#117 - Kimberly Schlapman from Little Big Town

enjoy this. I'm just a big, little big town fan. It's episode one sixteen of the Bobby Cast. Does she reference that she was late and I felt back Listen, I moved to a new place. Traffics terrible. I was like, don't worry about it. But yeah, she felt super guilty. But she brought food. Listen. If anybody listen to this and you want to bring food, you have ten minutes. You have a window. You have a good window now. But she's really really the best. I think you'll hear that.

Let me say this though a couple of things. One that there's some really great episodes in the past. If you want to catch up if you're a new listener. The woman Red Akins is Fantastic talks about his career as an artist, his career as a songwriter, also being Thomas Right's dad. Like check that one out or check out another one of the podcasts on the Nashville Podcast Network. Jake Owen has a podcast called good Company, Really Good. The guys from Whiskey Riff. They're big fans of country music.

You know, they bring artists by, but you know, it's very much the fan perspective called Whiskey Riff Raff. Christian Bush from sugar Land talks about things like friends or it's called geeking Out where he talks to people about things that are really really geeky about. And then Velvet's Edge is a new podcast if you're listening and you love style. I think one of the last ones was Kelly Henderson and Amy from My Bobby Bones Show. So search Velvet's Edge. So here you are an episode one

sixteen with Kimberly Schlapman. How does this sound good? Sounds really good? Yeah, new equipment. You may not know the difference. My ear is not even as trained as Mike ds is for audio. We have new microphones, and I'm pretty excited about this. So here we go, Episode one six, Team from a Little Big Town. Kimberly Schlapman. All right, welcome to another episode of the Bobby Cast. This is the first time we've used the studio, so this table

is much shorter than I'm remember sitting this close to anyone. No, I never have. I don't mean that like in a good or bad way, but it's kind of so. Kemberly Slapman is here and I can I can reach out and touch you here. And in the past, yes, in the past, we've had these big recliners which looked sloppy, so we wanted to change it up. But I didn't know we'd be able to reach out and give each other high fives. Mike de So, how are you good.

I'm great. I'm so happy to do this. I've been looking for We've been trying to work this out for a while. Yeah, but I'm gone, You're gone. We have to traveling themes. Yeah, you guys go hard? When do you not go hard? Because you guys, You guys are reminiscent, Like I see you guys in the road because I follow you guys on Instagram and I feel like I know everybody from Instagram me too, and I feel like

you and I are friends over Instagram. There's this, but there's this like weird part of life where you can we don't have each other's text, but I needed it on the way over here because I was seven minutes later, you're killing you. There was nothing terrible over here, but we don't. There's like three levels. There's email, there's Insta Story friends, and then there's text, and so we'll actually send messages on Insta Story. So we're at that level. So by the end of this though, let's just trade

fund number. Sure. In my life, I don't bother people. What did you bring over over to the house? Some kind of food I brought you? Slap happy bars those. My husband's name is Steve, but so is my late husband, So I don't call my current husband Steve because that would be weird to be married. It is already weird. I'm married to Steve's so the second Steve I call

schlap because our last name is Schlapman. So there. Starbucks once made this bar that he was crazy about and they quit making it, and he loved it so much that I decided I would figure it out for myself, so they discontinued it. But I figured it out. I figured it out, and um, I call him schlap happy bars because they make him very happy. So I brought you a plate of appreciate and I know you don't eat much of that, but just indulge. You do look well you know this too. Whenever you can get on TV,

you do look bigger. Listen, one time I was at my sister's church down in Georgia and this lady walked up and she goes, oh, honey, you look a whole lot bigger on t V. How do you cook so much but you're so skinny. I'm just careful. I eat like I already ate a slap happy bar at my house when I cut them. But um, but then I won't. I'll just be careful the rest of the day. I

just take it like day. But but if I if I go to my mama's house and have biscuits and gravy, which I'm not going to turn down, then for the next day or two I'll be just real strict. I think it's about moderation. I really do, because I do indulge, but then I'll restrain when I waited tables, So I gotta say I didn't eat a lot of the food that I was serving. Yeah, I've waited tables here too. You wait tables here in Brentwood at a little cafe

called Maggie's Cafe. It's not open anymore. What was What was your job like that when you waited tables? What do I just served? I've took um the orders and took it back to the kitchen and handed it in and then took it to the table. Oh, yeah, it was when I first got here. Yeah, it was a little, tiny, little lunch cafe. It was just lunch only in Brentwood. And so what would you do You work in the

daytime and then seeing at night. Yeah, I was working in the daytime, and then Karen and I would hang out at night and dream and brainstorm and figure out. We knew we wanted to do something together. I know you talked to Karen through all this on her podcast, But we we knew we wanted to do something together, but we just didn't know what. And for months and months and months we tried to figure it out. And

we just hang out together all the time. And you guys went to school together and you were friends through school, moved to Nashville and still stayed friends. Oh yeah, we met in college and we were in there at Sanford. They Sanford University in Birmingham. They have this incredible a cappella choir, and so we literally met on the bus going to choir camp. She was sitting in front of me, I was behind her, and we struck up a conversation because we were both from Georgia. And I mean, I

I remember that vividly. I remember the seats and everything, and her face and her long Amy Grant hair which she had back then, and I just remember the conversation and and stracking up a friendship that has lasted a very, very decades, very long time. Then individually, we both moved here to Nashville. She came first. Oh you guys didn't move at the same time. No, because we never did talk about doing anything in country music together until both of us got here, because we were all just always

just really good friends. We had so we had already at that point experienced so much fun stuff together, and so we just kept in touch and we would just say. It first started with you know, we're both here in town, let's go to lunch, let's just catch up. Did you guys ever consider just being a duo a female duo? Was that a thing? Even? I mean the Judds, the Juds and the chicks were really hot at that time, so we didn't want to do an all girl thing.

