Rewriting the Story with Tyson Leamon

In this episode of The Hook, Johni and Jess sit down with Tennessee singer-songwriter Tyson Leamon for a conversation that spans faith, family, redemption, and a lifelong passion for music.

Tyson shares stories from his earliest days singing gospel music in church at just three years old, traveling the country with his family quartet, and eventually finding his own sound—a blend of country, Southern rock, Americana, and gospel influences inspired by artists like Chris Stapleton, Teddy Swims, Jason Crabb, and The Allman Brothers.

The conversation dives into the deeply personal story behind his powerful song Who I Am, which chronicles his journey through addiction, recovery, and finding his way back to faith. Tyson opens up about the role music played in his healing process, the people who stood by him when life was at its lowest, and how songwriting became both therapy and testimony.

Along the way, Tyson reflects on sharing stages with artists including the Kentucky Headhunters, Confederate Railroad, Shenandoah, Diamond Rio, Craig Campbell, Mo Pitney, and Oliver Anthony. He also talks about performing at legendary venues like Nashville's Bluebird Cafe, his dream of one day stepping onto the stage of the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium, and the lessons he's learned from artists who have remained authentic in an ever-changing industry.

Listeners will also get a behind-the-scenes look at Tyson's upcoming acoustic album, recorded along the banks of Tennessee's Hiwassee River at Stump City Studios, as well as his passion project, Riverside Rhythms, which aims to help independent artists find opportunities outside the traditional music industry machine.

From viral moments with Noah Peters, the Singing Barber, to conversations about family, faith, and what success really means, Tyson reminds us that sometimes the greatest achievements aren't found in fame or record deals—they're found in staying true to who you are.

If you love authentic storytelling, powerful songwriting, and artists who aren't afraid to share the real story behind the music, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Want more Tyson Leamon?

https://www.tysonleamonmusic.com/

IG https://www.instagram.com/tysonleamon

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@tysonleamonmusic

FB https://www.facebook.com/TysonLeamonMusic/

Listen & Follow:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6c8BsQ41qt32BaLRzllDJo

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/tyson-leamon/965333496

Amazon Music: https://www.amazon.com/music

Transcript

Copy

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome to The Hook, where music and art come together with the people who created it. I'm Johnny. I'm Jess. You're on the hook.

SPEAKER_02 0:23

Today on the hook, we're talking with a singer-songwriter who's been performing since he was just three years old. His music blends country, southern rock, gospel, and Americana. And he's built a loyal following through authentic storytelling and a whole lot of miles on the road.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

From sharing stages with major artists to playing iconic venues like Bluebird Cafe, Tyson Lehman has carved out his own path in music while staying true to his roots.

SPEAKER_02 0:53

We're excited to talk songwriting, life on the road, and the stories behind the music. Tyson Lehman, you're on the hook. Hi. What's going on?

SPEAKER_01 1:06

Well, clearly we're trying to understand how time zones work.

SPEAKER_04 1:11

So giggling. Indeed, indeed.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

And it says that Nashville is an hour apart. I don't understand.

SPEAKER_04 1:19

When you message me back to the house as possible, I was like, I'm using standard time. He was like, oh crap.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Oh my God. Hi, Tyson. I'm Jess. Nice to meet you officially. And I'm Johnny. Nice to meet you officially.

SPEAKER_04 1:32

Yeah, for sure. For sure. Pleasure to be on uh the hook.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

I know I'm so excited. First thing I wanted to ask you about is that we read that you actually started singing when you were three years old and then spent your childhood traveling and performing gospel music with your dad. So I'm curious, first of all, if that's true, and then what some of those earlier memories are for you as an adult, like what you remember about that time.

SPEAKER_04 1:58

Man, that is true, first of all. That is that is absolute facts. Three years old, they were standing me on little stools where they could see me over the pulpits. I was singing, you know, different songs. The first song that I ever sang in church was not necessarily a church song. I got embarrassed and ended up crying the first time I ever sung in church because I got up and decided I was going to sing the chorus of Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On. And the reason the reason that I did that, they found out later that the reason that I did it is because it said Lord Have Mercy, Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On. And so for some reason I I thought since it's got the Lord in it, it's supposed to be in church.

SPEAKER_01 2:39

I can just cutest thing. Imagine the faces of all the people in the pews seeing that go down. Oh my God.

SPEAKER_04 2:48

Oh, it was it was insane. My uncle was the pastor of the church at the time. And he just kind of he kind of grabbed me off stage and just hugged me real up tight. He goes, son, that's not really a church song, but it's okay. And I was crying because everybody just started laughing. And I didn't know what they were laughing at, but they they couldn't hold their composure, of course. You know, it's just funny. I was little, so it was kind of like, oh man, I'm I'm embarrassed, you know. Mama, mama. You know, but uh since then I've learned that amazing grace or just as I am is more appropriate, you know.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

Well, at least you didn't sing babies got back or something.

SPEAKER_04 3:24

Oh, that's that's true. That's true. In other words, it could have been worse. It could have been a much worse song choice, you know.

SPEAKER_01 3:31

It's so funny how little kids they don't grasp when people laugh because of something they said, they get their feelings hurt. And then you realize when you're older, like it's great to make people laugh, but it's for some reason as a kid, it's the most mortifying thing that can possibly happen to you.

SPEAKER_04 3:49

It is. You know, it's a good thing to make people laugh. If you're doing something funny and they laugh at you, then you brought joy to somebody's life. Just accept it. That's a gift, you know?

