The Real Country Podcast by Nikki in Nashville

Nikki Cohn-Byrd
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Real Country is a podcast about the people, stories, and culture behind country and Western life; where music is the backbone, but not the whole story. Hosted by Nikki, Real Country goes beyond radio hits and industry hype to explore what it actually takes to build a life, career, or legacy rooted in country and Western values. Each episode features honest conversations with country music artists, creators, ranchers, entrepreneurs, photographers, and cultural voices shaping modern country, from Nashville to rural communities across the West. This show isn’t about chasing trends or overnight success. It’s about the long road: consistency, grit, creativity, and staying true to your way of life in a world that’s changing fast. You’ll hear real stories about breaking into music, building businesses, preserving culture, growing audiences, and creating something meaningful outside the mainstream. Real Country also dives into bigger conversations around culture, creativity, and the future, covering topics like independent artists, Western entrepreneurship, personal brand, content creation, land, work ethic, and the evolving role of technology and AI in music and media. If you care about country music, Western culture, honest work, and the people building something real, this podcast is for you.

  1. 1d ago

    Montana's Own Tanner Laws on Playing Under the Big Sky, Quitting Engineering, and "Little Country Wedding | Eps 40

    I kicked off day one of Under the Big Sky Fest in Whitefish MT this past July with one of Montana's own, Tanner Laws, who just came off the opening set of the day and absolutely delivered. Fresh off the stage and dripping in 92-degree Montana heat, we sat down to talk about one of the coolest full-circle moments I've heard all festival season. Three years ago, Tanner was in this exact crowd watching Zach Bryan's first year at Under the Big Sky, telling anyone who'd listen he was going to play this festival. At the time he was playing small bars around Montana for a hundred bucks and free drinks. Today he opened the whole thing. We talk about growing up in Thompson Falls, Montana, teaching himself guitar on YouTube in a college dorm room while getting a civil engineering degree, running the numbers on a napkin at 22 and betting everything on music, and what faith had to do with all of it. Plus his upcoming single, now released,  "Little Country Wedding," which is exactly what it sounds like: hay bales for seats, horses at the ceremony, brands in the field, and a reception in the barn. If you've never been to a Montana ranch wedding, this song is about to make you wish you had. We get into: The moment three years ago at this exact festival where he told people he'd be on this stageTrading a civil engineering career in Missoula for bars, breweries, and cold emailsHow faith drives everything he does — on stage and offHis advice for young artists trying to break inWhat it's like recording in Nashville and coming back home to MontanaHis parents, his family, and what it means to have everyone in your corner"Little Country Wedding" — the new single coming in about six weeksHis Three Doors Down curveball that has cowboys losing their minds at showsAnd the artists who shaped him: Marty Robbins, Keith Whitley, Merle Haggard, Tyler Childers, Turnpike Troubadours, and Zach TopStream Tanner Laws wherever you get your music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0WEauU5SgN5o8bpI97l25R?si=5DY70oFrSL20W-CrGwi9LQ  Follow the Real Country Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IlijkpNEoIffcEdK2H8Nd?si=366a623ebddd4e6c Thanks for listening! Tune in every week when we release new episodes discussing new music, chatting with artists, and all things country.

    Montana's Own Tanner Laws on Playing Under the Big Sky, Quitting Engineering, and "Little Country Wedding | Eps 40

  2. Sep 7

    From Bankruptcy to Tornado to NFR: How One Man Saved an American Saddle Legend | Adam Trenk of Billy Cook Saddles | Eps 38

