Warner Music NashvilleMichael Ray’s new video for “Real Men Love Jesus” is dedicated to his late grandfather, who passed away earlier this year. Amos “Papa” Roach was a huge influence on his grandson, even leading his own band, Country Cousins. In fact, Michael even plays his prized Gibson guitar in the clip.
“My family had a band, my dad and my uncle, three cousins and my grandpa. They had it before I was born, so I think they started kinda dispersing once the families and stuff started happening and the jobs,” he explains.
The “Kiss You in the Morning” hitmaker credits the family patriarch with much of his musical education.
“My grandfather was such a stickler on the history of country music,” he recalls. “He loved it! Growing up around him, like that was our kind of a bonding thing. You know, watching old tapes of the Opry with Minnie Pearl and Grandpa Jones and Stringbean and all of them doing their skits, seeing who would be on there singing and watching Austin City Limits or whatever, listening to old records and learning old songs.”
Next month, you just might hear Michael performing some of those songs, as he hits the road with Brantley Gilbert and Canaan Smith on The Blackout Tour.
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