The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett

Ryan Harmon Takes Over, Ding-A-Ling Confessions & One Savage Caller

• Chris Bennett • Episode 164

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Today’s episode of The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett & Best Friends is one for the books — music, mayhem, and a surprise caller who brought more spice than eggnog.

We kick things off with our Country Climb Star of the Week, sent our way by Austin Burke’s Playlisted Podcast — the incredible Ryan Harmon. Ryan shares the story behind his new single “Making a Living,” we play the track, and listeners immediately start calling in with reactions… including one surprise request from Paul in Beaumont that sends us spinning into Ryan’s song “I Knew This Would Happen.”

Then Andrea gives us another Hallmark Christmas Movie Review, followed by Jan the Weather Man calling in for National Ding-A-Ling Day. Chris and Jan take the “Are YOU a Ding-A-Ling?” test with questions like:
• Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why?
• Waved at someone who wasn’t waving at you?
• Lost your phone while holding it?
Spoiler: we’re absolutely ding-a-lings.

And just when we think the morning can’t get any wilder… we get a mystery caller who declares, “Your trivia is crap!” before hanging up. (Or did she say “legit”? You decide.)

Paul From Beaumont calls in next  to praise Ryan Harmon and request more music. Jan calls back in as well to double down: Ryan is the real deal.

Packed with laughs, live reactions, country music storytelling, and one unforgettable caller, this episode is a perfect Friday mood-setter.

If you enjoyed today’s show, follow the podcast, leave a quick review, and send some love to our featured artist — Ryan Harmon. And big thanks to Austin Burke and the Playlisted Podcast for bringing another rising star to the Country Climb!

SPEAKER_04:

From the Horn Auto Center Studios, Chris Bennett's Country Climb. Star of the Week. And today's star of the week is a guy whose voice was wagger and songwriting caught the nation's attention the moment he stepped on the American Idol stage. His audition racked up nearly 20 million views. His sense of humor made him an instant fan favorite. And his sound is where Travis Tritt meets Van Halen with a whole lot of Arkansas soul. You've heard him on Austin Burke's playlisted podcast. And apparently he's got a soft spot for older women. Please welcome Ryan Harmon.

SPEAKER_01:

Chris, can I hire you to just come on the road with me and do that every night? Dude, that would be a dream come true. I'd love it, man. Thanks so much for being on the show today. Man, thank you for having me. This is gonna be a blast. I can already tell.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, well, we'll start uh off fun with the little fun icebreaker questions to get to know Ryan Harmon a little bit better. Uh, what was the first thing you did today, Ryan, that your fans might be surprised you did?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh, probably wake up early for anybody that knows me. That's uh not a frequent activity for me being a songwriter. You know, I've a whole lot of late nights and not too many early mornings. Usually we're uh we're kind of asleep when everybody else is getting the day going, but I had uh morning TV today, so I had to get up and get gussied up a little earlier than normal. What is your go-to guilty pleasure tour snack? Oh man. As far as a snack goes, it it's hard for me to step away from uh like that uh that garlic checks mix. Uh was it the the I don't know if it's garlic. It's not vinegar, I think it's the garlic uh herb chec mix and some uh some of those nutty buddy uh little baby cakes, man. Those are just about my favorite thing. I won't turn that down either.

SPEAKER_04:

And Austin Burke, who you were on his playlisted podcast, when he told me you were gonna be on the show, he said you have a soft spot for older women. I was wondering who is your older women celebrity crush? But first, how old are you? Just turned 30 this year. 30, okay.

SPEAKER_01:

So who is your older women celebrity crush? That's an easy one. Ann Margaret's the most beautiful woman that God ever created. Period. End of statement.

