Wendy Corr:
Hey there, folks. Welcome to The Roundup. We are a Cowboy State Daily podcast, and we focus on interesting people in the Cowboy State, and oh my gosh, interesting people that are making a name for themselves outside of the Cowboy State is this guy right here. We’ve got Chancey Williams in the house. Yeah.
Chancey Williams:
Thanks for having me. In person. I like it.
Wendy Corr:
We have never done a podcast from The Barn, which is what we call our office here in Cheyenne on Randall Avenue at Cowboy State Daily. We've never done a podcast here. So this is new for us. It's a lot of fun. And it's so great to have Chancey to be our very first.
Chancey Williams:
Yeah, yes. Well, I appreciate it. I was like these in person better. They come off better.
Wendy Corr:
And then it really gives us a chance to get that feel of who you are, not just looking at a television screen in that way. Chancey, we've just got so many things to talk about today, and so I just want to get started here. You are here, we're actually filming this during Frontier Days. And this is the night you're playing at the Outlaw.
Chancey Williams:
Yep. Cheyenne Frontier Days is the best 10 days of the summer, my opinion, but yeah, we're playing tonight at Outlaw, should be fun.
Wendy Corr:
You have so much history here. Tell us a little bit about your love of rodeo, because, you grew up in Moorcroft?
Chancey Williams:
Yep, born and raised - I was born in Newcastle, Wyoming, but born and raised in Wyoming grew up Moorcroft, my folks ranch up there just north of Moorcroft, five miles. But yeah, grew up rodeoing and kind of around the whole rodeo scene of Wyoming growing up, and then, you know, got into music.
Wendy Corr:
Well, I tell you, this has been a blessing for everybody, then, because you've been able to, you've been on the ground in rodeo - probably literally on the ground.
Chancey Williams:
Yeah. Unfortunately, yes. Sadly, yeah.
Wendy Corr:
But you know what you're singing about when you're singing about the cowboy way of life. You've lived it, in all of the aspects of it.
Chancey Williams:
Yeah, for sure.
Wendy Corr:
When did you first get the idea that you wanted to be a musician? Tell me about your experience.
Chancey Williams:
Well, you know, we grew up, we started a band in high school just kind of for fun, but you know, rodeo was always my main thing.
Went to college, went to Casper College, right? Saddle broncs and at the University of Wyoming. So, rodeo was always my main thing. We just got to have the band for fun.
And so you know, went through college, college rodeo, made the College National Finals twice.
Wendy Corr:
Congratulations.
Chancey Williams:
Yeah, it was fun, so, I loved it, and then stayed in Laramie and got my master's degree and still had the band. It was kind of our college job, which was, it was a great job to have.
And then after, you know, I finished my master's, I had to do an internship. So I moved to Nashville and thought, you know, I'd take a swing at music, but I was still rodeoing too, so I didn't really know what to do.
I was rodeoing and playing music and figured I better pick one, you know, and it was kind of hard to juggle both, so I ended up getting into music. But yeah, the rodeo was a lot of fun, but music is as fun, so I can still kind of entertain.
Wendy Corr:
I want to just back up, because you said you went to Casper College. You got two associate's degrees at Casper. But then you decided, “You know, I like school. I'm just gonna go get a master's in public administration.”
Chancey Williams:
Yeah, it's fun to talk about. I've never used that degree, obviously. But, you know, when I finished my undergrad of political science, I didn't even really know I was graduating - my advisor said “You have to get your cap and gown,” and I was like, “For what?” And she said, “Well, you're graduating in May.” And I was like kind of panicking.
She said, “Well, you can go to grad school,” and some of the band at the time, some of my old band members were still in college, so I’m like, well, I guess I’ll go to grad school while they're finishing.
So we can continued to play and stuff, and it was only two more years of school, so I decided to do that. And yeah, it's a fun story to talk about just because I have a lot of degrees, but I'm a singer.
Wendy Corr:
But you're a singer. I mean, you interned with Toby Keith.
Chancey Williams:
Yep.
Wendy Corr:
That's a big deal. Because he was such, I'm so sorry.
