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(LOLO). Jerry is the one who asked, “Hey, wanna Granddaddy’s Song:
FARM TO STAGE: open for Colt Ford?” I’ve had the pleasure of playing the inspiration behind the tune. Watching him
Bill Irvin, Burton’s maternal grandfather, is
with John Langston, Struggle Jennings a few years
ago and was in the middle of an Afro-Man show,
WILL BURTON too. prepare to pass in the hospital was brutal and
writing a song about better days helped. Will
ZGP: How do you cope with the vulner- describes his grandpa as a WWII veteran, fac-
Read the latest from the locally-grown musician ability that is inherent in performing tory worker, farmer & devout member of the
as he discusses life and kindness. music? I mean, you are putting a part of Church of Christ. Burton goes on to say “ he

By Tammy Yosich with the assistance of April Riddle yourself out there and hope it is well re- was definitely one of the better influences in my
ceived, right?
WB: You mean, how do I deal with anxiety? I sug- life, taught me to drive and cast a fishing pole.
Off stage at the Tap Bar and Grill in Jackson, TN we but it wasn’t until 2017 that I got out there. I’ve been gest you get over it. I think most of us musicians Losing him was hard. You know country boys
steal a few minutes with singer/songwriter Will Bur- rolling ever since. have that anxiety, especially when releasing original and their granddaddies are always pretty tight.
ton. Burton’s well known in West Tennessee. In 2019, music. Singing covers can bring about nerves at
however, Burton was recognized statewide by the ZGP: You are a singer, songwriter, and first, but after a while, it’s like whatever. Performing We were tight. He was like superman to me,
Tennessee Music Awards wtih the title, “Songwriter farmer. How does that work? original music live brings about anxiety, but I mean, especially when I was a kid.”
of the Year.” Burton is gaining favor and a fan base WB: It’s hard sometimes; you gotta balance things you just got to push past it. No one will ever know
from Knoxville to Nashville, and Jackson to Mem- out. Most of the time, my dad and I farm together, what you can do if you are too afraid to get out
phis with songs like his first hit single, “Running Out and he’s pretty good at not griping at me when I have there – dive into the fear and experience the fruits of ZGP: You mentioned Chris Cornell earli-
of Road.” shows. However, during harvest and planting sea- vulnerability. er, but a lot of your tunes sound country.
son coming up, I must book my gigs a little lighter; I Are you a country guy?
Originally from Trenton, Burton now lives in an don’t stop booking gigs. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s ZGP: As a rising artist, how do you re- WB: Oh yeah, definitely yeah. I grew up on the
even smaller community, Greenfield, TN. As a worth it. I enjoy doing both farming and music. main humble as you grow into a famous sounds of George Jones, Merle Haggard, and Keith
fifth-generation farmer, Burton’s dad is pretty under- musician? Whitley, who is one of my favorites. I got to meet and
standing and doesn’t complain when he takes time ZGP: You grew up in Trenton? WB: Well, if I ever reach such a place, I have a hum- become friends with Whitley’s son with Lorri Mor-
for his music. Burton understands farm work comes WB: Yes, I grew up in Trenton and have moved to ble background to keep me grounded. I came from gan, Jesse Keith Whitley. Interestingly, my father’s
first and books gigs light during planting and harvest Greenfield. the farm, and while we didn’t have much, we didn’t music from the ‘60s and ‘70s bled over into my mu-
season. miss any meals either. We had the necessities of life. sical upbringing. The marriage between my father’s
ZGP: So, you moved to an even small It can be a hard life living on the farm, but it is all music Lynyrd Skynyrd and 38 Special and mine has
ZGP: Where did music start for you? town? I’ve known for thirty years. We were undoubtedly provided me with a healthy mixture of influential
WB: Well, I’ve always been obsessed with music. WB: I like living in Greenfield. I like small towns, provided strong examples of hard work and, perhaps musical textures. So, at our live shows, it might drift
When I was ten-eleven years old, I heard for the and I don’t think I could live in Jackson. I have folks most importantly, the long-lasting, long-reaching more toward rock and roll, but because I have that
first time the record, “Temple of the Dog.” I grew up tell me I should move to Nashville, but Jackson is too value of the Golden Rule. influence, we can certainly pull it off. But really, we
around good music, but that album with Chris Cor- big of a city. go all over the place musically, whatever feels right
nell and Pearl Jam really did it for me. But I didn’t and the audience’s vibe.
start playing guitar and singing until I was nineteen. ZGP: There is a lot of infrastructure going Honestly, word of mouth travels faster than any
on in Jackson right now. It is growing for music you drive. If you are an unkind person, your ZGP: Let’s talk about the song “Ridin’ for
ZGP: Was your family musical? sure. journey will be short-lived musically. People will re- a Fall.” Is this a song you wrote? How did
WB: My mother sang a little bit when she was young- WB: I remember in the 1990’s everything was in member how you treat them: a member of the audi- the lyrics come about?
er. I have a lot of cousins who are really good singers, downtown Jackson other than the Mall and going ence, an owner of a venue, or a person on the street. WB: You know, I can’t specifically remember how
but none of them play professionally. to Sears for Christmas pictures; that was a big deal Jackson, Tennessee, might be growing and one day it came about, but I had just got dumped by a girl,
when we came to Jackson. give Memphis a run for its musical money. But make most likely. Probably on a two-day bender, trying to
ZGP: When did you first get on stage? It’s no mistake, Jackson still maintains that small-town get that emotional stuff off your mind and write what
one thing to sing in the shower but in front ZGP: You opened for Colt Ford recently; gossip mill. You know, one negative interaction can you are feeling at the time. I do not recommend this
of people is an entirely different experi- how did that come about? easily erase hundreds of positive ones. Ninety-nine method for songwriting, but it is how some people
ence. WB: That was honestly a luck thing. Jerry Corley, the percent of the musicians I know here are great art- deal with stuff. That’s where good country songs
WB: I bought a guitar with funds leftover from col- guy who owns Hub City Brewing, is a friend of mine. ists; they are just trying to gig, work, and live. come from – being dumped, sad as hell, and drink-
lege and taught myself how to play and sing a little I’ve played Hub City a couple of times and played ing.
bit. I started playing in 2011, doing some odd stuff, a Christmas show with Lauren Pritchard Cobb Continued Next Page
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