Add radio show host to Scotty McCreery‘s lengthy list of accomplishments. McCreery is the host of a new monthly series, Prime Country with Scotty McCreery, airing on SiriusXM. The show, which will air repeatedly throughout the month, shines a spotlight on country music of the ’80s and ’90s.
To kick off Prime Country with Scotty McCreery, the 31-year-old began with Ronnie Milsap’s “Smoky Mountain Rain,” released in 1980.
“I had to think long and hard about how I was going to start my show, my first-ever episode,” McCreery says in a video he shares on social media. “How was I going to start it? I figured I’d go back to the beginning for me, and that was Ronnie Milsap. I remember hearing of stories of him. My mom’s first concert was Ronnie Milsap, and I remember hearing the stories of the Grand Ole Opry, when she went as a child.”
McCreery recalls performing alongside Milsap, for Opry 100: A Live Celebration, which took place in March. McCreery served as the announcer for the entire show, and got to perform as part of the all-star “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” finale, along with Milsap and others.
“Ronnie was right in front of me,” McCreery remembers. “For me, it was still like a pinch me moment, like ‘I can’t believe this is really happening.'”
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McCreery isn’t just serving as the host for Prime Country with Scotty McCreery. He is also choosing all of the songs for each episode as well, with music by Garth Brooks, George Strait, Randy Travis, Kathy Mattea, Patty Loveless, Keith Whitley, and John Anderson, among others.
“Each song is handpicked by me,” McCreery tells Billboard. “I’ll be sharing stories of how an artist influenced me or how I met them or something we may have experienced together on the road or backstage at an awards show or the Opry.”
McCreery just released his new Scooter & Friends EP. The five-song project includes his current hit single, “Bottle Rockets” with Hootie & the Blowfish, plus “Once Upon a Bottle of Wine” with Charlie Wilson, “Whiskey Said” featuring Lee Brice, plus “Swim Up Bar” and “Holding Down the Honky Tonk.”
“I had a lot of fun creating this EP and performing some songs that are different from my normal sound, yet are still me,” McCreery says. “Getting to record with Hootie & the Blowfish, Lee Brice, and my hero Charlie Wilson on songs that I co-wrote with some of my favorite songwriters has been a blast.”
The album’s title is a nod to McCreery’s hometown nickname, which seemed an appropriate name for the record.
“Back home everyone calls me ‘Scooter,’ so since I’m singing with a few of my favorite artists, I decided to call this project Scooter & Friends,” McCreery explains. “It’s a fun collection of songs that are a little different from what I normally sing, yet they are still me. If the fans like it, maybe there will be a second volume in a few years.”
“Bottle Rockets” is already in the Top 15. Find Scooter & Friends and all of McCreery’s music and upcoming shows at ScottyMcCreery.com.