Colt Ford Interview With HaleighT

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Colt Ford and catching one of his shows! I’ll have to admit that the conversation went way better than I had expected and I found myself having a new respect for the Georgia man.

Colt Ford had some of his early success when teaming up with Montgomery Gentry and Jermaine Dupri to help on their (separate) projects. He also joined the PBR in the making of Buck Em’, their official anthem. The thing that got him to pull the trigger and completely put himself in the industry was that he never wanted to look back and say “Why didn’t I try that.”

The work Ford has done with other artists have been some of the biggest crowd pleasers in history. Tim McGraw, Eric Church, Rhett Akins, James Otto, Kevin Fowler, Randy Houser, Joe Nichols, John Michael Montgomery, Josh Gracin, Luke Bryan, Jamey Johnson, Charlie Daniels, Darryl Worley, Trent Tomlinson and Josh Thompson are just a few on the list of many that he has collaborated with!

Craig Morgan joined Ford on the close to his heart tale of daughters growing older, “She Likes To Ride In Trucks.” Brantley Gilbert and Ford had a tremendous amount of underground success in 2008 with the now nationally huge hit they wrote, “Dirt Road Anthem,” (performed by Jason Aldean).

Ford and Aldean are good friends, with a lot in common, including that they are both from Georgia. The two played over 20 shows together in 2009 and this is where the “Big Green Tractor” singer first fell in love with “Dirt Road Anthem.” He would watch Ford on stage and be shocked at the amount of people in the crowd singing along word for word.

There have been many rumors that Aldean stole the song, but Ford was quick to defend his friend!

“He didn’t steal the song. Lots of artists record others peoples songs, they just have to pay for them. Most artists wouldn’t even ask and he called me himself. He’s a humble dude and always says the song was a hit before him.”

Aldean might have thrown people for a loop when they first heard him on this track, but they obviously liked it! The song is the biggest single of his career and was the #1 ringtone for 17 weeks, something no other artist in any genre has done!

With all of these collaborations already under his belt, I was curious who would be next. Ford told me he would love to work with some of the best in the business including Keith Urban, George Strait, Blake Shelton, Hank Williams Jr. and of course his good friend Jason Aldean.

Although he is known for teamwork, he still has songs that are his and his alone. “Chicken and Biscuits” and “Every Chance I Get” are both examples of his solo work.

Last Thursday I saw Ford and his band give a show at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Let me tell you, he has a very talented group of guys behind him! On each song you would have thought John Michael Montgomery, Brantley Gilbert, Tim Mcgraw or any other famous voice was on that stage! He has some very loyal fans and that is what helps him sell out shows. They don’t mind that each artist isn’t there because they just genuinely enjoy the music.

For those of you who are one of those loyal fans (or if you are a new fan), you are in luck! Ford will be releasing a new album very soon, to be on sale around May! He is very excited about it, saying it is the best group of songs he has ever had! He will also have a very exciting tour this summer! The Declaration of Independence Tour will be a reasonably priced and family friendly tour, that will make stops in fields across the south! With guests JB and the Moonshine Band and The Lacs joining him, this is sure to be a good time!

At the end of our talk, the most important thing I learned about Ford is that he is a guy who sticks behind his music and wishes everyone with a dream success!

For those of you who are wishing him some more success, call in to your local radio stations and request one of his songs!

About HaleighT

HaleighT grew up in rural Sallisaw, Oklahoma, completely immersed in the country music lifestyle. She works with CMNB as our field assignment journalist, gathering concert reviews and exclusive interviews from every artist she can. When she's not out on the road, she's in our web studio filming "Takin' a Break With HaleighT" a short weekly opinion and news segment that launched in 2011.