeah. Like, everything's great. Like, I'm supporting my family, doing music now. I don't want to lose that. You know, it's like, that's why you don't want to be a one hit wonder. And you start stressing about it, like, okay, I got to keep this going because this is how I pay the bills.
Dylan Scott
Hey, how fast did my girl move?
George Birge
Like, oh, none of my stuff moved quick.
Dylan Scott
See, so revision.
George Birge
50 something weeks.
Dylan Scott
Okay, that's crazy. Revisionist in my head is like, that was a quick one. Because it's. Because it's lasted. Because now it's still what they would call like a recurrent. Like, it still gets played because it's.
George Birge
Still one of our biggest songs, which is crazy to me.
Dylan Scott
So in my mind, I didn't live in the forest, which you did. In my mind, I was like, yeah, dude, Dylan put that song out. Freaking 20 weeks later, number one went on to the next one. That ain't what happened.
George Birge
No, every one of my singles are. They're, they're slow. But there's. Here's what happens with, with my stuff. And it's every single. Every single one of them. It takes forever to get to the 20s, top 30 forever. But once it gets to top 30 in the 20s, it's super quick.
Dylan Scott
There's a real marsh about 45 to 30. It's hard to fight through that marsh.
George Birge
Yes.
Dylan Scott
Because there's a lot of songs, a lot from a lot of artists that are just trying to, like you say, break into that is. Then you get what they would call research. And I'm not a music director, I'm not a music guy. Every once in a while I play something I like. But I got out of that world and I just do content at this point. But when I was in that space, like, if you could get to what you're talking about. I'm glad you said that because then they would have research.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
And then once you got some good research, they freaking shoot you like a rocket ship. It was just so hard to get from that 45 to 28 area.
George Birge
Yep.
Dylan Scott
When you hit top 25, did it feel like the horse was moving a little bit?
George Birge
Oh, it was flying. Yeah. Every time.
Dylan Scott
Like every week it was like bullet moving.
George Birge
Yeah. Every time. And it's just blowing up. And they're coming back like, oh, research is showing number one song on our market or number top five or whatever. Like.
Dylan Scott
Yeah.
George Birge
You know, and. But I mean, knock on wood. I mean, hopefully we're fixing. We're fixing Our six, number one. And I mean, it's been the same way and nothing's changed. And I don't hold. I mean, at this point, I understand the business a lot better and I don't stress about that anymore either. Like, it just is what it is. Like, we're. We're having fun. Everything else is good. And you've got other avenues now too. You know, it's. It's radio and it's streaming and it's out playing your shows and building a fan base, like, everything is good. So, I mean, don't get me wrong, I would love to have a single that moved 25.
Dylan Scott
Yeah, you're way healthier than I. You're way healthier than I am. I can just hear you talk and I like, I wish I had a little bit of that. Like, because here's why I'd be frustrated. I don't want to trigger you. Here's why I'd be frustrated. And I feel like there are two artists that suffer and I'm going to go ahead and spoil it. You're one of them that suffer from not getting the benefit of having big success because other people have two or three songs and all of a sudden it's like, we'll get them to dimash pretty quick. We'll get the research a lot quicker because we just know that. So there have been artists with less that have been given bigger benefits. And the two artists that I go, they make hits. It's crazy. They don't get. That is you for sure. Because again, you're about to do. You're about to do six after three, they gotta be like, why don't we just, you know, look at the past and Dylan's been able to crush it. And then let's. Okay, well, let's listen to the song. Does it suck? No. Okay. And he's able to crush it. And all the other things I've researched. Well, so I get frustrated. Not for you personally, because it's not like you and I hang out. So I don't. Like as friends. No. But as somebody who is a creative himself, I get frustrated for you in that way. And there's one other person. Can you name the other person? Not person. A group.
George Birge
A group, Yeah. I don't know.
Dylan Scott
Parmalee.
George Birge
Parmalee. Yeah.
Dylan Scott
They have hits and nobody. Nobody goes. Let's just. They've done it four or five times. Yeah. They should be able to get that. That benefit of the doubt to at least get up into like the 20s without having some massive research. Because everything else has research. It's like your crap. You're healthy, good for you. I'd be going freaking crazy.
George Birge
Well, I mean, I still do.
Dylan Scott
I want to trigger you. I see. I don't trigger you. I don't want to trigger you.