SPEAKER_04:

We are talking to Ryan Harman. He is today's Country Climb star of the week. Do you prefer to to sing your own original songs, or uh do you just like to to sing any type of songs? What what means more to you?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, what means more to me is just songs that mean something to me. And uh primarily anytime that there's a gig where it's either frowned upon or not allowed to do original material, I pretty much pass on that just because it's it means so much to me to be able to grow that part of my career and just grow that part of myself as a human being. Uh, you know, to keep working that muscle and to be able to play my songs in front of people because it occurred to me several years ago, around the time of American Idol, that you know, I do what I do. I'm not Luciano Pavarotti by any means. I've I've got the voice I've got, I've got the hands I've got, and the music I make is what it is. I'm not gonna be able to do somebody else's song better than they can, but I can sing you my songs that came from right here, and you'll feel, regardless of of what it is or what it sounds like, it's it's me. And I can do that better than I can do anything else. And it means a lot to me to be able to make connections with people through my material. But of course I always love playing covers too, but I generally pick songs that have meant something to me, or songs that I really enjoy playing that I feel like I've got a unique slant on that uh you know won't just sound like a bad copy of somebody else. I'd rather do something that you know I I think I could actually uh do fairly well at. Because uh again, like I said, I'm I'm not gonna be able to do somebody else's song better than them. So uh I prefer to just kind of sound like myself whenever possible.

SPEAKER_04:

And uh, Ryan, we are going to play one of your uh originals. It's called Making a Living. Go ahead and tell us uh a little bit about the song, how it came about, what it means to you, and what you hope uh we take from it.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I was having a conversation with somebody several years ago whenever the light bulb went off in my head that that was a song. Uh, you know, and it was after I had started trying to uh to get into doing music full time, right before I got let go from uh the last job that I'd had before then. Again, you know, like I was saying earlier on about when you're the the last one in, you're the first one out anytime that there's cuts to be made. And in the middle of all of that, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine, and they were talking about, well, maybe you know, if you play music, you know, you might be able to make a killing. I said, man, I'm just trying to make a living. And ding, there's a song. And I think a lot of people can relate to that. And again, not just from a musical standpoint, but any job that you do, it's hard to make ends meet. And so much of the time we all have dreams about being able to have that windfall with whatever it is that we're doing. But it's a good day if you can just get by and make ends meet. And it's the journey through all of that more than anything that really builds the character and and teaches you what it's all about. And and that's what this song was about is hey, even when when the world and the industry is trying to bring you down at any point, I was made for this, and I'm not trying to make a killing, I'm just trying to make a living. And this making a living is killing me, but I'm gonna keep doing it.

SPEAKER_04:

Heck yeah, I love this song, and it's an honor to play for the first time on country radio. This is gonna be Making a Living by Brian Harmon. Today's Country Climb stars the music changed.

SPEAKER_02:

On the brain and all the time, looking at one tree Walk on too loud to be stalled at the bottom we're still here. Let me make one thing clear. I'm not trying to make killing I'm just gonna make it no more.

SPEAKER_04:

Yes, that is Ryan Harman. Today's Country Climb star of the week with this song, Making a Living. Holy moly! Go ahead and download that song wherever you stream your music. Killer song there, Ryan.

SPEAKER_01:

Chris, I appreciate that, brother. It's it's a good feeling. I don't know if you could see or not, but uh you have put a permanent grin on my face. It's always a real pleasure whenever somebody not only wants to give you a platform to talk about what you do, but the fact that you want to play music that people don't get a chance to hear, that means a lot, man. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04:

You're well, if people are new to Ryan Harmon, other than making a living, what other two songs of yours do you think we should check out to get to know the whole Ryan Harmon experience?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh I would say uh for sure I knew this would happen, which is the song I did on American Idol. And uh there's an acoustic version and then the full-blown production out there as well for that one. And and that's always been my top string track, and I I make no bones about that, man. I'm very happy with that. I'll always be proud of that song. Uh the other one I would say is uh I've got a song called Country Fried, and that's become like my it's come my become my branding of sorts. Um I'm kind of the Country Fried guy now. Uh and I've got a new version of that that's gonna come out in 2026 as well. That's a full-blown production. The the version that's been out there for a few years is an all-acoustic version, but we're gonna get the band cranked up on it and turn up the guitars a little louder and play the drums a little harder.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, and uh, you guys need to go ahead and follow Ryan Harmon wherever, uh whatever social media you use, you can find them online at Ryan R-Y-A-N Harmon H A R M O N Music.com. Go ahead and follow Ryan Harmon for new music and also catch all his great existing music. Ryan, thanks so much for being today's Country Client Star of the Week.

