Thanks For You

Each year around Thanksgiving, we survey a wide swath of our music scene to find out who/what they are thankful for regarding a particular topic.  In the past, this has focused solely on music.  Such as what song is Randy Rogers most thankful for or what album is Evan Felker most thankful for.  However, this year in light of the hostile and crazy times we’re living in, we decided to open things up to a broader degree.  We asked several artists…what person are you most thankful for?  The responses are beautiful, enraging, witty and wide-ranging.  We hope you’ll enjoy this and that it reminds you to be thankful of someone this season.  Happy Thanksgiving, y’all. 2015

2014

2013

2012–lost to the great server collapse of 2012

2011

2010

Larry Hooper, singer/songwriter

I am thankful for my brother, Jeromy Hooper.

As most people who know me are aware, I lost my big brother Jeromy to a heart attack on March 2nd of this year. He was 40 years old and left behind a wife, 2 girls, and a lot of sad friends and family. Jeromy was my best friend, frequent songwriting partner, and someone I aspired to be like my entire life. He was brilliant, kind, loving, and one of the funniest people you would ever know. He taught me about music. He fostered, and shared, my love of good lyrics. He started playing, writing and singing first, and then said I should learn so we could play together. We played shows together whenever we could. He was always a better singer and songwriter than me, he just didn’t push at it as hard. But when he sang harmonies to me it was perfect. I sure miss him, but I am so very thankful for the time we had, and I’m so very thankful that he was my big brother.

Cody Canada, singer/songwriter/guitarist

I’m thankful for family. My boys (11 and 8) know no color. They’re afraid of the things that we’re afraid of, so we will turn the tv off and hold them tight. They’ve made Shannon and I better people. It used to be about the party. That still happens, but I’ve found myself driving home after gigs instead of staying on the bus and sleeping in. Their love for people and music make them the greatest creation we have ever done.

I’ve turned down European gigs and opening for badass people to be home with them. I am not, for one second, regretful of those choices. Those three are my world. Their aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents are pretty solid as well.

The world may fall apart, but not at the hands of those beautiful souls.

Love,

Daddy

Kayla Ray, singer/songwriter

This year, I am thankful for so many. It’s hard to pinpoint just one. 2015 was a year of struggle in my personal life but 2016 was one of healing and one of fiercely loyal friendship. I have so many incredibly close friends, relationships that I never dreamed I would have.

They have pulled me out of a shell and taught me the value of being vulnerable enough to trust.

I must say that while it’s hard to pinpoint just one, I’d like to take the time here to mention Jason Carter specifically. The one we call Clyde. He’s the bass player in the rhythm section we call “The Standards”.  His work ethic is unmatched. His friendship has been a present force in my life and my career. Always willing to lend a hand, grow the band, grow the calendar, grow my spirit, do whatever needs to be done, I could not have found a more incredible person to help lay down the “pocket”. He loves his beautiful wife Megan, and his sweet little girl Wiloh with such depth, he is an example to husbands and fathers twice his age. He carries himself with a joyful yet just spirit.

I’m so proud to call him my friend, and to have him on stage with with me. Put in any corner of any barroom, I guarantee we will fight our way out with a vengeance. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I’m blessed beyond words and so very thankful for the opportunity to create!

Chris King, singer/songwriter

I am most thankful for my future wife, Lauren. I am a man that is growing. I’m full of flaws. I’m trying to better myself for her, that I might be more understanding, empathetic, sympathetic, and reliable. She loves me, and I’m lucky for that. I’m very sure that I would not be typing this, that I would be long dead, had I not found her when I did.

Rich O’ Toole, singer/songwriter

I am most thankful for My Mother. As a single mother working two jobs she taught me a hard work ethic as a young kid. I would have never been ever to peruse music if it wasn’t for her teaching me hard work and strong perseverance,  through the ups and downs of the music industry. I’m very blessed to have Patricia O’Toole as my Mom.

Dan Adams, singer/songwriter This year – as in every year for the past 20 years – I’m most thankful for my wife, Gwen.Since the beginning of my music career way back then, she’s been my biggest cheerleader, believer, motivator, teammate, and partner.  She’s always been unwavering in her support of me – as a person and a musician.  That includes a lot of late nights, long days and weeks when I’ve been on the road, and times where we’ve been in one of the tough financial droughts that all musicians go through.  She encouraged our move from Georgia to Nashville during the years that I felt that’s where I needed to be for my music career.  She encouraged our move from Nashville to Texas a few years ago when I finally realized THIS is where I fit best musically.  I have a song (actually I have several songs) inspired by her, and the message still fits our relationship:She loves me like I’m Elvis – she treats me like I just might be “The King”She won’t mind if I’m never famous, she’ll stay up all night just to hear me sing