George Birge
You're not triggering it. Look, I. I guess I've just. Like I said earlier, having kids now, maybe it's just getting older. It's other things going on in my life as well. I mean, we can get to this. But I mean, I've. I've got a trash business in Louisiana that I. I deal with every day with a buddy of mine, my business partner. It's like I just have other things in life I worry about. But I reached a point of life where there's a lot of things that's just out of my control. Like I can't control that. I can't. I can be the nicest dude. I can be the most outgoing person I could. There's so much I could do that still it's not going to matter. I can't control how quick something moves or, you know, whatever. The only thing I can control is writing the music, putting out the best music I can, my social media showing my life and gaining and gaining fans and playing shows and playing the best show I can. That's all I really can do. I can't make a single move faster.
Dylan Scott
Well, I get a little pissed for you, if you want to know.
George Birge
Well, I appreciate that.
Dylan Scott
And mostly, and I say this in the most complimentary way, it's not even about you. It's about you and what this data has shown and because it's always like dad and dad and daddy.
George Birge
Well, numbers don't lie.
Dylan Scott
Sure. Then if. Since they don't lie, then why don't we use those numbers and there's a couple people that aren't getting the benefit of the numbers. And you're. To me, you're one of those who, if we're going to use data, if we're going to say A, B and C, get it because of this. Well, here's D, who's done more than that, has better data. And you guys are just like holding, holding them back, waiting again. Anyway. No, we're moving off because I get.
George Birge
But it's more to it than even.
Dylan Scott
I hear you.
George Birge
Even the radio trash business.
Dylan Scott
I need trash business. Yeah, I'm not talking about radio. All of it.
George Birge
Yeah. Playing awards, award shows, man, that. That's right where my freaking head is playing them. Being a presenter, I know you're gonna.
Dylan Scott
Get back I don't want to put. I don't.
George Birge
Nominated. You know, that's. Once again, it's like, do I still get aggravated about that stuff? No doubt. You think I want to sit at home on the couch with. I mean, because I do this. My little boy right here watching the award show and not being there. Like, no, I want to be there, but I promise you, I'm not fixing to go just walk a red carpet because I want people to go, look at me, look at me. Like, that's not who I am.
Dylan Scott
So I just don't go, dude, same now. I don't. I want. No offense to the color red or carpets. Love them both. Yeah, I don't do them anymore. I want to host. I have every credential to host these shows. Meaning I just had a comedy special on cmt. I've been touring standup. I have massive platform. I have had four TV shows. Like, everything about it, right. Has been. There is no way that I shouldn't have hosted one of these award shows.
George Birge
Agreed.
Dylan Scott
The one. The. I won't say which one. I tend to get triggered quickly, which you don't. I need a trash business. I got a call a couple of years ago like, hey, we want you to host a so, so big, big one. And I'm like, finally, like, I've. There's nothing more that I could do data wise. And I've trained in every way, like on the road, doing standup all the time. Doesn't matter. I even wrote jokes for one of the award shows. No credit. Wrote jokes. I swear to God. They stole them and used them and never credited me. But I was like. So anyway, they call and they go, hey, want you to host the show. And I'm like, fine. And like three days before they were announcing it, they call and go, hey, we've had some. We'll call them political issues. You can't. We can't let you host it. Devastated. And from then I'm like, I'm not going. I'm not presenting anymore. I'm not doing red carpets because I don't want to do that. I want to do that. And I try to not get angry, but I don't have a son to put on my lap. So I put my bulldog on my lap. But he don't care. He doesn't know what ward show is, so he doesn't.
George Birge
It's worse putting your son in your lap.
Dylan Scott
Yeah, I'm sure. Yeah. I mean, he doesn't know the TV is. He just thinks a box of color.
George Birge
Because as an artist, man, it's like you see all these other. Once again, you get back to looking at other people, which I. I don't really get into that anymore. But you do a little bit, and you see. And it's like, man, why. Why can't I. Why can't I walk out on the stage and go, and the winner is. Or whatever, you know, just something.
Dylan Scott
It's funny we said award shows at the same time, because I think about that with you.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
That's how you know I'm not lying. Because right when you said that, I was also talking about award shows for you, because I'm like, how do you not play award shows?
George Birge
Yeah, but, you know, it all boils down to a lot of things.
Dylan Scott
It's political.
George Birge
Sure. Yeah. I mean, just political. You know, could it be. Well, I'm not going to get into that.
Dylan Scott
I don't want you to. I'm moving off.
George Birge
We got to do something happy.
Dylan Scott
What's your favorite? Candy lady? There you go. New Truck. Different kind of energy to the song. You know, a lot of your stuff is super personal. It feels like that way to me. Maybe I just see your social media, too, and that's very personal. So a lot of what you do feels personal. New Truck feels, I don't know, like, up. Fun. Not that it's not personal, but I feel like it doesn't try to be as personal on purpose. Is that true or. No?
