Country music artist and former Marine, Adam Warner, came up with a melody that he couldn’t get out of his head. “I had been humming that melody for a few weeks and just couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do with it.” So, when he got together to co-write with some friends — and their other song ideas weren’t panning out — he started humming his new tune for them. Josh Gallagher and Mark Chandler jumped right in, and together they came up with the perfect lyrics for Adam’s catchy melody for his new single, Cowboy Crazy.
“Blue jean baby/With your cut off Daisies/And them scuffed Luccheses”
The country rock single for Cowboy Crazy drops April 7 on all major digital platforms. Watch the lyric video below!
Adam says, “It’s a tongue-in-cheek song about a girl that can’t do anything wrong. She turns your ‘cowboy crazy’ on!” When recording the song in the studio, Adam chose to “shift gears a little bit” from his previous tracks. “I wanted to lean more like the southern rock guys do, with big gang harmony vocals, and also a little bit more on the rock side of things with the drummer.” Adam draws some of his inspiration for a high-energy style from Jason Aldean and Brantley Gilbert.
Adam grew up on a farm in Lawrenceville, Illinois, where his family was instrumental in developing his gift for music. Both of his grandmothers could sing and play piano, but Adam wanted to play guitar. “I hated school, and I figured if I got famous in a band, then I wouldn’t have to do homework anymore.” When he was in grade school, Adam’s grandmother came up with an idea to motivate him to learn piano. “Mamaw Wright told me that if I took piano lessons and learned how to play, she would buy me a guitar. So, I learned enough to where she thought she could buy me one.” Adam still owns that first guitar from his grandmother.
After high school, Adam enrolled in junior college to study audio engineering as a way to get a job in the music industry. “I was in a band, but I started to grasp how hard it was going to be to try to move six guys from middle-of-nowhere southeastern Illinois to Nashville.”
It didn’t take long for Adam to realize, “As much as I liked music, I hated the general education requirements.” Encouraged by one of his best friends who had recently joined the Marines, Adam started hanging out at the recruiting office, which was just across the street from his accounting class. When Adam told his parents he wanted to enlist, they replied, “You watch the news, don’t you?!” At that time (2004), things were heating up in the Middle East. Despite their concern, he dropped out of school (just a couple weeks into his second semester) and arrived at boot camp in San Diego a month later. “I told my parents I was miserable in school. Then boot camp changed that level of misery,” Adam jokes.
Adam describes his first few years in the military as boring and routine. Then, after getting his top-secret security clearance, his sergeant told him about a joint task force. The position would involve providing personal security for General Mattis and require him to deploy to Bahrain, where there was active military conflict. Adam replied, “Send me there. That sounds more like a Marine job.”
The five years that Adam spent in the Marines was, overall, a great experience. “I met some of the best men and women I’ve ever come across. I wouldn’t change anything. I loved it when I was in it.” Adam says being in the Marines also taught him something that has been invaluable as he sets his course as a country artist — “the mental fortitude to not give up on yourself.” He adds, “When you go down this path, the most common thing you hear is ‘no’ or ‘not right now.’ It’s very easy to get frustrated.”
One of the people who gave Adam encouragement shortly after he left the Marines and moved to Nashville is legendary country artist Trace Adkins.
Adam’s manager, who had a connection with Trace, sent him a demo of a song Adam wrote. Trace listened to the song and advised Adam to “throw it out in the universe.” In 2016, Empty became Adam’s first single. Then, about six months later, Trace invited Adam to go on the road and open some shows for him. “Trace is a one-of-a-kind guy. I owe him a lot.”
When Adam decided to cover one of Trace’s songs, Semper Fi, Trace agreed to be featured on the new single. That day in the studio was one of the highlights of Adam’s career. After they finished recording, Trace stuck around the studio with Adam and his producer for several hours. “Just being able to sit in the studio with him and spend that time and talk life and music and hear him tell his story about how he got started — that was such a cool day.”
Another high point for Adam was when he got to play on the Opry stage for the show Sunday Morning Country. He had recently written the song, Someone God Can Use, inspired by a message he heard at church (Adam admits his wife gave him “a look” when he pulled out his cell phone during the sermon to make note of the song idea). “To walk out and stand in ‘the circle’ and sing a song — even though it wasn’t an Opry show — that was a moment I’ll never forget.”
Adam and his band will be going on tour this summer to promote Cowboy Crazy as well as songs from his latest album, What We’re Known For. Follow him on the road or on the social media links on his website. Also check out his music, videos, and episodes of Beer: 30 on his website.
FUN FACTS AND TRIVIA
Adam’s song Welcome to the South was the Tennessee Titans anthem for 2018. It played at every home game at Nissan Stadium.
Adam’s wife (Megan) appears in some of his music videos. They met at a concert in Nashville when they were both in college.
When most musicians were out of work during Covid, Adam and his manager came up with the idea for Beer:30 with Adam Warner and Friends. The show featured interviews and performances and aired on The Country Network.
FAVORITES
Sport: Football (he is a Bears fan)
Activity: Fishing (mostly bass)
Concert: Paul McCartney at Bridgestone Arena
Place for Pizza: Brixx Pizza (Gallatin) or Smith & Lentz Brewing (East Nashville)