Imagine sitting down for an intimate chat with renowned country music artist, Carolyn Dawn Johnson. As the soft strum of a guitar fills the air, she takes you on a captivating journey through the highs and lows of her career, starting from her first music lesson, to her first paid gig and to signing her first record deal. Her hit song "Complicated" set the course for her tours, and her newest anthem "Roadblocks" stands as a beacon of hope for anyone navigating their own life struggles.
Prepare to be moved by Carolyn's tales from the heart of the country music industry. Along the way, she reveals the moments that defined her career, her collaborations with country music icon, Martina McBride, and her experiences of being an independent artist. Our chat delves into her songwriting process and the inspiration behind her upcoming album, "There She Is". Amid the mesmerizing melodies and powerful lyrics, she gives us a raw insight into the balancing act between her music career and personal life.
Just when you think you've heard it all, Carolyn lifts the curtain on her plans for the upcoming CMAs, her love for Halloween, and hints at possible touring plans. From her trials and triumphs in the music industry to amusing anecdotes about her children's trick-or-treating escapades, it's an episode peppered with her infectious laughter and heartfelt insights. So, sit back, put your feet up, and immerse yourself in the inspiring world of Carolyn Dawn Johnson.
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
Imagine sitting down for an intimate chat with renowned country music artist, Carolyn Dawn Johnson. As the soft strum of a guitar fills the air, she takes you on a captivating journey through the highs and lows of her career, starting from her first music lesson, to her first paid gig and to signing her first record deal. Her hit song "Complicated" set the course for her tours, and her newest anthem "Roadblocks" stands as a beacon of hope for anyone navigating their own life struggles.
Prepare to be moved by Carolyn's tales from the heart of the country music industry. Along the way, she reveals the moments that defined her career, her collaborations with country music icon, Martina McBride, and her experiences of being an independent artist. Our chat delves into her songwriting process and the inspiration behind her upcoming album, "There She Is". Amid the mesmerizing melodies and powerful lyrics, she gives us a raw insight into the balancing act between her music career and personal life.
Just when you think you've heard it all, Carolyn lifts the curtain on her plans for the upcoming CMAs, her love for Halloween, and hints at possible touring plans. From her trials and triumphs in the music industry to amusing anecdotes about her children's trick-or-treating escapades, it's an episode peppered with her infectious laughter and heartfelt insights. So, sit back, put your feet up, and immerse yourself in the inspiring world of Carolyn Dawn Johnson.
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
I can't believe it.
Speaker 2:No more. Skip Happens. Please return Bubbles, your flight attendant, to her fully upright and locked position. Oh, wait a minute. Uh, ladies and gentlemen, please take your seat and buckle up seat backs and tray tables in their full upright position.
Speaker 3:It's another episode of Skip Happens, your weekly view from 30,000 feet From the first music lesson to the first paid gig, to signing the deal. It's the journey that is the life of an artist. Now here's your captain and co-captain, aka your hosts, skip Clark at Deblan Fear.
Speaker 2:Hi, hi hi.
Speaker 1:Hello everybody. Hey, it's Skip Clark, the host of Skip Happens, deblan Fear from the audience company and also the official Country Music Fan Club and my partner with the podcast. And you know what? I think I have a good one tonight. I think I got one.
Speaker 2:I don't think. We know, we know, we know.
Speaker 1:So I don't know if this is going to come up here, because we were talking and I wasn't paying attention. But well, you know what? We'll talk about this a little bit. I want to go back a little bit. First of all, I'm going to show her this picture and see if that brings back any memories. Now you see the yeah, that was Now. That was at a place called the Turning Stone Casino. Oh, my goodness Growing down to New York and that was.
Speaker 3:I remember that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 20 years ago, Carolyn.
Speaker 3:Wow 20 years ago how.
Speaker 1:You. Carolyn Dawn Johnson is our guest here tonight and this I'm loving this woman already and I loved her back then as well. I was a big fan of doing the radio thing for a long time, able to play some of her music, and one of the big hits I remember very distinctively was Complicated, and I think when Complicated hit the radio waves huge hit for you and you went out on tour with that song to kick it off. So that was pretty cool. Carolyn Dawn Johnson, how are you?
Speaker 3:I'm so good. How are you?
Speaker 2:I'm all giddy. Good to meet you. Welcome. I know we're so excited.
Speaker 1:I'm all giddy, giddy. I'm all good Welcome to the Skip Happens podcast. Skip Happens, so it's just like it. Pretty much it's going to be a discussion. We're going to have a lot of fun and talk about you. Where are you right now? Are you in Nashville or are you in Canada?
Speaker 3:I'm in Nashville and I'm in part of my living room right now.
Speaker 1:I like the plants in the back. Are they real?
Speaker 3:They are real.
Speaker 1:Yes, ok.
Speaker 3:I have a smidge of a green thumb, a smidge of a green thumb, Same with me a smidge.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no, no. That doesn't work with me, and we cannot have live plants in our house because they do not survive.
Speaker 3:I'm just saying they help with the oxygen in your house. So they do the breathing in and out of that stuff. That we breathe out, they breathe it in and do whatever.
Speaker 1:So can I ask what part of Nashville are you? You don't have to tell me exactly, but are you north to town, southeast west?
Speaker 3:I'm actually in Nashville proper. I'm in the center, so I'm not really north, east, west or south. I'm in the middle of it all, so I'm kind of close to everything.
Speaker 2:So that's OK, that's good.
Speaker 3:I'm close to Music Row too Nice.
Speaker 1:Nice, that's where you need to be right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Carolyn, it's been, I know, about 22 years, 20 years, 22 years.
Speaker 2:Where did that time go?
Speaker 1:I know it's like and I'm going to say something I'm not getting, I'm not being creepy here, but you have changed one bit. You're as fabulous.
Speaker 2:I have to wear a hat?
Speaker 3:No, I have to. I know how to get to a woman's heart.