George Birge
New Truck was, I guess, the point of me going, man, I got a lot of love songs here, and they work. They. The love songs work for me just because of my life and how I live it and what I do show on social media. And I was like, I don't want to back myself into the love song corner where I'm just out playing a bunch of love songs. So I had to do something different. Which New Truck. That's when I kind of shifted that corner a little bit. Yeah, it just felt good. It was up tempo, up tempo. Breakup song was kind of cool. And so since then, since New Truck, I mean, we did have can't have Mine, but even, like, this town's been too good to us. Our single now it's, you know, it's.
Dylan Scott
Song's crushing, too.
George Birge
Yeah. I mean, yeah, it's. It's doing well. You know what?
Dylan Scott
How do we strategize this? I want you to present on an award show. I want you to play on an award show. But. Okay, if you want to crawl before you walk, fine. What do we do? Not even about me. About you. What do we do? Who's your agent? Like, don't say a person. Who's your company?
George Birge
As far as my booking? Management. Sure.
Dylan Scott
No, not agent first. Like, I'm a uta William Morris. Okay. Who's your management?
George Birge
Kpe.
Dylan Scott
Oh, yeah. She'll cut somebody's throat.
George Birge
Oh, no doubt.
Dylan Scott
Yeah. I need to call Kerry and be like, what do you want? How do you want me to plaster this? Because I'll get annoyed with something and I will just beat it to oblivion where people want to kill me, and then I know I've done it. Right.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
Like, even just hanging out with you, I'm re annoyed for you.
George Birge
You don't have to be re annoyed.
Dylan Scott
No, I know I don't have to be, but I think I am because I. Maybe because I'm so selfish. I see me in you and you and me and that we're both like, what the crap, man? We've done everything freaking possible. But, like, I'm kind of just used. I'm working on it. I'm like, after today, I'm working on it.
George Birge
I've. You know, you hear of people going, oh, we're bitter or we're jaded to the business. Hey, I'm not bitter or jaded.
Dylan Scott
I'm not bitter. I'm not bitter either.
George Birge
One bit. Like, I love everything about everybody. What's going on. This is great, you know, so. But I don't know, man. I just once again got to the point where it's like, I'm texting Carrie. I don't need an award. I don't need a trophy. You know? I mean, dude, we are selling shows out across this country, you know, every night, tons of fans showing up. People know the music, Everything's going well. You know, it's just we know how the business works sometimes, and we know by winning an award is a good look and it can move the needle on things, but it ain't. I'm. I guess what I'm trying to say, I've just. Look, I've never had the industry just go, hey, let's go do this. You know? Like, I'm not on all the big. What do you call it? Like, social media platforms. They're not talking about me. They're not doing this, they're not doing that.
Dylan Scott
But you also have a big social media following, so it's like you've built a base, a massive base. It's a dichotomy for sure, because you're like, I don't have her being like, he's the coolest. He's the trendiest. Yet you have a massive following that you have built your own.
George Birge
Sometimes I just wonder if my life's just not as interesting as others, you know? Like, I'm not the guy that's out, man. I'm not out there partying, making a scene.
Dylan Scott
I think that question is wrong. I think it's not. Am I not as interesting? Because I think you are very interesting. Because again, just look at data, look at your numbers, look at your follow, look at your why. Look at what you guys do, right? You're consistently interesting to a lot of people. I think some of that quick flash that doesn't last, that's not there, but that's not what you're trying to do. But you can't say, am I not interesting? Because, dude, people talk more about what you're doing on social media because that stuff always changes. Like a song exists for. It's like you said, it took a year for a song to be number one.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
Like people talk about your social media. I hear people just talking about it randomly. So wrong question to ask.
George Birge
Yeah, I don't know what the question is. Like, I don't know what. I don't know what it is.
Dylan Scott
But yeah, I just text your manager and I'm like, look, tell me what to do. Tell me what to do. Because that's.
George Birge
Well, I've asked.
Dylan Scott
No. Yeah, but when I ask her, I mean business. Yeah, she knows I mean business.
George Birge
I just wonder sometimes it's like, man, like our stream, like my next single I'm putting out at radio, you know, yet it's called what Will Never have. I mean, it's got over 200 million streams already. It's not even. It's a year this month it's been out. I mean, it's 150 of those on million on just Spotify.
Dylan Scott
Yeah.
George Birge
You know, so it's like, man, sometimes I go, dude, if we. If we had some of the industry push like the award shows and we in that light a little bit or on these platforms, on social media, wonder what it'd be then, you know, because there's a huge fan base we haven't tapped into yet. I've been on one major tour, one major tour the whole time I've been in town.
Dylan Scott
Which one was that?
George Birge
Luke Bryan.
