Johnny Dailey shared the stage with Old Dominion this past summer and he has just signed a worldwide publishing deal with Endurance Music Group. His debut EP “Dillashaw” is out down and features the fun summer anthem, “Beers In It.” Not only is he an accomplished and talented country artist, he is also a skilled woodworker, currently building his own acoustic guitar!

 

Sue Bonzell
He has over 2 million streams on Spotify and a new EP out. I’m super excited Johnny Dailey is here. Hey, Johnny. Hey, how are you? I’m good. I’m so I am so excited because I have listened to your music on Spotify. And I remember hearing some of your music and I heard 24 trouble and I was like, Who is this guy? Like, he’s really good. And I’m like, Thank you. Well, I got to have him here. Right. That’s what we do.

Johnny Dailey
Well, thanks for having me.

Sue Bonzell
So I know I am. So you got a new song out? Okay, beers in it. Yeah, this is a fun one. Tell me about the song and making the video because the video is really fun, too.

Johnny Dailey
Yeah. wrote the song with Dave Turnbull or any Montana, actually, right before COVID. Yeah. So we were going into the springtime and we’re all excited. Yeah, go to the lake, go to the beach, and all sudden, everything just just Oh, hit the brakes. But so yeah, we’ve had this song for for a while and then waiting to get it out. And it’s just, you know, a lot of my songs that I’ve released are pretty lyrically heavy. So it was nice to get this one out and just have a lighthearted, fun summertime song.

Sue Bonzell
Definitely is perfect for summertime. Yes. And it’s funny that you wrote it right before COVID. And then it’s kind of like, well, actually, you do need a beer in it.

Johnny Dailey
Yeah, we might have a beer. Yeah, we might all drink too many beers over COVID I know. I did. But yeah, so we went to Charleston, where I live for a couple years with my buddies down there and film the music video. And it’s just kind of a day in the life of what I do when I go there. Just fish and go on a boat and, you know, drink a couple beers. And I think it just captures the song really well. So I’m excited to have it

Sue Bonzell
out. You kind of an outdoorsy guy. Yes. So you do the fishing. Yeah.

Johnny Dailey
Yeah, just kind of the way I grew up and what I like to do and whenever I can, whenever I can get away from the chaos

Sue Bonzell
that was my gonna be my next day. I saw a video of you riding on you know, one of the what is like a gator or something like that with with your son. Right,

Johnny Dailey
kids? Oh, yeah. Do

Sue Bonzell
you have you got two?

Johnny Dailey
I did. I’ve got two. They twins. They are not they do have the same birthday though. Oh, really? Yes, they did. I don’t know how that happened. One of those. Exactly. Yeah. We did not plan it. But

Sue Bonzell
they are adorable. Boy. Yeah. Yeah. So tell me about like, how did the kids react with like you as a singer? If you’re always singing and playing the guitar and everything and are they music musically inclined? Yeah.

Johnny Dailey
They are warming up to it. You know, the older they get, they start to figure out that daddy plays guitar, same sayings. And, you know, they’ll, the they start to know the lyrics to the songs and the unit, we turn on trouble or 24 beers and then they sing it. So I’m trying to figure out if I’m okay with my son, knowing the lyrics to bears. But they, they like it, you know, and they, they have their little guitars that they carry around the house and try to write a song. Well, that’s good. Yeah. So yeah, good.

Sue Bonzell
Well, I love the videos of the kids and everything. I love that you’re including that. So if you don’t already follow him on Tik Tok or Instagram, make sure you follow Johnny daily right now. So let’s talk about opening for Old Dominion. Yes, yeah, this summer. Yep. What about that?

Johnny Dailey
It was amazing. Great opportunity. Those guys are so good at what they do and good entertainers. So it was just cool to be able to go out with them and one open up for him and then to sit back after my set and watch them how they, you know, put on a show. It’s you always learned something from from guys, you know, on that level. So. So yeah, it was fun.

Sue Bonzell
What so do you think that you will be able to do any collaborations with maybe somebody like Old Dominion or some of the other folks that are your management team? And yeah,

Johnny Dailey
fingers crossed? I hope so. You know, we’ll see down the road. Hopefully, I can get a song that maybe somebody over there likes and yeah, but yeah, there’s a lot of great artists over there. Definitely. Yeah.

Sue Bonzell
Well, so I heard something about when you were a kid I want to know about kind of your journey with country music and kind of where where that all came from. And then the I really want to hear the story about sneaking over to your friend’s house to watch CMT.

