Episode 48 – Jason Isbell

When he was a teenager, Isbell said many musicians took him under their wing. Isbell got to know Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson Hood’s dad and legendary session player, David Hood, because Hood Sr. was in the Florence, Alabama area and played around town on Friday and Saturday nights in restaurants and local bar and grills. By this time, Patterson and Cooley were older and had moved out of town. The young Isbell would go watch Hood Sr. and others perform. It took a while but once he finally got up the nerve to tell them he played, they’d have him sit in with them, which resulted in friendship and mentorship. Isbell submitted demos and eventually got a publishing deal with FAME Studios of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, when he was 21 years old. He stayed working for FAME until he joined the Drive-by Truckers.

Still interested? Visit the artist’s official website or Wikipedia entry to learn more about this episode’s guest.