By Mike McCarthy
If there are two things we love here at Wingman, they are the brave Veterans who have risked their lives to protect us and our country, and really great music. Luckily, when it comes to new singer/songwriter Derek Jones- we get both. Coming from a long line of Veterans himself, the former Navy Vet served in Iraq and also had an uncle who was unfortunately killed in action, as well as grandfathers on both sides that also served- one of which took his own life- which, sadly so many Veterans do. Profoundly impacted by that event, the passionate musician thinks about the loss every day and remains dedicated toward continuing to support his brothers and sisters in the armed forces- and that is just the tip of the iceberg on why the gifted artist is someone worthy of looking up to.
Beyond being an inspiration simply for his dedication to our Veterans and his own time serving in our military, the breakthrough songster is also a vehement cheerleader for America as a whole- stating that truck drivers and farmers are “the backbone of this country,” and that there is no greater honor than to know that a hard working American is listening to his music while on the grind. And while so much of the media has perhaps turned away from investing in the heartland, Jones has become even more dedicated toward filling that void, excited to celebrate his fans from all walks of life from every great state that makes up the fabric of our country.
And with his new album “Pray” recently released, Jones has quickly swept in to provide entertainment and comfort for yet another recently ignored community; Christians who have been encouraged to turn away from the practice of prayer. Staunch in his stance, the kind-hearted artist strongly believes that this country now needs God more than ever, and he is more than excited to use his captivating album to inspire people into believing that there is absolutely nothing wrong with honoring their faith.
And considering the swiftly rising star seems to be such an honorable guy so filled with character and integrity, it’s hard to believe that he needs much more to be considered a hero worthy of admiration- and then, there’s his music, making the incredible talent immediately supersede all expectations of what is respectable to revere.
With a gravelly and powerful voice capable of hitting the perfect notes, and impeccable guitar playing skills, Jones isn’t simply a benevolent figure that can carry a tune. Instead, he is a legend in the making, offering profound lyrics to the world that ring like poetry, and spectacular harmonies to accompany them. And if these unstoppable talents remind anyone of a certain kingpin of Country Music, then it should come as no surprise that the exciting new artist was in fact mentored by the incomparable Billy Ray Cyrus.
Also a major hero not just for his musical abilities, but also his incredible devotion to our country and his fans, the iconic singer/songwriter has built an empire within the genre- and it makes total sense that Jones with his good heart and strong pipes would be a part of it. In fact, the “Pray” writer is even joined by Cyrus on a few new songs, easily adding to the greatness of the album, and the excitement of the idea of these two hitting the road to tour together with Jones as Cyrus’ opening act! The two recently performed the masterful established musician’s hit “Some Gave All” on the fan-favorite talk show “Pickler & Ben,” (hosted by the incredible duo consisting of renowned journalist Ben Aaron and magnificent songstress Kellie Pickler) and dazzled the audience with their performance.
With “Pray” climbing the charts, a highly anticipated tour on the horizon, and a brand spanking new video for his titular hit shot and directed by Eugene and Heather Brown, Country’s new golden boy is quickly becoming the musician worth listening to- and Wingman knew we had to take an interview with the skyrocketing star to find out more! Read on to see what Jones had to say!
WINGMAN: So, tell us how you first got into music? What inspired you to play?
DEREK JONES: I always had a love and passion for music growing up. My grandma played the piano and organ for our church, and my dad was a drummer. Growing up as a kid I would always see and hear my dad play the drums, and I also called him “my dashboard drummer” because whenever we were in the car, he would bash the heck out of the dashboard. As a kid, I always thought him doing that was the coolest thing in the world, so, I wanted to learn how to do it. In high school they bought me a drum set, and I learned how to play the drums a little bit. I never really took to the guitar until after my military career when I was around 24 or 25. I had a couple of buddies in college after the military, and just watching them play guitar was so inspiring to me. I didn’t want to, I needed to learn how to do that. So, I just went out, bought a guitar, and they taught me the ropes, basic chords, and they stuck with me along the way as I taught myself how to sing at the same time. I picked up my first bar gig not long after I picked up the guitar, and since I made a little money at it, I thought; “Man this would be great- to be able to make a living out of this.” I started writing songs and completely fell in love with music and then just decided to go for it. So, here I am now, living in Nashville, TN, and living the dream.
WINGMAN: Speaking of your time in the military, thank you for your service, and thank you for giving so much attention to our Veterans. That is an important cause for us here at Wingman, as well.