SPEAKER_02 3:57

Yep, it is. Well, I have a feeling that at three years old, and the scary thing with the whole tears and getting your feelings hurt wasn't when you decided to pursue music.

SPEAKER_04 4:07

I guess a couple years later, he took that experience and was like, okay, we can sing a little bit. He's learning, you know, we can we can still set him up. But when I started traveling and singing was at five, and my first show was with a Cimitan club in Tennessee, it was huge. And I just I was I was singing off the music. Dad had these little cassette tapes, and we would pick the different soundtracks and and and and go sing these songs, and people found out that I was singing, and so a Civitan club books me, and I got a little payment there, and then I was like, Oh, you can get paid to do this. That's cool. So then my uncle decides he's gonna book me, my dad, and my brother at a church in Georgia. And I remember I had a you remember the toys Magna Doodle?

SPEAKER_01 4:53

Magna Doodle. Describe it. What is it?

SPEAKER_04 4:55

It's kind of like you draw with a pen and it's these little magnet things.

SPEAKER_01 4:58

Oh yeah, you like drag it across the screen and the bottom's red.

SPEAKER_04 5:02

Yeah, and it's and you make a picture with magnet stuff. Yeah, the pen's magnetic. For some reason I wanted a magna doodle so bad. So I think this place in Georgia, a church in Georgia, and we got paid. I think dad divided everything up. It wasn't much, but it was like 25 bucks. And for a young five-year-old kid, you know, I was like, Oh yeah, that's 25 bucks, that's that's killer. So I got to get my magna doodle, and I was like, Man, see, you can get what you want with with doing what you love to do. That was pretty cool. And I started pursuing music there, and we went and traveled around and then we began to learn harmonies. Dad taught us harmonies. It was like instead of playing G.I. Joes on Saturday mornings, we were in the middle of the living room learning three and four part harmonies, and we traveled around for a long time as a as a quartet called Legacy, just doing all kinds of things. Later on, I discovered other musics, and I put in a um contemporary Christian band at 15 with my high school buddies, and we uh formed a band and went around and did a bunch of stuff, and then I got into rock music, and then eventually uh later on in life landed in country.

SPEAKER_01 6:13

So it all started with a magna doodle.

SPEAKER_03 6:16

Started with a magna doodle.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

How much did growing up in a musical family and a faith-centered environment impact you as the artist you are today?

SPEAKER_04 6:26

Oh, a hundred percent. It really shaped me. A couple of things I rely on that I know is gonna pull through for me is I'm always gonna have my musical capabilities and I'm always gonna have Jesus. That's two things that was instilled in me as a kid that I haven't gotten away from. Biblically it says, you know, to train child up in a way that they should go and when they grow old they won't depart from it. Well, I departed from it for a long time, but I eventually came back and I never forgot where I came from and I never forgot the faith principles that I were taught. But I did I did lead quite the lifestyle for a while and I had to come to my senses and realized that music and dreams and family and all the things were much bigger than what I was trying to do.

SPEAKER_02 7:08

Well, you definitely have a God-given voice. It's beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 7:12

Well, thank you so much. And I I do credit him for that. Lots of practice, but lots of just divine gifting. Thank you so much for that.

SPEAKER_02 7:20

It's beautiful. Well, you have spent much of your career as an independent artist in a world where it there's like so many musicians that are chasing algorithms or viral moments. How do you stay focused on building something lasting?

SPEAKER_04 7:35

You know, I just figure that the best way to build something lasting is authenticity in a world full of everything that's not authentic, make up here and make up there. And I figure authenticity and just telling my story and being absolutely 100% real with people, no matter if it hurts or no matter if it's good. And the same way I want them to be with me, if it hurts my feelings, I take it as constructive criticism and just move on. Now if you're out intentionally hurting people's feelings, uh you need to check up on yourself, you know. But if you're giving constructive criticism coming from a place of love, then that's that's one thing. But staying focused on something that's lasting just comes through pure authenticity and saying, Hey, I want to treat people the way that I expect to be treated, and that's what I do.

SPEAKER_02 8:24

We need more of that right now in this world. Authenticity is definitely something we need more of.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

Your sound from our standpoint really blends country, southern rock, that gospel kind of upbringing, Americana. If someone was discovering Tyson Lehman for the first time, how would you describe your music?

SPEAKER_04 8:44

I would say it's somewhere in the middle of Jason Crab meets Chris Staplet and meets Teddy Swims.

SPEAKER_02 8:51

I think that's accurate.

SPEAKER_04 8:53

So I think that that all blends right there with a touch of Almond Brothers.

SPEAKER_02 8:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:58

That kind of thing. So it's just real raw, authentic.

SPEAKER_02 9:02

Well, who I am actually brings me to tears. I mean, that song is just so beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 9:06

It's an absolutely true story, too. That's my life. That's my uh story song.

SPEAKER_05 9:32

Drank a few, forget who I am, and I go like a fool. One night stands with Jim, being George and Jack. Walk through hell to please myself and left alone where they had just been. When the wind gets gone away, I've got one hand on the bottom, and the other in her hand like convention from a bottle. She reminds me I'm not a show and another day. Let's stay.

SPEAKER_04 13:48

Not just a title, a guy that went from addiction and jail time and and and everything else, falling flat on his face to being able to stand on his own and have a family and some successes and to be able to walk with his head held high as opposed to hanging it down low. Because for a long time I remember what it's like to be in the basement and it sure feels good to live on the floor level now.