Dylan Scott
And you know what is awesome, but also sucks about that. Awesome, because I love Luke. Luke and I are friends. We worked together for four years outside of this place. Worked on Idol for four years. That's how I know Carrie. So Carrie once got in a fight for me against a big Hollywood person once, and it was the most legit thing I've ever seen.
George Birge
Oh, yeah.
Dylan Scott
Where I was like, she'll take a box cutter to. And Carrie is not my manager.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
But I love Carrie, and she has, like, she. I could tell you off air, she went hard at somebody for me. What's awesome is Luke's awesome. But what is. I hate doing this. I hate. I know I'm triggering you, but I'm mad for you. But Luke is. Carrie's your manager, and she has the ability to go, so.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
What's your favorite cereal?
George Birge
I had frosted flakes this morning. Yeah, Probably Cinnamon Toast crunch.
Dylan Scott
Let's. Let's do something. I don't want to be frustrated for you anymore. Okay. So let's take a quick pause for a message from our sponsor.
Bobby Bones
Something unexpected happened after Jeremy Scott confessed to killing Michelle Schofield in Bone Valley season one.
Dylan Scott
I just knew him as a kid.
Bobby Bones
Long, silent voices from his past came.
Dylan Scott
Forward, and he was just staring at me.
Bobby Bones
And they had secrets of their own to share.
Dylan Scott
Gilbert King. I'm the son of Jeremy Lynn Scott.
Bobby Bones
I was no longer just telling the story. I was part of it.
Dylan Scott
Every time I hear about my dad, it's, oh, he's a kid killer. He's just straight evil.
Bobby Bones
I was becoming the bridge between a killer and the son he'd never known.
Dylan Scott
If the cops and everything would have done their job properly, my dad would have been in jail. I would have never existed.
Bobby Bones
I never expected to find myself in this place. Now I need to tell you how I got here.
Dylan Scott
At the end of the day, I'm literally a son of a killer.
Bobby Bones
Bone Valley season two. Jeremy.
Dylan Scott
Jeremy, I want to tell you something.
Bobby Bones
Listen to new episodes of bone Valley Season 2 starting April 9 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear the entire new season ad free with exclusive content starting April 9th. Subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.
Dylan Scott
And we're back on the Bobby cast. The this town's been too good. Yeah. Too good. I was doing the countdown this morning, and it's top five.
George Birge
Five, I believe. Yeah.
Dylan Scott
Yeah. Y has that one. That one feels like it's moved a little faster.
George Birge
Or.
Dylan Scott
Or is it. That one was moving with the other one with you and the other Dylan, and it just feels like you've it like ubiquitous Dylan, Is that. You think that's what that one is?
George Birge
Yeah. Okay.
Dylan Scott
This one feels like you've been around more, but it's because you had two at once.
George Birge
Yeah. That's all it is. It's still just as long.
Dylan Scott
Yeah. What. How did you guys do. What was up with that song, Boys Back Home?
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
You and Dylan.
George Birge
I took Dylan out on his first tour a couple years ago and we just hit it off. He's just. He's a good one. He's just a good old boy, and he's a good performer and he's a good singer. And he was playing me that song, played me Boys Back Home. And I just told him, I said, man. And he played me. He played me like five or six. And Boys wasn't like the one he was fired up about. It was another one. It was like a slower song and it was great, but in my mind I was like, the wheels are already turning. Like, I never had anybody go, hey, dude, come on, let's. Let's do something together. Let's. Let's do a song. Let's. Blah, blah, blah, blah. And I told myself early on, I was like, I will. If I believe in somebody and I like somebody, I'm going to help them. Whether they've had a single, whether they're on a record label. I don't care. Like, if I can help somebody, like, I'm all for it.
Dylan Scott
Do you think a part of that is one, I think you're solid, dude. But two, because it had been nice if somebody would have jumped in with you like that.
George Birge
Yeah. I mean, it had been cool, you know, a young kid in town, like, I go back to that kid and I'm like, man, it would have been so cool. And it's nobody's fault. It's just the way it played out. But I just told myself, like, man, I want to. I want to. I want to be that guy if I can, you know, like, be a bigger brother to somebody. And he played me Boys Back Home. And it was up tempo and I just loved how it felt. And it felt like a great collab. And I went in and put my vocal on it. The next week, he'd have a record deal. And I remember taking it.
Dylan Scott
Really?
George Birge
Yeah. And I remember taking it to Curb and I said, I said, hey, listen to this. Like, we need. We need to put this out. And they were like, they were playing the whole game of like, you don't have a record deal, blah, blah. Well, as soon as he gets a record deal, I took it back to him and they were on board to do it and whatnot. But yeah, man, I'm Just glad it worked out the way it did.
