Forever Redneck Tyler Farr On Music & Hunting

Proud Redneck Tyler Farr Talks How Music & Hunting Connect 

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The story of Tyler Farr’s big break in country music sounds like something that could happen only in Nashville. It was a case of being around the right person at the right time, and it came about through his love of hunting. 

At the time, he would take jobs playing at charity events and fundraisers and such, and that’s what he was doing when fate sauntered up. 

“I got asked to be the talent at a Porter Wagoner National Wild Turkey Federation event at a golf course out by Opryland,” Farr recalls. “It was just me and my guitar, playing songs for 30 or 45 minutes, and this guy came up to me and said, ‘Man, that was awesome!’” 

As they chit-chatted, the stranger commented on Farr’s camouflage-patterned guitar and wondered if he’d like to join him and some buddies on an upcoming hunting trip. Farr hadn’t yet realized his new friend was Jim Catino, an executive at Sony Records. Their friendship grew into a partnership when Catino offered him a record deal and produced his albums. 

“Looking back, that was probably the single biggest pivotal moment in my career,” Farr says. 

While it was the unusual-looking instrument with the Realtree wrap that caught Catino’s eye, Farr’s distinctive voice and songs had sealed the deal. He broke into the big time with “Redneck Crazy,” which has gone on to double-platinum status despite the stalker vibe that made the song somewhat controversial. Farr says he knew releasing the song as a single was risky, but his earlier ones hadn’t done as well as he’d hoped, so he felt like he wouldn’t gain anything at that point by playing it safe. He’s had repeated success over the years with other smash hits like “Whiskey in My Water” and “A Guy Walks Into a Bar.” 

From Opera To Opry 

As a native of Garden City, Missouri, about an hour’s drive south of Kansas City, Farr comes by the drawl in his speaking voice quite naturally, but he was actually a trained opera singer before fully embracing his honkytonk twang as a singer. He took classical voice lessons growing up and later studied vocal performance in college at Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State University). As a teen, he got a higher-level education from a true master. 

“When I was 16, my mom married George Jones’ lead guitar player, DeWayne Phillips, and I spent the whole summer riding the Jones Boys bus on their Cold Hard Truth tour,” he says. “It was back when he had that song out called ‘Choices,’ which is a song I loved and was really the last song he had that got played on the radio.” 

At first, Farr didn’t know what to make of the old man on the bus with the stiff white hair, a sleeveless undershirt, and a gold chain around his neck. Then he saw him on stage. 

“When I heard him sing ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ I just got goosebumps, and I immediately gravitated toward older country music,” he says. “What really got me was how he delivered the story and really made you feel something. To me, that’s what country music is all about, and that’s why I fell in love with it.” 

While he’s certainly made his own mark in music, many people also know Farr as a hunter thanks to his wide exposure through the Outdoor Channel’s Buck Commander. He says he’s always had an eye toward a career related to hunting in some form or fashion and had even minored in fish and wildlife management in college. He just felt like he had a better shot at making it as a country singer, so he moved to Nashville. 

He was in his early 20s when he scored a gig at the famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, first as a bouncer and then as a fill-in lead singer. He quickly realized he didn’t want to perform other people’s songs for hours at a time for the rest of his life. He headed back home to try and finish school, this time focusing on those fish and wildlife courses. Before leaving Music City, however, he’d recorded a CD with some help from Phillips, who by then was his stepfather. 

The Buck Starts Here 

Eventually, through some more hunting connections, his music fell into the right hands, including those of the successful songwriter and artist Rhett Akins. That was one more step toward Farr’s dreams coming true. Another happened about the time he got his record deal with Sony, when Farr was on the road with country rapper Colt Ford as both a guitarist and the opening act. One night in Louisiana, he hit it off with a pal of Ford’s named Willie Robertson, who would soon appear in Farr’s video for “Redneck Crazy” alongside Ford and Lee Brice. 

Farr reconnected with the Duck Dynasty star when his friend, touring partner, neighbor, and label mate Jason Aldean invited him on hunts at Adam LaRoche’s ranch in Kansas. In another significant moment in his life, Robertson approached him at a concert in Kentucky and asked if he’d like to come aboard as a part owner of Buck Commander.  

“And I almost started crying, being a redneck kid from Missouri,” he says. “I was like, ‘Dude, of course!’” 

What’s In Store For Tyler Farr? 

Artists of Tyler Farr’s stature are always looking for that next hit song, but he has many blessings to count in the meantime. These include a wife (Hannah) and young daughter (Hollis Caroline), plus a 200-acre farm outside of Nashville with abundant wildlife. 

“I don’t need much and I’ve never asked for much,” he says. “All I wanted was a farm, a tractor, a family, and a place to hunt and fish, and that was about it.” 

His involvement with Buck Commander, and the camaraderie it provides, scratch another longtime itch. 

“I have always wanted to be involved in the hunting industry one way or another, so it’s funny how things have come full circle.”