SPEAKER_01:

Chris, I appreciate you, brother, more than you know. And I I say this with all sincerity. If there's ever an opportunity for me to come play in Arizona, where, you know, whatever your closest area is, anything you can think of, man, I'll show up and play for the folks, and then I'll come by and pay you a visit the next day, and we'll cause more trouble in person.

SPEAKER_04:

Yes! That sounds amazing. This is Ryan Harman, today's Country Climb star of the week. And now it's time for Chris's wife to give us her Christmas Hallmark movie reviews. All right, my love, what is today's Hallmark Christmas movie review?

SPEAKER_00:

So we're gonna do Santa Tell Me.

SPEAKER_04:

Santa Tell Me. Okay. Gosh, what do I think this is about? I think this is about Santa Claus, and he hid something from Mrs. Claus, and uh now they can't find it. And she's like, Santa, just tell me where you put it. And he's like, dang it, I don't know where it is. Is that what's uh Santa Tell Me is about it?

SPEAKER_00:

Very literal.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh right, I was wrong. What's this one really about?

SPEAKER_00:

So this is about a TV interior design, kind of like Joanna Games or something like that. And she goes back to as one of her friends going back to her health at home and restoring it and making it ready for Christmas, and there she finds an old Christmas letter that she wrote when she was little, and it is magic, and it tells her the name of the man that she's going to fall in love with and her true love that you have to find him like Christmas Eve. And his name is going to be Nick, except that she made three Nick within 24 hours of that. So if you're a fan of the holiday, like Hallmark, Hall of Fame actors, they're all in this one.

SPEAKER_04:

It's a who's who cast of Hallmark uh Hallmark celebrities. Uh it's it sounds good. It's giving me goosebumps, just you tell me about it, and I can't wait to find out if she actually finds the man she wants uh both uh in time. How many cups of cocoa do you give Santa Tell me?

SPEAKER_00:

I give this one eight out of ten.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh, this is a good one. So uh Andrea recommends that if you have time, you catch Santa Tell Me on the Hallmark Christmas Movie Channel. My love, thank you so much for your time, and we'll talk to you tomorrow. Thank you. Good morning. It's the morning brew with Chris. Who's this? Jan. Jan, the weatherman, aka Jan from Heber. Uh he called in a couple days. It was just on the uh podcast, and uh you got a kick out of uh my wife's Hallmark movie review where she uh roasted the actor with the big nostrils.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, I laughed so hard. I mean I was sitting here when she said that, I just roared laughing. I mean it was hilarious.

SPEAKER_04:

Uh anything new with you, Jan? What do we owe the honor of your call today?

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, I just wanted to call, say hi, and uh request a song to be played later. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Absolutely. How about you play a game with me first and then I'll play your song?

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_04:

All right. Today, Jan is National Dingling Day.

SPEAKER_03:

Here we go.

SPEAKER_04:

So we're gonna find out if you or me as a dingling, uh, if if we if we answer yes to three of these, Jan, you and I are both dinglings. We'll see. Uh have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why you went in and just left the room again, Jan? Is that that's happened to me? That's one point for me.

SPEAKER_03:

That has that hasn't happened to me.

SPEAKER_04:

That hasn't happened to you, Jan. You're like a few years older than me. That happens to me almost every day. I walk into a room and I'm like, what was I doing in here? Uh, Jan, have you ever waved back at someone who wasn't waving at you?

