Sam Grow Interview – Bonfires & Backyards + Deadliest Catch
Sam Grow joins me in the Up N Country studios in Nashville where we talk about his new album, “Manchester,” his Backyards & Bonfires Tour and his dream of being on the Deadliest Catch!
Sue Bonzell
He’s working on 100 million streams globally. And he has a new album called Manchester. I’m excited that Sam Grow is here in the up and country studios in Nashville in person. Welcome, Sam.
Sam Grow
Thank you so much for having me.
Sue Bonzell
It’s nice to see you in person we got we got to do an interview last year virtually. And I will never forget the interview because I asked you. Well, where are you right now? Sam, where were you?
Sam Grow
I was in the liquor store parking lot. You know, I thought it was appropriate. Just pull right on up there. And in case the interview went bad, I could just go on there and fix my problems.
Sue Bonzell
Exactly. Like a boy scout. Right. Exactly. Exactly. And we had a great interview. That was a lot of fun, but it’s nice to be here in Nashville. See you in person. A lot has happened in a year. Yeah, a new album out in Manchester. Tell us about the new album.
Sam Grow
Oh, excited. It’s an album that I worked on for the past year, wrote a lot of songs. I’m from a town called Manchester, Tennessee. I’ve lived there for the last almost four years. And all the stories that came from that little town. I wrote them all. They’re recorded some of them there. So that’s what I named the album after. Just because that was where the songs were inspired from.
Sue Bonzell
Now, I know during the pandemic, which is, which is kind of when we were hanging out virtually and everything. Yeah. You were coming off of a pretty big album. Right. And you had you had a song on there with Colt Ford. Yeah. Pretty good. And then it was like, boom, you got a pandemics like, yeah, dang it. But you came up with a really great idea. Tell us about what you did during the pandemic. Yeah, I
Sam Grow
still do it. I just got off of it. It was a six week tour. So during the pandemic, when they kind of took our job away. I got really bored at my house and went on the internet and saw that, even like super strict states during the pandemic, you could have 10 people over in your backyard. So I was like, well, this would be fun if I wouldn’t played people’s backyards. So I started this thing called backyards, and bonfires in 2020. I played 89 shows from California all the way across the East Coast. All in my truck. I didn’t take a bus or anything of 140,000 miles on my truck. And I loved it so much. So we did another one of it and 2021 and then I decided to just keep doing it for my career. So now we do it. October through the first week of November, every single year. I’m gonna do it. Really? Yeah, I just love it so much. Alright, so
Sue Bonzell
well. How are you choosing? Because I’d be like, Y’all come to my backyard. I mean, that would be awesome. Yeah. So
Sam Grow
no waiting list. Yeah. And I also have some people that are like, my favorite that I feel like I have to put them on there. So I have a couple of people that I sprinkle in through the weekends. And it really I don’t Brad does all of it. My manager. But you know, as they come in, do we put them on a waiting list, and then we set them up for the next year. So January, we’ll book next year’s backyards and bonfires.
Sue Bonzell
Okay. All right. Well, can I kind of get
Sam Grow
a list? Yeah, Brad just talked to Brad right. But I’m gonna list. We do play in Tennessee too.
Sue Bonzell
Okay, good. All right, there’s, there’s chance for you. So make sure you’re following Sam grow. And maybe you can get on list too, because that would be pretty incredible. So let’s talk about growing up with music and everything. So you had a pretty musical family, right? Yeah.
Sam Grow
Yeah. I mean, none of them did it for job. My dad, he loved to sing. And so to my sister, she played piano and we all sang in church. So it was like a natural thing for us to sing every week. And my dad had me get up and sing AmaZing Grace one Sunday. Yeah. And people clapped at the end. And I was like, Well, this is kind of cool. And so I kept doing it. I caught the bug. And then my dad saw bring me out funny because we go from church to bars. But my dad, he had a little place a little bar that he go to every Wednesday night called hotel Charles in my old hometown, and he’d had me come out and play for tips where his friends I was, well, underage. So I thought it was cool to just be in a bar in general. And then I’d sing songs and I’ll get paid. And I was like, wow, this is a job. And you’ve called the bucks. I’ve been doing it for a living since I was 16 years old.
Sue Bonzell
Wow. And now you’re also a self taught musician for several different musical instruments. Tell us what you play.
Sam Grow
Yeah, I play guitar, drums, piano, bass. Pretty much anything that I can get my hands on and make noise with? I normally can’t figure it out.
Sue Bonzell
You’re also you had no, like vocal coaching. When you started out, basically, just from your dad.
Sam Grow
No, they try it. Like my mom tried to put me in some lessons and stuff. But as soon as you like put a structure to it, I didn’t enjoy it anymore. So they were just like, whatever. And then I kind of learned like guitar by getting one of those like guitar charts from Walmart. And I just like sat in my room. And I would just put my fingers where I saw it on the chart, and wow, and then I got bored of playing other people’s music. So I started writing my own. And that was it.