Johnny Dailey
Yes. So that was my cousin Chase. Okay. So I grew up with two sisters. He was so he was mom. Exactly. When I got sick, hanging out with all girls in the house. I would go over to his house but yeah, he was really influential in my love for country music. He had an old ready 71 truck that he would have a you know, a visor full of CDs of all the latest and greatest George Strait. Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, all those guys And, and he was cool enough to just let me hang out with him and his buddies and and we would ride around in his truck and he would just always have George Strait or Kenny play in and you know he he just showed me a lot of a lot of those great songs you know and and yeah the CMT thing we would go over and watch CMT countdown is like a top 20 countdown back when CMT was all music videos, and and my mom would always be like you can’t you can’t watch this video. It was like just just a little pry a little past too much beer is that yeah, exactly. Probably a little past what a what a 10 year old should be watching but we did it anyways. And it was it was a good way to grow up. So yeah, so thank thank you chase for introducing introducing me to all the good country music. Shout out shout out. Yeah.

Sue Bonzell
So now what are your videos I watched as you are making your first acoustic guitar trying, like, like so how, like, how did you learn how to do that? And like, how’s that going?

Johnny Dailey
Yeah, it’s, it’s every day is like, you know, fit trying to figure out a new step

Sue Bonzell
puzzle, kind of like a puzzle is it is it looks like it has a lot of intricate, yes, as well.

Johnny Dailey
Yeah, I grew up in a family of craftsmen and woodworkers and metal workers. That’s what I was on the path to do until about five years ago. So I grew up having those skills, you know, building and stuff like that. But the guitars, total next level thing, you know, taking those skills and, and, and doing something new, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. So when my dad was alive, I always told him, I was like, I’m gonna build a guitar one day, and he’s like, You can do it, I think you can do it. And so it’s kind of like something to accomplish for me and him, you know. But the goal is to finish it and play it and then start a new one, you know, keep on going with it. So we’ll see. Next thing

Sue Bonzell
you know, Brad Tursi from Old Dominion is gonna be like, Hey, John, can you make me guitar? Hopefully. That’s what we hope for. Yeah. So now you also make furniture though, too, right? Yes. Furniture.

Johnny Dailey
Anything? Anything? Yeah. So

Sue Bonzell
Woodworking is kind of like your your zone?

Johnny Dailey
Yes. It’s, it’s, it’s kind of my other side the music. So when me when I when my head is hurting from from writing songs all day, and I need a break. I’ll go home and do wood work and work on the guitar. So has a good bounce. Yeah, you know, woodworking kinda inspires me to go write a good song and then songs. It’s the opposite. Yeah. So it’s just all creative and kind of fits in the same space. So well, you

Sue Bonzell
gotta hit Yeah, you got to have all those things. And yeah, sounds like you’re very, very creative. So

Johnny Dailey
well. Yeah, I try. I try. I try to be so.

Sue Bonzell
Okay, so now, are you also a surfer? I hear this. Yes. Surfing.

Johnny Dailey
Yeah. So I live in Charleston for a couple years. And when I moved there, I always wanted to learn to surf. Luckily, I met two guys that lived on Folly Beach. And, you know, they taught a redneck from Alabama how to how to get up on a surfboard? Yeah, so thanks. Thanks to them. But yeah, it’s awesome. I love going to Foley and surfen. We went down to Costa Rica a few years back and took a surf trip there and I don’t know it’s just peace of mind. And like it’s it’s if you’ve never tried it before. Go. Yeah, it’s it’s awesome experience.

Sue Bonzell
You can be like the cowboy from Alabama. Exactly.

Johnny Dailey
Saltwater cowboy. You know.

Sue Bonzell
That could be your next song.

Johnny Dailey
I need to rewrite it. I think somebody’s already written. Oh, yeah. Maybe I can read it.

Sue Bonzell
There you go. Exactly. Exactly. Well, um, I know you brought your guitar. Yeah. Are you willing to play us one of your songs?

Johnny Dailey
Let’s go I’d love to.

Sue Bonzell
Okay. All right. Well, when we come back, Johnny Dailey is gonna play us a song so don’t go anywhere.

Johnny Dailey
What’s up y’all this is Johnny Dailey. My new song beers in it goes like this

legs used to rake bows just bow with nem rune mo keeping you flew I fish to feed. Yeah, did you see any slide around in the back he’ll ship it to you roll into town. I’ll mention T Phoebe is just fat fatty acid oh now isn’t cold catch it and just a long week no CT fit in ona we will span myths around now. Blue Collar life you eulen de Bucha De Beers and barges to room with the stone the floor Capullo for stone Darkside for playing Corinthian T Buddha a few beers breaking away from tea cow nod make a guy feel dumb when he says a few beers and it’s just Friday night party acid oh now isn’t Tocantins just a long week no CT fit it owner with onespan message run them down Fukada laugh T Buddha fee Bayesian he got booed a few beers just Friday night at acid on down was and go can tip in just a long week no CP fitted on who was banned missing run down down off your shift around in Nana down to counter laugh You’re too poor to feed beers in he got booed a few beers and

Sue Bonzell
all right. We put some beers in it. Thank you, Johnny. That was awesome.