Speaker 1:But no, you look great and I've been asking to get you on the podcast for a little bit now and it's because I've been seeing your Facebook lives and when you just pop on and do something, you'll sing a couple of songs and talk to your fans, and I knew you were coming out with new music and I just said, oh, I can't wait, I can't wait. Now, here it is, roadblocks is out. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Speaker 3:Sure, roadblocks is. I haven't really had any new music out in a while, so Roadblocks is like my reentry onto the airwaves, of sort and giving it to my fans and it's really kind of like a personal. I've decided it's kind of like a personal anthem and it's my own personal struggles that I have had. So it's me going hey, if you don't want to think about anything about this song, you don't have to, because it's one of those kind of songs you can just turn up and jam and crank it, roll the windows down, drive fast, whatever it feels good, it's fun to sing along to. But if you've gone through some stuff or are going through some stuff, your own Roadblocks per se. Hopefully we all inspire you.
Speaker 1:And I did say that before we went out with the lights and the cameras tonight, I said that I'm digging this new tune Roadblocks because it's like did you write that about me? How did you know? How did you know all this was happening? But you know what. You're a songwriter, and you're a damn good songwriter, and you know. You take your own experiences, you put them on paper, then you put them to music and right, there's a good example of it. I even wrote down some of the lyrics. I think it was like I got my eye on the prize unlimited skies oh, I'm going to drive right on through those take me out spikes oh, I'm going to drive those Take me out spikes. Those slow me down signs oh, I'm going to drive right on through, right on through those Roadblocks. That's comfortable.
Speaker 3:Very accountable. Thank you. Sometimes you need a little pick me up to help you get through some things, and this is one of those. It's like you know, I've had days I know I'm not alone where it's literally hard sometimes to put one foot in front of the other, and that's what you have to do. And then you think about it and hopefully a song like this will go yeah, you know what I can do this. I'm going through those. I still have my eye on the prize. I still, you know, whatever that prize is for you being the best version of yourself you know you can do it.
Speaker 1:Well, what's it like? I mean, you know, let's go back a little bit 20 years. He had complicated out there and I think you had Georgia. Was it Georgia?
Speaker 3:Yes, georgia was one of those, and I don't want you to go.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, and you had those songs. And then, all of a sudden, what happened to Carolyn Don Johnson? I mean, is that a big for you as an artist? And I'm sure you were still trying to put some songs out, but then were you. Did you ever feel like you know what? This isn't happening anymore. What am I going to do?
Speaker 3:That's a tough, that's you know, that hits me right in the heart there, Skip. So yeah, I had a lot of wonderful things going on and there was some stuff that happened in the business part of the music. It was kind of like the plug was just sort of pulled and I was watching it kind of go away, I couldn't do anything about it. And regimes change and I don't know if regimes the right word.
Speaker 1:I know what you're talking about.
Speaker 3:Different people change in the organization and certain things can happen. I just remember there was a bunch of radio going when's Carolyn's next single, when's Carolyn's next single? And waiting. You know I had some great momentum. I had a lot of wonderful things happening and something shifted somewhere in the business.
Speaker 3:That's kind of how I'll say it right now, and I watched all this hard work with me and my team kind of go down the drain. It didn't completely go down the drain. I was able to continue to still have a career and I've still done a lot of amazing things and I kept going, but there was a lot of things that happened that was absolutely devastating to me, if I'm being honest.
Speaker 1:No, and I get that. That's why I was asking and I know a lot of artists that have gone through pretty much which you've gone through but how do you ask people, being an artist, what you think that man, I was great at what I did. Now I don't have it. How do you survive those moments? What do you do to get your mind off that?
Speaker 3:if I may ask, Well, yeah, well, I found a great therapist. I know that sounds crazy, but I had to talk through a lot of stuff because I really felt like it was hard to separate Carolyn from music. Music was always my life, but my identity was in that. So then, when it felt like everything was going away, I was like, well, who am I? And so then I had to be comfortable with me possibly never getting another shot ever again in my life, and that was a really difficult thing. So I did my whole. Since I was a teenager I don't know how I got tipped off onto some of this stuff, but I really started reading positive thinking books and things like that and self doing some self affirmations and digging into trying to reframe things in your mind and your brain. Basically and I tell this to my kids all the time like if I hear something negative and trust me, I can do the same things, but I'll go.
Speaker 3:Hey, kids, you know what what comes out of your mouth goes in your ear and into your brain, so be careful what you say, because we're always kind of like those things can change how you feel, and then it can change which direction you're going to go. Are you going to go in a better direction or a worse direction?
Speaker 1:Or are you?
Speaker 3:going to stay normal, I guess, and just go like this, but rarely do you it's kind of like.
Speaker 2:It's hard. It's hard to teach kids to, especially when they see things that you're going through in your personal life and you have a career that you're trying to manage and yet you have a family and to teach children as they watch you grow and go through this to stay in a lane how challenging is that? While balancing the rest of what you have going on, I mean that is very difficult.
Speaker 1:Such an inspiration right here, carolyn Don Johnson hanging with us on the Speak Happens podcast, and anybody that's going to be watching this whether you're watching it live or maybe you're watching the replay of it but it's so inspirational and to know that I can look at you now and see that smile on your face and you look like and it can be done. Proof that it can be done Now.
Speaker 2:On a brighter note, you know, when you said the word reentry, all I could think of is when the people in space get into their little thing and they're reentering back into Earth and they're coming through with such power and excitement and energy because they've accomplished something that you just don't think you could accomplish.
Speaker 1:That's kind of the vibe.
Speaker 2:I got from you. It's like you are just ready. Now You're coming through and you're going to do it and you've you know.
Speaker 1:The reentry.