SPEAKER_01 14:13

How long after you got sober did you actually write that song?

SPEAKER_04 14:18

I wrote part of it during trying to get sober and it came to me. It was about six months into my sobriety that I sat down to pan the rest of it down. The first verse says, I've been known to drink a few, forget who I am and act like a fool. That was all while I was in the middle of my addiction. And then the rest of it, you know, the overcoming parts was six months later when I started recovering.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

That's amazing. It's almost like it was, yeah, part of your therapy to put it all out like that.

SPEAKER_04 14:48

If there was an AA that served me, which I never had to have a program or anything like that, I have to give credit to the Lord, you know, for intervening and helping me through that. And the people who stood by my side and never gave up on me, friends, family, extended family. If I start naming names, I'll forget somebody and somebody gets feelings hurt.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

Tyson's people, you know who you are. Yes.

SPEAKER_04 15:13

Yeah, my peeps. My family, you know, all the peeps. Thankful for that. And music itself is part of my AA, my therapy. I got through it writing pain songs. I got through it writing songs like Who I Am, The Day After Whiskey, all the things.

SPEAKER_02 15:28

Wow. So I was gonna ask you about your album, Guitar and a Bible, but from what I understand, you have a whole new album you're working on that's kind of blending the both of them. You want to tell us about how that project came about?

SPEAKER_04 15:41

It's in the works. We spent all this past week. Matter of fact, up until yesterday, I was in studio and then I had a show last night and then the podcast today. The other days of the week, I've been in studio since Sunday working on this album. And we've got 32, some old, some new, some you'll recognize tracks coming out. That's just an acoustic track. It's kind of produced the same way that some of the same settings and some of the same equipment used to produce Chris Staplen's The Traveler album. I'm excited about how it's sounding and about how it's recorded on the banks of the Hiawasi River at a studio called Stump City Studios that I just recently discovered.

SPEAKER_02 16:21

Do you have any interesting things that happened in the studio that you're gonna pretty much take with this album and your memories?

SPEAKER_04 16:27

Oh, yeah. We have a guest uh vocalist on the album who sang in the 90s, had a record deal. We're not gonna say the name right now. We had a guest vocalist come do some harmony work, and I'll put it this way she was in the same realm as Reba McIntyre and folks like that.

SPEAKER_02 16:44

Wow, I just got chills.

SPEAKER_04 16:46

It was pretty cool. Her vocal has got a similarity to that, and she worked at Opry Land for a little while, and she did some tours with some big name Max, and she came in and did some harmony vocals on some of the tracks, so it was pretty cool. That and we had a pretty cool producer. His name was Jordan, he's from Nashville, he's worked on a bunch of records. The fact that they studied out and the mastering part of that is probably if they don't change their mind, they're sending it to the same producer to master it that mastered the traveler album for Chris Stapleton. So I'm excited about how they're going to make that sound. And it's not full band, it's just me, an acoustic against the sounds of the river, the embellishments of vocals, the string noise. It's got everything in it, you know, so it's just real authentic and real. I had such a good time at Stump City, and we're getting ready to launch some opportunities for independent artists down our way with Stump City and myself. I'm gonna be going into producing some younger artists and some upstart artists and independent artists, and we're having a thing every third Thursday of the month at uh B D Marina, which is just right down the road from the studio in Charleston, Tennessee. And if you're an artist out there and you want an opportunity to record at the same place that I just got done recording my album, we're doing like a competition to have that happen. And and it'll all be posted on my socials, Tyson Lehman, uh, on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, all the things, and we'll give you more information on that. But it's called Riverside Rhythms. It's four artists tonight. Then out of the four, one advances to the championship round. Out of the championship round, we have one that goes in and gets to cut a track at Stump City, so it's gonna be awesome. And then out of that, we're gonna be able to help a ton of independent artists with artist development, get you hooked up with people who want to invest in you. You know, there's no telling what kind of wheels is gonna be turning right here with that.

SPEAKER_02 18:57

It's taking it out of the hands of the record labels and the managers and all that and putting it back into their hands and their abilities to to make their music and it be theirs. I love that. And you're giving back.

SPEAKER_04 19:13

And I'm I get to give back. We're gonna do videos of their performances, put it online, and let the people speak on who they want. I feel like for too long we've been force fed some of these artists out there and we've been force fed who they think that we want, but we really haven't been given a choice on some of these people and artists that are around the bonfire every night that never get an opportunity to make a record simply because they either don't have the image that somebody's looking for, or they don't have enough money, or they don't have enough status quo. There's an age limit now, and I'm telling you right now, I'm sick of that. I think it's time that we start standing up for these people that have got more talent around the backyard bonfire than some of these people that's making hit records.

SPEAKER_02 20:06

Right. Amen. I am so excited to hear you say that out loud. I love it.

SPEAKER_04 20:12

I'm not I'm not ashamed. I'm not ashamed.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

You got a little bit of that Uncle Preacher in you.

SPEAKER_04 20:20

I I am a minister myself, so when I speak, I I speak boldly. Somebody uh I was doing a men's conference this past week and telling my testimony and my story. He said Tyson's the club evangelist. Nice. I was like, uh that may stick, the club evangelist.

SPEAKER_02 20:37

I love it. That's great. Maybe that'll come on an album somewhere, some way down the road.

SPEAKER_04 20:42

Maybe that should be the title of this album, Club Evangelist.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_04 20:48

I don't know. I'm just messing around. But yeah, he titled me that, and I was like, man, that's that's crazy. I never thought of it that way. I guess I kind of am.