And that's why we thought, let's let's put a male, at least one male. Le's took up with some you know guy and start singing. And then and then somewhere along the way, we decided, well if we had two guys and we could do even better harmony. Um. So at first we were singing with Jimmy for many months, so as you Karen and Jimmy right. And then first of all, it took when Karen and I finally were like, hey,

let's just do a mixed group. It took us probably a year to even start singing with Jimmy just to figure it out. And then it took us many many more months to find Philip, and then finally in I think it was late not it was the fall of n when we first sang together in my living room, and that was the beginning. But even those guys like they probably came to town looking to do their own thing. Yeah, we all did. Karen was gonna do country music. I

was gonna do country music on our own thing. Yeah, Philip, Jimmy, everybody was just going to chase their own dreams. Is there a bit of an ego drop to go, Okay, now I'm part of a group. I didn't come as a band and now we're a band. It's like a relationship almost where there's a lot of compromise that then goes in. Yeah, but I don't. I don't think it

was an ego thing at all. I think it We were so excited about the idea um and we had all been in groups before, well, Karen and I had, Jimmy had, and Philip had sung with his family a lot at his mom's um country music theater in Arkansas. So we had all, you know, had that experience and we loved being in groups. So you know, it wasn't

it wasn't like it was a compromise or anything. Is there a code with you guys, because you're all of you guys are notoriously super nice like always to me at least, I don't know how you are everybody else, but you are super kind and you've been kind to me even when people weren't kind to me when I came to town and I was the guy that was trouble or the guy that was different. You guys were always so nice to me. And I'll always be thankful because you are nice to me when other people weren't.

But I wonder, is there some kind of secret code in the band where you have to be nicer and then when you get away you're just mean? Ever? But are you? Is that? Is it like written somewhere that you guys really try to be kind? Everybody's not written anywhere. I feel like that's just how we were raised. We were just raised on some good Southern roots to treat people well. All four of you guys. It's hard. Usually

there's a turd in there somewhere. And I've been able to be friends with Philip a bit outside of the music world, Philip and his wife and so. And he's the quietest of all four of you guys. Yeah. Sometimes well whenever you guys come in and do you know publicity, Okay, he usually doesn't say much. And he's who I've probably become socially the friendliest, right, And he's super nice. And

he's the least nice because he doesn't talk as much. So, yeah, you guys have always been super super kind since the very beginning. And I just if that was like because our show, you know, we have roles on the show, in radio show. I do wonder if you guys had a role, like, Okay, even you're feeling bad, you got the rules. You have to be nice and if you're not nice, you can find a thousand dollars. That's hilarious. No, no,

nothing like that. I feel like, um, I feel like the reason maybe that you would say we're all nice still is because of our journey, because it wasn't handed to us on a silver platter. We worked so very very hard and we are very very grateful for what we've been given and know that any day, you know,

it could it could go away. But I think that that appreciation just keeps us grounded and helps us remember that, you know, remember what the other way was lack and and and just just you know, my just my parents taught me to treat people well and to be good to everybody. And you know, you never know what somebody else is going through, even if they're you know, ugly or mean, you never know why they might be ugly in me, and you don't know what's going on at home,

so just be sweet to him. I feel like a bit and maybe more than a bit. But Keith Urban's like that too, because I'll talk to Keith even outside of the world of whatever we're in, and keeps always super kind to everyone. But I'll talk to him, and you know, keeps going to a lot of drug issues and we talk about we we'll talk about that because my my mom died of you know, drugs and or forties and I was around that my whole life. And so I think he's been a little more open with

me about that. And he'll talk about not even remembering yours and being rude, and I think now he appreciates, and so that makes him kind and I hope that's what makes me nice because I get it. And so, yeah, you guys are just you. And I have only have like three plaques. I have that one you guys gave me, and I don't keep plaques. I normally don't even take plaques, but that one. I have that one. And then it's it's a girl crush plaque. That's before it even sold

all of it, like that's way. But then Lorie, that the whole group and Hillary, they all they did a handwritten lyric and given it is it really kind of that, sweet mun Let me do a commercial here one hundred flowers. Let's be real. If big Mother's Day, Mothers Day's coming up like Sunday, it is Sunday. Huh, you have to do more than a text message. Get back to the drawing board. That's all you have. Moms deserve more than emojis and Brian beautiful mix of premium roses and a

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get the deal right there. So you're a mom twice now and you have a baby baby, yeah, I have a one year old. Whenever you came in, you're like, hey, how you know has your girlfriend? I was like, I didn't go au Frond like six months and you said, forgive me, Oh my goodness, that little angel phase she she she you know, she requires a lot of time, and I don't. I feel like I really have felt the last six months like I'm struggling socially to keep

up with what is happening in this world. It's so weird how I feel like I know things about social media? Does it? But I know? I watch your daughter and your husband Karate Taekwonda, Oh my goodness, they just got their black belts. I saw that, and that's and oddly I'm proud of them. Listen. I told Daisy I was coming to see you today, and she said, oh, I love Bobby Bones. When I tell her that you know,

she got her black belt. She's going to feel like the biggest kid in the on Instagram And I was like, and then I watched after she finished a singing recital. Yeah, all that that's why I feel like I know you. I think we all feel a bit like I know each other more than we do. Yeah. So how old does she? She's tin And then you have a one year old. Dolly is one, so she's sixteen months. So you've done it before. So is it harder the second time? Yeah,

because it's a decade later, mama is older. Yeah, it's it's it's I mean, I guess it's harder physically, but oh my word, it's this the sweetest thing. I mean, it's the best. The best part of my laugh is being a mama. Ah, you look forward to going home. I love it. They go with me on the road, though I don't leave them. I rarely ever have to leave him at home. Um, but yeah, I love if I've been working all day in town and I walk in the door and Daisies like mommy, and Dolly starts

running towards me. There's nothing better. Amy, my co host, adopted two children and it was a five year process for the kids to get here, and you know, it was obviously a whole different situation, but I feel like, in a third hand way, I know what it's like to at least be close to someone who goes to the process. And so how long were you in the adoption process? Well, Um, Daisy started praying for a baby when she was five years old. She wanted a baby

brother or sister. She didn't care what, she just wanted a baby brother sister. So we were trying to have another baby very hard. We did everything you know, under the sun medically that we could do, and so then we decided, well, maybe God that's not in his will. Maybe he just wants us to adopt a baby because

