9 May 2008
An Interview with Paul Bogart
by Jeff Bourque
On Sunday, May 11th at 6 p.m., we will have the Future Grace Celebration Concert to celebrate Future Grace and all that it means for our congregation. During the concert, you will have the opportunity to see David Spencer, Ben Shive, Wendy Wills, Laurianne Cates, Josh Wilson, and Paul Bogart perform some of their songs with a full band. The remainder of this post is an interview with Josh Wilson.
Paul Bogart was raised in a small town just north of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Growing up in the rodeo world he competed nationally in rodeos and American Quarter Horse shows both in the team roping and calf roping events. Along with rodeo, music became a big part of Paul’s life especially within his family.
During college Paul started taking his music career more seriously and began touring across Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri playing in venues such as “The Cains Ballroom” and “The Lazy E Arena.” After graduating from Rogers State University, he packed his bags and moved to Nashville in June of 2005 in pursuit of a career as a singer/songwriter. As a song writer, Paul’s music has been greatly influenced by the rodeo world and Christian values. It is this style of country music that truly characterizes Paul Bogart and the lyrics that people grow to love.
I’ve been asking the same question to everyone to begin: how long have you been at Grace, and what made you decide to become a member here?
Tanya and I joined Grace in the spring of 2007 after visiting for several months. During those months of visiting we realized that this was a place where we could plug in and serve. We felt like the elders and staff humbly led this relatively new congregation in a way that was glorifying to God. It is a wonderful fit for Tanya and me. Grace has become a “family away from family.”
You’ve been in Nashville for a couple years pursuing singing/ songwriting, and you have at least one major cut (Porter Wagner). What has it been like seeing Nashville country music up close, and what are you currently pursuing?
Seeing the music industry up close makes me feel like I’ve gone back to school. I graduated with a business management degree, and now I’m getting my education in the music industry and I love it! It has been a blessing to see how the Lord has allowed me to meet some “heavy hitters” in the music scene. I’m a glutton for knowledge from those guys because they’ve been here much longer than me, and they know how this industry works. There are definitely some long-term goals, but currently I am honing my songwriting skills by trying to co-write with, and learn from successful writers in town.
You’re a rodeo man. I’m such a city boy that I don’t believe I’ve ever known one personally. Can you describe the feeling you get when you’re out there trying to rope a calf?
Going from 0 to 30 miles per hour in just a few strides, on a horse that I have trained and trust to do the job, while swinging my rope as the wind going past my face causes my eyes to water, releasing my loop anticipating my dismount to sprint to a 200 lb calf and throw him to the ground and tie three of his legs together, then throw my hands I the air. Well, I guess when I think about it like that, it’s pretty intense.
What songs can we look forward to hearing on Sunday night?
I wrote “Get Back in the Saddle” with Billy Montana and John Griffin. It is a song about family, faith, and the life of a rodeo cowboy learning to keep fighting no matter what life brings.
“Just Might Be Love” is a cozy little chick flick piled into two verses and a chorus. It’s one of Tanya’s favorites and I hope you all like it too.
Geoffrey Mack wrote a song called “I’ve Been Everywhere” that became a hit in Australia in 1962 with the release of a version recorded by Lucky Starr. Later that year a version was written by Mack with American and Canadian cities (instead of the Australian ones) and recorded by Hank Snow. I learned this song in college after a summer of traveling about 15,000 miles going from one rodeo to the next.
Category: Invitations.