SPEAKER_02 20:57

I don't know. I for me it sounds like a song title about you.

SPEAKER_04 21:01

Well, I have a buddy. I was going to coin, I was going to coin it, but my buddy already got it. I don't know if you know who Jacob Bright is, Renard, or if you've heard the name. Gentleman out of Georgia, hey, he's great. His title of his record was The Barstool Preacher. And I thought that was so clever. And I thought I thought, man, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 21:19

Yeah, that is great. That's really cool. Well, you have played everything from local venues to major festivals and even the Bluebird Cafe. Was there ever a point where you're like, oh my gosh, this is so surreal. This is actually happening for me.

SPEAKER_04 21:35

Oh, yeah. My first show that I opened up for a major artist, that artist happened to be the infamous or famous, whichever way you want to put it, Kentucky Headhunters. That was awesome to get to open up for those guys.

SPEAKER_03 21:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:48

And then I later on did Confederate Railroad, and I just recently got to hook up with Shenandoah and Diamond Rio, which was I saw that.

SPEAKER_02 21:57

That was awesome. That was so cool. Cool.

SPEAKER_04 22:01

They were so down to earth. I was like, these are just people.

unknown 22:04

Right.

SPEAKER_04 22:04

These are my heroes, but they're just people, and I get to talk to these people now.

SPEAKER_02 22:08

Well, that's kind of how I feel right now.

SPEAKER_04 22:11

No, no. No, don't feel that way. I'm just I'm just a sampleton. I'm just an East Tennessee guy, 41 years old, trying to do my thing, you know.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

Well, let's talk more about that because you have shared the stage with some incredible performers. Is there an artist you can think of that you've opened up for or performed with who taught you something really valuable just by watching them perform?

SPEAKER_04 22:34

A couple, Craig Campbell was great when I got to open for him because he just stuck to his guns with the 90s country thing. He was so nice to me. And then I don't know if do you know who Mo Pitney is?

SPEAKER_02 22:48

I don't. That's not ringing a bell right now.

SPEAKER_04 22:50

He's very just faith-based. And I opened up for him in Chattanooga one year, and the first thing he wanted to do was pray with me before I went on stage, and that impacted me a lot because he took time as the bigger artist to come to the green room and pray with the opening act. That said a lot about his character.

SPEAKER_02 23:10

That's beautiful. You know, that's one of the things about Oliver Anthony that I enjoy is the fact he does baptisms after his concerts. And I think that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 23:21

I did a thing with Oliver too, so I forgot how authentic he was. Played uh old Red and Gatlinburg together.

SPEAKER_02 23:27

That's awesome. He's just uh down-to-earth, like you said, authentic. And I've had the pleasure of meeting him and hanging out with him, and I enjoyed it very much. But yeah, I just love the fact that he I stuck around and kind of watched the baptisms afterwards because I just thought it was so beautiful and it made me tear up honestly.

SPEAKER_04 23:45

That's great. And his guitar player, Joey Davis. Love him. What a dude. And he's awesome. He's great.

SPEAKER_01 23:52

Yep, we're good buddies. I I I love Joey to pieces. Joey was actually one of our first guests. Like, yep, out of the gate. Oh, that's cool. And then we got to go see him play the next night, and it was like oh my, he was so good.

SPEAKER_04 24:06

It was he can play, he can burn a guitar up.

SPEAKER_02 24:09

Oh, and he's such a performer, you know? Like he has stage presence. He's amazing.

SPEAKER_04 24:15

If you get an opportunity, I don't know if you've seen the video on my YouTube channel. There was a video of me and Joey and Oliver doing Can't You See at Old Red.

SPEAKER_02 24:24

I love that song.

SPEAKER_04 24:26

We had a great time, and we we took turns doing the verses, and then of course Joey took a lead run with a guitar, and it was awesome. And at that point in time, they had Caleb playing bass for them. It was just awesome meeting everybody and hanging out.

SPEAKER_02 24:37

Yeah, they're touring right now and having a good time. Again, you've been in music basically since you're five years old. And then you started getting into the music business later. Back then, music business, and now music business. Do you see anything that maybe you misunderstood then or just came clearer now?

SPEAKER_04 24:56

Yes, I thought making it was something different than what I realized making it is now. And what I mean by that is I thought the record bill, the glitz, the glam, you know, the high rises, the whole thing, thought that that was what it was. And what I'm finding out is being able to support your family, have a warm bed, food on the table, love of your daughter, your wife, and people around you simply for playing music. That's making it.

SPEAKER_02 25:29

Wow. That's beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 25:31

Tyson, we have talked to a lot of artists that had a song that really kind of changed everything for them. And you shared the one that really impacted you personally. But is there a song in your catalog that kind of opened a door for you or made people really start paying attention?

SPEAKER_04 25:49

Honestly, it would be the same one that I shared, the testimony one night, who I am, because I don't know if you guys know who Noah Peters is, the singing barber.

SPEAKER_03 25:56

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 25:57

Um, I got to uh be in the chair with that song, and we did that, and it got TikTok alone over five million views, so it kind of got a lot of notoriety right there.

SPEAKER_02 26:08

So wow. Oh, I've watched that like so many times.

SPEAKER_04 26:12

So you were like probably the five millionth view. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 26:17

I was definitely one of them. Did he really trim you up?

SPEAKER_04 26:20

No, okay, not that day. Okay, not that day. He is a master barber, he he really is. We really want him on the show.

