It's Saturday night and a loud thunder of applause rings within earshot of the venue, located in the heart of Nashville. From the looks of the line, you would think Garth is on stage, But there is a new phenom in town. Josh Brister, hailing from Walker, Louisiana, standing 6'4" with sweat covering his face, is on hour two of a four hour non-stop country show." 1, 2, 3, give me a holler and a swaller". Josh gets a "hell yea" from the insane four hundred plus fans, hits the strings of his guitar, and belts out another song.
Since his move to Nashville, Josh's career has been on a constant upswing. He is in the studio everyday writing and recording his new songs, and writing with Nashville's top songwriters.
Before moving to Music City, Josh fought his way up through the honky tonks in Louisiana to the bigger venues and casinos and became one of the top acts to see in the South. He played all over for years, opening for acts such as Ty Herndon, Leroy Parnell, Gary Allan, Keith Harling, Mark Chesnutt and many more.
When Josh was just a boy, he and his grandfather had a tradition of getting up in the morning to listen to country tunes coming out of an old am radio on the kitchen table. He credits his "Paw Paw" for his foundation in Country music. He loved going over to his grandparents' house because his grandfather also had a great vinyl record collection of country artists like Bill Monroe, George Jones, Billy Walker, Ernest Tubb, and Merle Haggard to name a few.Also Josh's home town had a connection to the Opry' and to country music that he never realized until he came to Nashville. He was at Whisperin Bill Andersons house for a get togeather, to watch the Super Bowl, and Bill inquired, " Where ya from?" Josh replied "Walker Louisiana". Bill Recalled playing the Louisiana Hay Ride, and that Josh's home town was a stop for them. They had played "The Old South Jamboree," and this was one of the first venues Josh had performed as a country artist.
Through his music and his life, Josh brings an undeniable character and attitude to Nashville. He is constantly trying to grow as an artist/songwriter by educating himself, writing and working with the best in the business. His work ethic has led to many open doors in the industry, and will lead to many more. Once you have met the man, there is only one impression you could be left with Josh Brister is country music, the way it should be.
Written by David Bixby
