Adam Fears is just a country boy from a small agricultural community in east Texas. He is a simple man and prefers the simple country way of life “where you do things on a hand shake and you only love one woman kind of thing.” His faith is strong, his musical influences are of the older generation, and in his songs, you can hear that. Adam was kind enough to call into New England Country Music and talk to us about how faith, country living and his traditional country sound has influenced his music today.
Raised in White House, Texas, Fears learned to play guitar almost by accident. When he was twelve years old, he and a bunch of kids from the neighborhood formed a band. One of them had a drum set, one a bass guitar and Fears also had a guitar. They started playing together and he realized how much he enjoyed playing and singing, so he stuck with it. Today, not only does he play guitar, but he can play fiddle, mandolin, banjo, and drums too. He also plays a little piano, trumpet and even played tuba in the Texas Aggie Band when he was in high school. To say that he is musically talented is putting it mildly.
Even though Fears knew he loved playing and singing music, he wasn’t sure if it is what he wanted to do for a living until he got into college and started playing the college bars. He and his band would play at fairs, weddings, bar mitzvahs or any small venue that would have them, and it was then that he realized how much he enjoyed it, and how much he loved being on stage. Yet he still had trepidation that music was the path he should take. When it was almost time for him to graduate, he did some soul searching- praying to God to help him choose the right path and to make the right decision. The next day, when his grandparents were at church, his granddad was sitting next to a guy from Nashville. His grandmother happened to have one of his CD’s in her purse. So she gave the CD to the gentleman who brought it back to Nashville who gave it to someone there. They happened to like the CD, so they offered him a job. A year after he graduated college he moved to Nashville to write songs, and he has been there ever since. Fears thoughts on this chain of events are best reflected in this statement. “It just goes to show you what the power of prayer can do. That is the inside scoop on Adam Fears. Do you want to know where I come from and what I’m about? That’s it (faith) in a nutshell.”
Faith plays a major role in Fears’ music and in whom he is today, and he takes that role seriously. He feels that he has been given a responsibility and that the new up-and-coming artists are looking to those who have been in the business a while; that they are looking up to him and want to be like him. He believes that with the talent that has been given to him, it is his obligation to represent those who have chosen the right path and to set an example for when they have to decide on which road they should take. “Are you going to be that kind of guy who’s drinking and partying and all that or are you going to be somebody a little bit different.“ Fears always tries to put on a great family show. A show he can be proud of and a show he knows new musicians are watching, and hopefully learning from.
Fears’ beliefs are reflected in the songs he writes and performs; he writes songs that mean something to him and mean something to those who are listening to his music. Growing up Fears farmed, did ranching and rode cutting horses for a while and his music reflects those experiences. He writes songs about his life experiences about things that he has lived through. In his songs, there is definitely that “flavor of lifestyle in it and the Heartland of America.” He thinks a lot of people relate to his style of music; music about real life about struggles and happiness about simple things like family and love. One of the songs Fears is most proud of is a song he wrote that was cut by Eric Lee Beddingfield and that also featured George Jones. The song, ‘The Gospel According To Jones,’ is Fears’ greatest accomplishment yet. The video of the song was highlighted and shown on the big screen at the Grand Ole Opry, during Jones’ eightieth birthday. When Fears played lead guitar in Beddingfields’ band, they toured with George Jones and were his opening act. Fears got to meet George numerous times and was able to see him play live. Fears remembers exactly where he was when he learned of Jones’ death. “I was fishing when I got the news that he had passed. I’ll never forget that moment because he took a chance on some young songwriters in Nashville and it was a big stepping stone for us.”
Fears has put all of his writing talent to use and released his debut album, ‘Golden Gravel Road,’ on the LandStar Entertainment label and was released in November of 2013. The first single, ‘Middle of Nowhere,’ reached number eighteen on the Texas Music Charts in the spring of 2014. His second single, ‘There’s a Girl Out There,’ is steadily rising on the charts. But the album’s title track, ‘Golden Gravel Road,’ holds a special place for Fears. It was written as a tribute to his granddad and is about where his granddad’s place in heaven would be. ‘He’ll ask the Lord for a front porch view from that old farm house he never sold, just put it off the beaten path and set it way back on a golden gravel road.’
Fears’ musical influences growing up have definitely made an impact on his style of music and are apparent when he writes a song. Chris Ledoux, Travis Tritt, Garth Brooks, George Strait, and Robert Earl Keen are some of those musical influences. Fears would love to sit down and write a song with Kris Kristofferson, or any of the older generation of guys, who have been in the business a long time, and know how to write a simple song. The kind of song that everyone can relate to and can understand, yet still strikes them in the heart. That, he says, “is what true songwriting is.” Fears thinks that the country music of today is just a fad and that it will start fading out, and the more traditional country sound will come back around in a few years. He believes that music is a big cycle and that there is a progression that evolves regularly.
So what is next for Adam Fears? He would like to see his music go as big as it can and the sky is the limit. He wants to write good songs that mean something to people, put on great shows for all of the family to enjoy and bring a little East Texas hometown feel to those who come out to listen to him play, but most of all, “at the end of the day give thanks to the Good Lord for taking care of us and getting us to the next town.” That statement, is who Adam Fears is. Just a simple country boy from East Texas, who tells stories in his songs, and who doesn’t need lights, bells or whistles to get his message across. He just needs words with a simple melody to make people sit up and listen and most likely sing along.
New England Country Music would like to thank Adam Fears for taking the time to talk with us. His views and thoughts on traditional country music are enlightening, and we will be watching for his songs to help spear head the cycle back around to the sounds of simple things, like an old farm house, a girl, a truck and a Golden Gravel Road.
You can purchase ‘Golden Gravel Road’ here.
You can follow Adam Fears on Twitter, Facebook, and his official website.
Written by Lorraine Frigoletto, contributing writer for New England Country Music. You can follow me on Twitter.