I've always wanted to adopt a child. So we started the process um, and they told us it would be eighteen months at least we'd waited eighteen months, and we were like, oh, that's a big bummer, but okay, because we were doing it domestically. Um, and lo and behold, it happened. About four months later. I got a call about Dolly. It just happened. It just you know, it was just this fluke thing that happened. And someone called and said there's a baby girl. Are you interested? Yes? Yes,

But here's the great thing. Um. That was in Um January of two thousand seventeen, and Daisy had asked Santa Claus for a baby that year we got her when whenever she asked, did you know no, no, and my husband and I were like, oh, baby, you and asked Santa. But you know, Santa really we really didn't have control over that. So you know, I mean, he probably talks to Jesus so you can have him, you know, put in a good word. But but I don't think Santa

can do that. And even when she sat on Santa's lap, he said, oh, she sat on his lap and asked him, and and before she got out there, I was like, baby, you know he probably I don't know what he's going to say to this because I don't know Santa can even Santa can do this. And so she said, um, I wanted the only thing I want this Christmas is a baby, and I know you might not can do it, but if you talk to Jesus, would you tell him that I want a baby? And that's what we got.

So whenever you told her, did you tell her at Christmas Okay, I got a text on my phone and said, there's a baby, are you interested? And we were um out of town. We were, she, myself and my husband were all sitting on the bed together very late at night, and when I read that text, it took my breath and I went and of course Dasy's like, what what what? What? What? What is it? What is it? So I turned my phone so that she and my husband could see it,

and oh. She burst into tears and started jumping up, jumping up and down on the bed saying thank you Jesus, thank you, Jesus, thank you Jesus, jumping up crying. And my husband are like, baby, hey, we don't know if this is our baby. We don't know, we don't know, and she was going I believe it as I believe, I believe, and she was really so emotional, and it was just one of the most beautiful visions I still have.

It will last me my whole life, just her on that little bit, jumping up and down crying because she knew that was her baby. That's crazy. It's crazy that she asked Santa. She did. She wanted it so bad and now she's the best little mother. She loves that baby to pieces. Yeah, okay, gratulations, that's a special How important it's faith to you? Most important? Yeah? It is most important. Um. I just I have a very strong faith.

I grew up that way, my parents raised me that way, and I just believe that my whole life is because of God and what He's given me. And I've been incredibly blessed and I've been through a lot of hardship also, and um, but what He's given me now I could have never even dreamed or I've never could have even dreamed up, both business wise and personal mostly really, what kind of church did you grow up in? Southern Baptists? So did? I? YEA a non dancing because we weren't.

They let us dance. They let us dance that we were a non drinking one though the only down there if you were a Southern Baptist, only way you could drink is if you were in the closet. You had the hide in your closet, and you know, nobody And maybe I was just a kid and my parents didn't go to church with me, so I don't know, but I went to us in Arkansas, Southern Baptist Church and it was pretty free considering what a lot of we were to church camp and they would be hardcore. I

mean there were kids that couldn't dance. It was like footloose. We would go to church camp and there were other kids that were they were in footloose um and they couldn't dance. I thought it was so crazy that we were. We danced, did you have because we would go it. I went to I was in a very small town. How big was your town? Oh? I don't even know.

I really don't even know. I still don't know. It was we had one high school in our whole county, and there's about in our in my class, my graduation class there was like okay, well mine was like forty oh years was smaller, probably the same type of area. Yeah, very rural. Not his rural anymore? Is your town are they super? Kimberly Slapman's from here? This is embarrassing, But like three years ago they had Kimberly Schlapman Day on

my birthday. It was the whole big It was sweet, really sweet and precious, and that year that day we announced a scholarship that we do now every year down there to someone in the high school because it's really cool. Yeah, that's been the coolest part of any sort of success that I've been able to have. One they put up a sign when you're drive into my town. I didn't put it up. I've seen it on Instagram Boo boyhood home and I'm proud of my hometown. And I didn't

know that we're gonna put that sign up. But I started a scholarship at my school too, and I give it to a senior. And I was driving in and Amy my coast and my girlfriend at the time. We were driving and I had no idea and it was raining, and I was like, what did that sign? You didn't know it was there. I had no idea. It was

really one of the coolest moments. And I don't have a bad problem with taking in cool things like I really it's helped me to appreciate awesome moments because I feel like they're fleeting and so yeah, it's a whole therapy thing. Yeah, I was going to go there, but I didn't want to. But I know I know why, because that because you were disappointed in your young laft and so that's what you expect always. But I really took that and I'm like, man, although my town is

seven seven and seventy seven people. That's the coolest thing. They have a son and listeners will go in the old drive for hours and take a picture with the sign. It's unbelievable. That's what I think I've seen. I think I've seen a listener with the sun. I don't know. The thing is, I don't even know why people like the show where like I really don't, like I say it on the air, like I'm confused as to why they're such passion for the show. Like I get Amy.