SPEAKER_03:

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh yeah. I do that every day. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

And then they look at me going, I didn't wave at you. I waved at the guy behind you.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, we're both dinglings with that, but I'm a little bit more of a dingling than you so far. Have you ever pushed a door that said pull? More than one. Oh yeah, gosh, Dan, I do that all the time. Uh I'm a total dingling. Let's see. One more. Uh have you ever lost your phone while you're holding it? Lost it? Yeah. While I'm holding it. Yeah, yeah. I've done this, Jan. I've like been like, where are my keys? And they're in my hand, or like, where's my phone? And it's in my hand.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, I've done that with keys, but not with my phone.

SPEAKER_04:

No, but well, you know, do you even have a cell phone? I'm talking on it right now. Oh, there we go. Oh, nice. Well, uh, Jan, I'm sorry to say you and I are both dinglings on this national day.

SPEAKER_03:

I made the list.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah. Good morning, it's the morning brew with Chris. Who's this? Your trivias are shit. I'm sorry? What? What'd she say? Hello? I think she said, my trivia is legit. Thank you. We'll call back. Uh I love the compliments. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03:

Woo!

SPEAKER_04:

Beaumont said so! Yay! Yay! Yay! Everyone's favorite redneck from Beaumont, Texas. It's Paul from Beaumont. Paul, uh, did you have a chance to hear our uh country climb interview with Ryan Harmon?

SPEAKER_03:

Oh yeah, man. I sound awesome, but I'll tell you what, I don't want to hear no more, no more flack about my accent.

SPEAKER_04:

His accent might be a little stronger than yours. It's awesome. Uh so uh on a scale one to ten, how many yees uh do you give Ryman Harmon, uh Ryan Harman and his song Making a Living?

SPEAKER_03:

Oh man, definitely. I I was rocking in the front seat, man. Definitely 10 yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

10 yeah yeah. Should uh we do an encore? Do you want to uh uh call and request a another song from Ryan Harman?

SPEAKER_03:

Absolutely, man, because you know what? I knew this was gonna happen.

SPEAKER_04:

Heck yeah, we're gonna play Ryan Harman. I knew this would happen today's country climb, star of the week.

SPEAKER_02:

Here we sit. Without a single word. Slow dancing while the music please. In your eyes, like there's something wrong. What could it be? Words must be too hard to find Everybody goes through this, something just can't fix. We're just a wasting precious time. So if you gon' leave me now, tell me is it worth a pain? Tell me do your tears for the rain. If we're gonna do it, who settle for one last kiss? Only I saw a combo that don't make a ride I just would have didn't Well, there it is. I hope it gives you peace in mind, I don't blame you. Oh, you can't blame me. Thinking that love couldn't be that blind just when they hold you touch me with your dinner. If you're gonna leave me now, tell me, is it worth the pain? Tell me, do you tears for our rain? If we're going through it, do we settle for one last kiss? Honey, I saw it coming, but that don't make it right. I knew this would happen. Did you ever even have to take? How long had you made up your mind? Is there anything you might miss? Can I go on after this? Something we just can't fix. If you gonna leave me now, tell me, is it worth the pain? Tell me, do you chill? If we're going through it this one last kiss on the ass on the thing, I don't make it right. I knew this would happen. Stood not me tonight. I knew this would happen. Stood know it me tonight.

SPEAKER_04:

Good morning, it's the morning brew with Chris. Who's this? And the weatherman. You heard two songs from today's Country Climb star of the week. Ryan Harman. What do you think?

SPEAKER_03:

He is a real deal.

SPEAKER_04:

He really is. He's really awesome. Everyone, go ahead and follow Ryan Harmon, R-Y-A-N-H-A-R-M-O-N on all social media and uh download his music. I gotta teach you how to download music, Jan.

SPEAKER_03:

That would be a challenge for you.

SPEAKER_04:

Awesome. So he's uh he's now one of your favorites, huh? Oh, yeah. Heck yeah. You hear that, Ryan? Jan, the Weatherman, aka Jan from Heber is a fan of Ryan Harmon. We love you, best friend. Thanks, Jan, for calling in.

SPEAKER_03:

Talk to you later, bye.

Contributor

Chris Bennett

Host