Speaker 2:Oh, I just love that. That's just the total vision.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much. That's inspiring me, by the way, right now. Now, we hope so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I've been doing radio a long time. Dead's been doing country music a long time, so we know who you are more than you think so, which means a lot to us from somebody that gets to play it on the radio and somebody that gets to introduce it to the country music fan club, so, anyways. So we had Martina McBride on with us. I don't know, it was a while ago now, but we had a great conversation. But what I understand and I've heard this before you and her have become pretty good friends because you've been hitting the road with Martina.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know what she's so wonderful? She is a friend.
Speaker 1:She's a mentor.
Speaker 3:She's a hero, she's someone I look up to so greatly. I don't know she told you how far back we go and just how it all happened, how it even started. But Back when I got my record deal, I Was slated to work with a guy named Paul Worley as a producer and he produced her, and so he had come in and done demos with me and watched me work in the studio and he got to know me and so what? Once I ended up getting my record deal, we already had this like Kind of good understanding with each other and working relationship and he liked the things that I did and my backgrounds and things like that. So, moving forward, he calls me and asks me to come and sing, asked if I want to come sing on a Martina McBride record.
Speaker 3:I'm like yes, yeah so I mean, I can't even believe this because I'm up in Canada before I moved here.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 3:I remember seeing her sing independence day on the CMAs and just going what is, who is this person? Hi and she, you know she's. I believe she was pregnant too, you know. And gosh.
Speaker 3:She was just amazing and I sang all of her songs and everything. So I was just honored and I went in there and started singing on the song I love you, that really high one. I'm in so totally and I'm doing all the, and she wasn't there when I first started. So I get about half the song done and then she comes in and she's like, wow, this sounds great. And she pushes a talk back button because I'm out singing and she goes do you want to come out on the road with me?
Speaker 1:Oh, and she kind of jokingly, laughingly.
Speaker 3:But I Kind of look and Paul goes out. He told her we're getting ready to start your record. She's too late and you know whatever, and I'm like going Just a joke. So I was like, okay, well, that's sweet, they're just trying to give me a nice compliment right.
Speaker 3:So we finished the song. She's happy with it. It turns out great. I mean, it's not mixed yet. But a couple weeks later Paul ends up calling me and says you know, martina is actually serious about you coming out with her. And she said you know you could work around our studio schedule and stuff, so why don't you just give her a call and just see? And so I called her and she said I know you're making record, I know you're about to launch. It'll take a while for this to happen anyway, but if you want to come out, I can show you what it's like to be on the road and you know you can see what it's, see what the real deal is like and just very wonderful. She's like if you can't come certain weekends, that's okay, I don't have a female backup singer anyway, just come and do what you can do. So I went to my label, heiress, the management, and said hey, this is an opportunity I'd really love to do. This is could I do this? And they're all like, yeah, this is an amazing opportunity.
Speaker 3:So that started 24 years ago, you guys, 24 years ago that was even before complicated, Okay and through that relationship she did teach me so much and she was so kind, and she still is. I've come in and out of that organization, you know, different times, and I I ask her advice on Almost everything that I do.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's such a compliment to her and a you to to want to take that at all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let it all. And she's married to John, who's done it all from the other side you know other side of the board and he's at every single show and I'm sure he's telling her you got to get Carolyn to go with Just because, he knows to so he's sweet too, because he's always like we love it when you're out here with us.
Speaker 3:You know it's a positive thing and I love it it's. It's literally like Hanging out with your family and getting to sing with one of your best friends who happens to be one of the best singers in the world. So, um, I don't ever want that to go away and I don't, I don't think it ever will, because I just think that we kind of come in and out of each other's lives, you know, musically, at times. Sometimes she's doing something else, like I'm not gonna be on the Christmas tour, I don't do that with her, but I'll do different things, and so it just works. It's amazing. I'm very, very blessed by that.
Speaker 1:All right. So here, all right, I bet I've done something you haven't done with Marty. Now you get to go on on tour with her. I've never done that. Obviously I don't know why I would. They don't need a little guy hanging out. But I've had martinis at Martinez house. We did. Actually it was a you know the country radio seminar. Many, many years ago. Martina was doing something at the house. Obviously it was catered, but she was there, john was there, the kids were there and it Was called martinis at Martinez.
Speaker 1:And that's amazing and we got to hang out about around the pool and just kind of drink martinis and talk about life.
Speaker 3:And then John make good martinis and good margaritas. Oh yeah, all they were great cook and all the things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and John down in the basement to show us all those beel beetle collection which is just. He's probably the biggest be beetle fan that I've ever known.
Speaker 3:So Me too, me too.
Speaker 1:There you go.
Speaker 3:They're amazing.
Speaker 1:They're a good couple, so here we are with Carolyn Dawn Johnson, and that's the Martina side. What about the judge? Though? I was reading that you were on that farewell tour.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh. Well, that's because of Martinez, so alright. I was seeing with her, I said, hey, if you want me to do this judge's tour with you, count me in. And so we went out and did that, and here's a little story about that. You probably, you probably saw this, but I'll tell your audience this okay um 36 years ago I.
Speaker 1:Before complicated go ahead way before complicated.
Speaker 3:I was a little teenager, okay, and I Love the judge. So I I've sang grandpa I don't know how many times and mama he's crazy at weddings and showers. And then I also sang why not me? In this contest with a friend of mine I'm kind of local contest that ended up sending us to the Calgary stampede, which we didn't win there. But there's a little newspaper article of me and my friends sitting there and it's talking about us singing why not me? Well, I had posted about that. I I love the judge. Of course, we were all devastated when we lost Naomi after the tour had been announced.