Sue Bonzell
That is so cool. I mean, there you go. self taught. I mean, being young like that might be a little bit easier. I’m like kind of like old dog would love to learn a new trick, but I think it might be a little bit harder. And
Sam Grow
so I tell people all the time it’s never too late and nothing is ever too late. You know like and One of my favorite stories, my daughter, she’s 14, and I had her when I was 20 years old, and she loves like acting and Broadway. And she always, you know, the normal restraints that come with chasing a dream is like, I don’t think I could ever do that. But we went and saw I took her to Broadway and we saw wicked. And there was a guy that was oz. He was 64 years old, and he made his Broadway debut. And I would send her like, imagine if at 62 he thought he was too old to try to chase that dream anymore. He wouldn’t have made it. So it’s never too late for anything, you know, ever. You got a dream out there. That’s right.
Sue Bonzell
sage advice from Sam grow now. So now you’re you’re bundled up because we’re in winter right now. But you got a significant amount of tattoos do you do how many tattoos?
Sam Grow
No, it’s a lot. What you do is like when you start to get a sleeve going, when you start to have little gaps, they just like start putting random things like on this elbow. In the shading, he put a star like within the shading. So like my tattoo artists at the time was just anything you could add in there to kind of fill space. So I have so many other times.
Sue Bonzell
So how do you Okay, well, I always ask this I have no tattoos whatsoever. I’m a total baby. I’m chicken. But I always wonder like how do you choose? Like, how do you choose something? Is it coming from an emotion something that means something to you? How are you picking
Sam Grow
everything as a story? Like my in between tats, you know, or whatever. But every main tattoo I have has a story like this is so I grew up in Kansas for a little while from six to 12 and it was where I felt most centered with my family. It’s where I grew up in church and like started singing and the whole thing so I have an anchor here with the Kansas sunflowers. Obviously I’ve been in Tennessee for the last eight years. And then I was born in Maryland. So there’s all the places that
Sue Bonzell
is and you can put them together like that. Yeah,
Sam Grow
that’s what makes it what is what makes me me you know right there.
Sue Bonzell
So it’s kind of like you know, storytelling and country music and then storytelling with the tattoos. Yeah, exactly. I love that. Okay, well, I noticed you brought your guitar I’m very happy about that. Will you play us one of your songs from your new albums? Absolutely. Okay great when we come back Sam Grow is gonna play us a song from the new album Manchester
Hey y’all I’m Sam Grow and this is my song without you
Sam Grow
You’re proud to be last year proud to be alone. You’ve probably been down at the bottom too far down too far gone How are you paying? It still don’t make sense how why gasseri you for me I kiss me baby that’s true the one know me with me without me without you be just fine without me far for another guy. I’m sure he love you baby wouldn’t see you through mass so if you ever want to For me there is no people you I swear to god be with me no truth be with me without me with without be we that’s you loving me. Girl. They’re ignored. doubt me we’re down. No one knows me without me
Sue Bonzell
All right, that’s Sam Grow without you. Thank you so much for playing that. So let me do it. So kind of a little bit loves love songs. Yeah, guys, tell us about that style on the album.
Sam Grow
Yeah, it’s not my style. Normally, I’m your go to when it comes to sadness or bar drinking music. But ya know, I needed to have a love song actually a lengthy conversation with my mother for a long time because, you know, my luck with love has been kind of iffy. And she told me is because I sing sad songs about love every single time I play and she’s always kind of calling that to my life. So I wrote a love song about an imaginary girl and it actually worked. So my mom was right, so I’m in a great relationship now. So thanks, Mom. Oh, wait to go mama
Sue Bonzell
nice. And 1.4 million streams already on Spotify, right?
Sam Grow
Yeah, keep streaming it I get paid point. 0031 cents. Every time you listen to my song. I appreciate you to put that thing on repeat.
Sue Bonzell
Exactly. Just put it on repeat. That’s all you need to do. Well, so exciting stuff. You played the Grand Ole Opry, you did your debut last this time last year on
Sam Grow
November 27. Yeah. What was that, like? Incredible. The best advice I got was one of the stage guys told me before I walked out on stage, he was like, Hey, this is gonna go by so quick. And he said it’s all going to be a blur. So the one thing you have to try to do for me is he said, you only get to step in the circle in front of a live audience for the first time. One time. He said so watch your boot cross over into the circle. So I did that, thankfully did that. And then I called up my daughter while I was on stage and they looked at the house like me, Harlow, she’s 13 years old. For 13 years I’ve been chasing this longer than 13 years been chasing this dream to get to this point. She told me today she said that I just want to let you know how proud of you I am. So those are like my two main memories of the Opry and it was my Super Bowl. That’s been my biggest goal of my entire career was to play the Grand Ole Opry, so I did it.
Sue Bonzell
Okay, I love that story. I’m like getting teary eyed. I always say I’m like the two places like cried Church and the Grand Ole Opry, guarantee everything.
Sam Grow
And it was a big thing for me too. Because my dad the first time he brought me to Nashville, I was 14 years old. And he drove me over to Grand Ole Opry and told me that it was gonna be a ton of country artists to come into town, but it doesn’t count until they step into the circle. And I lost my dad and 2018. So it was one of his big dreams. And I thought it was never going to be possible. He got to watch me front row from heaven, but it was something that I’ve always wanted to do.
