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“I’m so sad about the death of Prince, he was a true genius, and a huge inspiration for me, in a very real way…. In the the eighties, I was out on the road in a massive downward spiral with drink and drugs, I saw Purple Rain in a cinema in Canada, I had no idea who he was, it was like a bolt of lightning! In the middle of my depression, and the dreadful state of the music culture at that time it gave me hope, he was like a light in the darkness… I went back to my hotel, and surrounded by empty beer cans, wrote Holy Mother…. I can’t believe he’s gone….”

Eric Clapton April 23, 2016 – Photo used with permission: ©Jerome Brunet

Prince

“When I first heard ‘Austin’ I fell in love with Blake Shelton. I connected with his songs right away because he’s from small town Oklahoma and I grew up in farm country. In a time when everything was done simple. We didn’t have all of these modern day conveniences. His music has helped me most during difficult, trying times. When I adopted a special needs foster child, my son, I took a job as a special ed. teacher so I would have time off when he was out of school. It’s a tough job. The pay is awful, the hours are long, but it’s very rewarding. There were a lot of challenges working and raising my son every single day. Blakes music inspired me to keep striving to be the best I could be for my son and my students. He motivated me on the days when I just didn’t think I could keep going. My son is 22 now, he’s in college and I’m so proud of him. I feel like I’ve fulfilled my mission for him, with the help of Blake.”

Blake Shelton

“I graduated high school in 1970, so my high school years were the 60’s. We thought the messages being sung by the Beatles and the Stones; Janice and Jimi were going to change the world. I went to concerts in college and listened to music constantly. Then I got married, got a job and moved into the work-a-day reality. In 1979, my sister-in-law gave me the album, Volcano, by Jimmy Buffett. When I listened it, the lyrics from ‘A Pirate Looks at 40’ grabbed me. I’ve always been around boats, I love the beach lifestyle and the places where bananas and coconuts and limes grow. I’ve sailed long distances on the blue ocean, and approached ports at sunset after long days on the sea. I’ve smelled the perfume of the land, the flowers and bread being baked. I bought and sold grass in college but the money never seemed to last.

Through the years, I’ve dreamt of living the lifestyle Jimmy describes in his songs. I never let that dream go. And now I’m doing it! My wife and I have been driving around Mexico for nearly six months. We leave today for Guatemala and eventually we’re headed to Costa Rica to live our lives in a place like Jimmy describes in ‘One Particular Harbour’.”

But there’s this one particular harbour
So far but yet so near
Where I see the days as they fade away
And finally disappear
Jimmy Buffett – One Particular Harbour

Follow Bill’s adventure at https://sullytravelssouth.com/

Jimmy Buffet

“Back in 2015 I found Lord Huron in my dad’s playlist. The very first song I listened to was ‘Meet Me in the Woods’. I was attracted to their sound right away, but when I listened to ‘Fool for Love’ I was captivated by the story. And that’s when I fell in love with them, I’ve always liked songs that tell a story. So I bought all of their albums and downloaded them to my phone. Right after that I took a trip to the Canadian Rockies for 2 weeks. We had no cell phone service, no WiFi, we were totally disconnected. I was 15 at the time, so I was way too cool to hold a conversation with my family. I put my ear buds in and listened to Lord Huron constantly for the entire trip. They provided the perfect soundtrack for exploring the winding mountain roads and adventuring out in nature. Now I always associate them with traveling and the songs inspire me to go to new places, go on adventures and explore the world.”

Lord Huron

“You can feel so much emotion through U2’s music because their songs are written about personal experiences. And those songs resonate with people because they can associate with them through events in their own lives.

For me, A while back I was having a hard time, a lot of horrible things happened that put me in the position of being homeless. When your in that situation, sometimes you worry that you can’t do it on your own, and you don’t know where to find help. I spent a lot of time listening to music because it gave me the belief that I could be better than my situation. One day I was listening to ‘Ultra Violet (Light My Way)’ in my headphones, and just by chance someone crossed my path and set me back on the track I was suppose to be on. That person really did light my way! Now, I manage a business and my life continues to get progressively better. So it’s those types of things, life changing moments that make U2 songs resonate with me.”

“Through all the twists and turns, I can definitely relate to songs and lyrics at different periods of my life. It’s kind of cool to think about, when you follow along as a band grows, you find the similarities in your own life.