Everybody loves Amy. Well, of course she's a little angel. But I think first of all, it's very entertaining, and secondly, you give people an inside look at Nashville. They fishing, by the way, this is I'm not fishing. That's this is really what I believe. I believe that you give people such an insight in the city of Nashville and the workings of country music that they don't get anywhere else. You're like the live social media now Comfortable'm gonna change

the subject here for a minute. You talk about the little bit town struggles. What was so the moment where you guys thought, I don't know if we can do this anymore. Well, we never collectively thought that, or at least we never collectively said it out loud. UM. I feel like we we had a few very very low points. One was after we lost our second record deal from Sony, and then one was when my husband died and and

nothing was going well for us. At that point. We had written and recorded Boondocks, and so we had that in our back pocket, and and it was it was actually about to come out right around the time that he died, UM, and we were already signed to Equity Records, which was that little independent label that sold over a million records for us UM. But that was a very

low moment. And told me much much later that she thought the band was probably over at that point, not that anybody wanted it to be, but they didn't know that I would want to continue UM. So we never ever said this isn't gonna work together, at least in my head. After he died, I was just so numb. I didn't want to really do anything. But I've showed up, you know. We went on the road a few weeks later, on the radio tour four Boondocks. Do you remember that?

I remember moments of that. I remember really really super sad moments of that, and then I remember a couple of highs. You know, I remember the first time we heard on the radio. That was really super cool because we've been struggling for at that point six years. We've been a band six years and so many struggles, and so when we heard it live for the first time, that was just amazing. Yeah. Do you think all four of you guys remember that hearing it for the first time.

We were in a car together, and that was after Steve had died and we heard that and we just, oh, we celebrated. That's probably the first celebration or a moment that we had to celebrate after his death. You know, that was the first happy moment together. How high did this song elevate you guys as a band? Meaning did your guarantees go up? Did you make more money? Were you starting to get awards show bookings? Because of this song?

We started making money, period. And when this song came out, Yeah, we had prior to that, we had told Cia to just book us for enough money to rent a van and pay for the gas and stop at McDonald's. That's all we needed. So there was no money coming in because well, anything that did come in went back out because of the expenses. It's very expensive to tour, whether you're in a minivan or you're in ten bus as

you know, it's super expensive. It's all relative. But um, at that point we were just barely sometimes we make five and that was enough to rent a van and gas and food. Um. So yes, after Boondocks hit, you know, the money went up a little bit, the invites went up a lot and and the credibility went up a lot um because people they just so connected with that song and it became their anthem and it changed everything for us. What was the quickest thing that it changed, Um,

probably our spirits. Yes, our spirits were kind of broken and wounded, and yeah, now we had something that people actually believed in us. And you know how that is. That's that's worth more than anything when someone who believes in you and invites you to come to shows. I'll tell you this is so funny. We pulled up in a parking lot in I think it was Lexington, Kentucky.

We pulled up in a parking like one not to sing this is rote when Boondocks had come out, and the parking lot was crammed full of people and it was just the four of us in this van, and we looked around, like, who are we opening up for? Who is this? Who's here tonight? We we genuinely wondered who was here that we were opening up for, and we found it it was for us, and that moment was like, holy cow, these people came to see us.

This is amazing, um and that not. They asked for an encore, so we played all the songs we knew and they wanted an encore, so we played Boondocks again because we didn't have any more songs. That's Funny again and loved it. Yes, I love the end of the song, like my favorite parts, and so are all four of you guys on that and all going over the top. It starts around around Philip starts it, then Jimmy, then Karen than me. Yeah, because I was working a pop

at the time. Still listen in the country, but not as much because I was totally in pop trying to build my own syndication. I was talking for the most part, but still all that have with pop music around me. But I remember that song because I plup over the country station and out here you get a line I We'll go fishing, and I was like, oh, I love that song, but you know, five cop Poker, that was that song. I don't sing it back to you because

you know, I love it. And that's my favorite part of every single show that yes, because the crowd, well, the crowd sings that whole song. But at the end of that song usually that means the show's just about over and the crowd they'll pick their parts and they'll sing it. It's so much fun. Do you put that at the end of the show? Mostly yeah, And we've tried not putting it at the end of the shows.

We've tried to put it up farther in the show, and then we get to the end of whatever, you know we're we end with and it's like, oh, nope, we needed to end with the knucks. Every time we experiment on something else, Nope. Whenever you guys get your clothes because you can and dressed so well, thank you differently but so well, thank you? Did they loan you this? Are you buying that stuff? Both? Because holy I know listen,

Karen has a shopping problem. Everyone knows that. But it's working out really well for me and the rest of the van. She Um, she's got such a gift at fashion and putting things together, so we have it. We

do things a couple of different ways. When we're on television, usually we have a stylus out in l A named Carla Welch, and she's amazing and she'll put looks for us together for all that, but then for tours and other things, Karen shops and pulls just incredible clothes and then we just kind of I mean, we also buy for ourselves. She doesn't buy everything, but she buys a lot.

