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The Marty Smith Podcast: Randy Rogers Talks New Album, Performing with Country Icons George Strait and Willie Nelson

This week, the guys have another special guest on the show as country music star Randy Rogers joins The Marty Smith Podcast. Host Marty Smith recently traveled down to Austin, Texas to attend an event created by one of the podcast’s sponsors and the Randy Rogers Band was performing. Smith got to sit down with the Texas-based country musician at the event and chat about Rogers’ career and life in music, which listeners will be treated to in this week’s new episode.

Before the interview airs though, the guys also recall their good times in Austin and more over the last week. Smith and producer Travis Rockhold had a blast in Austin. They might have had too good of a time as they contributed heavily to the event running out of Shiner Bock beer. However, that event wasn’t their only stop last week.

As part of another edition of ESPN’s “The Ocho,” Marty traveled to Rock Hill, South Carolina to participate in a televised cornhole tournament at the American Cornhole League Celebrity Throwdown championship. He paired up with ACL pro Ryan Smith, and the duo took first place in the competition. You can check out the two Smiths celebrating their victory as Marty chugs the rest of his beer HERE.

Then, the guys welcome in Randy Rogers to the show. As Smith sits down with Rogers, he informs him that when he thinks of Texas country music, the musician is one of the first artists that comes to mind. Rogers opens up about his band’s new album Homecoming releasing in October. The guitarist and lead singer also shares what it was like to perform with country legends Willie Nelson and George Strait earlier this year. Plus, Rogers gets candid when speaking about his father and the impact he had on his life. We’ve got that and much more with Randy Rogers this week on the new episode of The Marty Smith Podcast.

Randy Rogers Talks About His Band’s New Album ‘Homecoming’

Host Marty Smith has been a fan of the Randy Rogers Band for two decades. He’s followed Rogers’ career and listened to his music from the start. So it’s no surprise he’s heard the two singles from the band’s upcoming album, which he called “brilliant.” Smith asked Rogers about Homecoming and his band getting back to their roots with their original sound on this album.

“I read that you really wanted this to be, we really want to get back to our roots. We want to get back to a more Randy Rogers Band kind of OG sound. Why was that important to you now?” Smith asked Rogers on the podcast.

Rogers teamed up with producer Radney Foster once again, who produced his band’s second album Rollercoaster among others. Most fans of the Randy Rogers Band will point to the 2004 album as the quintessential record from the group. It put his band on the map and changed he and his bandmate lives. As Rogers and Foster began writing songs together again, they knew they were capturing something special.

“Things really moved with Radney,” Rogers shared on The Marty Smith Podcast. “I mean, how many times in life – not just in the music industry, but any industry – do you get to go back 20 years later (and work with the same five guys), including Radney? And in the same studio that’s still standing there, still usable and workable, and try to recreate magic. That’s a 20-year difference in that opportunity. So I wanted to capture that. And we did.”

“The songs are better, the production’s better, musicianship’s better,” Rogers added. “People will say, ‘Well, why didn’t you do that on the last three records?’ I don’t know. It’s something between Radney and the Randy Rogers Band. When we get together and we write these songs and put our minds to it. When we cry and sweat and drink over it, it just becomes this magic. And that was the magic that put us on the scene.”

Randy Rogers Recalls Performing with Country Legends Willie Nelson and George Strait

When Randy Rogers was growing up in Texas, he began his path in music while in church. As the son of a minister, Rogers learned how to play multiple instruments as a kid. By the time he was in middle school, Randy knew what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of two other Texas-based country icons – Willie Nelson and George Strait.

While talking on The Marty Smith Podcast, Rogers admitted he never could’ve imagined he’d have a career in music where he’d get to share the stage with his two idols. That almost seemed like an impossible goal to achieve, but Rogers has achieved great success over his 20-year career in the country music business.

In fact, Randy Rogers had his dream come true when his band got to perform alongside the two country icons earlier this year in April. Strait and Nelson personally chose Rogers to open up for them during two shows that christened the grand opening of Austin’s newest arena, the Moody Center. If you can’t be George or Willie, talk about the next best thing.

“I woke up Sunday, and I crashed because of the high that I’d been on for the whole weekend. I don’t think I stopped smiling,” Rogers said. “Got some time with George and I got some time with Willie independently. A dream come true. I’d played shows with George before, I played shows with Willie before. But the fact that all three of us and only three of us were playing at the new Moody Arena in Austin – the grand opening weekend of the Moody Arena – I just don’t think you could’ve written that story.”

Randy Rogers talks about that and much more on the new episode of The Marty Smith Podcast. Make sure to check out his entire interview in the link below, or listen to his full conversation on Spotify, Apple, or wherever else you listen to your favorite podcasts.