You can tell a lot about a guy by the guys he worships and adores.
And the three men who make up Midland — Mark Wystrach, Cameron Duddy, and Jess Carson — fully admit that there have been men who’ve left their mark on the trio’s sound.
Here’s what they told us recently about their country crushes.
Mark Wystrach on George Jones
“I’d probably have to say George Jones for me. My mom is the one who really turned me on to country music, and she always had a George Jones tape on in the truck. I think George is arguably one of the greatest voices of all time and so genuine. He was such an imperfect human being, but as an artist he was second to none. I was recently reading an article in the New York Times about why ’He Stopped Loving Her Today’ is the greatest song that’s ever been made. And the writer was from New York City and didn’t have a country background, but he was saying that song was so impactful and so heartfelt and so piercing that only a guy like George Jones could sing a song like that and then turn around and sing a long like ’White Lightning’ right after that.”
Cameron Duddy on George Strait
“There’s no one more gentile, and I don’t know if anyone has carried the flame quite like George Strait. And I don’t know if it’s too late — it probably is for us to purify ourselves and our sins — but when you see him in the workspace, he is definitely the same gentleman backstage as he is onstage. We had the chance to open up for him and hang out with him backstage, and it’s alarming because we are pretty much wild animals. We get let out of the cage every once in a while. But to see a man like that and to be able to carry himself with such composure and respect is inspiring. I’ve got a forever man crush on the King. Amen.”
Jess Carson on Gary Stewart
“Gary Stewart would be my crush. He’s kind of the guy that got me hardcore into country. And actually it was just his birthday a few days ago, and I just talked to his daughter and at his house in Florida, she’s kept everything the exact same. Everything on the walls. She sent me this video of walking through the house for 10 minutes just showing me everything in the house. It was so entertaining for me. He was the guy that opened the door for me.”
Next up for Midland the release of “Playboys,” a brand new song due out Friday (July 12).
Hey y’all, our new song “Playboys” is available this Friday 7/12. Preorder our upcoming album Let It Roll and you’ll have instant access to Playboys, Put the Hurt On Me, and Mr. Lonely on Friday. #LetItRoll
Preorder here: https://t.co/IrAqIOmNkT pic.twitter.com/P9NQ0XIT8K
— Midland (@MidlandOfficial) July 9, 2019