Chancey Williams:
Yeah, it was sad deal losing Toby. But you know, he left a great memory on a lot of people, and he was great to me. He treated me like his own son. And so yeah, I got to work for him for a year in Nashville and just kind of learn about the business.
You know, we'd always just played out here, out west, and loved playing, but there's a whole other side to the music business. It’s crazy, but I decided to dive into it.
And so like I said, when I interned down there, I did my first record down there and made my first album of Honky Tonk Road.
I decided instead of hacking it out in Nashville, like a lot of people do, I’d move back west and play out here and you know, kind of build on the foundation that we'd already started. So that's kind of where we started, and then basically that's when we started playing Cheyenne Frontier Days.
We started in the beer tent there and just kept building every year.
Wendy Corr:
And you have grown such a wonderful following. You've got dedicated, devoted fans - one of your devoted fans is here in the room with us! Abby Roich is here - she's our Cowboy State daily advertising and marketing admin. We could not do what we do without her.
Chancey Williams:
Yeah, she’s had to hear me sing a lot.
Wendy Corr:
Abby's a bartender. She's been a bartender for years. And so that's how you guys met.
Chancey Williams:
Yeah, we met in college and, you know, I met a lot of good friends in college. But you know, like, the state has been great for us, for building our foundation. That's why I wanted to move back to Nashville, you know, we already had a great group of fans and friends that followed us around, so we thought we'd just build on that.
You know, a lot of artists moved to Nashville and hack it out there for 10 years or whatever. And that's one way people make it, I guess. But I just, you know, being from Wyoming, it was hard to move out, you know.
And I lived out in Nashville for a year and it was great. It's a great town, but I really love Wyoming. So like, you know, I can commute to Nashville as much as I need. I'm going there Sunday. So it's, it's not hard to go back and forth. But I love Wyoming so much. It’s where I'm gonna live forever.
Wendy Corr:
As you should. Now, when I talked to you last year, you were living in Laramie as well. Do you still?
Chancey Williams:
I have a house Laramie and I have a house in Moorcroft on our ranch. So I kind of spend time in both places, then we're on the road a lot, too. So I spend a lot of time on the bus. So I have three homes, I think - the bus and Laramie and Moorcroft.
Wendy Corr:
So tell me about life on the road now for you. How many dates are you guys playing every year?
Chancey Williams:
We try to do around, you know, between 80 and 100. Last year, we did about 100, which is, which is a lot, you know. It ends up being, you know, 275 days on the road, which is, it's a lot, but we're used to it.
You know, I grew up rodeoing, and it's kind of the same lifestyle - you ride one place, and you're somewhere the next day. And so, rodeo and music have a lot of similarities.
So I've never really not traveled. So ever since high school, I was rodeoing, kind of lived that traveling lifestyle. And then, right from there, I got into music, and same lifestyle.
So you know, a lot of people ask us, you know, how do you do it? How are you on the road all the time? I've never really not been off the road. So I guess if I was ever home for a couple of years without being on the road, maybe it's normal life, and you get used to that, but I don't ever want to stop. So we'll just see where it takes us.
Wendy Corr:
You have played some amazing, amazing stages. When I talked to you last year, and we did a great interview last year, you were going to debut on the Opry. I mean, I get chills just thinking about it.
Chancey Williams:
I know, it's unbelievable. You know, that's one of those stages that every artist in country music wants to play. And, you know, I never dreamed of playing on the Opry, but never thought, you know, it would happen? I don't know.
Yeah, last year, we ended up playing it three times last year. And it's unbelievable, because they have to invite you to play there. So you know, it solidifies some of the things that we think we're doing.
You know, you're always trying to climb the ladder in the music business. And that shows us that people in Nashville are paying attention to us. So getting the invite to play the Opry was huge for me and the band, and got to have the whole band play with me.
Wendy Corr:
Chancey, I want to back up just a little bit. When did you first pick up a guitar? I want to know that origin.
Chancey Williams:
Okay. Yeah, well, yeah, I guess I took some lessons when I was eight or nine years old, mom got me a little guitar, and I was taking lessons. I was so young, I didn't really take it very serious. And I didn't - I guess my attention span wasn't there. So I didn't really play much.
