Editor’s Note: Thirty-six-year-old Josh Thompson has been in Nashville, Tennessee, for about 10 years and has been burning up the highway for the past 6 years, performing his country and western songs all over the nation. Thompson sings country and western music and writes songs for himself and other artists. His goal is to make enough money and also have enough time to go hunting. Thompson says, “I've been hunting all my life, and I'm so proud to be a part of the Mossy Oak Pro Staff.”
Some of the folks in the hunting industry have asked me, “What does your hunting future look like?” Right now, I don’t have a real solid answer. I’d love to go moose hunting, antelope hunting and hunt animals I've never hunted before - animals I've dreamed about ever since I was a youngster. I've been fortunate enough to take a couple of elk, and those elk hunts were great. I’d really like to do some more elk hunting. Also, I’d like to hunt in many more states than I've hunted in and see things I've never seen previously. I’d love to be with hunters and fishermen who have the same passion for the outdoors that I do and learn from them.
Some folks have asked me, “Would you like to have a TV show and be a professional outdoorsman as well as a country singer?” I've never thought about that before, but I think it would be a real exciting lifestyle. I know it would require just as much traveling as I'm already doing. So, I’m accustomed to the travel. I've already adapted to living on the road, so that won’t be something new to learn.
I have a 14-month-old daughter, Josie. As soon as she’s big enough to go hunting with me, I'm planning to take her hunting and dress her in Mossy Oak. When you're a road warrior, like many of us in country music with a family too, traveling really puts a strain on the family. I'm not ruling out a family life in the future. And, right now, I'm not counting anything out. I know I'm going to have to keep my road schedule as busy as it is and still try to spend as much time as I can with Josie.
I really hope that my song writing and singing career continues to go up the success ladder. That’s why I’m putting in as much effort as I can and working as long and hard as I can to move my work forward. To get to where I want to be, I need a single record to be embraced by country radio. To really make it in country music, country radio has to embrace and support you as one of their own. There’s no magic bullet to determine what one song can propel your career up through the country radio ladder.
I've been fortunate to play with some of the best country artists in the nation. Every time I do, I try to study how they perform, how they connect with their audiences, and what they're doing to propel their careers forward. I try and learn more about this business from each artist with whom I perform. I’m fortunate that my live shows continue to grow, and people seem to enjoy my songs and performances. After 10 years, seeing that begin to happen is really rewarding.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got in my music career came from Hank Williams, Jr., who said, “Josh take it on.” I interpreted that to mean go after this country music business with all that’s within you. Country music has a long and rich history and tradition. If you want to have a place in that history and tradition, you have to go after it with everything that’s inside you. You have to be willing to work hard and learn a lot, and then, work some more. Really and truly, I think that’s what’s required to be successful in any business. You have to have a passion for what you want to be, and what you want to do. You have to be willing to invest the time and energy to learn your craft and learn from the people who are what you want to be.
To learn about me and my music got to www.joshthompsonofficial.com. There you can also see when I’ll be in your area. I’d love to meet you.
Day 4: Josh Thompson Can't Think of Anything He'd Rather Do Than Sing and Hunt
