HostJolene: Are you planning on signing any other artists on your label or are you going to be a label of one?
Neal McCoy: Yes Ma’am. We are really close to signing a couple of acts. And I know I’m not supposed to really mention who they are but I’ve been mentioning them all day. *laughs* I know we’re going to sign a band called the Drew Davis Band who is fantastic. A bunch of good looking younger kids that sing great, they play great and they’re terrific onstage. My problem as a record label head is I have a tough standard because I set the standard of me.
HostJolene: You’re in trouble!
Neal McCoy: I really am. *laughing* Not because there aren’t people capable of outdoing me, but I know the work attitude that I want from somebody and their personality and the Drew Davis Band is going to fit right into that. They have been out working three or four years on their own, they do numerous dates, and they’re just very good and they’re very cute. The girls love them. And I like being around them. I like the way they conduct themselves. That’s very important to me. So I finally found someone after a lot of years that I feel is capable of me putting my stamp on.
HostJolene: Great. I look forward to hearing them. With your new single now, we have talked about “Billy’s Got His Beer Goggles On,” kind of a fun song. And now your latest single, “Last of a Dying Breed.” It is still an upbeat song but it has a definite message to it. And I hear you’re shooting a video?
Neal McCoy: We did. We’re finished with it.
HostJolene: You did? When is it going to hit the airwaves?
Neal McCoy: GAC today. It was delivered yesterday so hopefully they’ll start playing it today. (February 15) I don’t know what kind of rotation it will get, but I do know it will start playing today. Tommy Franks is giving the keynote address in the morning and he’s on the album. He kind of wrote a spoken word before the song starts. And it’s about his father. It really is effective. And couple of good friends of mine, Nolan Ryan who is a baseball pitcher, very famous, and a very famous basketball player Carl Malone are on it. I think those guys represent the last of a dying breed. Although the song itself is more geared to the rancher/farmer kind of person, they represent in their occupations what they did in their particular sport. And General Tommy Franks, people that work hard, nose to the grindstone, just stay after it, and I think that’s why I was really fortunate to get them in the video and I hope people will see through that and understand that I could have gone and got a younger athlete but I don’t think they represent what the older guys have done. And how long they’ve stayed there and how long they’ve worked. So that’s kind of an underwritten message from those guys in there also.
HostJolene: It sounds like it’s going to be an awesome video.
Neal McCoy: I think it’s going to be very effective. And like you said, it’s an upbeat song but it still has a good message there. I think that’s the cool part of this song. We didn’t sap it up too much, try to make it too sappy. It’s really cool. And again, I think if it is a song that radio plays that we’ll get a good shot with it.
HostJolene: I know you just released this one, but is there another one on this album you are thinking of releasing as a single?
Neal McCoy: Well you know there’s a few songs on this album that we feel we could use. There’s a real fun song called “Tail on the Tailgate” and all singers at one time on an album or one time in their career want to show people they are capable of singing. That they have a good voice and stuff. And I think with “You Let Me Be the Hero” that does exactly that. And I just think that’s a wonderful song that a lot of people would like to say to their particular people that they love. So that could come out. But there’s some great stuff on there and hopefully we won’t have to make that decision for awhile because if “Last of a Dying Breed” continues to go up the charts then we have a little time to decide what will come next.
HostJolene: Is this one of the first albums where you’ve had a real heavy say in what you are recording as opposed to being told what to record?
Neal McCoy: I’ve had some say in past albums. But in this album I had all the say. Which is quite a change.
HostJolene: I think it made a difference.
Neal McCoy: Well thank you very much. I’m hearing that from a lot of people. A lot of people are really enjoying the album.
HostJolene: I really am. I have most of your albums, and this one is by far the favorite. All of the songs are really good. There is a message in all of them, but like you said, they aren’t all sappy. They are a good mix.