Speaker 3:Just wow like so sad. But the tour went on and Wynonna, you know, she pivoted in that moment and brought out guests every weekend to sing Naomi's parts and it was a beautiful healing tour. Like I don't think we could have imagined it to be that and I don't know if she knew it was going to be that. She got stronger as the days went on, but it was really tough in the beginning. However, at the very end of this tour and by the way, martina and the band and I, we watched every night because Wynonna is like a force of nature, her vocals are just unbelievable, she's just such an amazing artist. So every night, and then the last night, martina texted me and said come over by the stage, you know, make sure you're over here. And this was a couple songs before the very end and I went over there and it seemed a little suss. I wasn't sure what was going on. And then they brought me over my ears and stuff and she said you're coming out with us for the last song of the tour.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 3:I'm like, oh my gosh, like it was very emotional and I knew I had to keep it together and I went out there and it was Tanya Tucker.
Speaker 1:Andy.
Speaker 3:Carlisle Martina and Wynonna Martina held my hand walking out there. I mean, her heart is giant. Martina is a giant heart for that tiny little body.
Speaker 1:Oh, I believe it.
Speaker 3:And she brings me out there and why no one looks at me and gives me the side ends. Like you want the first verse.
Speaker 2:I'm getting goosebumps Stories. Oh my God.
Speaker 3:That was like a full circle dream of mine. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:How do you even hold it together Like first year you're, you know you're being asked and told and honored and all that to go on the stage. And then you get on the stage. It's like you're in awe. Yeah, you want to perform and you want to do your best and you want to be part of it. Yeah, you're in awe. Like I don't know if I would think to perform or fall over because I'm so honored.
Speaker 1:I'd be ball.
Speaker 3:Well, it is hard. I will say it was hard. I mean my heart was pounding and I couldn't hear myself very well. So I ended up having because we didn't get to check the ears and they were generic ones like my ear monitors. They weren't mine that I'm used to using, because this was all kind of like a surprise.
Speaker 1:So, they.
Speaker 3:You know, I put them in there. I didn't have time to even say turn me out. I was on the first verse, so I didn't get to check anything. It was like full speed ahead, just go. And so that's when your years of experience come into play. Your muscle memory goes just go, Carolyn. You got to do the thing, and so you do it, but I, after that hall was over, no exaggeration I went outside by myself and. I had a couple of tears.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 3:What just happened, because I think what happens is, you know, and I've been doing this a long time this is my career, this is what I do. I'm, I'm, I'm a musician, I'm a songwriter, I'm, I'm a singer. I do a lot of different things, but still, sometimes, that little girl in me goes. I remember when this was way over there, oh yeah, and I didn't know if that could ever be beached.
Speaker 2:Yup, I was just going to say that you think about that when you're younger. This will I ever really get there? How will I get there? How long will it take to even start to get there? And now, here you are, over there.
Speaker 3:It's just amazing it really is so you just never know Right.
Speaker 2:And that's where you got to tell people just keep following your dreams, you have to go after it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm. I'm sitting here watching and listening and I'm just like in awe that such a pro you're. You've been doing this for a while. You've been asked to be out on these big tours and just to see here again. I'm seeing the smile on your face, the passion, the dedication, even after all these years that you've been doing music, that I still see that in you, that there's no stopping you. There is no, and how it touches you and how it affects you and and you want more. You're like bring it on. I want more, a lot of passion, a lot of passion, and I appreciate that, and it's good to see out of an artist too.
Speaker 2:A lot of passion.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's talk about. You know the CCMAs, didn't you? Did you perform at the last one, or you did, I, did I did so the CCMAs um, I hadn't been on the show for maybe three years or something like that Three or four years, I can't remember Uh, and I wasn't slated to be on the show.
Speaker 3:And then my friend, brad Rampel from the band High Valley, he asked me to sing with him. I was going to be up there, I was going to be on the legend show with Tenille Towns, and so I was going to be up there. And I don't know if he knew that or not, I think he did. But he called me and he asked if I would sing this duet with him. Now, he originally did it with Allison Crouse and it's a phenomenal song and I love the song. And, uh, I was like he's like you don't have to tell me right now if you need to figure it out or whatever. And I was like, okay, I'll think about it.
Speaker 3:Yes, I love those guys and Brad, I've known him a long time and, uh, I knew the song already just because I was so happy for him when he and Allison Crouse, and so I said yes. So, yes, I was on the show, which was really fun. We had a great time rehearsing, got to walk the catwalk and do all the things we would sing for everybody, and you know there was just a lot of joy that night once again and, um, I had a blast singing for everybody, so it was.
Speaker 3:It was good to be there. So they have the red carpet right, Just like we do here in the States and you know that's.
Speaker 1:That's one thing. Bna, who I am in radio and been doing this a long time. One of my dreams that's on my bucket list is to work that red carpet sometime. Well, I want to talk to you, yeah, and yes, we'll definitely we'll talk about that, but maybe you know some people that know some people that know some people that that can. Yeah, there we go. All right, enough of that. No, it's like on my bucket list.
Speaker 3:I think it'll happen then.
Speaker 1:So tell us a little bit more about roadblocks. Now you've just dropped that. That is the new song and I'm definitely going to attach it to the end of this podcast here so people go on to watch it. They can hear at least a clip of it, and uh, but what else is coming from you? A whole album You've got an album right.
Speaker 3:Okay, a whole album is coming. So the title of the album, the working title right now, which I'm pretty sure it's 99.9% it's going to be this, because I wrote this song a few years ago. It's okay, it's not really a secret.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:But if it changes, it'll be something else, but I don't think it's going to change. All right, but it's this out. This. The title of the song is there, she is. So that's what I'm going to call the album, and it's, you know, a bunch of stories and things, and some of them are old songs that I've been waiting to record for a long time. A few of them are new and it's just, you know, after roadblocks, going through a bunch of stuff, and deciding like hey, it is time for me to make some music. I was talking to a friend of mine, and now I'm talking about a different song. I'm not talking about roadblocks, but there she is. We were sitting there talking, and I was telling him just some of the things that I had been going through and how hard it had been, and I said, and I just kind of felt like I was never going to be me again, like you, just kind of feel like I I don't know how I'm going to be able to do this. Can, can I let my dog out? Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 2:He is making a lot of noise and crying at the door.
