We recently connected with James Carothers and have shared our conversation below.

James, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I am happy being a country singer, although I did have a regular job for 15 years. Sometimes I think that it would be better to have a regular job again because there are so many ups and downs. I will make a good song and have a good gig that pays well and I’m completely content- also the exact opposite of that happens and it’s no longer fun and it makes you question yourself, your motives, the sustainability, and how it is effecting the people around you.

James, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I entered the country music world when I was 33 years old. Before this was all I did, my career was as a mechanical technician at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico- which was a fine job! However, as it is with many other folks, I was always looking for something else to do or longing for different ways to spend my days that would result in some “greatness” that I did not think the ole “nine to five” would offer. I applied for the US Air Force OTS at age 26 (I passed the tests, but they never called back), and was always daydreaming about how I could leave my mark. My main interest, or at least the one I was decent at, was singing and playing guitar. I had played guitar and sang most of my life, and it was part of my routine to; go to work, go home, go to band practice, talk a lot about gigs we’d never have, and go home and tell my dreams to my wife. After years of seeing me do this, my wife finally had enough and started managing what I was doing so that there could be a possible benefit from it that exceeded the hobby level of play I was in. One thing led to another, and with her intensity and leadership, I started getting more gigs and recording better music, eventually quitting my job and moving to Nashville. I’m still trying to figure out if I was following my destiny or acting on a midlife crisis! Once in Nashville, I started playing the bars within a few months, and within a year, I had improved drastically because of the high volume of performance. It was at all of these “low-level” bar gigs (which I still do) that I met more musicians and networked with people who were in the “biz.” Fast forward nine years later, and I’ve recorded six albums and been around the world.
A couple of things set me apart and have given me an advantage in the entertainment business over the years. The first, and probably the greatest, is my wife; she is really good at marketing, social media, design layout, and organization. My wife has worked tirelessly for me, whereas most other artists have to do it all themselves or pay someone to do it. Secondly, when I went all in, I had 15 years of working another job under my belt, a family with kids, and I had mostly gotten past all the “rockstar” living that a lot of young people fall into when they are green and on their own for the first time. Arguably, I had at least a semblance of maturity, and that turns out to be extremely important to the people you are working for. Nobody likes a diva, but everybody likes a good ole boy that’s easy to work with.
The career milestones that I am most proud of are; playing the Grand Ole Opry at the Rymann in January 2020, being on the Alan Jackson tour 2019-2022, and having the honor of playing in Japan, Mexico, Canada, Scotland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Brazil.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is, obviously, key. I had a few thousand followers going into 2017 and my wife knew that I needed to get something to go viral in order for our business to keep going. So, she (my wife, Jill), pressed and pressed for me to get a good music video. Honestly I thought the whole thing was silly and that I would just look stupid lip syncing and that it would be a waste of money to make a video. She proved me wrong when we did the video for “Back to Hank” on my second album. The song had been out for months with no traction but when the video came out it got shared by a facebook page called “We Hate Pop-Country,” we got millions of views immediately. Suddenly we had an audience and more people wanted to book me. It was a good video and timely song that I would have never done either of over fear of looking stupid. My advice on building your social media following is to get married to someone smarter than you.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There are a lot of rewarding aspects of being an artist. It gives you a good feeling when people pat you on the back for just doing what you like. Also, the food is usually top-shelf at all these gigs! But, for me, honestly, the greatest reward is that my work schedule allows me time with my family at home. I miss a lot of things on nights and weekends, but for the most part, I can take the kids to school and pick them up.

Contact Info:

• Website: jamescarothers.com
• Instagram: jamescarothersmusic
• Facebook: james carothers
• Youtube: james carothers