We had the good fortune of connecting with Josh Varnes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Josh, why did you pursue a creative career?
Art is subjective to each individual. However, art is who we are as people. Art defines a culture and represents who we are as humans. As a songwriter, I feel there is a responsibility to capture the human condition through storytelling in every situation: serious or not. Whether that be twirling around a witchy woman in a smokey honkytonk, capturing the love and pain behind the tears, or just writing something personally vulnerable. The human condition is something we all experience; I feel that if someone has the passion, skill, and work ethic to pursue capturing that in any art form, then they have a responsibility to do so. This is why I am pursuing a career as an artist and songwriter.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was a late bloomer when it came to playing music, but music has always been a part of my life. I’ve been influenced by everything: from the Ink Spots to the Allman Brothers, Sam Cooke to Cody Johnson, Etta James to Merle Haggard. I LOVE all kinds of music, but my personal style has always been a heavy mixture of country gold with Texas roots and southern rock/blues. Getting to this point in my life hasn’t been all cornbread and buttermilk. Most of it was lonely; I taught myself to play and sing during nursing school and a global pandemic, during which I was on the front lines in hospitals. Music was always an outlet for me, getting to put the stories of things I’d witnessed into songs as a way of coping. Six strings and a notepad was how I kept myself sane. My wife was the impetus for the music to absolutely explode in my life. Without her, none of this would be possible. If there’s anything I want the world to know about MY BRAND, it’s that this Texan has lived hard, loved soft, and is always ready to get rowdy and dance holes in the soles of some old boots.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them wherever they wanted the first few days. BUT, after that, I would take them to Midnight Oil for a sweet heat pizza, a few drinks at The Centennial, we’d listen to live bluegrass at The Nations Bar and Grill, go dance at Skinny Dennis, shoot some pool at Dirty Melrose, grab food and listen to music at The Local, we’d probably go spend a day at Percy Priest, maybe take a day and hang out in Leipers Fork. there really is no shortage of things to do in this town if you know where to go!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First of all, I want to thank Tennessee Highlighter for giving me a platform to share a bit of myself and who I am. There are so many people I could put into this shoutout, but I’ll keep it concise. My WIFE is the most incredible, understanding, and supportive person of this dream. When I first suggested us moving to Nashville in 2023 to pursue music, I was half joking and expected her to receive it as a boy’s dream, not a man’s future. She didn’t. In fact, she believed in me so much that she agreed to move here with me prior to even being engaged. After we got here, she encouraged me (sometimes forced me) to get out of my comfort zone and really put myself out there. She’s there for me after the late night shows, early morning writes, and even interrupting dinner to jot down song ideas. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to put myself out there, I wouldn’t have a Record Deal with Label 22, and I wouldn’t be recording my first album! She deserves all of my shoutouts until the red Heavenly carpet comes unfurled.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshvarnesmusic/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@joshvarnes6695

Other: TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@joshvarnesmusic?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutTennessee is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.