Speaker 1:Hang on one second I made that mistake by not letting my dog out this morning. I'm just telling you you did yes and it turned out pretty. I'm sure it did not. It did not, and I need to listen to the dog when the dog tells me she's got to go out.
Speaker 3:Yeah, exactly, it's like you.
Speaker 1:Because I'm only looking at me. Yeah.
Speaker 3:So anyway, in this song it's it's not a depressing song, it's actually an uplifting song. However, it is saying it does say in there like oh, my goodness, this was going on, and then. And then it says today was her first good day and I had said to my friend Brian, and I said I had this great night with my friends and I came home and I looked in the mirror and I was like I saw a glimpse of myself again and it made me think maybe I can get myself back, maybe I'm on the road to actually being okay, and so that's what that song is about. And of course, I've come a million miles from that, thank goodness. But you know, anyway it's a journey. So that's what the album is called. That's a really beautiful song that will come out eventually at some point too, and roadblocks just felt like the right song to like. I said you know, kind of, hey, you know I've had some stuff, so now I'm coming back, but now you can under, now you can understand why, and I know that other people have had that too.
Speaker 3:So my friends, oscar and Jennifer, who wrote them with me, wrote this with me. You know we weren't all going through like some drastic period in our life when we wrote it. We just love the title and I just remember going I get this. I can sink my teeth into this. I know what this is. Let's do this. You know so because you're always tossing ideas around and you're trying to figure out okay, what are we going to write today, what are we going to do? And this was the thing that was led by the title, and so you know, being a songwriter, you get all the like fun. You can do whatever you want and we use our creativeness to use all the roadblocks language, all the driving language and do all that kind of stuff but really relate it to actually a much deeper meaning into the song.
Speaker 3:And I just remember she's barking at something outside. Can you hear her?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's okay. It's not bad, I'm just. I don't care, it's skip happens, it's not a problem.
Speaker 2:Oh, we've got all sorts of things happening in this show.
Speaker 3:She's natural. She usually lets me know when something's going on, so I hope nothing's going on.
Speaker 1:Well, if you want to take a peek, I mean go ahead. God forbid anything happens.
Speaker 3:Hang on one second.
Speaker 1:We're hanging. Oh, my God man, I'll tell you those things are going, life goes on.
Speaker 2:We almost tend to things yeah.
Speaker 3:I had my phone ringing.
Speaker 2:What she's saying.
Speaker 3:Life happens.
Speaker 2:And that's why we love this name yeah.
Speaker 1:And you will never forget it. That's right. We're going to see each other at CRS or whatever's going on and I go skip happens.
Speaker 3:And I am.
Speaker 1:I love it.
Speaker 3:I think it's a great, great name of a show. Oh my gosh, it's so good.
Speaker 1:No, I'm not saying to interrupt you about the music, but what kind of dog do you have?
Speaker 3:Have a lab German Shepherd.
Speaker 1:Oh wow, so it's pretty big dog.
Speaker 3:She's a big dog. You know that extremely protective and fierce, so you don't want to mess with her, and I'm very, very thankful for her.
Speaker 1:So yes, are the kids all grown up and out of the house?
Speaker 3:They are not.
Speaker 1:Locked in their room, so they don't bother you that's right, that's right they know I have to work. I got it.
Speaker 3:But Okay, yeah. So as far as roadblocks goes, we had a lot of fun using all the kind of like driving language to talk about roadblocks, but always having that underlying meaning of like mental, physical, emotional Roadblocks that people have themselves. It's not really just about you know the physical sense of roadblocks, but I'm doing that and I just remember I had my guitar in my hand. I just started singing the part.
Speaker 3:I got my eyes on the prize Unlimited skies. That was something that immediately started happening for me, which kind of gave us that direction. It's like, yeah, and you know what, I can still see where I'm supposed to go, and Whatever that is for anybody, and that that's what kind of led us down the road we ended up taking with it.
Speaker 1:So how often do you get to write?
Speaker 3:Well. I'm always still writing like that never goes away. I.
Speaker 1:But let me, let me say how often do you get together with others to sit down and do a right? You're right, you're probably. Even when you're watching television, you're thinking about things. Or if you're watching the mass singer, you're not only thinking about what you would be in a costume, but you're thinking about what you know about music.
Speaker 3:So yep, I'm always jotting things down. Yeah, I'm always recording little pieces because I never know when I'm gonna get to actually sit down and flush them out, but I still book appointments. Right now I'm kind of in this season of trying to work on my music and do some other things, so I have to be very selective because I don't have a lot of time, but normally I would like to write two to three times a week like schedule appointments. I used to do five days a week, sometimes two twice a day. That's when I was in crazy land, but and I love that, but that's that's when that was the all that I was doing. And but I always try to keep my pencil sharp, just because it's one of my greatest loves, and you still.
Speaker 3:You know one of one of the best pieces of advice I did kind of get about. All this is about keeping your pencil sharp and that if you don't keep it sharp, you're not ready for when the great ideas come along. So you just keep exercising the muscle. I mean it is a craft, it is something you do. I mean I believe I was born with it. I've done it from a very young age. But you can develop it, you can be committed and disciplined. You can Become better at at what you do and you know, when you have other co-writers that accountability makes you do it.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, sure, sure.
Speaker 3:I was just part of this songwriting group not that long ago. I probably haven't been in it for about six months now, but a friend of mine does this thing and there's probably other ones like this. But if you get accepted into it, if somebody falls out it's you. Every week you have to write a song by yourself and you have to turn it in by a certain time at night I think it was a Tuesday night at midnight and you had to do a little work tape or a demo, whatever you could get done, and there was a prompt every week. So it might be a word, it might be a phrase, and everybody writes towards that.