Like last night. I remember at the last show, I was like, Okay, from head to toe I'm Karen Fairchild because she bought everything I have on But um, I love it when she shops from me. She'll go out shopping and she'll be like, I bought you something. I was like, WHOA, I love that. I love that. Um. And so you know, every when we get ready for the show, we have these incredible wardrobe cases, which we used to not have and now we do, and they're

just so amazing. So we keep all our tour clothes in him, and you know, we just all pick out what we want to wear. And sometimes Jim, you'll come in our room and I'll go, what color are you all wearing to that? And so we'll try to coordinate and look like we're going to the same party. But um, Karen pulls a lot of that for us. She picks a lot of that out for us. I have so intrigued because you guys dressed so well. But I wonder if it's on Instagram? Do you wear it again or

is it dead? I wear it again, Yeah, yeah, just because that's how I was raised. I just I just I don't have a problem wearing again. Sometimes Karen's like, Okay, you need to retire that, So yeah, I'll wear it again. What's been the biggest surprise in the little big town life? Like the whole the thing you really didn't think was going to work out that ended up going Wow? Why because you were working hard, obviously and grinding towards that

first single. Obviously you expected something to paper. You wouldn't never continued to do it. What was the big one? Were you? Well? That was unexpected? Um? Maybe the Forrell record that we did. We got a phone call and thank you, thank you. That was such a treat to make. What a genius he is. We adore him. We got a phone call and they said, do you want to Farrell wants to write with you? Like, what for? Wait Forrell? Yeah, heck yeah. So we booked a day with him and

it was a day in Nashville. He came here. It was a day in Nashville where we had a little snow storm storm and you know how that that goes here, So that's everything down. We all made it to the studio and we started writting. We wrote two songs that day, and he said, let's come back tomorrow. So we said, of course. We came back to our I wrote another song. You wrote two songs the same day, a lot of songs. And with him and pop pop music, I guess this

is pretty common. They write a song, but as they write it, they go ahead and record it. They start tracking it and go ahead and get it down, which we had never done before. And it was so much fun. So at the end of two days we had three songs written and recorded, and so he said, let's just do this again, and so we said, well sure, So we started just rotten more and more, and every time we wrote, we would get it cut. You know, I want to say, get it on tape, but you know

how that goes. No, that's that sounds like I'm really old. But before we knew it, we had eight songs written and recorded and we weren't going to do anything with it. But then when we ended up with that many that we loved so much, we thought, wow, wouldn't we put it out? So let's just put it out. And you know, we weren't like trying to make a statement of that we're switching teams or anything like that. We just had a ball and he's so musical and we learned so

much from him and ended up making a record. I enjoyed the record, and I because you guys did a press tore two and Farrell came by the studio. Yes, And I loved it because I'm a big Farrell fan. I'm for all. It's got three different versions of Farrell, you know, his big band, his little band, just him. Yeah, And so that was really cool for me. What was frustrating a bit, though, was some of the Nashville old school country people are like, what's happening? How is a

little big town with Pharrell? That's got to be a little bit unnerving, right, It's a little almost a little hurtful because we are to our bones country and we country music is our music, but we love all music and we the four of us is such a melting pot of influences, and when we were approached by someone as genius as Pharrell, we could not turn that down. And we were just having fun. We weren't taking ourselves too seriously. We weren't trying to, like I said before,

go pop or change teams. We were just having a ball in the studio and that's all that was. When you write, are you a melody writer first? Or are you a lyric writer? Because it just for those listening. I have friends that are both, and some will sit with the guitar and just do that's a Buddha and then insert the words over the melody that's written. And some will write the words and then assign the melody

to the lyric. How do you write? Usually to me personally, it's words that come first, and um, I'll make some notes, you know, something will come to me and I'll I'll be like, oh, I gotta write that down before I forget it, and then maybe later I'll work on some more lyric to go with it. And so so it's usually that that comes first in the early days that all you guys just sit around and write songs all the time. Is that what you did every day? Almost

almost every day the first couple of years we were together. Yeah, so he sat around. Not many of them were very good, well early on they probably weren't. Yeah, I mean that's the story. I was talking to Ryan Herd, who's a songwriter, artist, and he's married to Maran now, but he has like, man I rose in terrible songs on my songwriter. I'm such a fan of songwriters, and he's a man I moved to town because he graduated with like a sociology degree.

Really wasn't gonna do music. Wow. Yeah, And he's like, you know, I started writing songs and they were really bad, but I thought I can improve at it. Like, man, they were so bad at the beginning. Yeah, some of ours were too, Some of were doozies. You ever keep oh yeah, yeah, yeah, it feels like not long ago. It's usually Philip that pulls out the old songs. He

remembers every word, every every melody. Has there ever been a time with all four of you guys were so much said Hey, I want to step out and do something by myself. That never been a conversation, not even as a like a fun one song anything. No, Now Karen and Philip and Jimmy have um that's that makes that kind of hurts my feelings. But the three of them have been, you know, on other like duet on other projects like Karen and Luke, and no one ever

want to put a single. We've never ever even talked about it. I've actually never even thought about that until right now. Look look what happened. Happened and how we got to start thinking now. For six weeks from April sixteenth through May one, Blue Apron and his teaming with Airbnb to bring you the best home cooking from around the world. Each week or manual feature a recipe developed

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Apron dot com slash Bobby Cast. When did you think that you were able to You're gonna be able to turn food into oh way for you to actually take your passion and make a living at it. Well, when I was a little tiny girl, I used to pretend like I had a cooking show. Yeah, I would stand on a stool in the kitchen with a bowl and a wooden spoon, and I would just pretend and I just talked to nobody and just pretend like I was cooking. And I had this really silly voice that I used,

and I was a chef on a TV show. Um, I don't I don't know where that came from, but I did it all the time. And then you know, that kind of went on the back burner. I never even thought about it again until Jason, my manager, called me, Um, I don't know, several years ago and said, are you sitting down? And I said no, but I will. And he said, how do you feel about doing a cooking show? And I was like, holy yah, that would be amazing.

