Max McNown sits down with Ben to talk about his extraordinary story, and just how much life has changed for him in the last three years; from singing publicly for the first time on a pier in South California, to headlining his own tours, having a viral hit, and notching up over 10 million monthly listens on Spotify!

As ever, we get to know Max through the places that have made him who he is, including the wilds of Bend, Oregon, Southern California where the whole trajectory of his life was changed, and Nashville, the place he now calls home.

This conversation covers everything from the role models that have shaped him into the old soul he is today, to the challenges of growing up and feeling lost as a teenager; finding confidence through singing and healing through songwriting, to the real life experience that inspired his break out hit A Lot More Free and why it changed his life in more ways than one.

Check out the tracks discussed in Max’s episode on our specially curated playlist, the Country Roads Podcast Playlist on Spotify.

Follow us on Instagram for exclusive giveaways and to be the first to hear when Country Roads is back for Series Two!

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Singer songwriter Eric Paslay holds the unique honour of being the first guest on the podcast to get Ben on a horse! They chat about this story and so much more, including Eric’s family-filled upbringing in Texas, the amazing story of how one of his songs brought him and his wife together, and his considered take on where Country music is at right now.

We also hear about how the memory of his Grandad’s band fed his musical dreams, and the very special moment he got to have singing with his Grandad from beyond the grave on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. Eric shares his journey to Nashville and how he first began learning how to write songs, songs which earned him three Country number ones in one year! He talks about his faith, his family, and his farm, and how one producer told him that his song would kill Country music - and it went on to be ranked the most played song of the decade! This episode has it all.

Be sure to check out our Country Roads Podcast Playlist on Spotify, so you can listen to all the tracks discussed in this episode.

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This week, Caylee Hammack dials in from Nashville to chat to Ben about the places that have had the biggest impact on her and on her music. She talks about everything from the quiet stability that family life in Ellaville gave her, to the heartbreak that pushed her to leave town and pursue her dreams in Nashville.

Caylee speaks about a devastating diagnosis at the age of sixteen which turned her world upside down, and set her on the path to becoming a songwriter. She also shares what she learned from losing all her worldly possessions in a housefire; how the beginning of her honky tonk education at Tootsie’s on Broadway came about; and her love of solitude and nature and how it brought her to Scotland.

Be sure to check out our Country Roads Podcast Playlist on Spotify, where you can hear all the songs discussed with Caylee in this episode, and many more besides! Follow us on Instagram @countryroadspod to connect with fellow Country fans, to hear exclusive content with our guests, and be the first to know about the giveaways and competitions we have coming up.

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