Chris Janson is a good example of right place, right time and right friends. Janson is not an overnight success by any means. As a singer/songwriter, he signed a record deal with BNA in 2009, caught the ear and praise of some in the music industry, but went largely unnoticed as an artist. He enjoyed commercial success as a songwriter, co-writing Tim McGraw’s hit “Truck Yeah” and the title track to Justin Moore’s album “Off The Beaten Path“. Janson also has co-writing credits with other Nashville acts including – Randy Houser – Joe Nichols – Tyler Farr – Frankie Ballard – Parmalee – Craig Campbell – and several others.
Lightening Strikes! Chris sends an un-mastered demo of a new song to his friend, nationally syndicated morning show host Bobby Bones, and asked him to give it a listen. Bones loved it and immediately began playing the song to an audience that also gushed over it. “Buy Me A Boat“, by an unsigned artist, went from outside the top 200 to top 5 on the iTunes chart. This led to offers from several record companies for Janson and an eventual signing with Warner Brothers in April 2015.
Now, if you’re over the whole bro-country thing “Buy Me A Boat” likely will not be your cup of tea. It’s heavy on the bro-country style cliche’s…not very “original”… but it is catchy and will likely strike a chord with the blue-collar crowd listening to current country music.
The song itself and the present state of mainstream “country” music aside… I must admit I am rooting for the underdog here just a bit. I do not remember an independent or un-signed artist coming out of left field with a potential radio hit like this since Mark McGuinn’s “Mrs. Steven Rudy” in 2001.