Tracy Lawrence On How George Jones Helped Him & His Way Of Paying It Forward With New Artists
Country artist Tracy Lawrence
His careers spans more than three decades with 18 No. 1 hits that includes familiar songs like 'Time Marches On,' 'Paint Me A Birmingham,' and 'If the World Had a Front Porch,' just to name a few.
He continues to tour and still draws a crowd, too, with last week's sold-out show at the Ryman Auditorium as the latest example.
Tracy Lawrence performs at his sold out show at the Ryman Auditorium - Sunday, May 18th, 2025 - ... More Nashville, Tennessee
And yet, Tracy Lawrence accepts that he's on the 'other side' of his country music career and now is a time to enjoy all he's accomplished and make way for the younger artists striving to make their way up the ladder in hopes of achieving success.
It wasn't all that long ago he was in 'their' position.
'I remember the whole country music movement in the early 90s when things started to change and the format was shifting away from the Haggards and the Jones and Waylons,' Lawrence recalls. 'A lot of those older cats were really upset with us because they'd been on the radio for years and all of a sudden radio stations weren't playing their records anymore.'
Lawrence saying in the middle of that struggle, he remembers how George Jones showed a lot of class in welcoming those new artists.
'I saw the way George Jones handled that and the way he embraced us young kids. I spent a couple of years on the road with him. It was me and Mark Chestnutt and John Anderson that kind of rotated in and out of that tour. I watched how gracious George Jones was, and as I've gotten older, I realize I'm in that same place now. I'm not getting played on the radio anymore. But I've had my time and it's a young person's game now.'
Lawrence has found his own way of 'connecting' with today's young artists. He created a podcast called 'TL's Road House' And from the comfortable setting of his tour bus, he spends time with country's up-and-coming stars. So far, he's interviewed Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, HARDY, and many, many others.
'What I strive for when I go into these interviews is to find a common ground that we share like the passion for the music,' Lawrence says. 'And to talk about what their frustrations are within the industry, relationships with record labels, and so on. And with the diversity of the different artists, no two conversations are ever the same.'
Zach Top with Tracy Lawrence for "TL's Road House" - recorded on Lawrence's tour bus
Jelly Roll appears on Tracy Lawrence's tour bus for the podcast "TL's Road House"
He's discovered everyone has their own, unique country music journey.
'We all come from a different place,' he explains. 'We all had a different family life. Some people came up with a musical family, some didn't. There are some people who were born singing Christmas songs and church songs, and others who didn't tap into their passion until they were in their twenties. It's a fascinating conversation to have with these young people.
He chose the tour bus setting because it tends to put people at ease.
Tracy Lawrence and Ella Langley on Lawrence's tour bus for "TL's Road House"
Riley Green and Tracy Lawrence for "TL's Road House"
'I wanted to do it on the bus because of the comfort factor artists have. When you spend time on a bus, it's your safe space, There's a feeling they get when the come in and sit down that everything is cool. It has a charm to it. The only frustrating thing is having to set it up and tear it down for every podcast we do. It takes about an hour and a half to do that. So, I keep everything in boxes back in the closet.'
As busy as he stays with the podcast, Lawrence is still playing shows. He's also busy with a host of other projects including his Mission Possible charity for the homeless. He and a group of artists, athletes, and celebrities held his fifth annual golf tournament fundraiser in Nashville last week, raising more than $200,000.
Fellow country artists, athletes, and others took part in Tracy Lawrence's fifth annual Mission: ... More Possible Celebrity Classic Golf Tournament at Old Hickory Country Club outside Nashville, TN on May 19th, 2025. They raised more than $200,000.
Lawrence, who grew up in a Christian home with a mother very active in the church, says it started out as a small way to give back twenty years ago and has now become a major annual event.
'It was never meant to be a big charity thing, it was just a handful of us that wanted to do something for the community, shine a light on the Rescue Mission, and feed the homeless,' he says. 'That first year for Thanksgiving, I think we cooked 200 turkeys. Last November we cooked 1700 turkeys and raised about $300,000. It's amazing to see how something with no strategy or plan has evolved into something unique and every special.'
While Lawrence may not see his songs played on the radio or make their way up the country charts like they did years ago, he continues creating new music and is currently working on a new album.
Thanks to social media and streaming services, he knows it'll find its way to the people who want to hear it.
More than thirty years after it all began, Lawrence still loves performing. He says there's nothing like playing to a packed house with the crowd singing his biggest hits right along with him.
'I still love it, I still love being out there,' he says. 'I played Stagecoach in April and getting on stage and feeling that energy from people… When I hit 'Paint Me A Birmingham' at the end of my set, they were so loud. I guarantee it was 115,000 deep because my front house engineer told he had to turn it up (the audio) three times to get it over the people in the crowd. It was awesome!'
Singer Tracy Lawrence performs on the Palomino stage during the Stagecoach Music Festival on April ... More 27, 2025 in Indio, California. (Photo byfor Stagecoach)
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