Ryan Larkins – Singer Songwriter Stops By Kicks 99
It feels like a slow, sleepy time of year. The month of January can drag with shorter days and often colder temperatures. But there’s one thing that can brighten my day… and that’s a radio tour with a new artist. That’s exactly what happened at Kicks 99 yesterday. We had singer/songwriter Ryan Larkins stop by.
Around 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, I was in my office when Chris O’Kelley’s voice came over the intercom announcing we had an artist in the conference room if anyone wanted to come listen. I love opportunities to meet new artists and hear some great live, acoustic music. So, I grabbed my snack (hey, it was almost lunchtime) and headed into the conference room.
And that’s where I met Ryan Larkins. I’ll be honest… I didn’t know the name and hadn’t heard his music. But just hearing him talk, I had a good feeling we were in for a treat. The whole thing got started as they usually do with introductions and some fun banter between Tee, Chris O’Kelley, and the record rep. Then we got to know a little bit more about the guy with the guitar.
Who Is Ryan Larkins?
Right off, we learned that Ryan Larkins is actually a Nashville native. That’s where he was born and raised, which isn’t what you commonly hear from country artists. Most of them move to Nashville to pursue their dreams. Another interesting fact about Ryan… his dad was a Penecostal preacher and they didn’t listen to the radio or watch TV when Ryan was growing up. That means, he didn’t know the first thing about country music in the early years of his life.
At some point, the church his dad was a pastor for needed a music leader. That’s when his dad told Ryan he needed to learn an instrument. And soon after, Ryan was learning to play guitar. We’d also learn that he started songwriting when he was 12 or 13 years old. After some time leading music at the church, someone told him that they should go on a show… and said they could be the next Brooks & Dunn. We all laughed when Ryan told us, “I told him… that sounds great, but… Who’s Brooks and Dunn?”
That’s where Ryan started learning about country music and really dove into the classics. He mentioned Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline… And he grew to love country music.
He told us that while he still loved playing and singing, he had another job that he didn’t love. Eventually his wife told him to go in and quit because he wasn’t doing what God called him to do. A few months after turning in his notice, he got a publishing deal.
When asked, Ryan said while he’s been writing songs since he was a pre-teen, he’s be writing “professionally” for about 5 years now.
Ryan, The Songwriter
Ryan has worked with some amazing songwriters in Nashville. He talked about writing with Bill Anderson, and how one of those songs wound up being a record duet with Bill and Dolly Parton! Imagine writing a song and having those big names record your song.
He’s also written with Rhett Akins, Tom Douglas, Tim Nichols, and more. One name he’s written with is one I recently became acquainted with: Lee Thomas Miller. Sound familiar? That’s because Lee Thomas Miller is one of the songwriters who’s going to be performing at the KICKS 99 Songwriter Series at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center on March 8th! Get details on that show HERE. Maybe we can get Ryan for next year’s show? Hm…
Ryan told us a story about one particular songwriting experience where he was just talking about his wife and said something along the line of, “My life was black and white, but she’s the painter.”
Yep, that’s right. Ryan Larkins is one of the songwriters on “The Painter,” which you’ve heard on KICKS 99, sung by this guy named Cody Johnson! How cool is that?
Ryan Larkins Performing For KICKS 99
I love hearing about the new artists when they come through town. But of course, I also love to hear their songs. Ryan performed a few songs for us, including “The Painter.” He also sang his single, “King Of Country Music,” and a gospel song, “I Can’t Even Walk (Without You Holding My Hand).”
Check out these videos, and be sure to learn even more about this up and coming artist, Ryan Larkins, HERE.