Jack Ingram photo courtesy of Big Machine Records
April 2, 2007 — Jack Ingram's new album title, This Is It, could be deceiving. The 36-year-old singer-songwriter from the Lone Star state says he never once felt like giving up, in spite of a 10-year struggle to make it in mainstream country music. "I feel after 10-plus years, it's definitely sweet," he tells GACTV.com. "I don't know how sweet [immediate success] would have been. I think it would have been like a really badass roller coaster ride. When you're over, you're not sure how you got there and you're not sure how to get back on."
Working hard and paying his dues are what this father of three is about. "For me to have this now, it feels a little more controlled. It feels like we're in a really great sports car and we're pushing the gas on it. I know the steps we're taking to get here and I don't take any of it for granted."
Jack certainly doesn't take for granted that he got to work with the uber-talented singer/songwriter, Radney Foster, who co-wrote "Measure of a Man," the next single from This Is It. "It's just fantastic to work with him," says Jack. "I've written with him a lot in the last 10 years. He's just great."
The talent that lends itself to This Is It doesn't end there. Jack toured with rock star Sheryl Crow last year and the two have become good buddies, with Crow singing background vocals on "Hold On."
"Her whole vibe is right up my alley," says Jack. "She hangs out. She works on her craft. She does her thing. She's just real. She's a legend in her own time. She'll be a hall-of-famer."
Jack gets inspiration for his music wherever he finds it, such as in a book about Bruce Springsteen that he's currently reading. The Boss fan loves "the way he captures landscapes in his writing, the way he captures emotions and yearning with such broad strokes. With the details of his writing, you feel those major emotions. That has a big impact on what I try to go for when I write. He's not afraid to be who he is. Being a guy from Texas, I have that same type of regional pride that he has for New Jersey and I took inspiration from that."
Another source of inspiration? Jack's three kids — Hudson, 9 months; Eli, 2 years old; and Ava Adele, 4 years old. With three kids under the age of five, Jack says life can get pretty crazy. Women are so often asked how to balance a successful career with motherhood, but the doting dad says dads can do it too.
"I spend a lot of time on the phone when I'm on the road," he says. "It's a huge magnet pulling me back home. And I think I'm just like any other devoted father in that when I'm done with work, my only objective is to get home. I get home as fast as I can when I'm done with a show."
One of those reasons for getting home so fast is his daughter, Ava Adele — the inspiration for a song of the same name on This Is It.
"That's one of those songs that kinda came out," says Jack. "I was just staring at this little girl I was completely in love with and let my pen do the writing. Hopefully one day she'll be proud, after she gets done being embarrassed."
When he's not touring, recording, writing or logging valuable time at home, Jack hosts a radio show on XM radio called "The Real American Music Hour."
"It's an outlet for me to be able to say 'Hey, I think this song is cool.' I do it because I dig music and if it ever became anything different, I wouldn't do it."
Recently, Jack was named Best Country Artist by Esquire magazine. Esquire says their Esky Awards are about good songs and great music that's falling through the gaps. Jack, who has been a fan of the magazine and often agreed with their music coverage, says of his Esky, "It was really cool for me."
With much to look forward to, including the upcoming "Bonfires & Amplifiers" tour with headliner Brad Paisley and fellow supporting acts Kellie Pickler and Taylor Swift, life is good for this 10-year overnight success.
"If you get your beer and find your seat in time to catch my show, it'll be a fun, good time," says Jack of the upcoming tour. "It'll be a no-holds-barred, emotional experience."
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