Parker McCollum Co-Hosts 9/21-22

The co-host this wknd is Parker McCollum, who just released a new single: What Kinda Man. He & his wife just became parents of a new baby boy. Parker has been on the road all summer, opening stadium shows for Morgan Wallen and George Strait.

Parker & his wife Hallie Ray welcomed baby boy Major Yancy Tyler McCollum on August 8th: “It’s so crazy, it’s so much more than I anticipated, it’s so good.  It’s been a whirlwind. We’re both learning at the same pace.  He’s healthy, he’s starting to smile a little bit, so it’s been crazy.”

Parker told Lon he’s ready for fatherhood: “I’ve been able to do whatever I wanted to do for so long, I was ready for the next step.  What’s gonna fill my cup now?  I’m kind of like, this is what I do now. I’m a dad.”

It’s only been a few weeks, but what do they think about another baby? “My wife is already talking about #2.  I’m like the last few weeks have been such a massive adjustment, let’s make sure we can do this one time before we talk about another.  I think two boys is great.  I could manage that.”

In June, Parker opened for George Strait in Kyle Field for 110,000 fans: “I can’t tell you how much of a fan of his I was. To be inspired by him, and then have the last ten years that I’ve had and play on my birthday with the king of country music, I don’t know what else to dream for,”

Have they gotten to know each other? “He’s so private, I’ve never asked for a picture or a favor.  I try to be the least bothersome person they meet. We’ve played golf, we talked after the show, he sent me a text. but that’s about it.”

Parker just released a new single called What Kinda Man. He told Lon it marks a bit of a change for him: “I’m trying to find something new. My last two records sounded pretty clean, and now I want to challenge myself in a different way.”

So Lon asked what’s different about this? “This record is a door I haven’t opened yet.  I cut half of a record, and it sounded like the last two records. That scared me. I don’t want people to get bored.  That was enough of that route. I wanted to be uncomfortable again, and cut loose a little bit.  See what we can find.”

Up next for Parker: Two shows at The Gorge with Luke Combs: “I’ve never played with Luke. We’d never even met. As soon as the offer came in, Peyton Manning invited us to play golf. So we met at the airport when we were on the way to the golf course.  That was a great time.  Luke is easy to talk to and be around.  Peyton’s the same way.  The only thing I was mad about is I wasn’t playing very good.”

Parker also has great stories this week about Morgan Wallen, Cody Johnson, Corey Kent, Dasha, Chris Stapleton, and Thomas Rhett.

NEXT WEEK: Luke Bryan

Tags: featured

Category: CO-HOST