Dylan Scott
Let me use another piece of data here. As far as, like, getting radio play, there were only three artists that had more than you over the last year. It was Jelly Roll, Morgan Wallen. Don't tell me. The other one. Post Malone. That's it. And you Fourth.
George Birge
I've been hearing some stats like this. I don't keep up with the stat stuff, but I've been hearing a couple of stats here lately, and I'm just like, that's kind of interesting, you know?
Dylan Scott
Yeah, Yeah. I feel like at times, like, my podcast numbers are monster. Right. Well, I mean, not right as in, you know, but like, they're monster. And I feel at times, and I'll put it on me, that maybe I don't educate people enough to know the capabilities that I have and the platform that I've created, and I will put some of it on me as well. Meaning everyone's like, we need to find this person, this podcast. And it's like, your radio show is big. And I'm like, you have no idea. You should look at the podcast numbers. And so I bet I do. Put it on me, too, where it's like, I think I could educate people. It's tough, though, to educate and not sound freaking cocky as crap. Sure, there's a difference in confidence and arrogance, and I bounce back and forth. There's no real way to walk that. And that. It's a tough thing to do, but if you were to. You can't really wear a shirt that says that. Yeah, Only three people are beating me, and it's Post Malone, Jelly. But yeah, it's. That's the. That's the trick. Like, how do you educate folks so they understand exactly what they're not seeing?
George Birge
Yeah. Like you said, I don't know how I do it, you know, without being cocky.
Dylan Scott
And that's. That's unlucky, too.
George Birge
You know, I have a burner accounts. Yeah.
Dylan Scott
Yeah.
George Birge
I have a great team around me as far as label and management and my agents. Like, I just. It's kind of their. Their job and their lane to go make that happen, you know, I can't. I mean, I don't even know where I. Who would I even. Who would I even talk to? Hey, man, I was the or girl. I was the fourth. Blah, blah, blah. Without, like you said, sounding cocky.
Dylan Scott
I just started it. Yeah, I did a little bit right there. This podcast is a rather large podcast, and I know that a lot of industry people that listen to this podcast would just, like, to say it's like a political ad. The guy's killing it. It's not even that. I need to convince you. He's good to be like, trust me. If you just. You don't have to dig. If you just. Just go to his page. Just go to one of the streaming site's pages, Go to Spotify and just look at the numbers beside him. Look at the number of hits that are radio hits. Look at his social media, the fact that he's not even presenting on an award show. You guys, you're messing up. So I'm encouraging you. Vote. Vote for Dylan Scott.
George Birge
And this ad is brought to you by. Box Water is better.
Dylan Scott
Well, I wish I had to deal with them. That would be nice. Oh, I have a deal with the environment, though. That's why we use those.
George Birge
There you go.
Dylan Scott
They don't pay me, though. And I'll never actually see it. I'll be dead before it actually pays off.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
That's showbiz, though.
George Birge
Part of it.
Dylan Scott
Yeah, man, Good job. Hang in there. I'm talking to me and you at the same time. Mostly I'm talking to me, but you're here, too. But good job, man. Hang in there. You can do it. You're killing it. You're killing it.
George Birge
Oh, it's all good on this end, man.
Dylan Scott
And everybody at home's good, Family's good.
George Birge
Family'S great, Kids great. Beckett starting baseball, practicing right now. He's killing it. I didn't play baseball growing up. I wish I did. My dad was the type. He was like, you sure you want to waste your whole summer? In other words, I really don't want you to play. Play basketball, so. I'm loving the baseball phase with Becky. He's really good. I'm not saying it because he's my kid. Like, he's really gravitating towards it, and it's fun.
Dylan Scott
You put little weights in their hands?
George Birge
No. What does that do?
Dylan Scott
I don't know. You're jacked.
George Birge
Oh, no, I haven't worked out since July. Haven't lifted a weight since July.
Dylan Scott
What is. What this is? If this is residual, count me in. I'd like some.
George Birge
I lost, like, ten pounds.
Dylan Scott
Why, did you get sick?
George Birge
No, I just. I've worked out my whole life. Almost like, you know, I was like, 18 almost every day, religiously. I did the deal, and I just kind of got burned out. And so it was a busy summer. Was on the road a lot. I'm always. I wake up after a couple hours, eat. I'll Go to a gym somewhere randomly. And I just had a lot going on. Stressed, not stressed about. Like I'm stressed out because something happened. Just a lot going on. Your body's stressed. And I was like, I need to take a break. And I wanted to take a break just to see what my body would do. Cuz I'm 34 now. Like my metabolism slowing down. Am I going to get fat? Like what's going to happen? And it's been great, honestly.
Dylan Scott
Yeah, not, not too, not too worried bragging about that, are you?
George Birge
Yeah, yeah. I mean my metabolism still good, rocking and rolling.