SPEAKER_01 26:28

We want him on the show. It's just I know a guy.

SPEAKER_02 26:30

You know a guy. I know you know a guy. We gotta be best friends, Tyson. Actually, you know, I posted that video on my personal Facebook page. Thank you. Yeah, saying I'm so excited to be interviewing you. And that's the video I posted with Noah Peters because it's just so beautiful in your voice. And I cried again when I was listening to it. I love listening to Noah Peters too because his voice is just gorgeous, too.

SPEAKER_04 26:56

You guys like it's good. Have you heard his brother, Daniel?

SPEAKER_02 27:00

No, I haven't.

SPEAKER_04 27:01

You should listen to them do like harmonies with him and his wife and Daniel, his brother. It's something crazy. They just posted a video from CMA Fest this week where they did like a three-part harmony thing at a rider's round and like brought the house down.

SPEAKER_02 27:15

Oh my gosh. Well, I can imagine just listening to Noah's voice was really beautiful. But we'll talk to Noah one day and find all about him, right, Tyson?

SPEAKER_04 27:25

Yeah, we can we can we can see what we can do. We'll see what we can do.

SPEAKER_02 27:30

Let's talk about you some more. Bull y'all. I was listening to that today. It's killer. Did you have any idea that song would resonate so strongly with Tennessee fans?

SPEAKER_04 27:40

I hoped, being a Tennessee fan myself, that it would resonate. I had no idea that it would blow up to the magnitude that it did, and that it would be like a staple in Knoxville at WIBK radio station up there, which is a huge station, and they play it every single Friday and Saturday of ball season. So it gets major radio play every ball season, and it's getting played all over Tailgates, some in Nayland Stadium. It's crazy how it blew up up there.

SPEAKER_02 28:10

It's a great song. I love it. Well, have you ever had a fan tell you a story about one of your songs that completely caught you off guard?

SPEAKER_04 28:18

I wrote a song called Any Kind of Wine Girl. It was my first song that I really pushed out to radio and singled out and everything and got on streaming. I had so many people talk about, man, you don't even know, but you sparked uh a romantic interest between me and my wife tonight. You know, to be I was like I was like, what? Why are you telling me this?

SPEAKER_01 28:41

Wait, what song is it?

SPEAKER_04 28:42

What song is it again? I'm making a note. Make a note, mental note, mental note, or physical note of this. It's called any kind of wine girl.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

I didn't know that I heard that one and I thought I listened to every one of your songs.

SPEAKER_04 28:53

It's the very first single that I ever did, and it it's it's an old one. It's not my wife's favorite because it was written about somebody else. It's on there nonetheless. On a more somber note, who I am, I've gotten so many stories back on it. A few that really stood out to me was we have an epidemic in our nation about servicemen and women alike, military men and women, coming back and not being able to handle the pressures of what they have been through. And I think they said right now, monthly, there's 22 that commit a suicide. And I had somebody message me one night that was on the verge of committing that, that said, if I would not have flipped on your song just minutes ago and listened to the words of your song, I wouldn't be here right now. You saved my life. That right there brought tears to my eyes.

SPEAKER_02 29:54

Yeah, it's got tears in my eyes too, because that is seriously, I can't imagine what they have to endure and then come home too.

SPEAKER_04 30:02

Endure so much and then come home, and the battle really begins when you get home. You go fight a war and then you fight a battle when you get here. There's help for them, but not like I feel like it should be. No, we don't we don't have a presence in their life like we should.

SPEAKER_01 30:15

We need to link you up with Will Kimborough who's doing this. Songwriters for soldiers. So we'll send you some information, but what they do is they meet at like a retreat. It's not just military, but it's all first responders that are going through whatever level of PTSD, and they meet at a retreat for like a weekend, and they have one songwriter come for each group. And essentially everybody that's within that group tells their story, and their story becomes the songs. So the songwriter is there not to write it or tell the story, but to really capture their words and turn it to music. And it has been, it's become incredibly popular and incredibly healing. So that is, I mean, that sounds like right up your alley. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 31:06

I would love to be a part of that. I mean, absolutely be honored.

SPEAKER_01 31:09

So um, Tyson, one of my favorites is Wildflowers in Whiskey Bottles. Can you tell us the story behind that? That's one that I didn't write.

SPEAKER_04 31:18

I got the opportunity to record that. My buddy Nick Norman wrote that, and he I played a show with him in Florida, and I thought it was just an amazing song. And we did a we did a writer's round. Him and Ken Johnson co-wrote that, and I said, Can I please, please, please cut that in Nashville?

SPEAKER_03 31:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 31:37

And they give me permission. So when they give me permission, I went to Nashville and cut a version, my version of that. It ended up hitting the charts, and for six weeks straight, it was number one on the independent country music charts. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 31:50

I'm sitting here listening to you talk about different songs, and initially we had asked you when you felt like you really made it, and you said Noah Peters, and that wasn't long ago.

SPEAKER_04 32:02

It's it's a roller coaster. You have your ups and downs. Of course. You know, so I guess the best way to describe it is roller coaster. Because you'll be on the top of the pinnacle at one point in time and then it uh uh feeling like you should quit the next time, but you know you can't because something in you won't let you.

SPEAKER_02 32:18

Yep, we hear that a lot too. So and they usually don't see the years behind it when you're on the stage and people don't see the years that it took you to get to where you are. So, what did Tyson Lehman have to sacrifice to keep chasing this dream?

