Singer-songwriter Jimmy Yeary chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about his new single “Angeline” and being an artist in the digital age.
On his new single “Angeline,” he said, “That was an interesting ride. I wrote that with Billy Droze, who is an artist in his own right. I did this album on his label. I was over his house one night and we were talking about an ex-girlfriend of mine, where it was hot and cold. Then, we got to talking about Sonya. When Sonya gets upset, she is still so nice that sometimes, it makes me laugh. She’s not good at being mad. That’s how the song came about.”
He opened up about being an artist in the digital age. “I’m an old-school kind of guy but I’ve seen the transition,” he said. “I don’t get very caught up in it. I am still very much a songwriter and I am active in the bluegrass, gospel, and country music world. I’ve been with Sony now for 25 years, and I just love making music. I enjoy making music and any way that people can hear the music. I enjoy going out and playing too.”
Ohio native Jimmy Yeary began playing bluegrass music as a young boy, honing a skill that would be the soundtrack to his life’s journey. As fate would have it, Yeary says one show, in particular, stands out in his mind.
While playing a concert in Beattyville, Kentucky in 1985, as a wild-eyed, 15- year-old kid, he was introduced to a budding star, Sonya Isaacs–both were playing in family bands at the time. He fell in love on the spot, though he lost touch with her afterward.
He moved to Nashville in October of 1994 to start his professional music career. His authentic, acoustic-driven sound landed him two major record deals, with Dreamworks and Atlantic records, but they never materialized into their full potential due to regime changes. Disheartened, maybe a little. But you cannot change the course of fate.
Yeary put pen to paper and went on to cultivate an illustrious songwriting career that has so far resulted in 7 No. 1 Country singles and countless Top 40 songs, with cuts that include songs that have been recorded by George Strait, Randy Travis, Tim McGraw, Joe Diffie, Balsam Range, Kenny Chesney, Dan Tyminski, Rascal Flatts, Martina McBride, Blake Shelton, Jake Owen, and Lee Brice, among others.
In addition, he has had over 20 songs that were recorded by The Isaacs, who were recently inducted into the coveted Grand Ole Opry family. “That was amazing and a total surprise for them,” he said. “They got invited by Ricky Skaggs and they got inducted by him. It was tears all the way around.”
For young and aspiring artists, he said, “Being authentic is a very important thing. Be true to yourself. Also, let’s hope they have the talent necessary and work hard. There are a lot of people that can out-write me and out-perform me, but they can’t out-work me.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Doing what I want to do.” “It’s family and kids and it’s doing what I want to do,” he explained. “It ain’t about the money these days,” he said with a sweet laugh.
Speaking of The Isaacs, in 2009 he was reacquainted with, you guessed it, that beautiful girl he’d met so many years ago in Beattyville. They quickly fell in love and now live in Nashville, where they’re living the dream and raising three beautiful children.
Though finding success in mainstream country music, Yeary’s bluegrass roots run deep. Along with staying relevant in the industry as a triple threat singing, playing, and writing, he spent a short stint with the Lonesome River Band in the ’90s under the direction of Dan Tyminski. And went on to take over bluegrass and country star Marty Raybon’s position as lead singer for the supergroup Shenandoah for over five years.
That’s where he met rising star Billy Droze and passed the lead singing torch to him. Little did he know that years later in 2021 he would sign his first bluegrass recording deal with Billy and his newly founded label RBR Entertainment, finally getting to fulfill a lifelong passion and dream.
He has just finished recording his first three singles for RBR, with the first release, Bone Dry, available now, and says he is beyond excited to be back home in bluegrass music. With an all-star band and productions he believes fit like a glove, he looks forward to the opportunity to let the bluegrass community hear all he has to offer.
Yeary defined the word success as “security for my family and getting to do what I love, and not having the lights turned off.”
For his fans and supporters, he concluded about “Angeline,” “It’s a fun song. Life is imperfect but it doesn’t have to make everything around it imperfect. I like to write and perform songs that may not always have a positive message to them but you can have fun with them musically and don’t take everything so seriously.”
To learn more about Jimmy Yeary, check out his official website.