Speaker 3:Now, if you forgot the prompt or lost there was something. You could write something else. But I always chose to write the prompt because it was such an exercise for me to go Okay, well, let's, let's put the writer. I have to do this all by myself. I want to write totally to that title. And you know what I learned about all of that? There's a lot of things I learned, but it was a good exercise. I did it for about three months before I fell out, because if you miss, you get one more shot and if you miss the second time. If you don't get it in by midnight that night, then you're out. So that accountability to yourself in that time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:I got some killer things done during that. But one thing I learned that was amazing there was about 10 in this group. It might have been nine or something. Not one of us wrote the idea the same.
Speaker 1:Really.
Speaker 2:That's that's creativity at its best.
Speaker 3:That reminded me that God has given us, however you believe, mm-hmm, our own snowflake of creativity.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%, that's amazing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and it kind of energized me, you know, and I mean I'm like nobody says things exactly the way I say them. No one says them exactly the way Taylor Swift says them, or the way Chris Stapleton says them, or you know, whatever it's like. That's what you're a writer, but I just, it was just a beautiful thing, just for that reawakening of that, I think.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what is it like to be an artist in the? In the digital age, you know, with everything that's going on where we're on our phones, we're doing everything. Everything's digital. Now we got AI. What's it like to be an artist during this time that's?
Speaker 3:a great question. Um, you know, I came up at a time that it was not like this. In fact, when my first album came out was right when Napster hit and I just had a ton of fans bringing CDs to my show With demos on them that I don't know how they got them and or even before the record came out, they had somehow gotten a hold of it. So a lot I was signing things. I took it as like, hey, they're fans, that's, that's okay for me. But yeah, it was changing the whole thing. Now we're in this age that you're talking about, where so much of it is All this social media stuff. So, yeah, I'm. I was very reluctant in the first place to get on social media Because I am actually kind of a private person. And it's not that I'm private.
Speaker 1:I like to share things about life, but, but I also like to not share everything you know, and it feels like you have to Right, right, no, I get it same here.
Speaker 3:So it's a different time. There's a lot of interesting things about it that I think are really cool, and then there's some that I'm just like I, I don't know like this is too much. You know it feels like it's a lot in order to Compete, or at least what I'm told you're supposed to do to compete and I don't even like that word compete because I feel like you know you can always find your own lane if you're being true to yourself. But I Know how easy it is for me to flip through stuff. How are you gonna catch my attention?
Speaker 2:I don't know, I don't know, you really, you really only grab people for about 15 seconds and what can you do in 15 seconds? Like you said, that's gonna keep them there. It's very challenging, very challenging that whole world is. It is so and we're forced into it.
Speaker 3:We have yeah and I, you know, I feel like you know people talk about all this ADHD stuff and that and I know it's a real thing and I'm like going I might have that.
Speaker 1:Or not about me or about that. It's like I might have that yeah.
Speaker 3:I don't mean that in a flippant way, for anybody watching that you know I'm not saying, it's just what I'm. Just I sometimes wonder like About my attention span, but I have we like all morphed into that, I don't know?
Speaker 2:I think we all have to a degree, because for 15 seconds I'll start doing something, say in the kitchen. All of a sudden my mind wonders and don't ask me how, but I'm, in the Paste, been doing something else. I totally forgot what I was doing in the kitchen.
Speaker 3:It just, it just happens, it's true, I, I think we can condition our brains. I mean, we can get probably condition it the other way too so, but you know, when it's so easily accessed At our fingertips all the time, yeah, it's, it's actually excruciatingly frightening to me just how much time is actually spent on electronics, so yeah, no, I know I hear you, but here I am on electronics. That's how we do it.
Speaker 1:It's how we do it.
Speaker 3:We're all doing it and it all changed.
Speaker 1:And I don't want to talk about the pandemic, but it all changed during the pandemic, where we started doing things differently even more. So I mean, we wouldn't be talking to you right now. You know what I mean. So we used to always have the artists come into the what I call the pod zone and we would do the interviews here, and this is a you know, basement in my home, but still it, this is where we would do them. But now that the pandemic forced us to do things differently and it's a plus, but it's, it is a plus how do you?
Speaker 1:You know, I am, as I mentioned a few minutes ago, I do see you Quite often on Facebook and you're talking to your fans and you're playing a couple of songs. So, and I think I'm seeing more and more of that, so you are becoming a little more Relaxed doing it. Maybe, you know, but I think, I think you need to do that whether it's Facebook tick, tock, whatever, because you got to get yourself back out there and look, I mean, that's where they're discovering a lot of new artists and they're hearing this. I mean, we got our Bailey Zimmerman's and our Zach Bryant's and oh my gosh, warren Zyters, and that's the hat you know I can go on and on it's just, it's kind of that's where the big stars are be current.
Speaker 1:I shouldn't say really big is not big yet and I'll come right out and say that, but the current stars Are being noticed on social media. But you're doing it, you're doing it.
Speaker 3:I agree. I mean I I see that that's happening and I understand I. I do like playing live for people. That is something that I've always really kind of love. Skip, you've probably seen, you saw me years ago. I really do love singing for people.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:I wish the sound quality was better all the time. But you know that I think we're people are okay. You can do different things. I think I want to try and make it a little bit better all the time, but at the same point I don't want to be something perfect because, like, I want to just be like the most real version of myself, exactly.
Speaker 3:When I'm doing it at the same time, so I don't mind playing. I used to do a thing actually called Music Monday. I know a lot of other people have done it and then my mom got sick in 2017 and I was her caretaker and I took care of her for a long time and it kind of slipped away. I just wasn't able to really do it anymore. I tried to do it a few times when I was taking care of her, but I would do a thing every Monday and then I lost that and I haven't quite gotten a consistent thing back again. And I'm trying, yeah.
Speaker 1:We might have a different thing, that's all. I have a different thing.
Speaker 2:You might have.
Speaker 1:I know I tried to get you on the podcast one other time and there were some issues going on at home. I don't know if it was your mom. I really don't know. You lost your mom Right Not too long ago.