And then, you know, when I was a freshman in high school, I was playing drums in concert band, and our band teacher wanted me to play bass guitar. So I learned the bass guitar first. And then in high school, I just started playing acoustic too, just kind of taught myself.
My granddad had a band for 30 years. So I guess I kind of had it in me a little bit, too. So yeah, just kind of taught myself, didn't really know where it would take me, just kind of liked playing it. I’d go to rodeos and had a couple buddies I'd play with. But yeah, so it was, I guess I was fairly young. But I didn't really take it serious when I was that young. So it was mostly high school.
Wendy Corr:
I just want to give a shout out to high school and middle school band and choir teachers - because this, this is where, especially for us here in Wyoming, this is our first exposure to performance.
Chancey Williams:
I know. And you know, there's not a big music scene in Wyoming, you know, and that's one of the reasons - you know, we've kind of learned everything from scratch. You know, I mean, a lot of these musicians grew up in Texas where there's a big scene, or Nashville or, you know, Austin and stuff, so, we didn't ever have that.
So we just grew up having to learn everything the hard way. And we tell that story all the time. You know, like, we didn't know what we're doing.
You know, I'm just, I was just a saddle bronc rider and ranch kid from Moorcroft And, you know, I know more about ranch and rodeo than I do music, but I mean, I did, I guess I’ve been in music long enough now, but we had to learn everything from scratch. You know, I didn't know where to plug your guitar in.
So it took us a little longer than most, but you know, we've always had that slow, steady climb. And I think that leaves us for a more longevity of a career, you know. I mean, the faster something comes in the music business, or any business, the faster it can go away too, so.
Yeah, I guess when you're young, everybody wants to be a hit real fast and be famous. But we've liked our path because I've built a career, or we have built a career for ourselves, that we can play, hopefully for the next 20-30 years, you know, and, and people will still show up and download the music and whatnot.
So it's been fun, but we did have to learn everything the hard way.
Wendy Corr:
Well, you say young - Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers band. Where did that name come from?
Chancey Williams:
Well, that's what we kind of called our band in college, we were the Younger Brothers band, you know. And so my older brother came up with that, because the original four members all had older brothers. So we're always the younger brothers of our family.
But, you know, as time progressed, I'm the only original member left. So then we just went to Chancey Williams. But yeah, it's been a fun journey, you know, but some of my band members have been with me a long time. You know, Brooke has been with us for 15 years, 16 years and Wyatt, too. And then Dale, our drummer, he lives up in Fargo, and he's been five, I think now. And then, Jay, our bass player lives in Loveland, he's been with us, six or seven.
So I mean, had a lot of the band for a long time. So we're, you know, we're a family on the road. It's a Yeah, I just couldn’t ask for a better group.
Wendy Corr:
That's wonderful. And so you've had these wonderful experiences together. You've played the opera, you played the Ryman, you played Billy Bob's down in Fort Worth.
Chancey Williams:
Yep, we've got to do a lot of things. And I tell the band all the time, like, we've done a lot of really neat things as independent artists. We've never signed any record deal or anything, we've just done the independent route, just because that's the way we've liked it.
Not that we wouldn't but, you know, we've done a lot of really neat things for independent artists. You know, we played Calgary this last year, we've played the main stage at Cheyenne four times. And we've, you know, the band has worked hard, and we've got there on our own.
So it's a cool accomplishment for me and the band, you know, just to say that we've done some of those neat things. We’ve played the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, too. I mean, we're very, very fortunate.
But you know, Toby Keith told me a long time ago, he's like, you know, there might be artists that out-sing me or out-write me, but like, no one is gonna outwork me. And I've always remembered that, like, they're not gonna outwork us either.
You know, we've played coast to coast, and we've played several different other countries, and we'll play every week. We always look at it as a job. You know, the music business is a lot of fun. And traveling is fun, but like, it is a lot of work to do. So we've always looked at it as a business, as our job. So that's got us where we are.
Wendy Corr:
Speaking from a music business standpoint, is that your primary focus? Is it those live performances, or are you recording?
Chancey Williams:
Yeah, we're recording. But you know, like, the business has changed so much. So you know, the majority of the money made in the music business now is playing live.