Dylan Scott
I, I went and got a full physical. Like all panels, all the blood, all the.
George Birge
I had that done last week.
Dylan Scott
Did you get your results back? I did, I got the metabolic. Metabolic age of 28 year old.
George Birge
Come on now. They didn't tell me all that.
Dylan Scott
Yeah, because you don't.
George Birge
That's why they said everything is excellent. I said, okay. They said, but your cholesterol.
Dylan Scott
And I'm like, oh, I got a little cholesterol too. But you know what I didn't do? I didn't know not to eat before I did it.
George Birge
My cholesterol is low.
Dylan Scott
Oh really?
George Birge
Yeah. Not high. It's low. They told me to eat.
Dylan Scott
What does that mean? How, how does it. Too low?
George Birge
I don't. They said eat more red meat and more fat. They said eat worse. Eat more, eat worse.
Dylan Scott
I need your doctor.
George Birge
He's a good one.
Dylan Scott
I need your doctor.
George Birge
He. He ain't just your doctor. You down the road, that's just like. Okay, yeah, he's, he needs. He's out of Dallas.
Dylan Scott
Do you have a concierge? Oh, okay, so you have a concierge doctor.
George Birge
I don't know what that is, dude.
Dylan Scott
I didn't either until.
George Birge
So they come to you.
Dylan Scott
So I'd be traveling so much. Right. And come go to the office, you wait and whatever.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
And so my friend Brett was, he's an art traveling artist. He's like, you should get Concierge Doctor 1. You can call them anytime they take you on the road. You're sick.
George Birge
You.
Dylan Scott
God forbid I have to take steroid shot if my voice is gone. But sometimes you have to. He's like, they got you. And then yeah, anytime they come to you. And yeah, it's a little expensive, but like for jobs job like I have for convenience. Yeah, it is, it's. It pays for itself.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
And maybe he just told me I was 28 because I pay extra. I didn't think about that till right now, like, you know, but he's. My cholesterol was high and I just a little bit. And I was like, why do you think that is? He said, dad, before you came in to do your work, like, when was the last time you ate? I was like, I don't know, an hour before I took some eggs. He goes, you got to fast for 12 hours. He goes, you were eating chocolate whenever before we started. I was like, that's a good point. That's a good point. And so I think mine could be normal. Probably is, but it definitely ain't low. Dude, it's been so, so good to talk with you.
George Birge
Yeah, same here. Thanks for having me.
Dylan Scott
Just a couple things. I know we mentioned some of this early on, so the Country Till I Die tour, there's a. It's a lot of shows through April, I may. Oh, George is out with you?
George Birge
Yeah, yeah. George is direct support.
Dylan Scott
He got good.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
It's weird.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
Because he was always. He was always good and he was. And I take him out and he'd open shows and George is good and. But like he. He had. And you know this, you know how it works. Once you get some confidence, it opens new doors to you.
George Birge
100.
Dylan Scott
He's like freaking good now. It's weird.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
Like I pound him a pickleball and then I watch him play and like, dude, you're like, you got a couple hit confidence there.
George Birge
He's been doing a long time, though.
Dylan Scott
He has been doing a long time.
George Birge
What was the group before? What was his Waterloo.
Dylan Scott
Waterloo Revival.
George Birge
And so what's wild about this? I knew George. I forget the other guy's name. I knew them back in those days. We was doing radio tour stuff together. And then I didn't see George for a while and then I ran into him and I almost didn't recognize him without the group, you know. And when it clicked finally, I was like, this is really cool that he's doing what he's doing and it's working.
Dylan Scott
He quit.
George Birge
Is that what happened?
Dylan Scott
Well, he was just writing. He was like, I'm just going to write. And then he put a song. Clay Walker was like, hey, that's it. You should put that song on Tick Tock. And he's like, ah, I want to be a Tick Tock guy. And which is what everybody says before they realize if you do it right, it's not corny. Yeah, there's a difference. There's corny, there's corny and then there's.
George Birge
And you got to be corny sometimes. But.
Dylan Scott
But there's also not corny.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
And so he put it up, started to get a little. Little heat. Next thing you know, he's like, I guess I'll try it. And it's been awesome.
George Birge
And there's a fine line of being an influencer as well.
Dylan Scott
Why? You trying to tell me? Tell me to right now or what?
George Birge
No, no.
Dylan Scott
Use my promo code. That's.
George Birge
I think Amy called me an influencer. I'm like, I'm not an influencer, man. Like, we ain't got to. I walked out of a Slim Chickens the other day, and this girl was walking in and she goes, you're that TikTok guy. I said, no, I'm not. And I just kept walking. Never told her anything else. Never spoke another word. I was like, no, I'm not.
