Joel reveals his family is working on a film about his parents’ migration story
Joel shares the story of his family’s migration from Australia to UNITED STATES
We were little guys, but Dad was a promoter in Australia. He has always been a bit of a salesman, a marketer, a promoter. So he would bring Amy Grant and Stryper and White Heart and Petra, the whole thing. Our earliest memories were of watching vinyl records, going to concerts, and that’s when we really fell in love with music. Well, he lost half a million dollars on a tour gone wrong. It’s a small music industry in America, but it’s even smaller in Australia, so it’s been disgraced. I came to America with Mom, six kids, one on the way, in the early 90s to start over. We did everything we could to put food on the table as a family. It really united us as a family. We would also make a circle and just pray about everything. We didn’t have a car, we didn’t have furniture, we didn’t have insurance. We have just seen God, miraculously, accomplish all these things. It was an incredible walk of faith. That’s really what got our sister, Rebecca St. James, started in music. Dad needed cheap labor. He saw that he had five sons. We became the road crew, and really, again, that’s where Luke and I respectively fell in love with music behind the scenes.
Hillary Scott talks about her childhood traveling on a tour bus with her parents
Because of my story, because of my mom and dad moving to Nashville from their hometown, my mom’s career took off. I was in the driver’s side, bottom bunk. Kindergarten and first grade I was homeschooled. I lived on the bus. But it’s so amazing to sit here with two people who share this experience because it’s been such an interesting puzzle when I’ve been talking to friends. Like, “what was it like for you in kindergarten?” And I was like, “Well, I lived on a bus.” “And it’s just a fascinating and very unconventional way to grow up. My parents ended up touring as a backing band with Reba [McEntire] from the time I was five or six to 13. So those years weren’t the same for me with traveling on tour. But you don’t forget it. And I feel like that imprints itself on your heart and on your creative being.
JOEL: I remember we were at the Strawberry Festival in Florida. It was a few years-
HILLARY: Plant City.
Joel: Yes, that’s true. You know. We all played it. And I called [people I knew from her management team.] I remember where I was. It was one of those phone calls that said, “This is ridiculous, but I’m just going to call.” And I said, “Hey, we just finished this song.” » And it had already been published at the time or a version of it had. And then within two or three days, it had been played for Dolly. And within two or three days, the legend itself was on this kind of outrageous phone call that I’ll never forget. I remember where I was standing. And she just, she said, “All of you, as I have to tell you.” It’s one of the great songs I’ve ever heard. I would love to sing on it. And we should make a music video, and we should play it on television. Listen, as an immigrant, as a writer, as someone who lives in Nashville, as someone who’s been to Dollywood, played Dollywood, that was kind of the most profound moment, I think, for Luke and I as artists and as writers.
Luke Shares Story About Dolly Parton Asking for a Photo
So we made a music video together [for “God Only Knows,”] and obviously when Dolly Parton shows up on set, it’s one of those, “Honey, do you want to come to the music video today?” Dolly Parton will be there. And there’s a “you know what?” I think we will. Anyway, Courtney and the kids came. I have four children, I think three at the time, and Dolly is there. And we took a little break and I came up and said, “Hey, Dolly, I just wanted to introduce you to my family.” And there was the “Oh, hello” and all the wonderful things one would expect. And then she just said this. She said, “Hey, I have an idea. Would you mind if you took a photo with me? » And she looks at Courtney and the kids. And I was just like… I mean, do you get bigger than that moment? And you know what’s funny is being on the artist’s side, I knew what she was doing. She knew they were there to come take a photo. But she beat him to it with her great kindness by saying, “Would you like to come take a photo?” Like, “I want to take a picture with you.” »
JOEL: The verses were kind of the way they were. But instead of it being “For God is with us,” it was “all because of Christmas,” which is pretty bad.
HILLARY: I mean, it’s right on the nose.
LUKE: It’s right on the nose.
HILLARY: Right on the nose.
JOEL: I remember we did the wife test and we took it home and I think Courtney and Mariah had a similar response. It was like they were in it and it was like, (singing) and they literally stopped and they were like, “What was that?” »
LUKE: It was definitely a square peg, round hole moment. Where you were like, “Oh, this song is really good.” But we write for Christmas. So we have to make it a Christmas song.
HILLARY: I have to understand the word Christmas.
LUKE: And there it was and it was awful to be honest. But then we realized “wait a second,” and that’s what’s interesting, I think, about songwriting is that I think there are a lot of songs that are half-baked. The half that’s good is really, really good… And you forget that maybe if you go back, take the good and obviously leave the bad and luckily we revisited it.
HILLARY: We’ve talked for years about wanting to collaborate at some point, and I’m so grateful that this is the one, because you all know I gushed about it. That song, it’s just one of my favorites, and I found this new place in my voice that was so fun in the studio.
LUKE: By the way, when you were in the studio… For those of you who don’t know. In the studio, the person in the vocal booth usually can’t hear what everyone in the control room is saying, unless you press a button and there’s a mic, and then obviously you can communicate both ways. Well, when the mic wasn’t on, we were all like, “Have you ever heard Hillary sing like that?” It’s incredible. » This is incredible. So the fact that you feel is what we were all saying.
JOEL: You hope with the collaboration that something comes up. He becomes an elevated version of himself, but that’s not always the case. But my only regret is that we didn’t think about it like we did 12 months earlier. So because it’s so… Hillary, it’s so good.
HILLARY: Thank you.
The post office For KING & COUNTRY, tell Hillary Scott they’re working on a film about the parents’ migration story appeared first on TCA.
Author: Herb Longs