I mean it. It had become a dream of mine again because I love to cook, and I you know, I cook for people a lot, and um, I love it. It's definitely a passion of mine a young girl, would you have rather been a singer or a chef? At

ten years old? At ten years old, I started getting the singing bug because I had sung a little bit in church and then probably eleven I was probably my first talent show at eleven UM and then I really caught the bug but I always still cooked, but cooked, But then I didn't think about cooking as a as a career at that point when you say you caught

the bug, was it because you were looking? Because for me, performing and doing stand up or being on the radio, I feel like it's a search for some kind of love, Like I really is, Like that's that's I'm terrible at accepting it, and so I go on, I try to get it from strangers. It's back to your therapy part for sure. Absolutely, and so and that's not funny. I'm not laughing at that. But I think it's so self

aware of it and I work on it. And but for me, that's where the performance comes in and I'm searching for some sort of validation or so, why you why did you start with singing? Were you just so good at it? You enjoy it? Were you looking for love? Uh? No, I felt very loved. I wasn't looking for love. I enjoyed it, and I did. I did enjoy the the accolade,

you know in the applause. I've had a talent, but I wouldn't like Taylor Swift good you know when I was a little but um, yeah, everybody around me, I thought that I was talented, which now that probably encouraged me to do another talent show and another talent show and then sing started singing for the Rotary Club or whoever would have me and my daddy would drive me, you know, all over the state of Georgia, whoever would

listen to me sing for whatever function it was. And um, probably the encouragement of that grooma desire and you were good at you had a god given talent too. Yeah, did you take less you work on it? Did you? Um? Not? At first? My daddy is a singer and my sister is a singer. Um, so it was always we always did it. But I started taking voice lessons, uh late in high school and then in college. Is it a thing where what if one of you guys get sick?

We ever fake it like one of you four and just move your mouth because it's such a full group. But you're probably so strong that maybe you don't have to sing that hard if one of you go down. Have you ever to do that? Oh? Yeah, we've We've had We've had each of us go down at some point. And we normally have so much fun in a show. We can't wait for the show. Which is the best part of the day. We can't wait to get out

there and do it. But except for the days when somebody's down, because then we're each going, Okay, if it's Karen, then I got to cover her part on this, this, and this. If it's me, then Karen's got to cover my part. If it's Jimmy, you know, then we're all we're not able to just put it on copilot and do our thing. We're having to think super hard about Oh, I gotta cover that part. I gotta cover that part. Yeah, we we've We've had to do it plenty of times.

Is there a single text thread that just you four keep like one text one group text? That is it? Is it labeled anything like us? Just it's just it's just it's just the four of us at this point. What do you for talk about? What at me thinking about the last one? Um? Oh goodness, because I'm sure there are many one on one conversations. Yeah, all the time. And and Karena I have the best ones because we get ready together in the same dressing room every night.

So those are friends that Yeah, that's that's so rare and awesome. It's really special. And I know you're telling I'm acting a lily bit like I don't know that, but I know you're telling the truth because I'll see you guys back in the back and you're in the same dressing room. You're about big stars. You can have your own rooms, have your own buildings where we know what we did get this year, which has been such a treat and um, we've never ever had this before.

We each have our own bus now and it's been really special. Um, the Westbrooks have a family bus. I have one and Philip. Now each of us also has a crew person um also on our bus, so it's not just our families. But that's been really really cool and special for our families, you know. But we still spend all the time together and get ready together and spend the whole day together. We park our buses in a little square so that we can all get out there in the mornings and the lounge chairs and watch

the babies run around, and um, we're always together. Ok. Are you guys still liking each other? Yeah? We do. Like I have a staff of eight and you know, everybody that I've hired has been a friend. You know. I've been lucky that we did things a weird way as a radio show. Then we have any money. So I just brought my friends on. And we still like each other, you know, so as you talk about this, it's crazy for me to hear this, but I put the mirror up and I go, but you know, but

you know, AY have it together almost fifteen years. Yeah, it can happen. There are still times like with Amy and we have this white board we keep up because Amy and I are together more than anybody else. So we in my office, there's a white board and we walk in right now, what number we feel like we are that day? One through ten? Like tin is great means I'm fantastic. I'm in a great mood. If you're down below four, it's like, give me a little space. And so we write this number down, so we have

to fill each other out. It's just like, got it your fourth today? I know what something I didn't get me sleep? Maybe it's you know that is so smart. That's so smart, and it saves us any sort of you know, step each other's toes a bit, because you get really close when you spend that much time together, say just fights. That's really cool. Karen and I can

read each other's mind. I know when she's a four and when she's a tin, just pretty much by spinning about three minutes with her in the morning, and she knows the same about me. Um, are you ever a ten? Oh? Yeah, like tin is a great right A lot. You seem like a super positive. I'm a tin a lot. I have my moments. You know, I'm real and normal And yeah, I was with your I was one seat back behind your husband and your daughter. We're flying Southwest, and they're

like you, they're so not. Usually there's a yang. Usually there's because I feel like if I ever get married, if I ever get a girlfriend like she has to, I don't have much to say I want. When I'm not doing this, I'm very quiet, kind of solitude, and I feel like any time I've ever been with anyone, their big personality have to be to kind of make up for the fact that I'm not. Ddly, I'm not, you know. I do my my little song and dance

and then I shut it down. And so you would think you would be with like, but he's the sweetest guy, sweetheart, No he yeah, he's is there too much sweetness? Now? Now he's a tough he's a tough dude. Yeah, I mean he's not he and he's he's a he's strong, but he's beautifully strong, you know. He. Oh my goodness, he's the best to me. He picked me out out of the darkest, deepest hole and I never thought I would escape from and fixed me and is such a beautiful soul inside and out. I mean he is an

incredible man and now an incredible daddy. You know you talk about your kids. Didn't you have your baby like right after a show? Now that I think about it, Yeah, you guys were playing a show. Yes. So we were on the Martina McBride tour back in two thousand seven, and the tour had two more weeks left, and I had three more weeks left of my pregnancy. So you're nine months pregnant and you're still up there singing and they're singing and dancing. I was the happy. I wanted