JONES: Yeah, absolutely! My whole family, we are very deep in the military. I have two older brothers who served in the military, I had two grandparents, both my grandpa on my mom’s side and my grandpa on my dad’s side served in the military, and I had an uncle who was killed in action. I have nieces and nephews in the military as well, so, supporting the military is absolutely huge for me; active, inactive, reserve- any branch in the military. For me, it’s huge to support our military. We don’t have to support what they are doing, but we do have to support our men and women in uniform. That’s super important to me. I don’t know what else to say about it other than it’s very important to me that we support our troops.
WINGMAN: Your new album “Pray” definitely has a Christian side to it, and that audience is very dedicated and at this time, feeling very much shunned by mainstream media. Is your faith important to you?
JONES: I wrote the song “Pray” with my buddy Mick [Adkins,] and I do think it is important that we pray. I know a couple of kids are getting into trouble for praying in school, and some schools are saying that praying isn’t allowed anymore- the same with saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Right now, I think this country needs God more than ever, and I believe he is being pushed out of our country. He is definitely being pushed out of our school systems. God is important in my life. He may not be important in everybody’s life, but he is important in my life, and I’ll be damned if someone is going to tell me where and when I can’t pray.
WINGMAN: You also tour with one of our favorite musical legends; Billy Ray Cyrus- who we’ve been lucky enough to have featured in our icon section. Can you tell us about getting to work with such a genius?
JONES: He’s amazing! It’s great to just sit back and just watch him. The man’s been through everything. He’s been around the block a time or two, so, I get to learn a lot of what to do and what not to do. He’s a great leader. It’s important to me to just sit back, watch and learn everything I can from how he interacts with fans, how he interacts with management, and every aspect of the music business that I get to learn from someone who is so prolific in this industry. It’s such an honor to be able to do that- and not a lot of people get to do that. I am one of the lucky ones and I will never take it for granted. I can’t thank him enough for what he has done for my music, that’s for sure. And all around, he is just a great guy.
WINGMAN: Who were some of your other influences growing up?
JONES: Growing up, my dad had this huge stereo system with the eight foot tall speakers that they had back then, and on the bottom was the tape deck and the record player. If my dad had control of the record player, we listened to a lot of Marshall Tucker, Grand Funk Railroad, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Van Halen, and bands like that. If mom had control, we listened to Lionel Ritchie, The Jackson 5, Elton John, and Billy Joel. Growing up, I had a lot of musical influences. As far as my writing goes, I love Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Jason Isbell, and Tyler Childers. Some of these guys are some of the most brilliant writers, so a lot of my music tends to lean towards the outlaw country, Americana, storytelling kind of songs and I am thankful that I can let that bleed through from some of my influences.
WINGMAN: It’s amazing that you’re such a strong supporter and our heartland. Again, they have been feeling very much ignored by mainstream media, so, it’s important that artists show them some love.
JONES: That is huge! In my opinion, Truck drivers and farmers are the backbone of this country. What more could you want than a truck driver to listen to your music while he is driving for twelve hours every day? That’s why I love Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash. They told stories, and wrote about their life- and that’s how I am. I don’t lie in my songs. I don’t write songs that I haven’t been through. Every song you listen to of mine, if I wrote it, then I lived it. There’s a couple of songs that Billy Ray cut, but, the reason I cut them is because I connected to them- big time. My goal is not to sing a song, my goal is to tell a story, and I want the audience to believe that. To me, it is very important to write songs that people believe. I don’t want people saying, “Whatever, that guy is full of it.”
WINGMAN: What are you looking to take on next?
JONES: For me, I always feel like I can always do better in the craft that I love, and don’t ever want to put too much on my plate. Next up for me, I would like to focus on songwriting and develop that skill a little more. I think the next thing I’d like to do is to come up with an album that 100% tells a story. I just want to hone my craft and be the best at it that I can possibly be.
WINGMAN: Derek, where can people find your music, and how can they check you out?
JONES: They can find me by checking out my website, http://www.DerekJonesLive.com , and I am also on Spotify, all of the other music platforms, and you can hit me up on Twitter. All of my social media names are @DerekJonesLive – so, look for me there! And, of course, folks can find me on the road with Billy as well.
Billy Ray Cyrus and Derek Jones in one show? Sounds like a concert not to be missed! In the meantime, check out the inspiring songster’s new album; “Pray.”