Ride Like Hank, with Austin Moody

Budding pilot lands between country and rock

With a private pilot license under his belt in his early teens and plans to join the Air Force, Austin Moody always knew he’d fly high, but the future tuned out to be more earthbound for this talented East Tennessee farmboy.

Showing sheep and cattle through the county 4-H chapter, the hardworking Moody had also taken up the banjo at 9, and began playing in local bands. By his teens, he was writing his own songs. After a Marty Stuart & the Fabulous Superlatives show, a 70-year old friend and band leader gave Stuart a copy of Moody’s homemade CD, pulled a guitar out of his truck and had the teenager singing his tunes for the Grammy-winning icon.

Fast forward to Nashville, and a publishing deal. “It was everything I thought I wanted,” Moody said, “But it didn’t make me feel the way I thought it would.” Raised on Don Williams, Johnny Cash and Earl Scruggs, with a strong pull to the rock of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Moody’s music wasn’t aligned to today’s country radio, and he knew he needed to hit the road—his own road. The deep-voiced singer headed west and south to clear his mind.

His long journey through California, Mexico, Texas, Muscle Shoals, AL, deserts, and many, many smoky-club jams brought Moody, the boy who sang “Folsom Prison” at his grandmother’s funeral, back to Nashville and the album Ride Like Hank. Moody talked to Elmore about the title track.

“When Tommy Conners and I wrote ‘Ride Like Hank,’ we were talking about where country music was currently at,” Moody said. “Seemed like we were hearing songs that were talking about the same thing over and over—tailgates and sugar shakers. Not saying there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s just not what I wanted to sing about. I was tired of folks persuading me to sell out to do what was popular at the time, and I wanted to do my own thing. Hank Sr. Inspired artists like Cash, Waylon, Willie and Merle. All of which are legendary heroes in my life. So, I tried to come up with something the ‘original outlaw’ Hank Senior, would approve.”

So, Hank, here it is.