Throughout country music history, the genre’s artists have relied on themes of heartbreak, poverty and grief to speak to rural hard-living, blue-collar audiences. From staples like George Jones’ 1959 No. 1 “White Lightning” to Garth Brooks’ 1990 megahit “Friends in Low Places,” alcohol has long featured prominently in songs of sorrow and celebration alike.
Boozy themes are alive and well in today’s trad-country and Americana revival, but some artists are abandoning the idea that authentic country music requires heavy drinking. Established artists like Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell have recently made names for themselves in the country world while choosing sobriety, and a group of emerging singer-songwriters are following suit, balancing their country music roots with a shot of alcohol abstinence.
Joshua Hedley, a honky-tonk singer and fiddler with an impossibly soulful voice, has been playing country standards on Lower Broadway for years, but lately he has also been playing and recording original music and touring in Europe and Australia. Five months ago, Hedley decided to stop drinking. He tells the Scene of the toll alcohol was taking on his voice. “It allows you to push your vocal cords harder,” he explains, “because you can’t feel it as much. And it puts a strain on them.”
When talking sobriety, Hedley acknowledges the bond between country music and alcoholism and addiction. “Alcoholism is a major player in the essential makeup of country music,” he says. “Country music in and of itself is about relatability to the working class. A lot of working-class people have these problems.” (Though it’s worth noting that alcoholism strikes people in every social and economic class.)
For Hedley, drinking meant being true to the roots of country music. “A lot of my codependency issues stemmed from a false sense of authenticity,” he says. “Because all of my heroes used drugs and alcohol, I felt that in order to gain perspective and to be a country singer, I needed to have these same experiences. It’s a slippery slope. You dabble in order to feel connected to your predecessors, and sooner or later it becomes a full-blown addiction.”
While discussing a recent relapse, Hedley notes that lifestyle plays a part for most musicians struggling with alcoholism. “I’ve been sober for five months. I’m struggling with it [again] now,” he says, adding that he has been playing bars, honky-tonks and VFW halls since he was 10 years old. “It becomes what you know. It’s hard to stay sober in that world. But you have to do what is best for yourself. You fall off the wagon, and then you get back on. If you want to, that is.”
Caleb Caudle, a North Carolina native whose album Carolina Ghost made waves in the genre last year, echoes Hedley’s thoughts about the pressures of the environment. “As a touring musician you always have folks wanting to get you drunk,” he tells the Scene. A prolific writer, Caudle — who’s been sober for nearly three years — spent the first few weeks of 2017 in Nashville putting the finishing touches on his newest album. “I think there’s some pain in there, and country music doesn’t tend to shy away from that.”
Local singer-songwriter Matt Haeck — who released his debut album Late Bloomer last year — also takes cues from classic country and Americana. He describes his pain as sacrifice, but he says he hasn’t had a drink in nearly four years. “We look at the fucked-up artist as some kind of ultimate artist, because they seem to be sacrificing themselves for the art,” he tells the Scene via email, from a tour stop in Mexico. “The songs are sad and the booze, a depressant, fuels and deepens the sadness. And the cycle begins again. ”
So why are so many emerging country and Americana artists rejecting the idea that excessive partying and self-destruction are requirements for the job?
“Because a lot of us drank real hard and realized that touring hungover is the worst,” Caudle says with a laugh.
“One reason may just be the bevy of examples of alcohol not really working in the effort to create a happy life,” Haeck offers. “I think another reason for the trend of sobriety, if that is indeed a thing, is that today more than ever, raw talent is not necessarily rewarded. To stand out you have to work hard and persistently. And if alcohol is getting in the way of the work, well, how badly do you want it?”
Hedley also points to changes in the industry. “I think there’s less pressure these days to sell records,” he says, “at least in the Americana world. So we have more freedom to be more personal in our writing. If you’re struggling with codependency issues, the last thing you want to hear about is how great someone’s life has become after getting sober. Unless, of course, you’re looking to get sober yourself. ”
As far as their careers go, Hedley, Haeck and Caudle all say that while it’s not for everyone, sobriety has had a hand in improving their creative output.
Caudle puts it simply: “Well, I don’t write lyrics drunk anymore, so my songs got better.”
For Haeck, quitting drinking inspired honesty and a better work ethic. “I’m an alcoholic,” he says, “and when I was drinking I believed the lie that I was so talented that I deserved success and that it would just come to me. That thought is just laughable now. Not that others haven’t helped me become a working musician … but I had nothing going on to speak of until I had the clarity of mind to actually work for it.”
For Hedley, sobriety sparks inspiration. “In the five months I’ve been sober I’ve written probably close to three albums’ worth of material,” he says.
Still, the singer doesn’t regret his time spent drinking.
“It’s expanded my capabilities as a writer. I can now write for the heartbroken folks drowning their sorrows at the bar the same as I can write for the people with alcohol and drug addictions who are trying to remedy those issues.”
Email music@nashvillescene.com