We may not ever have a mansion in Memphis – but she loves me – Like I’m Elvis

Bobby Duncan, singer/songwriter

2016 has been a difficult year for many reasons uncontrollable to us. We’ve lost heroes, watched horrendous atrocities throughout the world, and dug a deep trench right the the heart of our own nation that, hopefully, isn’t too deep to fill back again.  Personally, 2016 carried its own challenges as it was my first trip through the calendar as a father. As parents, it’s hard to view the world around us without dreaming of what it might resemble when our kids are grown. Therefore, I’m most thankful for my wife, Taylor. Her calming touch has brought such stability to our lives and her skill as a mother is unmatched.  I would be lost traversing the ever changing landscape of my life without her, and I hope I tell her that enough.

John Dempsy, singer/songwriter

 First, my parents… without whom, I wouldn’t have any idea how to truly love, no matter what.

Second, my grandparents, taught me that honesty was the ONLY policy…especially when it’s difficult to be honest…. whatever the reason.

My grandma taught me how to listen and find strength in a soft spoken word.

My grandpa taught me how to be a man.  The way a man should treat a woman… the way you handle yourself when you have to teach a man how to be a man.

Keep a cool head when you’re using your fists.  Together, like my parents, my grandparents showed me what love was….they were married for over 60 years.

Come see a show, I’ll tell you the story of how they got married!  hahaha….anyway…

Kayla Ray… there just aren’t words for how thankful I am for this woman.

She’s the best friend I’ve ever had.  The kind of friend that tells you the truth when it pisses you off, because you need to hear it.

She enrages me sometimes, inspires me, annoys me, amazes me, pushes me in the direction I need to go…no matter what… she shakes me to my core,

and walks on stage on the worst day of my life and sings harmony with me and brings me back to life….

She has been a constant, consistent, positive inspiration musically and personally for a long time, and I thank God every day for her.

Ryan and Tana Roberts…

Might as well be Guy and Suzanna… I love these two folks with everything I have.  They have been there for me through thick and thin and in between…I wouldn’t be the writer I am today without Ryan Roberts, and I wouldn’t have the tolerance for whiskey, that I do, without my Tana 🙂

The Standards… Pappy, Clyde, Easy….and more recently Danimal…

These cats light my soul on fire every night, and push me to be a better musician.  Besides music, they’re all fantastic people.

The road is fun again!!!  who’d’uh thunk it?

Yes, that word has two apostrophes in it…

I’m thankful every day for the people I get to meet, relationships we build, and what we learn from those people and experiences.

Life is too short not to love.   Be thankful even for the bad times….they make the good ones that much better.

In ALL things…be thankful.  It could always be worse….

Light Up The Darkness

Jonny Burke, singer/songwriter

This year I’m thankful for my close friends. Playing music for a living may not make you rich, but I feel lucky to have a wealth of good compadres I know I can call on in good times and bad.

Drew Kennedy, singer/songwriter

I am thankful for the doctors and nurses at the NICU’s at both Christus Santa Rosa in New Braunfels and The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio who all worked so hard to help our son Oliver after he was born. Angels, all of them.

Mike Ethan Messick, singer/songwriter

The list of who I’m thankful for, musically speaking, goes on too long to list.  I’m less-than-grateful for how many of them 2016 took away, but I guess there’s a lot of that feeling going around.

So I’m going to go with a personal answer, and I guess it’s a pretty common one at that, but it needs to be said: I’m thankful for my wife Codey.  Love and support and appreciation can make a day, a week, a lifetime go down richer and smoother than money or any material thing.  She gave me two kids that I can’t imagine my life without, and gave me the encouragement to grow and change in ways that I don’t think time itself would’ve taken care of.  Left to my own devices I’d still be living like a 40-year-old college kid.  And she’s beautiful and fun, and she’s kind, and she’s intelligent.  A lot of life comes down to standing around talking, driving around talking, drinking whiskey & Topos and sitting around talking.  Those of you who haven’t tied the knot yet, don’t underestimate the value of marrying someone you like talking to.  Think our friend Jamie Wilson (who helped introduce us in the first place) has a song about that …

If 2016 was a fish I’d be highly tempted to throw it back, although Lord knows it wasn’t as hard on me as it was some of the folks around us.  But as a husband and family man, those parts were great, and those parts will endure.

Josh Grider, singer/songwriter

I am thankful for a lot of people in my life, but my boys keep me grounded and focused on what is actually important.  This year I’ll say JJ and Evan top my list.

Randy Rogers, singer/songwriter

This year I’m most thankful for all my Cubbie friends that finally won the World Series!