Circling The Drain

Award-winning artist and multi-instrumentalist Chris Golden joins Johnny B and Jay Harper to swap stories from a lifetime in music. From growing up in the Golden family dynasty (son of Oak Ridge Boys’ William Lee Golden), to playing for every living U.S. president, to singing with his kids and racking up 478,000 miles on the road, this episode is loaded with behind-the-scenes tales, faith, family, and a lot of laughs.  

Chris talks about:  

– Growing up on the Alabama–Florida line in a deep musical family  

– The Oaks’ gospel-to-country transition and backlash from the “church crowd”  

– Forming The Goldens and Golden Spear, Muscle Shoals sessions, and label drama  

– Playing the White House, One America Appeal, and hanging with multiple presidents  

– Touring life, that red sparkle Ludwig snare, and his monster hybrid drum kit  

– Voiceover work (Heinz 57, ad auditions, and chasing the “Sam Elliott” spec)  

– Recording 34 songs with his dad and brother, and now sharing the stage with his kids  

– His upcoming album “A Better Man” and the song “Where My People Are”  

03:18 Growing up on the Alabama–Florida state line  

07:58 Golden family music roots and Inspirational Country Music Awards  

09:56 Rusty Golden, Beatles, Elton John, and brotherly rivalry  

10:47 Dad hands Chris a guitar: three chords and “Home on the Range”  

13:42 Early bands: Boys Band, Cedar Creek, and Golden Spear  

17:19 Muscle Shoals sessions and CBS developmental deal  

22:14 The Goldens, label cuts, and touring with William Lee Golden  

27:49 Pandemic records: 34 songs with Dad and Rusty, three albums of covers  

29:29 Chris’s kids join the show: the next Golden generation  

30:48 Opening for Ricky Skaggs with daughter Elizabeth on fiddle  

37:14 Glen Campbell, hairspray, and backstage heroes  

38:50 Roy Clark, Jim Halsey, and the Oaks’ trip to Russia  

41:59 Realizing the family was “extraordinary” and the grind of early Oaks days  

47:17 All-night gospel sings: sundown to sunup  

53:39 Playing for every living U.S. president at One America Appeal  

56:36 The first red sparkle Ludwig snare and why it still matters  

1:02:00 Shaking hands with the President at the White House  

1:02:38 Drum nerd talk: Chris’s hybrid Pearl/DW/Ludwig/Meinl/Zildjian/Sabian kit  

1:06:04 Palace Theatre “family and friends” shows in Gallatin  

1:08:21 478,000 miles on the van and the song “Grateful”  

1:10:11 Voiceover stories: Heinz 57 campaign and hillbilly reads  

1:16:31 New album “A Better Man” and “Where My People Are”  

1:17:27 How Chris’s song “Home” helped Johnny B through a rough patch  

1:18:26 Where to find Chris Golden and Circling the Drain online  

Follow Chris: 
https://chrisgolden.net/

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www.circlingthedrain.net