David Bradley
Raised in Anacortes, Washington, singer-songwriter, and Nashville transplant Joey Hendricks began playing music at an early age, but it wasn't until later in life after discovering the likes of Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings that he was drawn to the country genre.
Hendricks has come a long way since first picking up a guitar and moving to Nashville after high school. Since then, he has been called "the Nashville John Mayer" by Pop Culturalist and his debut single has earned over 674k streams on Spotify alone. On the cusp of his debut EP release, Between The Clouds on March 12, we caught up with Joey to ask him about his most significant influences in the music industry.
From The Beatles and Willie Nelson to Kacey Musgraves and John Mayer, Hendricks opens up about how these five artists led him to pursue a career in country music and how they continue to make an impact on him to this very day.
1. The Beatles
The Beatles were one of the first bands I remember hearing and loving as a kid. My dad would always play them, so they're a big part of my childhood and stand out as a huge influence for me.
2. Willie Nelson
Being that I didn’t get into country music until later in life, Willie was one of the first singer-songwriters I ever studied and made me fall in love with songwriting and chord structure.
3. Kacey Musgraves
Her first record came out when I was in high school, right around the same time I started learning guitar and writing songs. I’ve been a huge fan of hers ever since.
4. Neil Young
There are only a couple of albums I’ve played as many times as Harvest. One of my all-time favorites.
5. John Mayer
He is just one of the best songwriters and guitar players of our generation. He’s the kind of artist I strive to be as far as always changing and experimenting with new sounds and being almost genre-less.