Speaker 3:I did, I did.
Speaker 1:Okay, I wasn't sure if it was your mom or dad, but I remember I got a message.
Speaker 3:I said lose my dad too Sorry.
Speaker 1:I'm so sorry, but I remember we were talking and you had messaged me and said it's going to have to wait because there's too, much going on. You know what you did. You pulled through and they're watching you and you're smiling the roadblock. Yeah, you made it to the roadblock.
Speaker 2:A lot of those you know. Yes, go ahead. Well, is your new music coming out independently or are you with a label? How?
Speaker 3:are independently.
Speaker 2:Wonderful we are more and more of that Right Skip. I mean, it's just it's and it's your own business and you're out. What's what's great about you?
Speaker 1:and your chief executive officer Right there.
Speaker 2:You know so many. What's great is because you've been in the business. Yeah, step away for a little while. You're back, whatever did things in between, but you have so many contacts. So I don't know, is that easier for you being in that position, going independently? Or do you think it's still more of a challenge where somebody that hasn't had your experience?
Speaker 3:Well, those are all kind of great questions. My experience does allow me to, yes, go to different contacts get some advice. I have hired a few people to help me, so it's like my own little mini label. Yeah, so we're doing some things on our own, which a lot of people are doing. Some of that, that kind of stuff. I think the biggest challenge always is going to be how do we let as many people know as possible that we have that, I have new music and that, and and get them interested in it. So when you're with a big label, that's an amazing thing because they have such a wide reach and they know how to get it to the masses. So, and and then you know there's a lot of different ways. All of those people have to get paid, so it's a different kind of a structure for the artist, you know. So then, when you're doing it independently, you still have to work with people to help you. There's no real way you can do it on your own mind.
Speaker 3:You there's artists out there who are, you know, flying and they're being discovered and they're doing things on their own, but then they got to start getting some people to help them, because it's just too much.
Speaker 2:Too much yeah.
Speaker 3:But because there's so many aspects, as you guys know, right, if you want to tour, you need you need different people to help you with that, and there's all the social media stuff and radio and so many things actually. So so I know, so organizing all of this stuff, right?
Speaker 2:So when you're in it this deep as an independent artist and you're building your team, does it make sense for you to just start your own label or just stay as yourself and you're just basically grabbing help when you need it? I don't know. I'm always asking these business questions.
Speaker 1:You can tell who the business person and who the goof is.
Speaker 3:I wish I had you know great answers for you as to what the best thing is. I think. I think if you could be, I think, just finding your right people that actually believe in you, you can move some mountains with some of that stuff. You know, if you have a I don't have a manager right now, but if I had a manager that was.
Speaker 3:I haven't had one for a while and haven't really needed one, but that's something that may have to come on as things get a little busier, if they do when they do.
Speaker 1:Baby, it's coming happening.
Speaker 3:You know there's. There's so many aspects to it that starting your own label is essentially what you do when you're hiring different people to do stuff with you. Would I sign someone else to it? Like, honestly, I would actually love to do that. I feel like I would love to also work with other artists. I mentor a lot over the years and have the ability to help them with their careers. I'm not able to do that right now, but if there was ever a chance or maybe I'd work for someone else doing that, but I really love watching people grow in this business as well. I just can't do it all right now, especially not not on my own.
Speaker 2:Right, right, right. And you know what that takes a special heart to, to want to be able to help others and help them enhance their career, especially when you're trying to work on your own as well. That is a lot. That's a huge undertaking. I think Absolutely. But you know just the people that work with artists and artist development. You've got to have that caring heart to want to see them succeed. So big heart.
Speaker 1:Are you going to be bouncing around the CMAs when they come around next week?
Speaker 3:Well, I'm going to go to. I've got some kind of businessy things that I've got to do. I am going to be at the ASCAP Awards. I'm not going to be at the CMA Awards and I'll be at. I know it gets crazy. Yeah, there's a bunch of events that I'm invited to that I'm going to have to go to, which will be great, because I can't wait to see a bunch of faces that I haven't seen in a while. So I'll be running around the CMAs for sure, but I will not actually be at the show.
Speaker 1:So did the kids go out trick or treating. I just made a turn, by the way, so the music's over here now, and I told you earlier I can't turn every once in a while. So they went out trick or treating. Did you walk with them?
Speaker 3:I walked with my daughter because my son was with a bunch of his friends and they went and had like a little party and they did their thing. We ended up actually crossing with them and seeing them anyway. So, yeah, I did and my daughter went with some friends and I was with that pack, so they went and did all of that stuff.
Speaker 1:Did you steal any of their candy? Yes, and let me get a Reese's. What's your favorite Halloween candy?
Speaker 3:All right, my favorite is actually milk duds. Oh, the caramels. No, I like them, I do like them.
Speaker 1:They're hard to chew.
Speaker 3:They are hard to chew, I agree, but I'm a caramel girl.
Speaker 1:You like candy corn.
Speaker 3:No, all right, what about?
Speaker 1:Loser's peanut butter cups, because you don't know where you.
Speaker 3:You love those too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but they're. Yeah, you can eat too many of those too easy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they just pop one in quick, fast, so good.
Speaker 1:So did. I would assume you just stayed in the neighborhood. So they're like, yeah, where I live I can't trick or treat around where I live.
Speaker 3:Cause it's just not conducive to that, but um so we go into another area.
Speaker 1:Ah, you wanted those, I get you, yeah, well, a bunch of kind of it's the neighborhood close. I know so we.
Speaker 3:We've had to do all that thing, but it's. It's a good area that's known for having kids around and it's all good.
Speaker 1:Caroline, one final question, or maybe, I don't know, I might have a couple. They seem to pop up Um, what do you do when you're not doing music? What? What do you do to break away from this, if you break away from it at all?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I know that's a great question. Well, I will say that kids um help you break away from it.
Speaker 1:And uh so that's.