to baby my whole life. I wanted to be a mommy, So I was happy as a lark. I loved it. I was huge and happy. And I have a picture of the night that I went into labor and I was in six or seven inch wedge shoes. I still have nine months pregnant you so oh, so we The plan was, we'll finish up the Martina McBride tour in the next two weeks and I'll have one week to get my house all perfect and ready and pack my bag for the hospital, and I'll have a baby. But

the good Lord had a different story. So um, we finished up a show on the Martina tour in Phoenix. I wasn't feeling very good that day, but I had a bad cold, so I thought, you know, it's just I'm just not I'm just tired and very pregnant. So um, I went and got my bunk after the show. Something woke me up two hours later, like a like a cramp, you could. So you're in a bunk to a nine months pregnant. It was in a bunk, a special bunk. Oh no, it was. It was the you know the

difference in the bunks. There's the bunks that are like coffins, are stacked three hot, and then then the condo bunks, which are real fancy and they're amazing. But we were was twelve of us still on this bus. So I was rolling in and out of the bottom bunk, not able to sit up her hardly able to get my belly and I was freend yeah, and I was on the bottom bottom of the you know, the three stacks, so I'll just roll in and roll out. So and um so it shocked me. I mean, it wasn't like

the pickle jars in the grocery store. It wasn't that dramatic. But um so, I got up and I went to the bathroom and I'm on the bathroom and I'm freaking out in the bathroom and then my husband, who was doing merch for us at the time, comes on the bus. Everybody else is asleep. He comes on the bus because he had just finished the merch merchandise, and he walked on with one of Martina's guys while I'm in the bathroom.

He didn't know that. And Martine's guy says, you really think Kimberly is gonna last for another two weeks till this tour is over? And Schlap was like, oh, yeah, she's gonna be fine. She's gonna be fine. Is gonna make him? So that guy leaves the bus and I slammed op from the bathroom were and I'm like, something's happening something. I'm freaking out. My whole body is shaken. My chin isingla la la la la la. I can hardly even speak, and he's like, okay, okay, let's call

your nurse. So he called my nurse and she who did not want me to have this baby out of town. She wanted me to get back to Nashville because she wasn't with you know, she's here in Nashville. I'm in Phoenix. And she's like, okay, maybe it's just maybe it was just uh, you cough too hard because of your bad cold and you know, you know, just a little link get your something from your bladder. That's just t m I. But anyway, so she said, but you should go to

the hospital and get checked out. So everybody's still asleep in the back of the bus. So Slap tells the driver, don't tell a soul this, but find us the closest hospital and we're gonna need to go get checked out. So he went back in the venue and he asked for the best hospital and they sent him just down the road to this incredible hospital called Banner Australia Hospital

in Phoenix, Arizona. And I went in and they took me right in in the emergency room, and I said to the lady, we just want to get checked out because we're going to go back on tour and we have to be in Las Vegas in the morning, so I just want to get checked out and then we're going to go. And she goes, oh, honey, you're not going anywhere. You are in labor, and so oh jeezs And then I really freaked out. I'm like, what, anut, I have nine more shows to do, I can't have

a baby yet, and my mom is not here. Most of all, my mother is across the country in Georgia. So, um, yeah it happened. How long was your labor eight hours? Did your nurse end up coming from Nashville? Oh? No, so just so you just went and had they in Phoenix, in Phoenix at the hospital. Yes, and um Schlap sister who lives in vin her in California, so sweet, she flew in so that she could be there. So when I did deliver, Slap walked out and he was able

to say to someone, it's a girl. You know, otherwise there would have been nobody but um the band. So I labored all night. The band came in about ten o'clock the next morning, and Um, you know, hung out with me for a while, and then they had to cool because the show must go on, so they had

to drop to face had a baby. They did nine they had to do nine shows without me those last two weeks, and they finished the tour Martina Tour, and we stayed in Phoenix for four days and then though the most precious gift, this is my husband, the most precious gift. We're packing up and we and the doctor didn't want us flying with Daisy, so we had to bring a bus out. So we were going to ride the bus home thirty three hours with a brand new baby.

So we were packing up stuff. I was kind of nervous about that, but still so excited just to be in my mamma and um. As I'm packing up my stuff getting ready to go, I turned around and into the room walks my mother Slap had flown her out to surprise me and ride the bus home with us. Was a mass I've lost it and she lost it, and oh, it's just the sweetest. It turned out to be just the most beautiful four days, first slapping me in little Daisy, and then my mama all the way

home in thirty three hours. Back the Star Room at least are you still on the are you still on the coffin ball? Now? We were in there, we got the I think we had the condo bunks on that bus. Yeah, yeah, that's crazy, yeah a little bit. But Schlap pulled out one of the drawers in the front of the bus and patted it out, and that was Daisy's baby bed, a little drawer. That's cool. I want a good story, So that's a really good story. I'm glad you did.

I love that story. Whenever I think about you guys in the past five or six years that I've been here, like, I just know you guys is the big, big, big little big town, you know, because you guys have really stepped up to that next level where you wanted all the awards. By the way, I remember when you said my name at the what was the c M as RA c MS. I don't remember which one it was now I'm just thinking thinking out loud here, I can't remember which the pre uh show, And I've been on

the radio. I don't know what I was doing. I was nuts, who knows what I was doing early on and you said someone said thank you Jesus and said thank you Bobby Bond. Yeah, because I told you we would. Yeah. So, and I remember, like, I owe you one, and I still remember that in my heart, like someday I'm gonna get you back, and I'm gonna something's gonna happen that people are gonna think I'm cool one day and I'm gonna be able to put it back on you guys.

