MSMP 337: Kevin Atwater (Part 1)

·24 min·2 clips

Kevin Atwater's father died in a backdraft house fire on July 21st, 1998.

The episode begins with host Mark Stary introducing Kevin Atwater at the B-Dale Club in Roseville, Minnesota. Kevin explains he recently fractured two ribs from a log accident. Mark shares how they met when Kevin answered his call at a Jeep dealership. Kevin recounts his early life, born in Oklahoma but raised in California, where he played in a classic rock band called Express that opened for acts like Nazareth and Loverboy. He served in the Army until 1985. Kevin reveals his father died in a house fire backdraft in 1998. A year later, a man named Roger Moore offered to financially back his music career on the anniversary of his father's death. Kevin recorded a demo and later a professional Nashville album with musicians like Dave Pomeroy and Vince Gill's keyboard player. He discusses his hit song 'Kissin' This Ring', which had a music video shot in California featuring a motorcycle built by Robbie Knievel. Kevin talks about his songwriting influences, including Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash. He shares a story about being mistaken for Alan Jackson and signing an autograph. The conversation touches on his experiences at CMA Music Fest and touring the country in Roy Clark's old tour bus. Kevin describes the challenges of life on the road, managing sound himself, and avoiding the party scene. The episode includes ads for local sponsors like ID Chrysler and promotions for the B-Dale Club.

As heard by us

A country career opens up through Nashville numbers, a Roy Clark tour bus, and the work behind the road.

Kevin Atwater's country career lands here through the working details that usually get smoothed out of road stories: Nashville players charting parts by number, a Comstock release he says reached radio stations around the world, and a Roy Clark tour bus put back to work.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want a warm country-road story with Nashville session craft and Roy Clark's old tour bus parked in the middle.

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Play clips from this episode More from Music Trivia with Mark Stary & Ali Gray