Cash Campbell’s ‘Callin’ Baton Rouge’ Video Is Addictive [Exclusive Premiere]
Through the years, "Callin’ Baton Rouge" has been covered by everyone from the Oak Ridge Boys to New Grass Revival. But it’s Garth Brooks' 1994 cut that inspired Cash Campbell's version and the accompanying video.
"I went to see (Garth Brooks) in concert back when I was in the seventh grade," Campbell recalls. The viral sensation's clip is premiering exclusively on Taste of Country.
"It was unbelievable. There he was running all over the stage, doing backflips off the risers. I was floored. I had never seen anything like it," he adds.
So when it came time for Campbell to release his much-anticipated next cover, the Texas native says that it was an easy decision to go with a song from an artist who has always made such an impact on him.
"I’ve always just loved that song," says the newcomer, who broke onto the country music scene covering songs from superstar acts like Florida Georgia Line, Brett Young and Sam Hunt. "I got the chance recently to play some shows with Granger Smith, and as a new artist, I wanted to give the audience the chance to hear something they knew, so we started to play ‘Callin’ Baton Rouge.’ Before you knew it, I was jumping off the stage and getting into the middle of the audience stomping and clapping.”
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Campbell's rendition of the country classic is a tad different from Brooks’ version, but that's part of the appeal. “Yep, it’s a couple beats faster than Garth’s version,” he says with a laugh. Campbell grew up on an eclectic mix of music. If it wasn't Brooks, it was Tupac (Shakur) — or sometimes John Michael Montgomery or the Top Gun soundtrack. "In the video, we actually start the song really slow with a barbershop type of harmony, but I ended up wanting to speed it up. It’s been interesting to see how fast I could spit out the words.”
Working alongside Dallas-based photographer/videographer Shaun Menary, Campbell begins the "Callin' Baton Rouge" video with what he refers to that familiar "Brady Bunch/Pentatonix" type of video setup, similar to what he featured in his cover video of Brett Young’s hit song “In Case You Didn’t Know.”
“From there, Shaun actually came up with the idea of walking through the video set, where I eventually end up with my band," he explains.
And then, when the audience least expects it, Campbell encounters a chicken. Or rather, a man in a chicken suit.
“That will all make sense soon,” he says, laughing. “That’s all I can say about that.”
Make no mistake — this cover is just the next step on Campbell's dream to find country music stardom. Yet, even he admits this wasn’t always the plan. “I was a typical Southern kid who played football and baseball and dreamt of being the point guard for the Dallas Mavericks,” he says. As of late has been spending roughly 10 days a month in Nashville writing. “I was building forts and jumping in creeks and even though my dad and grandpa were in music, I just wasn’t thinking about it.”
The tide turned when Campbell was 15 years old. “It was my first year in high school and I was watching my school’s talent show when I saw this guy get up there and play a song on his guitar in front of two-thousand kids,” he recalls. “It was a moment of total tunnel vision for me. I immediately went home and got my dad’s guitar out of the closet.”
And the rest is history.
Campbell recently released original songs in "Cannonball,” “Little Things” and “Don’t Wanna Think About It," and he is quickly finding a loyal fanbase that's growing addicted to the Texan’s impressive vocals and distinctive style.
And heck, he might even grab the attention of Brooks himself!
“I’ve never met Garth, but he is one of those guys that I would probably find myself star struck by," Campbell says, "Even though I would try to play it cool.”
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