You know, back in the 90s, your record companies sold records. They don't - nobody buys records anymore. People buy singles, and you get paid from streams, but it's not much. I mean, once you get millions and millions of streams, it starts to pay off. But the majority of the money in the business is made from playing live. So we try to work as hard as possible.
Wendy Corr:
I'm sure you have played some amazing arenas, but Frontier Days that holds a special place in your heart.
Chancey Williams:
You know, like, all the cool stages, Red Rocks, the Opry, Billy Bob's, they're all great. But my favorite is still Cheyenne Frontier Days, just because of our history here.
You know, like, my dad won Cheyenne in 1971 in the rookie bronc riding. And so all growing up, Cheyenne was special to us. And then, you know, we started out when I came back from Nashville, we played downtown at the Plaza first. And then the next year, we played the small stage at Cheyenne, and always dreamed of playing the beer tent.
And then we played the beer tent the first year. And they said, “You know, we only ever have bands one year in a row.” So we're like, that's great. But we're happy to be here.
We did good, and they said, “Well, we'll have you next year.” So, oh, great, “But, like, probably never two in a row, or three in a row.” And then eight years in a row, we played it.
And then finally, we chose to step away as a career move. You know, we knew if we ever wanted to be a mainstage band, we couldn't be the beer tent band forever. And that was a hard choice, because we loved it. That's where we built our foundation, was playing the beer tent.
Because people from all over the country come to Cheyenne Frontier Days, so they'd see us in the beer tent, they might go back to Ohio, tell their friends about us, things like that.
But while we were playing the beer tent, you know, we seen these opening slots, you know, so we started asking, like, you know, “How would we get to open?”
You know, one year they had like a Wyoming's Got Talent as an opening thing. And I was like, “Well, they're just basically singing karaoke up there,” and like, we can sell more tickets than that.
So finally they let us open, they called one year and they said, “Would you like to open for Merle Haggard?” Which is, you know - for one, it’s Cheyenne, and for two, it's Merle Haggard.
So, our very first time playing the main stage was with Merle, and it was unbelievable. You know, we were excited to be there - and because I had rode in Cheyenne, it was super special to me. And I never dreamed when I was riding saddle broncs there that one day I’d be playing the mainstage, and it all came full circle.
And riding there was fun, too. Dad won the rookie bronc riding, and I wanted to win it bad. And I won two rounds one year, set the arena record twice that week, but didn't win the average, I ended up third. I never got that special buckle.
But yeah, I mean, Cheyenne Frontier Days has been the foundation of our success for like, one of the main reasons where we're at today, and we love it.
Wendy Corr:
Now, Chancey, I have to say and add something here, because I saw on social media that a couple months ago, you were inducted to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame.
Chancey Williams:
I know. It's super, super humbling. I felt real humbled. You know, I feel like I'm too young. It's, you know, we've spent a lot of days there at the park. You know, we, like I said, eight years in a row, nine days at a time, plus riding there and then playing out there, since the beer tent. I mean, it's just a huge honor.
Because the list of entertainers that they have in the Hall of Fame isn't very big. It's Garth Brooks, George Strait, Chris Ledoux, Brooks and Dunn, Charlie Daniels. I mean, to be in that group of entertainers at the Hall of Fame is super humbling. And it feels great to be in that class of people at Frontier Days. So it's, it's a huge honor.
Wendy Corr:
It's got to make it even more special, now, every time you're back to Frontier Days.
Chancey Williams:
Yeah, for sure. And this week, we've been doing Hall of Fame stuff, was in the parade yesterday for it and - but the ceremony is in September, so excited for that.
Wendy Corr:
Yeah, that's something we'll all look for, and do another Cowboy State daily story.
Chancey Williams:
Yeah. It's unbelievable. I can't believe it.
Wendy Corr:
Chancey, just a couple more questions. Tell me what's next? What's your next big project that you're working on?
Chancey Williams:
We got a bunch of songs that I've recorded, I think we have nine songs that I’ve got to put out, so we're starting about September 1, we're gonna start rolling songs out every six weeks, because that's what they say to do for the algorithm for Spotify, and all the stuff.