When I was younger, Jimmy Eat World had an album called Futures. At that point in my life I was just starting my career. A lot of those songs were about the sacrifices you make. The things you may or may not leave behind to get to the goals you have in life.

Then a few years later I was going through a difficult period of time, trying to reconcile with my wife, we were trying to make things work. And that was when Damage came out, it was more about heartache and breakups and things like that. So that song and that album really resonated with me, I could really relate to a lot of those lyrics.

And there’s a new song called Love Never. It’s funny how the tone changes over the years, but it’s all about putting in the work for a relationship and not always getting a great reward for that work. And for me, again, like timing of my life, it makes sense to me. I get that!

Looking back on those songs, even now a few years removed. As much as they meant to me at the time, some of them mean even more now. It’s like the songs have evolved over time with me. Like they have a life of their own.”

Jimmy Eat World

“My girlfriend and I went to our first U2 show together on November 16th, 2006 in Adelaide. I knew that was the perfect time to ask my future wife to marry me. So I got down on one knee and proposed during the transition between Pride and Where the Street Have No Name. We also had tickets for two more U2 concerts a couple of days later in Melbourne. So I was really happy she said yes, otherwise it would’ve been pretty awkward at the Melbourne shows. (laughs)

U2 has been a big part of my life since I heard Achtung Baby when I was 12 years old. But when All That You Can’t Leave Behind came out, I was older and realized the depth of the lyrics. That’s what attracted me to their music even more. As a Christian I love how Bono hides biblical imagery in plain sight. I think you can find it in almost every song if you’re looking for it. The lyrics have meaning on the surface, but then you can find a deeper meaning underneath the meaning. So I can mull on U2 songs for a long, long time and continue to get something new out of them. Their music has been a part of my life’s celebrations, tragedies, and everything in between.

The proposal was a really special moment for us. Since then we’ve been kind of hangin’ out, waiting for them to come back to Adelaide for 13 years. And last week they finally came back for the Joshua Tree 30th anniversary tour. We were right up front, by the stage. And during that same transition from Pride to Streets, I got down on one knee, and before she knew what was happening, I did a proposal re-enactment. It was great!”

“It was Christmas, I was 6 years old and my aunt put Hard Candy Christmas on the record player. At that moment I fell in love with Dolly Parton. I loved her voice and I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. From then on, everything in my life was Dolly, Dolly, Dolly. I wanted to be just like her. The more I found out about her, the more I related to her and her songs. You see I grew up poor, not just poor, really poor. My Grandma made most of my clothes, and the kids at school would make fun of them. Dolly made me believe in myself, she made me believe that I could pull myself up and become anything I wanted to, no matter what was holding me down. So when I was 18, I left that small town. It wasn’t easy, but Dolly was right there with me, she kept me determined. I worked two jobs, at an aerospace plant during the day and a box plant at night. On the weekends I would work landscaping. After 10 years, at 28, I was able to buy my own home and start a full time landscaping business with my best friend. When you grow up poor and work hard for a better life, you keep the things that are important close to you. So I cherish her friendship and we are still best friends today.”

Dolly Parton

“The biggest connection I feel has got to be the Avett Brothers, Head Full of Doubt. As a teenager in high school, when I’m dealing with a tough situation, sometimes I over think things. Or I don’t think things through in the best way. So the first time I heard that song I was like wow, this is so awesome. I could really relate to it because it made me think about how hard it can be to sort through my thoughts when I have problems at school or with friends. And ever since then, whenever I have a really bad day, and my mind is racing, that’s been my go to song to help me get through it.”

And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I’ll scream til I die
And the last of those bad thoughts are finally out
The Avett Brothers

Head Full of Doubt official Video

The Avett Brothers

“You know, I read at some point that empathy is maybe part genetic. That some people are genetically wired to have more empathy than others. So maybe it’s predisposed, but I think it’s also taught. I can go back and say that my empathy ‘muscle’ was worked out by Beatles songs.

Eleanor Rigby, now that’s a song that will put blood into the muscle that is empathy. Certainly if I was predisposed to it, that song put it over the top.”

Excerpt from Pearl Jam Radio – Sirius XM channel 22

Pearl Jam

The Stories