NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Don’t let his Hollywood good looks fool you. When it comes to being a genuine country boy, Austin Moody is the real deal. Born several miles south of the birthplace of country music (Bristol, Tennessee) in Kingsport, Moody was raised on a farm and surrounded by music. They raised cattle and sheep, and he was a proud member of the 4H Club.
He recalled, “My dad was big into bluegrass and whatever was on the radio, that’s what we listened to. It was normally country music.”
They also listened to the classic rock and bluegrass channels on the AM radio and Moody’s first instrument was a banjo. Once he learned to play, he became part of the popular gospel scene in the area, and around age 15, he began writing country music.
The ROTC was also a big part of Moody’s life, and he got his pilot’s license and was set to join the Air Force to become a fighter pilot. But the first semester of his senior year in high school, a guy he played with in a local band got him tickets to see Marty Stuart at the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia. Austin had recently recorded a demo CD, and his pal said he would give it to Stuart.
Moody said, “We waited in line and were the last ones to see him. I went up to Marty and I gave him my CD with my songs and information written on it with a sharpie. And I said, ‘You know, I appreciate it if you would give it a listen.’ And he said, ‘Well, you know this is the guy you need to talk to.’ He just kind of shooed me away to his bass player, Paul Martin.”
The CD player on the bus was broken, so Martin had him come back and play a few tunes for him, Harry Stinson, and Kenny Vaughan. Two weeks later, Moody began writing songs with Martin. He made regular trips to Nashville during his senior year.
“That’s when I started to think about my future. Until that moment I never thought about pursuing music as a career. It just wasn’t something I even thought was in the realm of possibilities,” Moody said. “That’s when I wondered, ‘What am I going to regret more? You know, I could go ahead and join the Air Force and then I would never see where this goes. If it doesn’t work out in a couple of years, the Air Force will always be there.’”
In 2010, two weeks after graduation from high school, Moody moved to Nashville.
“The only thing I knew how to do was play the banjo,” he explained.
At the time, his neighbor was singer/songwriter and publisher Vincent Williams. On his advice, Moody played clubs, but mostly in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area, because he didn’t want to be “too seen.”
Moody’s parents wanted him to go to college so went and got a degree in audio engineering as well.
Before the pandemic, Moody had several publishing deals and even had a record label for a few years, but it was all a part of getting his feet wet and figuring out who he was musically and what he wanted to say.
In 2016, Austin left his record label for a month and took his old 1990 F250 down to Big Bend, Texas, to write songs and contemplate life. A month later, when he returned to Nashville, he no longer needed the music business to fulfill his happiness. He knew he would have to forge his own way.
Fortunately, legendary producer Keith Stegall was impressed by the authenticity of Moody’s songwriting. Iconic songwriter Mac McAnally was drawn to Moody’s honesty and for a while, Austin stayed in a room at his house. Together the pair agreed to go to Muscle Shoals to record with the core of Moody’s Road band, plus Wynonna Judd’s husband, Cactus Moser on drums and session regular Jeff King. One song they recorded was “Ride Like Hank,” a song that is fun to listen to and sing but also embraces Moody’s country roots.
They started pitching Moody’s new music the 2nd week of February 2020, which was also when the world shut down for an extended period. But the Tennessee native saw the bright side of things.
“As good as the music was, it wasn’t quite there yet,” he said.
It was during this time Moody dated and married his lovely and talented wife, Jennifer Wayne, from Runaway June, and six months later, they were pregnant and then had their beautiful baby girl, Lily, who recently turned one year old.
At about this same time, Moody started producing music and teamed up with Duke Spirits to bring us the Masters Music Series on their Youtube channel. Duke Spirits Founder Chris Radomski, alongside Moody, envisioned a sound that embodies the soul and pride of America, the same spirit personified by the legendary Duke, John Wayne (who just happens to be Jennifer Wayne’s grandfather).
Artists featured include Judd, Paul McDonald, Craig Campbell, The Dryes, Runaway June, Marcus Hummon, Jake Rose, Josh Shilling, Jennifer Wayne, Moody, and more.
Between the pandemic, producing, getting married, and having a baby, this music veteran has put being an actual artist on the back burner. But now he has decided it is time to get back into it.
The first song he released was a pro-America song called “I’m Just Sayin” which might offend the “woke” crowd, but Moody doesn’t care. The lyrics state I believe in live and let live/ We’re all free to each their own/ If you were born a he/ But wanna be a she/ Do your thing but leave my kids alone. He shows that he is unafraid to go against the status quo.
He admitted that having a baby changes how you think about things. “When she grows up and looks back on what her dear old dad did or didn’t do, I want her to be proud of what I’m saying here.”
Moody plans to release about one new song a month. His latest single, “Grandpa’s Shed,” is my favorite song to date. His rich baritone resonates as he tells the true story about his own grandfather. The songwriting is exquisite, and I was nearly brought to tears when I recalled being in the garage with my grandfather who could fix anything.
With words like A monument to a small-town kid, the sweet old men, and the things they did, Grandpa’s Shed. Back when life was good as it can get…you will be reaching for the box of tissues if you no longer have your grandfather with you.
Moody has been through the school of hard knocks in the music business. But thankfully, he has not surrendered nor thrown in the towel. Now that he is sure of himself, his family, and his values, he can bring us the best music of his career.
He stated, “I will never forget my roots or the music I was raised on. I’m a country artist. It’s who I am, and how I was raised. But it’s so much more than that: it’s what I do, and now it comes through in everything I sing.”
You can follow Moody on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and all streaming platforms.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Instagram, and Twitter.