But you know, that's how you keep growing, is putting the music out all the time. So I'm always going to Nashville, try to be there one week a month, right? And then recording and just trying to put new stuff out.
You never know what's gonna catch anymore. You know, like, you don't know what the next hit is. And I don't think people in Nashville do either. It's just you write as much as possible, and if something takes off and goes viral - but we have such a great group of fans, that no matter what we put out, they support it, and they go download it and stream it, learn it.
And so we're very fortunate that we've put together this career. Before, you know, nowadays, the people are waiting for something to go viral. And like, if something does for us, that'd be great. If it doesn't, that's great, too. You know, we're still gonna go play live. We're still gonna book shows coast to coast and, and tour and give our fans what they want.
Wendy Corr:
Yes. What's your favorite part of this? What is your ,what lights you up the most? When you are talking about your music career, is it those one on one times when you connect with a fan and the audience? Is it hearing the crowd?
Chancey Williams:
I think playing live, for sure. You know, like, that's the payoff, like, we would do that part for free. All the other stuff is what you get paid for - the traveling and the work. But playing live is unbelievable.
And like, the creation of a song, you know, when you write something, and then you sing it live, and you see people singing it back, like, “Man, I wrote that. And they like it.”
So like, that's super special. And it's just, to have that art, to give to other people. So, but playing live, I mean, that's the best.
Wendy Corr:
But writing songs though, too. I mean, obviously, it's something that you love to do, because you put your heart and your experience into it.
Chancey Williams:
Yeah, for sure. You know, and writing is hard. You know, I mean, I've gotten better as a writer, but there's great writers in Nashville who I surround myself with. So it's fun to write with those guys. But you know, a lot of people can write a song, a lot of people write a good song.
But to get to the point where you can write a great song. And so that's, I don't know if I've ever mastered that, but a lot of guys write great songs. So that's a hard part.
But just, I always stay in my lane, right? Like, I don't write about stuff that I don't know about - like, going back to the ranch and stuff and the rodeo stuff, I sing about those things because it's authentic, and people can see that in my music. And they know when I'm onstage singing those songs, it's not fake.
You know, I think in this day and age, the world is looking for authenticity, you know, and so, there's nobody more authentic than we are. I mean, we're just Wyoming ranch kids, that are what we are. And if people like that type of music, they like us, if they don't, they might not like us, and that's okay too.
Wendy Corr:
But obviously you have a lot more fan base than just what's here in Wyoming - so you're taking Wyoming to the rest of the world.
Chancey Williams:
Yeah, that's the thing people on the east, the west coast, you know, the cowboy thing is big right now, because of, you know, Yellowstone and certain things. So they can live our life vicariously through our music.
So the timing has been great these last few years for being a cowboy - like, nationally, the new saying is like cowboys are cool again. I'm always like, timeout - we've been here the whole time, you guys just finally caught up to us.
Like, you know, when I started going to Nashville, I was like the only guy in town that was wearing a cowboy hat. Now I go down there, everybody in town’s got a hat on and half of them are on backwards.
But yeah, I think it's good for the Western way of life. You know, it brings light on Wyoming and Western culture. So I think it's great, and it's good for our music right now.
Wendy Corr:
Awesome. Chancey, this has been so fun. I'm so glad we got to do this in person.
Chancey Williams:
Yeah. Thanks for having me in.
Wendy Corr:
And thank you for being our inaugural Cowboy State Daily “The Barn” interview.
Chancey Williams:
I like being the first. Yeah.
Wendy Corr:
I love that. Thank you. And, folks, thank you so much for tuning into The Roundup today. We have so many wonderful guests. It's just that - Wyoming is full of interesting people, but this has been a very, very special interview, and we're really glad that you joined us for it.
Folks, thank you for tuning in - Chancey, thanks for being here. Congratulations on the Hall of Fame.
Stay tuned - next week, if you have missed some of these conversations that we've had, please go to our newsletter, go to our YouTube channel, go to our website and discover these really amazing people - because Wyoming is a special place, filled with really unique and wonderful people. So we don't want you to miss out on any of those.
Thanks for tuning in, folks. Have a wonderful week.