Dylan Scott
I'm on Tik Tok, but I'm not the TikTok.
George Birge
Yeah, it's a fine line.
Dylan Scott
Dylanscottcountry.com had April through, you know, mid May, doing a bunch of fairs and festivals and. Yeah, man, congrats on another song that's about to be a number one. I looked at some research. Yeah, I'm sure you've seen it. It's there. You guys probably plotting it out at this point, right?
George Birge
It's pretty planted. We're just in line.
Dylan Scott
You're just plotting. Yeah. You're just plotting it.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
That's awesome. That's when this comes out. I Hate Whiskey will be out.
George Birge
Yes. It comes out the end of March.
Dylan Scott
Yeah.
George Birge
Yeah.
Dylan Scott
So what's. What are you doing with that?
George Birge
Just.
Dylan Scott
You just. Is it existing?
George Birge
Yeah. I mean, I Hate Whiskey was that. It's one of those songs I've had for a while, and it's. It's such a great song. Like, I want it to be the single, but then again, what will never have. I didn't. I didn't write I Hate Whiskey. I did write what will never happen. I was like, I don't know about what will never happen because it's been out for a year, but just can't really deny the numbers on it. But that's a fine line, man. You take somebody's song that you didn't write, and it's not a radio single, it's just a dsp, just a streaming release. And, you know, there's not a lot of money being made there, but it could also really help me as an artist. But it doesn't make the writers any money. It's like, that's a super. I don't know man. So that's a topic on my mind every day as far as when I'm looking at music, you know, because I caring person, boy, I just, man, it's such a great song. It deserves to be a single. You know, it deserves to make these writers money and like, you know, if it goes and does 150 million streams, 200 million streams, whatever, it does not add up to what it is a single. And you just kind of feel bad about it, but, well, yeah, you hit.
Dylan Scott
One, this one hits in three and a half years, when your next one.
George Birge
Comes out, well, that's, that's another thing. It's still going to be a single. You never know. All right.
Dylan Scott
AT Dylan Scott, Country Dylan, Good to talk to you about, buddy.
George Birge
You too.
Dylan Scott
Thanks for listening to a Bobby Cast production.
Bobby Bones
Something unexpected happened after Jeremy Scott confessed to killing Michelle Schofield in Bone Valley season one.
Dylan Scott
Every time I hear about my dad is, oh, he's a killer. He's just straight evil.
Bobby Bones
I was becoming the bridge between Jeremy Scott and the son he'd never known.
Dylan Scott
At the end of the day, I'm literally a son of a killer.
Bobby Bones
Listen to new episodes of bone Valley Season 2 starting April 9 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Podcast Summary: The Bobby Bones Show
Episode: BOBBYCAST: Dylan Scott on Manifesting His Career at 10 Years Old + Not Getting to Play or Present at Award Shows + How He Met His Wife When They Were Kids + Growing up Next to Lainey Wilson
Host/Author: Premiere Networks
Release Date: April 4, 2025
In this episode, host Bobby Bones sits down with two prominent figures in the country music scene: Dylan Scott, a five-time number one artist, and George Birge, a dedicated musician navigating the complexities of the music industry. The conversation delves deep into their personal journeys, career challenges, and the intricacies of maintaining success in a competitive landscape.
George Birge reflects on his upbringing and early exposure to music, heavily influenced by his father, a former country music singer. He shares,
"[00:25:16] George Birge: I remember playing basketball, like, outside in the neighborhood as a kid, and buddies would say, 'Your voice is deep.'"
From a young age, George was immersed in music, participating in church choirs and gospel trios. This foundation laid the groundwork for his passion and commitment to a career in country music.
Dylan Scott echoes a similar sentiment regarding early aspirations:
"[00:16:30] Dylan Scott: I wrote a book called 'My Future Life' in fourth grade, detailing my dreams to be in Nashville. Looking back, I've manifested everything I wrote in that book."
Both artists discuss the hurdles they faced in their early careers. George Birge recounts his experiences with failed singles and the pressure from record labels:
"[00:39:41] George Birge: My first single didn't make the top 40, but it streamed well, which temporarily kept me afloat. However, subsequent releases struggled, leading to setbacks."
Despite these challenges, George emphasizes the importance of perseverance:
"[00:39:22] George Birge: I don’t know how it all happened, but getting back on Curb Records allowed me to release 'Crazy Over Me,' which eventually led to my first number one with 'My Girl.'"
Dylan Scott shares his frustration with the industry's pace, comparing it to George's experiences:
"[00:22:36] Dylan Scott: I feel like I'm not moving fast enough. It's frustrating watching others get immediate success while it takes me years to climb."
