Jason Meadows : Rodeo, Music, God and Baldie!

Jason Meadows : Rodeo, Music, God and Baldie!

Singer, roper and occasional bull rider Jason Meadows talks to RodeoAttitude's John D. Lewis

If, in 25 years time, you come across an aging cowboy sitting on the tailgate of his truck at a roping show, sipping a cold one and watching to be sure the ribeye cooks right while he talks about "the good old days", take a close look.

If the hat's worn slightly off centre, it could well be Jason Meadows passing the time and reflecting that life's been "one heck of a ride".

Jason Meadows is open and honest about what he's achieved and where he wants to go.

"I guess my one wish would be to be able to sing my songs as long as there are fans out there that will listen and still be able to spend time with my family. Of course I wouldn’t mind 40 or 50 number one hits. Then 25 years from now I can sit back and say “Wow that was one heck of a ride.”

Jason's "story" is well known among Country fans. Raised on a farm in Oklahoma, spotted as a huge talent by Reba McEntire and now a major Country artist who still hasn't lost his love for the rodeo.

                    Singing and team roping - "a little bit safer than bulls!"

He made his choice years ago - music over rodeo.  Now, some way down the track, he KNOWS it was the right call. We started by talking about the differences between the sport and the music.

"Being a cowboy, I know what the rush is like when you’ve made that 8 second buzzer and the crowd goes wild; or when you and your partner have turned back a steer in 5 seconds flat!  

"Its like that for me when they  introduce me at one of my shows.  That’s when my chute gate opens and I get to ride that sucker for 2 hours and the crowd goes wild. For me that is the biggest kick I could ever have!"

But Jason hasn't deserted the rodeo. He gets to play shows and when he does, he's always looking for the chance to get involved though he's careful to pick what facet of Rodeo he takes part in.

"I always love to compete in celebrity roping events when I can. Hopefully they will all be able to catch one of my shows at a PBR or PRCA event. We're working on a rodeo tour right now so stay tuned.

"I get to rope and it sure feels good! I try to stay away from the bulls as much as possible. Maybe some day I’ll climb back up on one again, but for now I think I’ll stick to singing and team roping. They are both a little bit safer."

Touring the music makes it harder to keep up with his old friends - many of whom are in or on the fringes of the rodeo circuit. "I can't spend time them as much as would like but I do try to as much as possible whenever I get back home."

There's a twinkle in this man's eye as he explains how his friends have reacted to his fame. "It’s kind of funny. They look at me a little different but come to realize I’m still the same old boy who puts his jeans on one leg at a time, just like everybody else! "

It's the music, and the voice, and the honesty of the man that has propelled Jason from a Reality TV show loser to national stardom yet his advice on how to stay in the music business could be advice for a would-be rodeo rider.

                    Positive thinking makes positive things happen!

"You better be on top of your game going in or you will end up face down in the dirt wondering what went wrong. I am a perfect example that you don’t have to win the show to succeed. You can never give up on your dreams. Positive thinking makes positive things happen.  So I would tell anyone to go out there and give it your best and never give up!

"I’ve been very fortunate to work with great people that I trust and some wonderful things have happened to me. God willing that will never stop."

Of course, the marketing men and the critics have homed in on the fact that Jason's a real cowboy. His debut album was called "100 Per Cent Cowboy".  But Jason Meadows is his own man, and he believes that has had little direct effect on his success.

"I think me being what and who I am makes me stand out and I think that’s a good thing.  Its a big old world and I love all kinds of music so I think there is plenty of room for some Jason Meadows rodeo rock!"

              "Tell your loved ones how much you love them - no matter what!"

Jason warms to my suggestion that, while he only co-wrote two of the tracks on the album, he sings all of them like they're his. He did that on  "18 Video Tapes"  - a modern Country classic about finding old tapes to look at instead of the cliched fading photographs.

"The song was first introduced to me by one of my managers Kerry Bay. I sat and listened to the demo and it immediately hit home for me.

"I had lost my father a couple of years ago so I know how it felt. Even though I got to spend a lot of my growing up with my Dad I knew what the writers,  Aaron Barker and Robert Arthur were trying to get across!

"It’s  very important to tell your loved ones how much you love them no  matter what because you never know if you’ll ever see them again!

"When I sing a song I try to put myself in that moment. Hopefully that will come across to the listener and they can then put themselves there. Believe me, its not an easy song to sing. I still get choked up  sometimes in concert when I look out and see fans singing along with tears in their eyes. It’s very powerful."

Putting himself in the moment on "Where Did My Dirt Road Go", the current single from the album was easy: it's real!! "The idea came from one of my good friends back home Mike Viase. He called me up one day and said: "Hey boy, I want you to write a song called "where'd my dirt road go?"

"I told him it was up under the Choctaw Casino and the new Home Depot. So I sat down with a friend of mine Scott Filson out on the redneck deck and the song was born. There is still no stoplight in Calera where I’m from, but it has one of Oklahoma’s largest casinos! It sits right over the top of the dirt road we used to run. I can remember buying gas for 62 cents a gallon and yes, the air was free!"

                           I loved that horse as much as I love my music!

So the interview draws to a close, and I'm left thinking I've been talking with a man who is so much more than just a marketing man's "singing cowboy".

He cares....about his horses. I ask, a little tentatively, what is so special about "Baldie"? It's not just Baldie, though - it's horses!

"Baldie is sure one of a kind. I had a horse named Red that my uncle Bob gave me that I grew with and raised as a colt! Best roping horse in the country! I loved that horse as much as I love my music.  It broke my heart one morning when I walked outside to feed him and he couldn’t get up to his feet to walk!  

"We took him to the vet but he was diagnosed with spinal cancer and I lost him not too long after that. He’s buried out behind my Mom's place under a big Pecan tree. It was like losing my best friend. That’s how much I loved my horse!"

He connects: with people: "I was at a football game singing this song and afterwards, a boy approached me put his arm around me and said: 'Boy I don’t even listen to country music but I tell you that is the coolest song I have heard in a long time.'

"He had purple and green spiked hair and more metal on his face than I have on my truck. I thought that was pretty awesome, to have that song connect with him that way. I tell you what, though: there are plenty of real Cowboys in California and some even in New York. You’d be surprised how many of us are out there."

                           "Nothing is impossible through the power of prayer."

He believes: "In concert I always start "Just Pray" off by telling the fans that I am a firm believer in God and wouldn't be where I am with out him in my life. I wanted to put a song on my album that said what I truly believe. Nothing is impossible through the power of prayer."

And that's the man you'll meet 25 years from now, on the back of that tailgate. His pal Mike Viase'll be there; they'll be chowing down on some good rib eye and some shrimp and throwing back a couple of cold ones. (That's Jason's favorite meal, though the cowboy classic - SUSHI - runs it a close second.)


They''ll be listening to Country music:  maybe some of George's songs (Strait or Jones), or Johnny's (Paycheck or Cash) a little Merle, some Hank (Junior or Senior) and even a little Buck Owens too.

And every now and then, Tammy Wynette's voice will fill the air. "Back in the day before all the technology, you had to really be able to sing and one person who always blew me away was Tammy Wynette!" says Jason

If you see him 25 years from now, or tomorrow, stop by and say hi. He may be famous, he may be a star, but at heart, he'll still be Jason Meadows!


Visit Jason's web site at jasonmeadows.musiccitynetworks.com

Interview: © 2008 John D. Lewis / RodeoAttitude.
Photographs: courtesy Webster & Associates Public Relations.
ALL rights to this interview are reserved. Reproduce ONLY with the EXPRESS written permission of the author!