Speaker 3:I do love being a mom and my kids are involved in different things, so I I do stuff with them, but walks are really a great place for me to just like kind of ground and go with my dog and I love nature, so walking is a big thing.
Speaker 3:Hanging with some friends, I've got some great girlfriends, so, um, if I can squeeze in time with them, that is always like a mood boost, for sure. And um, also quiet time just just me, like doing some reading, and I have a sauna. That I love that, um, you know some things like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just kind of hang out and chill I get it. Yep, and you get right back into it again, so it never ends.
Speaker 1:You know uh tonight on skip happens, we've had Carolyn Dawn Johnson. Uh, I'm just all giddy, giddy over this whole podcast here tonight. I just I've been a big fan for a lot of years, radio for a lot of years, as I showed you the picture in the beginning, that's what I love. I love it. I see it here, um, my wife Zach and I and, uh, hitting up the turning stone here in central New York to see you. Uh, do you have any plans to get out of that? Like, get on tour again soon, hit up any other cities, as Martinez said. Hey, carolyn, look, I'm heading out next weekend. Do you want to come to Boston with me, or whatever?
Speaker 3:There, there are some Martina things coming up and. I really, really, um, you know we're pushing to try and get some stuff where I can get out there and do some more. I really want to get out there and play that. I feel like a lot of people have been asking. It's been quite a while we need gone out there.
Speaker 1:We need a Carolyn Dawn Johnson fix. I'm telling you, there are a ton of fans out there and I've we've had big numbers here on the podcast tonight. I've been watching the numbers, people that are loving you. It's like you know, it's like, oh, my God, it's Carolyn Dawn Johnson. I mean, you already got the name for yourself. You're a great talent, a great songwriter. Thank you, it's the whole package, the whole package.
Speaker 3:Now I need to come up there.
Speaker 1:I was just. You took the words right out of my mouth. I said my next thing is to get you into the Northeast. I'm going to say you know real quick before we let you go here tonight. I want to. I believe we did a guitar poll with you. And yeah well, I was on another station in this market in Syracuse and we used to do guitar polls quite often and I want to say that we had you at one of our polls.
Speaker 1:I got to go through my photo albums. I probably got another picture here. I just I know we must have done that.
Speaker 3:You know who would probably know, because he has a memory like that's super, like bionic as David Friedman, because he would have probably taken me on that.
Speaker 1:Yes, I used to come to Fryhofer. Yes, I did. That was the moment because we David and I are really, and Amy, his wife were all pretty close and David was one of my reps back then. Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, and David was matter of fact. He used to come to Syracuse quite often and one day he actually rode with me to the school to pick up my son and it was just, you know, we spent the afternoon just kind of talking and hanging out and stuff. But yes, oh, my God, I can't believe you mentioned that name. That's right. Well, it all makes sense because, being the label rep and Yolanda and Dawn Johnson, david look where he is now. Just a great guy though.
Speaker 3:I know I'm going to ask him because that sounds familiar to me, because I really I know that we did some things up there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's, definitely.
Speaker 3:So maybe I can find a way to get back up there and do that again.
Speaker 1:That would be amazing. They want to get you in Connecticut. I said, okay, all right. Yeah, wendy and James, it's hard to read some of the little print here, but yeah.
Speaker 3:I'm going to have to go look at all that stuff.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, absolutely. I hope you had a good time on Skip Happens tonight.
Speaker 3:I had a great time and it's your usual.
Speaker 1:you know podcast, we just talk and we're friends again. Now I mean, you were doing your thing and I was doing my thing, but this actually just brought us closer together. And, by the way, do you have a road right behind that window? Because they keep?
Speaker 3:seeing it. Yes, there would be some cars driving by, is that true?
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I'm going with those lights. There's another light, either that or somebody's walking by. It's like I better warn her.
Speaker 2:No, that big gold dog will protect her. Are you kidding? Yeah?
Speaker 3:She would sense it. She would sense it. Yeah, there's nobody else.
Speaker 1:So, carolyn, if somebody wants to get a hold of the new music roadblocks and the music that's coming out pretty soon, how can they do that?
Speaker 3:Probably stay tuned to my website, cdjcom. We're going to have everything on there all the time, so any new we'll put you guys up there and any new news of any sort. And then my socials most of them are cdj in the house. So that's Facebook, instagram TikTok, I think is just Carolyn Don Johnson. Then underscore Instagram cdj in the house. But, cdjcom will take you all to all those places.
Speaker 1:You have X, which used to be Twitter.
Speaker 3:I do, I do and I'm not very active on there, but I am on there.
Speaker 1:I just like saying X.
Speaker 3:I was like what is he talking about? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:No, I know I get it Okay, Carolyn. Thank you again for joining us here on Skip.
Speaker 3:Happens.
Speaker 1:And thank you everybody for watching. I'm actually giving a message on our YouTube page and on our Facebook page and we try to interview the stars, just like we did tonight with Carolyn. We go every week, sometimes two to three in a week.
Speaker 2:So it's a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:My name's Skip Hart. It's Deb Lanfier. Deb, you want to give out your digits real quick?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah. So if you get a chance tune in, You'll get to see this re-recording on the official Country Music Fan Club Facebook page. Carolyn, if you get a chance, follow us, We'll follow you back. So when that new music comes out, we can send it out to that fan base as well and keep up to speed with what you have going on.
Speaker 1:We are on.
Speaker 2:Facebook and Instagram.
Speaker 1:She doesn't know yet, but I'm going to send her an invitation to come to our guitar poll in December. So okay. Carolyn, you're awesome. We'll be talking. Stay right there and thank you for watching everybody. Skip happens and it does.
Speaker 3:Okay, it did.
Speaker 1:It's all good.
Speaker 3:We love you. We'll talk to you soon. Awesome, love you back.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Right there, hi everyone. Good night everybody.
Speaker 3:Good night.