The conversation delves into the dynamics between artists and their management teams. George Birge praises his long-standing relationship with Curb Records, highlighting their unwavering support:
"[00:35:57] George Birge: Curb Records has been with me for almost 15 years. They've supported me from the beginning, even when my singles didn’t perform as expected."
In contrast, Dylan Scott discusses his challenges with industry expectations and the pressure to conform:
"[00:50:45] Dylan Scott: I tried to propose myself as a host for an award show, but political issues halted the process. It was disheartening to see my efforts dismissed."
Both artists touch upon their personal lives, sharing heartwarming stories about meeting their significant others and balancing family with their demanding careers.
George Birge narrates how he met his wife through mutual friends in Louisiana and the significance of supporting each other through long-distance challenges:
"[00:07:56] George Birge: We met in seventh grade but only started dating in our sophomore year. Facing six years of long-distance, we eventually reunited in Nashville to build our life together."
Dylan Scott emphasizes the influence of family on his career decisions and personal growth:
"[00:42:07] Dylan Scott: After having my first son, my priorities shifted. Supporting my family became paramount, and I strive to maintain that balance while pursuing music."
A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the artists' perspectives on award shows and the mechanisms of achieving radio success.
George Birge expresses his ambivalence toward award shows, prioritizing live performances over accolades:
"[00:49:36] George Birge: Honestly, I’d rather be on the road playing shows for fans than sit at home on the couch watching award ceremonies."
Dylan Scott shares his own struggles with expectations and the fleeting nature of success:
"[00:32:34] Dylan Scott: Artists often get trapped by the desire for quick success fueled by streaming numbers and social media, which can overshadow genuine talent and long-term growth."
The duo also discusses the challenges of maintaining momentum on radio charts, particularly the persistent struggle to break through the top tiers despite consistent releases.
"[00:44:27] Dylan Scott: There's a real marsh between 45 and 30 on the charts. It’s hard to push through without massive industry support."
Both artists candidly address the mental toll that the pursuit of success can take. George Birge shares his journey toward finding contentment and reducing the stress associated with constant comparison:
"[00:22:37] George Birge: I used to obsess over why others succeeded faster, but now I focus on enjoying my journey and what I’ve achieved so far."
Dylan Scott touches upon his competitive nature and the struggle to maintain mental health amidst industry pressures:
"[00:42:04] Dylan Scott: I have unhealthy expectations and competitiveness that can sometimes cloud my perspective. Balancing drive with mental well-being is a constant challenge."
The rapport between Dylan Scott and George Birge is evident throughout the conversation. They support each other's endeavors and discuss collaborative efforts within the industry.
George Birge recounts collaborating with Dylan on powerful tracks:
"[00:55:57] George Birge: When Dylan played me 'Boys Back Home,' I knew it was a great collaboration. Supporting each other has been crucial to our mutual success."
Dylan Scott emphasizes the importance of mutual support and understanding in their friendship:
"[00:57:45] Dylan Scott: Helping each other navigate the industry's challenges is essential. We both recognize the hurdles and strive to overcome them together."
As the episode wraps up, both artists express optimism about their future projects and the continued growth of their careers. George Birge highlights upcoming releases and tours:
"[00:73:43] George Birge: 'I Hate Whiskey' is set to release at the end of March, and we’re plotting our next moves to ensure sustained success."
Dylan Scott looks forward to expanding his podcast reach and supporting fellow artists:
"[00:74:08] Dylan Scott: With the upcoming 'Country Till I Die' tour and ongoing collaborations, we’re excited about what the future holds."
George Birge:
"[00:16:30] I've pretty much done everything in that book that's fun. I'm a believer that you can manifest anything in life."
Dylan Scott:
"[00:22:36] I feel like I'm not moving fast enough. It drives me crazy."
"[00:39:50] It was devastating, because I was left wondering if I would ever have a number one hit."
"[00:42:04] I have unhealthy expectations and competitiveness that can sometimes cloud my perspective."
George Birge:
"[00:35:57] Curb Records has been with me for almost 15 years. They've supported me from the beginning."
"[00:49:36] I’d rather be on the road playing shows for fans than sit at home on the couch watching award ceremonies."
Dylan Scott:
"[00:57:45] We're both recognizing the hurdles and strive to overcome them together."
"[00:73:43] We're plotting our next moves to ensure sustained success."
This episode of The Bobby Bones Show offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of Dylan Scott and George Birge, showcasing their resilience, dedication, and unwavering passion for country music. Through candid discussions about personal struggles, industry challenges, and the importance of support systems, listeners gain valuable insights into what it takes to sustain a successful career in music. The friendship and mutual respect between Dylan and George further highlight the collaborative spirit that drives the country music community forward.