Sue Bonzell
That is so cool. Was that your daughter’s first time there? Oh, yeah, man. Full circle, right. Yeah,
Sam Grow
it was awesome that that was her first experience. The Grand Ole Opry in her first experience was watching her dad play. So it’s kind of hard to
Sue Bonzell
beat. Yeah, that what a memory. Holy cow. That is awesome. Well, before I let you go, we got to do one last thing. We got to play my world famous game. Truth or truth? Are you ready to play? Truth? Its truth or truth? Okay, you get to pick your own question. Okay. Well, we’re gonna do a couple questions. Sweet.
Sam Grow
All right. What’s one thing on your bucket list? Oh, man, I have so many things on my blog. Oh, you probably want music related right now. It
Sue Bonzell
could be anything.
Sam Grow
Anything. I would like to play red rocks. I would like to play red rocks. I think that would be cool. All right. That’s one thing. Okay. Well,
Sue Bonzell
let’s see. We’ll have mama tell you to write a song about it. That’s right. And then and then and then we’ll just make that happen. Right. manifesta Yeah,
Sam Grow
that’s right. Every day, wake up and look at it.
Sue Bonzell
Any other besides music? That would be a bucket list.
Sam Grow
So I grew up on the Potomac River. So it’s in between Maryland and Virginia and I crabbed a lot. And then I started watching Deadliest Catch and I kind of want to go out and be on one of those boats not for maybe the whole voyage. Were like, Man, I’d love to reel in some damn snow crab and just because I’d feel like a badass you know? Yeah, those guys are badass. Yeah, be awesome. So yeah, maybe one of that is let me do like a week. But downfall though, you know, like when they go out there they go out there for a while. I think you could do it. Maybe I just have to run out the ship. You won’t be the captain bread it’d be the smoothest sale ever. Avoid all choppy waters. Where the crabs no crab.
Sue Bonzell
Okay, like that. Well, that’s good. That’s something we have not heard on this show. No.
Sam Grow
All right. If you could swap laws with anyone, who would it be? Oh, man, I don’t know. I kind of am grateful and thankful for my own life. But if I could swap lives it would probably be with my Bulldog, Loretta. Because she has a pretty crucial
Sue Bonzell
read. Cute How can you name your four?
Sam Grow
Oh yeah, redolent? Yeah. Yeah. She’s three years old. She’s She doesn’t clock. She’s three. She acts like she’s 100 she’s pretty grouchy, sleepy and lazy, but she honestly is the sweetest and she goes on the road with me a lot. Okay, and just a great Road Dog. And, and it’s okay, I
Sue Bonzell
have to ask, does she sleep in the bed with you? Oh, no. See, I was surprised I was gonna guess.
Sam Grow
No, she sometimes I’ll cave and like obviously we’re on the road. She sleeps in the hotel bed with me. But ya know at home she has her own big memory foam cushy bed. Um, she lives a lot of people. I want to switch lives with my dog for a reason. So
Sue Bonzell
yeah, all the trees. Good food. Nice bed. Okay. Yeah, she
Sam Grow
lives a life. Loretta Okay,
Sue Bonzell
well, I have to put up a picture of Loretta.
Sam Grow
Yeah, I got a ton of them. What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done?
Sue Bonzell
I like have a list but you know
Sam Grow
what story? So we’re on the road with Colt Ford and CO Wetzel. CO is a big Jack Daniels drinker. So am I. We bonded over that after he said he walked over to me and I drink Jack straight up, put ice in it. That’s the only thing I mix with my Jack Daniels. And that’s how he likes to drink it. So he gave me a bottle of Jack Daniels and he had a bottle of Jack Daniels. And our challenge of the night was to each drink our own bottle. Oh, yeah. And we did. I don’t suggest that kids. not recommend it. Yeah, it takes years of experience. But then CO has a tradition that after you drink the bottles, you have to smash it. Oh, so we go out front of his bus and he smashes his bottle on the ground beautifully, like a rockstar would. I’m drunk like very drunk and wound up through the bottle and threw it right against his bus. Smash the entire bottle ever. So it was pretty embarrassing. Luckily, I was drunk and I wasn’t embarrassed until the next day. Me Yanko thought it was awesome in the moment next day now. So
Sue Bonzell
not so much, man. Oh, that’s good. I’m sure he’s forgiven you by now. Oh, yeah, for sure. Did you send over an extra bottle just to say hey, sorry.
Sam Grow
I didn’t know. He doesn’t need an extra bottle of anything. Yeah, he’s set for life. But yeah, no, no, he. He thought it was hilarious. So worked out.
Sue Bonzell
Okay. Okay, good. All right. No hard feelings. They’re all good. Not at all. Excellent. Excellent. Well, I want to thank you so much for coming out to the studio here in Nashville. It’s great to meet you in person. Excited about the new album. You guys go download on all of the music platforms. It’s called Manchester Sam. Go follow him on the socials as well. Thank you, Sam. Thank you. 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.
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