SPEAKER_04 32:33

Time with family, I I know would be on top of my list. You know, there's a lot of times that I'd I would rather be around the grill with my family grilling out and and missing, you know, my wife and my daughter and and those I love, you know, just being on the road financially. There's places that I feel like I could have bettered my family's life, but I knew in the long run I was bettering their life, but could have immediately bought them something or but I invested it in music. I've had a lot of blessings along the way though, as far as like sacrifice. I had to deny myself. What I mean by that is deny what I thought the formula of making it was, and sacrifice just the idea, ideology behind what the industry tries to instill in you. I don't know that I've I've sacrificed a ton of things except just time and blood, sweat, and tears. It's really paid off in the long run more than it's it's been sacrificial.

SPEAKER_02 33:31

Saying your family is the most beautiful answer you could have said. Well, what's one moment in your career that kind of looks small, but it ended up changing everything?

SPEAKER_04 33:42

I guess I thought, you know, learning my harmonies and stuff at such a young age with dad was insignificant at the time. Just being in there learning about music kind of shaped me and prepared me for what I would have to endure, you know, later on in life with the industry and everything else.

SPEAKER_01 33:59

It was just your childhood and then it became it was just it was just me and it became a routine.

SPEAKER_04 34:04

It became it became even at the point of where I wish I was sitting there watching Saturday morning cartoons and eating cereal as opposed to doing it became almost a chore or a task more than anything. As insignificant as it was as a child, it became very significant in adulthood.

SPEAKER_01 35:54

Well, I can tell you as the kid who was eating cereal and watching the cartoons, it took me years to get my crap together. So I think I think you were actually blessed in that. Okay, Tyson, here's something I have always wanted to know from being in the crowd at a live show perspective. You know, we in the crowd are watching every moment of what you're doing on stage. And I'm curious when you're on stage, if you're paying attention to all the details of the crowd watching you, or if you're mostly just lost in your music?

SPEAKER_04 36:30

Both, but I do find one person and engage with them, like a person that will be lost in my music with me. Kind of zero in on them and just sometimes I play to the whole crowd. Sometimes I play to one soul in the crowd that's just absolutely lost in the moment.

SPEAKER_02 36:49

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_04 36:50

And and if my wife's there, she always gets the eye contact and the and the private show, even though it's in the middle of could be a thousand people, but she's always going to get a private show.

SPEAKER_01 37:00

In that, that's just beautiful. I love that. Maybe that's what happened to me at Fake Kenny Rogers. What? I had a really weird experience at a Kenny Rogers, like what do you call the people that do the tribute? Yeah. And he came to Richmond to the tin pan, which is a super cool venue, but he had the whole outfit, like the white satin Kenny Rogers period, with like the belt. And he came in to the venue and he and I had an encounter with him outside the venue. That's what happened. Where I was just being my ditzy self or whatever. So he locked in on me from the minute he walked in. He threw me a banjo straight and then stared at me the entire time to the point where I started to get uncomfortable. And I looked over at my husband and I was like, Is this is something getting weird? Like, am I tripping? And he was like, nah, like fakeny Rogers is staring you down.

SPEAKER_03 37:52

Fake Kenny Rogers.

SPEAKER_01 37:56

And it got so uncomfortable that at the end of the show, I like booked it out of there because I didn't want to encounter. I'm not saying you do that, Tyson. I'm just saying maybe he was locking in on me as a point of reference, but you're saying you are connecting because they're they're already vibing. They're vibing like I was just skirting away. So that that doesn't actually explain it at all. No. All right. Listen, Tyson, we're gonna go into our speed round now. So this is like the first thing that pops into your head with each question. None of them are hard, I promise you that. But just a great way for our listeners to get to know you a little bit better. So Johnny's gonna kick us off on the speed round.

SPEAKER_02 38:32

You already told us a bunch of really cool cities in Tennessee, but what is your favorite Tennessee spot like a tourist would want to see?

SPEAKER_04 38:41

You gotta go down to uh the Hiawassee River in Charleston, Tennessee, and just get on the banks of the Hiawassee, like the B Marina area. I'm actually headed there now. It's called B Marina. It's awesome, it's a cool spot, it's a cool vibe.

SPEAKER_01 38:56

So love it. Totally switching gears on this one. What is the most ridiculous thing you've ever eaten when you've been on the road?

SPEAKER_04 39:04

Circus peanuts. You know them little fluffy candies?

SPEAKER_01 39:07

Why would you ever have picked that? Why did you even buy them, Tyson?

SPEAKER_04 39:12

They were terrible. Terrible. I thought they were gonna be awesome. I thought they were gonna be awesome, but that's the worst candy on the face of the planet.

SPEAKER_01 39:18

Is that the red ones? Like the Boston? No, they're like tan. I've I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 39:23

I don't think I've ever heard that they're like a flesh color and they're like they're like a wannabe marshmallow, but they suck.

SPEAKER_02 39:31

Oh, that sounds so nasty. They're so bad. Oh my gosh. If your life was a movie, what actor would you want to play you?

SPEAKER_04 39:40

Oh my gosh, that's crazy. That's a good question. I I know so many good actors, but uh he recently passed away, but he can play any part in anybody. So Robert Duvall. Oh nice. I love Robert. I just love Robert Duvall. I don't think he looks anything like me, but they can make him up and he can play the part.

SPEAKER_01 40:01

They can make him up. All right, Tyson. Aliens land tonight, and you can make peace with them by playing music. What is the first song you would play for them?

