The Music Interview: John Hensley
By KRIS YOUMANS, Special to The Paper
John Hensley, now at the ripe old age of 35, has had more life experiences than some twice his age.
He enlisted in the US Army when he was 17, and left for basic training six days after finishing high school. He ended up in Iraq, where he worked in airfield operations. It was 12 hours a day, every day, moving people into helicopters and through dangerous areas.
After returning from Iraq, John went to college at the University of West Georgia, and that’s where he met his future wife Sarah. He didn’t feel that college was where he wanted to be so he left and took a job with the Gwinnett County Police Department and worked in the DUI task force for five years.
When John and Sarah had their first child, they moved back to Coweta County and John joined the Peachtree City Police Department. With a young growing family, they decided that a regular job was in order, one that wouldn’t keep him out all night. John started working at the Coweta County Solicitor’s Office, which gave him more time to devote to family, and his lifelong love of music.
He points that although he was drawn to playing music as a young person, he didn’t really have the opportunities to learn an instrument and progress further. Someone at his church had given him a guitar before he went to Iraq, so he taught himself to play. After returning home, he was able to play so much more, and the church band was a source of inspiration.
A friend of John’s told him about Warrior Song, a program for veterans at Camp Southern Ground in Fayetteville. Warrior Song is a master class in songwriting, music, business strategy, and vocal range coaching for unsigned veterans. They wanted him to submit some original material, and he had a couple of songs that he was working on. He sent the videos out, and soon after, he was accepted into their program at Southern Ground.
He was one of only 19 people in the entire country chosen for this program. And it gave him the opportunity to make so many important contacts, play and write, and share personal stories with other veteran artists.
Since then, John and his Liberty Road Band have recorded originals at Rome Street Sound in Whitesburg with Brian Mack engineering. Joe West, a producer out of Nashville, listened and worked on getting these songs ready for radio. John’s song Billy Boudreaux has recently been played on 94.9 The Bull Backyard Country for two weeks in a row.
He is playing venues and private parties throughout Coweta county. Look for him in March at The Cellar, Mad Mexican and Below the Neck. He’ll be a part of The Blues Plate Special in May.
I got together with John to get his thoughts on the music he’s creating.
Kris … John, do you feel more inspired by the melodies or lyrics in songs?
John … I think, as far as my music goes, I focus on the lyrics, because mainly to me good storytellers have always been something I was compelled to listen to. Like listening to Willie Nelson or Johnny Cash telling a story – it’s just a cool experience and I think it’s why they are still popular after so long.
Kris … Who would you most like to collaborate with?
John … If I could collaborate with one person, I think it would be Chris Stapleton. He’s written so many great songs, and I love his music. It’s a blend of country, rock, blues, and rhythm and blues, and I think good music is good no matter the genre. He’s the kind of guy with such a powerful voice that he can cross those lines with ease.
Kris …How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music industry?
John … I grew up at a time where the Internet really took off. I remember being able to download music for the first time instead of buying a CD or a cassette. I think it’s made the music industry more accessible in so many ways, but also more competitive in other ways. Online presence can make a career in this day and age but to me, I think there are many very talented people that get overlooked because they do not have a strong presence online. I think often times the ‘popular’ are not always the best musicians, and they are just known.
Kris … you have a lovely family! I would think their support would be super important in your music, creation and promotion.
John … My family is so supportive of my music. My wife consistently steps up at home and supports me chasing this big dream. She’s my number one fan and I appreciate her so much. My oldest daughter has always loved my songs and she was the one who really encouraged me to play them for other people
Kris … What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
John …The best advice I have ever gotten is when I was serving in Iraq. An older veteran, who was contracting with us, told me that when I get frustrated with our situation, remember that I could not control the circumstances, but I could control how I reacted. I heard someone wise also say that life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. This advice has served me well.
Kris … Tell us where we can find your music and how to keep updated?
John … You can find our music on all of the major platforms. I’m on Facebook, Instagram, and now, TikTok.
