Country artist Carl Wayne Meekins is ready to share with the world his song about love and commitment. After all, he and his wife Tonya have managed to keep their marriage solid for over 20 years, and Meekins believes that’s worth writing and singing about. He says, “I wanted to create something special for her, which I could share with the world. So, this music is a celebration of our relationship; but it’s not just for us. It’s for anyone excited about their commitment to someone else.”
Carl Wayne… or CW, as his friends and family call him, came to Nashville 23 years ago with the encouragement of his wife. “Like a lot of musicians, I showed up here ready to start a music career. And I’ve received a lot of added blessings along the way. Welcoming our daughter Carlie into the world was one of them.”
The singer and songwriter also feels blessed to have built a highly successful home service/custom remodeling business. “Early on, I thought it was important to create something solid to support my family, while building the music side of my career. AND that business just really took off. I appreciate the creative aspect of people realizing their home’s potential.”
Meekins will be channeling a bit of that creativity into his new YouTube series, set to make its debut in June. He’ll be joined by some of his famous friends, while delivering home remodeling tips. The program will also give Meekins a chance to showcase his hosting skills. “This show’s gonna be a lot of fun. My music will be included in it as well. And who knows? Maybe my shy wife will make a cameo. We’ll have STOKED playing in the background.”
In the meantime, the song has been made available on all major streaming platforms and country radio stations in America and the UK. It carries Meekins’ high energy sound, which he’s become known for on the Nashville music scene. “Stoked” is also the first of thirteen new songs that he and his producer Jeremy Johnson have completed, and will be releasing off the LP due out this summer.
Meekins and Johnson have worked together for over 12 years and plan to continue collaborating on future projects in the studio. “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it,” says Meekins.
Whether CW is recording music, singing live or making plans for his new remodeling series, he’s just glad to be entertaining and inspiring audiences. We caught up with him recently to find out what drives and inspires him.
Carl, tell us about the inspiration for “Stoked”.
The inspiration for “Stoked” came from a time in my life when my wife Tonya and I were literally coming up on our 20th wedding anniversary!! I got to thinking about our life together. I thought ‘That’s a long time and it went by so fast… with the ups and downs, the bumps in the road that we’ve had along the way. I thought about how much more I love her now than I did when I married her!! I never planned on writing a song specifically for her. It just happened that way, when I sat down to write. After I finished it, I was like ‘Oh yeah I want her to hear this!!’ I ultimately shelved it for six years before I decided to release it. I believe in this song and my hope is that it will land on the ears of a lot of other folks too, giving them nudge to keep that fire burnin’!!!
What did your wife think of the song when she heard it?
The first thing she said was, ‘I’m not needy.’ (Line in the second verse) I was like, ‘I know, but I needed the lyric to make the song work!’. That’s what I told her anyway”. Wink wink!!
How have you seen the music business change since you’ve been in Nashville?
When I came to Nashville, an artist pretty much had to get their music out to his/her audience via a distribution deal set up through the labels. The digital platform was just getting started, so we needed to get our records in stores etc. Now that we live in the world of digital streaming/downloads, an artist can get his/her music out very easily on the listening platforms without the need for a label. However, the challenge has been and still is, MARKETING. The majors have a HUGE budget to promote and market their artist. As an Indy artist, I still have to market if I want to be heard!! My team and I have to think outside the box and get creative in our marketing strategies. It’s a lot of fun!!
What’s the best part about jumping back into the music business during this chapter in your life?
I just love it!! I’m at a place of peace financially and my business has allowed me time to work my passion!! I want to share my gift with the world!!
Have you met or worked in music with any of your heroes?
Mike Chapman was a monster bass player in Nashville and one of the original “G Men!” “Garths studio band”. I started working at Mike’s home in 2004 and eventually we developed a friendship that was incredible!! Mike produced a few records for me and soon became my band leader when we played quite a bit live. He always brought the A list players to the table! I have played with some of the greatest musicians on the planet because of Mike Chapman! Unfortunately, we lost Mike a few years back to cancer. It was a great honor to see him get inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame before he left this world!!
Tell us about your approach when doing live shows.
I care about the fans. Give them what they want!! Give them an experience they can’t get in normal life!! I wanna take’m to the circus and I’m the ring master”
Tell us about some of your other songs that you’re planning to release.
We have plans to release a beach themed, fun, up tempo song in the spring and several more singles throughout 2023, which I am patiently waiting to get out!!
Keep up with Carl Wayne Meekins at: https://www.carlwaynemeekins.com
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