Johnny Dailey
Thanks for having me. This

Sue Bonzell
is like like the like you said it’s kind of like the summer song. So make sure you add it to your summer playlist. Because we know you got those right. Everybody’s got it. Everybody’s got one Chattahoochee is on

Johnny Dailey
top of the list. Yeah, exactly. We’re

Sue Bonzell
done. I was like, tell people I’m like if you’re making a summer country summer playlist. It has to have Chattahoochee. That’s like mandatory.

Johnny Dailey
Yeah, there’s a lot of good ones out there too. Not a lot have already already created. Summer playlist. Exactly. Well, we’re just gonna add Yeah, bears in it on there, everybody.

Sue Bonzell
I’ll make sure you go on and download that and go follow him on Spotify. All those things. Before you leave. We’d love to play a game with you. All right. We play my world famous game here at up in country. It’s called Truth or truth. Are you ready?

Johnny Dailey
Yes. What’s the rules?

Sue Bonzell
The rules are you get to pick your own question. And then you get to read it out loud. Answer it.

Johnny Dailey
That’s the truth, the truth. Here we go. What’s one thing on your bucket list? Ooh. Good question. I would I would really like to drive the what’s the road out in California that I want. I’d really love to go highway one all the way from the bottom all the way up through California. I’ve always wanted to see Northern California and Big Sur and all that stuff. So it’s worth it one day

Sue Bonzell
worth it. I’m from Northern California, so Okay, all right. Well, you got it in the right direction. Give me like 10 Or is it worth it? It’s worth it. Yes. Absolutely. Beautiful. Yes. No doubt. Yeah. Okay, we got that on the bucket. He’s gonna finish the guitar. Yeah. finish making the guitar. Exactly. Yeah. And trip in California.

Johnny Dailey
Yeah. Cool.

Sue Bonzell
I like that. That’s a good that’s a good one. All right. I’ll take that one. Yeah, let’s try it. You could say

Johnny Dailey
oh what’s the worst physical pain you’ve ever experienced? When I was young, I fell on I was a we have a creek in our where I grew up in the field about in our house and there’s a barbed wire fence running across the creek and I was skipping on the rocks and fell into the barbed wire fence and oh, the tough mob out here and had to go to the hospital and get they gave me five stitches. So that was not fun. That was not fun. I don’t recommend don’t ever follow him Bob.

Sue Bonzell
Yeah, as a general rule, stay away from Bob. Yeah, not

Johnny Dailey
fun. So man, worst I can remember probably that’s probably that. Yeah, pretty bad. Yeah.

Sue Bonzell
Okay, yeah. All right. Good advice. Staying away from Bob bar. Do you want more? All right,

Johnny Dailey
let’s see here. What was your first concert? Kenny Chesney

Sue Bonzell
ah, really were at

Johnny Dailey
Birmingham. Okay. Yeah. Yeah.

Sue Bonzell
Was it like a big huge stadium tours?

Johnny Dailey
Oak mountain amphitheater? I don’t really know what tour it was wish. I guess I should have got a t shirt. But yeah, it got rained out. So they had to reschedule. And I went with my good buddy from back home and my dad, so I think I was 12 or 13 Yeah, good time to go to Yeah, concert was good. So that was a good I was a huge fan of Kenny so it’s cool to be under the same management as him now. I now have a full full circle. That is

Sue Bonzell
pretty cool. Yeah, that is pretty cool. So my, my first concert was I was 14 and I went to Hank Williams Jr. came to my hometown. That’s and my this is I’m going to tell on my brother in law. I was 14 my brother in law my soon to be brother in law was buying me beer. So you know, it’s pretty good concert.

Johnny Dailey
Yeah, Hank Williams Jr. with with a free beer.

Sue Bonzell
Wet. Right, exactly. I’m like getting better than that. Right?

Johnny Dailey
Get some beers in it. See, we

Sue Bonzell
put some things in it. That’s everything comes full circle around here. Well, Johnny, I want to thank you so much for being here today for playing for us and the plan, the game and all of that. We are going to follow you on all the socials Johnny daily. Make sure you get his music follow him and Spotify and Instagram and Tiktok and all those things. And we’re definitely going to keep an eye on Johnny daily.

Johnny Dailey
Thanks for having me. Thank you.

Sue Bonzell
Thanks for watching up in country. Be sure to like and subscribe and leave us a comment. We do new episodes every Tuesday and be sure to follow up and country on Instagram Tik Tok and Facebook and you can follow me to add Sue Bonzell on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok.