A country classic, Dusty Drake has been on the scene for a long time. Drake has had five singles reach the Top 100 on the U.S. Country charts. Those include “And Then,” “One Last Time,” “Smaller Pieces,” “I Am A Working Man,” and his 2007 hit, “Say Yes.”
Drake has opened for such acts as Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks and Brooks & Dunn. He’s also written several songs for other country artists, including the 1996 Joe Diffie hit “C-O-U-N-T-R-Y,” which went to number 23 on the charts.
Dusty took some time to chat with ”The Cheap Seats” about his career.
Scott: Growing up in Pennsylvania, how did country music play apart in your life to make you want to grow up writing and signing it?
Dusty: I grew up north of Pittsburgh. My dad was a steelworker, and the whole area there was blue collar. People didn’t just listen to country music….they lived it.
Scott: Many people usually have odd jobs before becoming what they are today and yours was as an air traffic controller. When you look back at that experience and what you’ve done since, what comes to mind?
Dusty: Sometimes I wonder what it would’ve been like to have a regular start and finish time. It seems like in this business, there’s no time reference. We work whenever we can, sometimes all hours of the night, with no scheduled hours, except for on stage. But it is similar in that every day is different, like running airplanes.
Scott: When you moved to Nashville, what were some of the things you began doing to get noticed that you probably never have said before?
Dusty: I pretty much sang somewhere every night to small crowds at songwriter venues….for free, of course. I also hooked up with a couple local bands trying to get a foot in the door. Most of those doors slammed shut on my big toe…
Scott: In 1996, you wrote Joe Diffie’s C-O-U-N-T-R-Y. How’d you get that into his hands and how much of a boost did that give you to keep working harder?
Dusty: One of my co-writers pitched it to his producer. It’s interesting how Nashville throws you a bone now and then to keep you here. I think you need that kind of bump now and then. It helps reaffirm why your here. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of knowing you wrote a part of a song that makes it to a record. Cuts are hard to come by…I ain’t had a scratch in a while….
Scott: Was there ever a point when you wrote songs for other artists (Ricochet, Mark Chestnutt, etc) that you would have loved to record for yourself instead?
Dusty: Yea, all of ‘em. I was writing with me in mind when I wrote my first few outside cuts. Having said that, I would never pass up an opportunity to have someone record one of my songs. I think it’s the best compliment you can get as a writer. Not to mention I’m a fan, so knowing that Mark, or Joe, or whoever liked it enough to put their spin on it, is vindicating….and cool!
Scott: You’ve opened for some pretty impressive people, let’s get your take on those experiences:
Dusty: Garth Brooks: This show is where I got my name.(Dusty) My real name is Dean. The guy who introduced me said Dusty, and the now thousands of Garth fans figured that was my name… As for Garth, he was, as everyone says: as personable as can be, and the most dynamic performer I have ever shared the stage with…
Dusty: Kenny Chesney: Unbelievably electric. Great stage show, and welcomed me and the band into the backstage hang. And he sounds great live too, his band rocks.
Dusty: Brooks & Dunn: I could go on for days about these guys… They are the real deal and treated me and the band like headliners.
Scott: Since 1992, you’ve had five hits on the Country Top 100 charts, how cool has that been know you’ve made a living at what so many others would kill to do?
Dusty: A living might be a stretch…my wife, God bless her, is still nursing at a local hospital to support my music habit. But knowing I’ve been a part of the country family is why I came in the first place. Nashville can be like Vegas, in that you can make a killin’, but you can’t make a living…I’ve made neither yet. (Laughs)
Scott: Your latest album, “At a Honkey Tonk Near You,” is great, man. What can people expect from it?
Dusty: Actually it’s morphing as I answer these. But I think the songs we’ve found in town, combining with what I’m writing, it will be a mix of a little more substance slanted with a smile. How’s that for vague? It’s hard to say, but I’m trying to capture a little of what we do live, in the studio. I think the end result will be a little more uptempo, supported by a couple meaningful ballads.
Scott: When you’re backstage before a show, what “celebrity” type requests do you have?
Dusty: I’m afraid I’m not very glamorous when it comes to the pre-show…I don’t really have any rituals before a gig. But I do like a little time on the bus to listen to something heavier while we’re getting ready. I just hate rushing…and I really hate to be late!
Scott: Do you ever download your own songs off iTunes?
Dusty: I have downloaded a couple things I didn’t get copies of when we recorded them. I could live without my email a couple days, but if iTunes went down, I’d have problems. My iPod is my favorite piece of gear I own. I even listen to it on my John Deere.
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