SPEAKER_04 40:13

Well, I did not want to say kumbaya. I don't know if that's awesome. Perfect. I don't know, I don't know if it would be, but it would it would probably be more like uh that kumbaya popped in my head and come together. Oh, come together. I would want to translate the pizza, you know. So, you know, just kind of that thing.

SPEAKER_02 40:34

If your guitar could talk, would it talk trash about you or be complimentary?

SPEAKER_04 40:39

It would talk trash. So good. It would, it would definitely talk trash. The first thing it would say is please hire somebody to play me better.

SPEAKER_00 40:53

Oh, you play beautifully.

SPEAKER_01 40:55

You need to be gentle with that girl. Be gentle.

SPEAKER_00 41:00

I'm telling you.

SPEAKER_01 41:02

What is the worst fashion trend you have ever participated in?

SPEAKER_04 41:06

I guess I was in the I I wanted to be in a boy band, so I tried a little bit of the boy band dress up stuff, you know, and dressed like I was in a boy band spot my hair when I had it and all the things. And it it probably didn't look so hot on me then.

SPEAKER_01 41:20

We need uh we need pictures. Yeah, we want evidence.

SPEAKER_04 41:22

Oh my gosh. I think oh god, I think there might be one picture. And and I also did when I was in a rock band, I did like a flock of seagulls hair. I got a picture of him.

SPEAKER_02 41:34

We want pictures.

SPEAKER_04 41:38

I could get you the hollow June days. That was my rock band, and uh I had flock of seagulls' hair for it.

SPEAKER_01 41:44

What what age was that period of life?

SPEAKER_04 41:48

Not say the 22, something like that.

SPEAKER_02 41:51

Awesome. Best concert you've ever seen.

SPEAKER_04 41:54

Third day, Christian band, third day, puts on an amazing show. Nice, they're awesome.

SPEAKER_02 42:00

First concert you ever saw.

SPEAKER_01 42:03

I can't remember. That's crazy. That is crazy being a music person. You think that would like stand out to me.

SPEAKER_04 42:12

But I want to say it was a bluegrass show. And I want to say that it was down like in Blue Springs area, it was like a big bluegrass jamboree. I just thought it was awesome.

SPEAKER_02 42:22

You know, I feel like the reason you can't remember is because you started at three and were touring at five. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 42:30

You were the concept. I think I just have never been on I've never been on the consumer side very much. Right. I've always been on the artist side of things, so I'm just like, what's going on? You know? Or wishing I was on stage the whole time, you know.

SPEAKER_01 42:45

Exactly. What is the last thing you Googled? Don't look at your phone right now. Yeah, don't look at your phone while you're driving.

SPEAKER_02 42:54

Right now. No, no. Probably Chad GPT. That's your assistant at this point. Yeah. That's the assistant. What's one thing you're completely terrible at?

SPEAKER_04 43:05

Jumping rope. I can't jump rope to save my life. A gym class, like if it was up to the jump rope thing, I fail. And skating. I'm terrible at skating too.

SPEAKER_01 43:19

It's just the part of your brain that doesn't. It's interesting because I'm an incredible jump roper and a roller skater and rollerblade skater and can't sing a lick. So maybe maybe we've identified something here. Tyson, what would your high school self think of the you that you are today?

SPEAKER_04 43:39

Probably like, bro, you still trying this thing? No, I was just kidding. No, it would probably be like, I'm glad you finally learned how to come into your own skin and not worry about what people think.

SPEAKER_02 43:52

Nice. I like that answer. If we stole your phone and hit shuffle, what's the first artists we would hear?

SPEAKER_04 43:58

Well, since my daughter gets my phone in DJ, she would probably hear some Korean pop band called straight kids or or something like that, because they go straight to the top because they got into the most streams.

SPEAKER_02 44:12

We'll be sure and tag them.

SPEAKER_04 44:15

Yeah. She would love it. If they if they comment, she's gonna flip out and probably pass out, but yeah, we'll tag them.

SPEAKER_01 44:22

Yeah, we'll try. Hey, Tyson, you're helping us. We'll try and help you with a connection for for your daughter with them if we can get them to respond.

SPEAKER_04 44:30

Yeah, that'd be awesome.

SPEAKER_02 44:31

If you had to pick one acoustic set or a full band.

SPEAKER_04 44:36

Acoustic. I love my band, but I just I love the connection that I get to have with the audience with acoustic.

SPEAKER_01 44:43

One word that describes Tennessee. Home. There you go. Ah, that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 44:50

I like that. Favorite place you've ever performed?

SPEAKER_04 44:53

Uh Bluebird. Bluebird Cafe.

SPEAKER_01 44:55

I'm gonna get there one day.

SPEAKER_04 44:57

It's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 44:59

Going in the other direction, is there a dream venue that you have that you haven't played at yet?

SPEAKER_04 45:05

Oh, 100%. Grand Old Obre.

SPEAKER_01 45:07

Oh, yes, of course.

SPEAKER_04 45:09

But I would love to play the mother church, the Ramen, and do a nine at the Ramen. Just because I think it's the authenticity of the Rhymon.

SPEAKER_02 45:17

Yeah. If you weren't a musician, what would you be doing?

SPEAKER_04 45:21

A lawyer. Really? Okay.

SPEAKER_01 45:24

You gotta give us some more on that one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:26

I always wanted to be a lawyer. I always thought I like defending defending people and I also like people brought to justice, true justice. So if I'm gonna be that guy, I'd be a lawyer.

