We were lucky to catch up with Ryan Price recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I’ve been singing and writing since I was 3. Like seriously, my mom has a poem I wrote about a leaf I found at my grandparents house when I was 3 years old. When I was 13, I picked up my Dad’s guitar and caught the music bug. I played every day and told my parents I wanted to perform when I grew up. It was also around that time that I told my Mom I wanted to own a recording studio one day. Both of those dreams seemed kind of crazy to my parents, but they still supported it.

When I was 16, I played my first show at a bar down the road from my house. After that show, I knew without a doubt I had to be a musician. There was no turning away from it at that point.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

After I played my first show at 16, I started to play at Opry houses around Texas. It’s mostly older people that attend those shows, so I played a lot of George Jones, Conway Twitty, Willie and Waylon, and of course, George Strait. I also became the rhythm guitar player in a band called Chase’N’Gauge. It was a short lived venture because I moved off to college in 2012.

It wasn’t long before I started my own band called the Ryan Bennett Band. We played together from 2012-2015 when we decided to part ways. My lead guitar player, Payce Goldsmith, stuck with me though, and we continue to collaborate to this day. We actually live together in Nashville!

In 2017, I started to buy recording equipment. I had no idea what I was doing, but that was part of my dream and I had to try it. I soon started a record label called Six Gun Records, named after a song I had written with my band in college. My first project was for a buddy of mine named Cooper James. He cut a 6 song EP in my studio. After recording some other artists for a few years, I decided it was time to record myself. I started recording songs I had written, and after penning a breakup fueled heartbreak song, I decided to release what I had recorded. Now, not only was I able to write and sing the music, but I could record it to release as well! I also worked with several artists and bands in the Texas music scene during this time including Ron Barber & the Creekside Republic, Trent Walker, and Payton Boyd to name a few.

After recording and releasing a few songs myself, I decided to do some recording in Nashville in 2020. After a few opportunities presented themselves while recording, I decided to move here with my guitar player, Payce, in 2021. Since living here, I’ve been doing a lot writing and recording demos. I’ve gotten the chance to write with some awesome writers and artists including Brooks Huntley, Jon Decious, Brady Riley, Sandy Ramos, and Wyatt Flores.

I found a new love for writing once I moved, and really put that at the forefront of my focus. I have not been playing much since I’ve been here, but am currently writing and recording for my new album. I’m super excited to showcase a new and more real side of life in my new music.

The biggest thing I want to accomplish with my music these days is to instill deep emotion in people: joy, sadness, grief, excitement, hope. I want people to feel what I feel writing these songs. There is a lot of emotion going into what I’m doing these days, and I want to share that with everyone I can!

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a musician is the ability to express myself in ways I can’t normally. If I’m feeling sad, I can write a song about it. If I’m feeling happy, I can write a song about it. If I’m on stage and feel the urge to talk about my faith in God or something I’m struggling with or something I’m excited about, I can do that! And generally people are super receptive. They share in that emotion, and that makes the experience way more meaningful.

It’s also super rewarding for me to help develop young artists. I’ve brought quite a few young artists into my studio and recorded for free or very cheap to help get them started. If I believe in somebody, I want to invest in them like people have invested in me. If I can help be a positive chapter in a young artists life, that brings me so much joy. You never know, one day they can be accepting a CMA award and mention me in their acceptance speech! Haha kidding…….. kind of.

What are some resources that have helped you along the way?

Absolutely! One of the best books I’ve read is “All You Need to Know About the Music Business” by Donald Passman. There is SO much info in there about every aspect of the music business. It has kind of become a textbook I go back to over and over again when I have questions about anything music related.

Another resource that has helped me tremendously are my mentors Forest Whitehead (Music City Playbook) and LeAnn Phelan (LP Creative Therapy. I have have taken numerous courses they offer and have learned so much from them about the business side of music. They truly care about helping artists, songwriters, and producers, and you can tell by the way they treat everyone. If either of y’all are reading this, I’m sorry for sending you 1,000 emails with questions!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/officialryanprice
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialryanprice
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/JUFoGbacZ-Q
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialryanprice

Image Credits
Dave Moore Director Parada Cinematic KP Blooming Seed Media