We recently connected with Chas Evans and have shared our conversation below.

Chas, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

One thing I can say my Mom in particular did right was instill a love of all music in me from a very young age. I’ll date myself here, but she would put on an Elton John record and let me listen to “Crocodile Rock” and “Yellow Brick Road”, then she would put on some Michael Jackson and we would listen to “Beat It” or “Thriller, after that we would move on to some Police where I would hear “Message In A Bottle” or “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”. We would cover a wide range of music and that really influenced not only my playing style, but how I perceived music. How the different styles mingled together, the same but different.

She also made me feel special about being a musician. We had a very musical family and she was always proud to let me know about my musical lineage. Drove me to be a better musician every day. I try to do the same for my kids. Saying they just have music in their blood…kind of like having the “force”. It drives them too.

Chas, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

So I stared playing guitar around the age of 12, and as I stated earlier, I was born into a very musical family. As soon as I told my mother I wanted to play the guitar, she promptly took me to see my grandfather, who showed me my first chords. Then on day two I was in the family bluegrass band and touring churches in rural Mississippi with “The Melody Messengers”.

After high school, I attended the University of Southern Mississippi, where I studied with guitarist, Giovanni De Chiaro. I completed my bachelor and master degrees in guitar performance in 2003. In 2005, I recorded the album “Soundscapes” with the Mississippi guitar quartet and debuted it at Carnegie Hall that October. In 2007, I decided to lose about 180 lbs and join the army to serve my country. I joined the Mississippi Army National Guard and deployed on two missions including Operation Noble Eagle in Washington, DC, and Operation New Dawn in Baghdad, Iraq.

After coming home, I took a job as the Guitar Instructor for East Central Community College in Decatur MS, where I direct a rock band called the Collegians. I started teaching guitar through social media about a year ago and have received a tremendous response from Chevans Music on YouTube, Instagram Tiktok, and Facebook where I enjoy a fan base of around 1 million followers.

I’m actually working on some really big things to introduce the guitar community. My motto is “Let’s teach the world to play guitar”. I really want to bring the love of the instrument to everyone. That’s my mission in life, why I was put here.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, was lose 180lbs to go and join the army. I really really wanted to serve my country and the only way to do that was to meet the weight requirement. Of course, after that I had to go through basic training, which was a journey in itself. I made a lot of friends and learned to be a leader and a follower. I’m proud to have served, and I encourage others to do so. There is no more noble a cause than to put the needs of your fellow man above the needs of yourself. Thats what it’s about, sacrifice for the greater good.

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

The fans! I really enjoy interacting with my fans and hearing that the videos and instruction helps them. Gets me every time. The thing inside me that drove me to serve is the same thing that drives me to want to help others in their musical journey. Anytime that “light bulb” moment happens for a student, online or in person, that’s the greatest feeling for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chasevansguitar.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chevansmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chevansmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv1kLsuAnVzrgNsoUzQLOaA
• Other: THE BIG ONE – My Guitar Game Changer Newsletter: https://www.chasevansguitar.com/email-list Free Guitar Class: https://til.co/v/w81rb8vpylbdbh