We had a great conversation with David Adam Byrnes on The Chris & Sandy Show. We talked about so many things from family, music, sacrifices, he told us several stories of his up and downs in music through the years! Click the play button to listen to the podcast!
He left his home in central Arkansas in 2008 at the age of 19 years old and ambitiously moved to Nashville, TN in an attempt to, like millions of folks before him, deliver his brand of country music to the great Music City, and secure a budding career as a music artist. Within his first year he signed a publishing deal/record deal with Better Angels, a company that would later represent hit songwriters like Thompson Square, Josh Thompson, Ward Davis and Matt Rogers. His first taste of success came with the release of his single “Sweet Distraction” that hit #62 on Billboard and Top 20 on Music Row, which was the highest debut from a new act that year. He became a quick study in the art of songwriting, a talent he previously undervalued having starry eyes only for the stage. When you are a young kid sitting in a room with the picks of the litter among the songwriter society, the sheer enormity of the opportunity is a sobering affair. In such a situation, one would do well to keep his ears open more than his mouth, and to become a sponge that soaks up the savoir-faire required to survive and thrive in this elite world. Monday through Friday, David Adam Byrnes sat in rooms pumping out the kind of songs that were groomed for the country music charts. A coveted spot at the Key West Songwriters Festival and performing with guys like Paul Overstreet and Keith Stegall, before he knew it he had an impressive catalog of tunes, 5 of which that were spoken for by a handful of Nashville artists, and destined for the top of the charts. Just as the stars were moving into perfect alignment for him, the publishing deal collapsed, and though he had another deal on the table, he wasn’t able to sign due to ongoing legal issues, and so those 5 magical cuts were, as they say often in the songwriter circles, “healed.”
In 2013 a new chapter began. Now a free man able to ditch the “bro country” songs he had been writing to satisfy the Nashville appetite, he circled back to his own personal style of honky tonk country and focused, once again, on the stage. The first time he heard Cody Johnson on the radio he became a man in a trance. This was “his sound,” the one he left behind years ago in order to bat in the big leagues. He was soon introduced to Trent Willmon who produced Cody Johnson, and the two began a songwriting relationship that would become so much more. Soon after, Silverado Records came knocking, and with a new record deal back on the table, David and Trent joined forces on the recording front and went to work on his new album. The pairing could not have been more perfectly matched. Every aspect of the writing and recording was a continuous stream of harmonious flow, each song perfectly rendered to define his true artistry. With Willmon’s help and influence David snagged several opportunities to open for Cody Johnson and the buzz about Texas quickly swarmed him. Reoccurring comments from his peers about how he belonged in the music scene that nurtured artistic authenticity began to take root. The proverbial straw came from Aaron Watson himself when he told David after a show together that he should not waste another minute in Nashville, and to get down to Texas immediately.
In 2018, David made the move to the Ft. Worth area, a place where his re-donned cowboy hat fit right in. After what seemed like a couple of non-consequential song releases by Silverado Records, they finally released “Tequila Salt and Time,” the perfect audio getaway David and Trent wrote in the early stages of their relationship, the one that solidified that bond. The release acted as a placeholder, an introduction to the Texas sphere, but it was the next release that would grant David his tenure in the great state. “Beer Bucket List” was released in October of 2018, a true Texas salutation if there ever was one. While it was climbing the charts at a break neck speed, the relationship with Silverado started to founder. Still, touring was well underway and crowds loved what they were hearing.
By February of 2019, David found himself again in a legal battle over his music. The song hits #1 on the Texas Regional Radio Chart amidst the feud and it would be 8 long months before Texas radio would see the next single. “I Can Give You One” was next out of the gate, and though there was some concern about the long gap between releases, the song climbed the charts just as quickly as the first. The very week the second single hits #1 in Texas, the virus pandemic hits the world. Shows canceled, album release canceled…life as we know it, canceled.
After months of shutdown David decided that the show must go on. On April 10th he released his new single “Neon Town,” the title track to the new album of the same name slated for release on October 2nd. Up to #5, it is moving up the charts faster than any of his previous releases. “Neon Town” embodies the entire physique of the album, every song a gem that would crown every honky tonk jukebox nationwide. All of the songs on the new album have been fan tested on the live circuit and were handpicked by that response. “Neon Town” is the come-full-circle thesis on his adventures from small town roots to mainstream cultured and back to his provenance. David Adam Byrnes has earned himself a music business education that just can’t be bought.
www.davidadambyrnes.com
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