SPEAKER_02 45:38

You know, that actually kind of makes sense just with everything that you're doing for new artists, and you're just a person helper, a people helper.

SPEAKER_04 45:48

Uh I I I think the word that comes to mind is advocate.

SPEAKER_02 45:52

Yeah, yes, that's what it is.

SPEAKER_01 45:55

Or you could just say people helper.

SPEAKER_02 46:00

I like people helpers.

SPEAKER_04 46:08

Oh my god. Of course, my ADD brain goes when I say advocate, I also think avocado. So, you know, that's neither here nor there, you know. Whatever.

SPEAKER_01 46:17

I love a good avocado. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Do you do cilantro or you absolutely not?

SPEAKER_04 46:23

I think it tastes like soap.

SPEAKER_01 46:24

You're the soap person. It's so weird. It's so weird. I'm obsessed with it. But it is weird that everybody says soap. Isn't that weird?

SPEAKER_04 46:33

I think it's got to do something with genetics, from what I've from what I've researched on it. It's like your genetic makeup. Some people it tastes like soap. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 46:42

It what's one thing that you can never leave home without?

SPEAKER_04 46:47

My guitar. Nice. 100%.

SPEAKER_01 46:49

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 46:50

Okay, how would you define music?

SPEAKER_04 46:53

Therapeutic.

SPEAKER_02 46:55

One word.

unknown 46:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 46:56

Therapeutic.

SPEAKER_02 46:57

What's next? New music, touring plans, collaborations, or anything fans should be watching for?

SPEAKER_04 47:04

I'll say all the above and be watching for everything because it's very spontaneous. There's gonna be tours, there's gonna be collaborations, new music, new merchandise. It's all all the things.

SPEAKER_01 47:15

Woo! That sounds fun. I love it.

SPEAKER_04 47:17

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:18

All right. Last couple of questions. Have you ever written a song that was actually too personal to release?

SPEAKER_04 47:26

I guess I had to modify some songs before because I put names in it. And I was like, I can't say names. You know, so I had to take names out of it and just be like boy, girl, dog. So that kind of happens.

SPEAKER_02 47:39

So if you could collaborate on a project with any artist living or gone, who would it be and why?

SPEAKER_04 47:46

On George Jones. I think that he epitomizes what country music should be.

SPEAKER_01 47:51

What's something fans would be surprised to learn about Tyson Lehman?

SPEAKER_04 47:56

Oh, fun fact. I can't stand hights. You can't stand heights. Heights.

SPEAKER_01 48:03

Oh, okay. He said it country. So does that include roller coasters or just like cliffs?

SPEAKER_04 48:11

Oh, absolutely roller coasters. I'm not getting on a roller coaster by now. I fly in planes. That's the gist of it. But that's because I have to sometimes. I'd rather not even do that, but whatever.

SPEAKER_01 48:22

Well, it's different. I mean, you're enclosed. I definitely am afraid of heights, but for some reason I do love roller coasters, and planes don't scare me, but it's standing on like the edge of a cliff because if you go, like you're done. There's hope in everything, but there's just not hope in that.

SPEAKER_04 48:37

Have you heard of what's called a swinging bridge?

SPEAKER_01 48:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 48:42

I hate them. I don't think I'd like that either. Like I've had nightmares of being stuck on a swinging bridge before.

SPEAKER_01 48:49

Well, I can't remember the last time I encountered one, but they are ridiculous and terrifying and shouldn't exist.

SPEAKER_04 48:56

They move and should not ever be built.

SPEAKER_01 48:59

All right. When you're 80 years old and looking back on this journey, what do you hope you're most proud of?

SPEAKER_04 49:05

My daughter, I want her to live a full life. And I want it to be because something that I instilled in her baby through my music. I want to be proud of her when I'm 80.

SPEAKER_02 49:15

I have a feeling that will be the fact. For sure.

SPEAKER_04 49:19

She's a good girl. She's got to work some of that smart mouth out, but she can't.

SPEAKER_01 49:24

No, that just means she's intelligent. And she's 15. Yeah. We I have one of those right now. She's gonna be 16 in August. If you're funny, you kind of get a pass with me. Because I think that's a sign of intelligence.

SPEAKER_02 49:37

Okay. What do you think people are really searching for when they connect with songs about faith, family, home, and belonging?

SPEAKER_04 49:44

Authenticity, realism, something that they can grab onto and anchor down to.

SPEAKER_01 49:49

Oh, I love that. Yeah, I love that. All right, Tyson. Last question. If somebody listens to this episode and only remembers one thing about Tyson Lehman, what do you hope that is?

SPEAKER_04 50:02

There's a little preacher from me. Jesus loves you, he loved me, he changed me, he can change you. And that they can see some positivity in me through a negative world.

SPEAKER_01 50:14

Amen. Love it. Awesome, Tyson. Thank you for being on the show. Thank you. And please thank your daughter so much.

SPEAKER_04 50:21

Giving it a thumbs up. Okay, awesome.

SPEAKER_01 50:23

Thanks for sharing your dad with us. This has been Jess and Johnny reminding you every artist has a story. And every story has a hook. Make sure to follow us on social media at Johnny and Jess on TikTok, and you can find the hook with Johnny and Jess on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

SPEAKER_02 50:47

You can listen to all our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, iHeart, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

SPEAKER_01 50:57

You can submit to Be On the Show by visiting our website and filling out the Be On the Hook form. Just head to johnnyandjess.com. That's J O H N I A N D J E S S dot com. That's where you'll find everything you need to get started.