But that was that was really cool. I was like, man, these people, the nice of this to someone name on National TV. We told you we would. That's true, you did. I forgot all about that at all? The what's up? Wow? How about that? How about that you would know who the cash me Outside girl is? Do you know who that is? Oh? Never mind, I don't know. Never look her up? Yeah, get me in trouble and if afterwards she's the girl that goes cash me outside? How about that?

See I'm listening to Elmo and Sest Me Street right now, So I don't know the cash me out girl? How How long ago she? Mike? How long goes cash me Outside girl? It was like two years ago. She's not someone to look up to. Uh. The I felt like happy people got a raw deal? Oh me too. I really thought of me too all of you guys as songs. I really felt like Happy People was the one. Oh there,

it is right there, this song was. I was disappointed, like a my, my, good, thank you and thank you for everything you did on air to try to make this a hit for us. I mean, you were the you were waving the flag. I just didn't understand, Like I really didn't understand how it wasn't. I don't either, I don't understand. I will tell you in our live show.

It's one of the sweetest moments because we made a video that I'm so proud of and it's just a whole bunch of different people with happy smiles on their faces or their dancing or their giggling, and our kids are in it, and it's so special. And at our shows, um on the Breakers tour which just ended, we have this video on the huge screens behind us, and every

night I have to just turn around and watch. It just makes me happy and and that that that song means a lot to people in the shows, in our audience. When I just think about you guys, I think about that song like one of the At first I think about Girl Crushed first, but this song probably second of all. Your songs really cool because again I was so irritated at whatever country radio or country whatever that is. I don't even understand it anymore, but whatever they is, I

was so disappointed in it. Thank you guys got such a Do you know why? What was? What were they telling you guys? I don't know why. I just couldn't get it played great, message, was upbeat, everything that's supposed to that people say it's supposed to be. It was precious. Lori McKinnon wrote that, and Haley Winters and oh yeah, I thought I thought it was going to be a big song when you put the last record out the Breakers,

I mean, critics loved it, like loved it. It wasn't even even when you had to struggle it was Was that a normal for the critics to just love a record is rare for someone that's big like you guys. Yeah, that was rare. It is my favorite record we've ever done. I'm super I'm proud of everything we've done, but that record really meant a lot to me. Um. Yeah, the critical acclaim was really cool and the best we had

ever had. And not because your other stuff isn't good, but you guys had achieved that point of you you're kind of a big deal now, and usually when you get to be a big deal, you're not as critically love because the critical well, they're already a big deal. I'll get more clicks by taking a shot, yes, right

then I will by saying something is good. And even with that, that's how you know the record was fantastic because even with that, you guys were getting loved in all the award nominations even while being a big deal. Congratulations on that. I thought it was really cool. Anyway, UM, tell me about your cookbook. My cookbook UM is a collection of recipes that have been handed down to me

or that I came up with along the way. Some of them are from my cooking show, and um, it's that and then pretty much my life story because the publisher, HarperCollins, let me like them, love them, they really lett gave me a lot of leeway on the book to tell a lot of my life story, which I love. You know.

I'm mostly I'm glad I have that book for Daisy and Dolly because it has so much history of my life and my family and how my parents got together and my grandparents got together, and just sweet stories about recipes and um, so it's it's both. It's a memoir and a cookbook. That's cool. It's cool that you're able to do what you love and then also do what you love while doing it with people you love. Let me have any note? I tooks, haven't been to them yet. Let me see I have anything? How do I open

this thing up? Mike? So you're born in Cornelia, Georgia, little hometown, Oh Gussie on Twitter? I know this, but that's an expression, that's a Southern express. I'm right about that, right, Oh Gussie. Yeah, And it can mean so many things. It can mean that you're happy. It can mean you that you're mad. You can mean that you're excited. You have I didn't know this. You have a kitchen line,

Loving Daisies, so people can buy it right now? Is that a Is that a TV thing where you're on TV the Home Shopping Network that Loving Daisy is at at the Home Shopping Network and it's really some really beautiful kitchen things. And then at Cracker Barrel, I also have a line of things that I've had for several years at Cracker Barrel. The coffee MiG I brought used from Cracker Barrel, and um, my daddy makes pottery and he's a beautiful potter. Some of my greatest treasures are

his pieces of pottery. And we have a line at Cracker Barrel called Paul Paul Pottery because we call it Paul Fall. So, um, Paul Paul Pottery is at Cracker Barrel. That's cool. Well, well, well, and the name of your book, oh, come, you have to tell me now if it was prepared, it's called Gussie and then it's something like the Childhood in and really slapping this kitchen or something unprepared. I thought I would just know that. Please, don't think you're unprepared.

I didn't even know you weren't dating anymore. Yeah, but you're not supposed to be prepared. You just came over to the house. Listen. I really appreciate you coming over. You're so welcome. You guys are my favorite people. You're on my favorite people. You're so kind. I was standing on the side of the road one day. I don't know if you remember this. I was standing. I was down by church treet. I was getting my haircut and you were driving and I was walking and you stopped

the card. Do you remember seen me remember, and we looked at each other and we're like, yeah, we know each other and give it a thumbs up, and that was cool. I should have asked you if you needed a rod. No, yeah, I would have. Never, I mean maybe I would have. You're safe stranger danger though, yeah, Dane danger Um. Well, thank you very much, welcome, Thanks for breaking in the studio. This person I've ever done.

I'm so happy that I was able to. Thanks for having and I have some slap happy bars on you. I know that's I can't keep anything in the house because I'll eat it. Well, just eat that, eat one and pass them out. I'll take them to work, Tom take him to work. All right, Thank you very much. All right, Well, see you next time on the Bobby Cast. Everybody be sure to download all little bit tast of music about all the stuff that Kimerly is talking about.

Buy it all by three of them. Buy one for you and one for your cousin and then one for her friend. All right, thanks guys,