    I sat down with Adam Trenk, attorney turned owner of one of the most iconic saddle brands in the American West, to talk about one of the most remarkable comeback stories I've ever heard. In 2019, Adam learned that Genuine Billy Cook Saddles, a 70-year-old American institution founded in Greenville, Texas in 1953, was on the verge of shutting down after its founder passed away. With no background in manufacturing and a legal career in Arizona, he bought it anyway. Then in April 2024, a tornado leveled the entire factory in Sulfur, Oklahoma, a total loss. And somehow, on the other side of all of it, Genuine Billy Cook is now the Official Saddle of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and the PRCA. This episode is for every horse person, rodeo fan, western lifestyle lover, and anyone who grew up putting their boot in a Billy Cook stirrup and never forgot it. We talk about: Growing up in New Jersey with a grandfather who managed thoroughbred racetracks and the Billy Cook saddle that started it allWhat the company looked like when Adam took over and what it took to restore its legacyThe April 2024 tornado that wiped out the Sulfur, Oklahoma factory completelyRebuilding from scratch; what resilience actually looks like in practiceBecoming the Official Saddle of the NFR and the PRCA and what that means for the brandThe Sulfur Stampede; a rodeo and music festival helping rebuild an entire town's economyCustom saddle fitting, new apparel and lifestyle products launching at Cowboy Christmas in Las VegasWhat six summers training horses in Montana and Idaho taught him about businessWhy Billy Cook is, in his own words, "an undeniable American legacy"Whether you're a lifelong rodeo fan, a horse person who grew up in a Billy Cook, or someone who just discovered western culture through Yellowstone and wants to go deeper, this one's for you. 🐴 Shop Genuine Billy Cook: genuinebillycook.com  📲 Instagram: @genuinebillycook Billy Cook Saddles, NFR, National Finals Rodeo, PRCA, western lifestyle, cowboy culture, rodeo, American made, saddle making, horsemanship, cowgirl, cowboy, Wrangler NFR, Cowboy Christmas Las Vegas, Sulfur Oklahoma, western fashion, Real Country Podcast, horse people, rodeo life, American West, comeback story, small business Thanks for listening! Tune in every week when we release new episodes discussing new music, chatting with artists, and all things country.

    From Bankruptcy to Tornado to NFR: How One Man Saved an American Saddle Legend | Adam Trenk of Billy Cook Saddles | Eps 38

  3. Aug 31

    From Garbage Truck to Grand Ole Opry; Riley Downing's Landfill Poetry | Eps 37 of the Real Country Podcast

    From Garbage Truck to Grand Ole Opry;  Riley Downing's Landfill Poetry Missouri-raised troubadour Riley Downing stopped by the Real Country Podcast at his album release party at Skinny Dennis in Nashville to talk to me about one of the most unique origin stories in Americana music.  Before joining the Deslondes and landing on John Prine's legendary Oh Boy Records, Riley was riding a trash truck in Holt, Missouri, and writing songs the whole time. In this episode, I sit down with Riley to dig into his sophomore solo album Landfill Poetry, a raw, stripped-down collection of autobiographical songs written from memories of growing up in small-town Missouri. We talk about the line that started it all ("This business stinks, but it's picking up"), the guitar strap he found in a guitar case in someone's trash, and why the golden armadillo tarot card might just be his new good luck charm. Riley also opens up about: Trading a trash truck driving contract for a band in New Orleans and never looking backHow New Orleans shaped his sound and musical tasteBalancing solo life with his work in the DeslondesThe deeply personal song he wrote for his grandparents in their own homeHis upcoming Grand Ole Opry debut and what it means to himWhy he packed up and moved to New York City and what he thinks about it nowPlus the quick hits: purple Skittles, Gorditos, the worst thing he ever found on the job (we spared you), and the one line he'd use to get you off your phone and onto his record. Landfill Poetry is out now on Oh Boy Records. Riley Downing, Landfill Poetry, Americana music, Oh Boy Records, Grand Ole Opry, the Deslondes, Real Country Podcast, singer songwriter, folk country, indie country, John Prine, New Orleans music, Missouri music, Skinny Dennis Nashville Thanks for listening! Tune in every week when we release new episodes discussing new music, chatting with artists, and all things country.

    From Garbage Truck to Grand Ole Opry; Riley Downing's Landfill Poetry | Eps 37 of the Real Country Podcast

  4. Aug 26

    "Hard to Be a Hero in a World That Doesn't Want to Be Saved" | Frank Ray on the Real Country Podcast

    Former cop turned country artist Frank Ray sits down with me to talk life on the road, fatherhood, and what it really means to serve.  Frank opens up about his 10 years in law enforcement, the moment Keith Urban changed everything, and the story behind his powerful new song "Hard To Be A Hero", written to memorialize a fallen officer and humanize the men and women who do the job every day.  He also talks about his FRAY initiative supporting first responder mental health, his Tracy Lawrence collab on the new EP Good For The Soul, and what it actually looks like to balance tour life with three daughters at home. Topics covered: law enforcement mental health · first responder PTSD · Latino country music · Tracy Lawrence · Good For The Soul EP · FRAY initiative · life on the road · fatherhood · country music Frank Ray, country music, Latino country, first responders, mental health, Good For The Soul, Tracy Lawrence, Real Country Podcast, country podcast, new country music 2026 Thanks for listening! Tune in every week when we release new episodes discussing new music, chatting with artists, and all things country.

    "Hard to Be a Hero in a World That Doesn't Want to Be Saved" | Frank Ray on the Real Country Podcast

  5. Jun 23

    Freelance Cowboy: Brennan Scott Greene on Day Work, Dream Songs & the Didgeridoo - Real Country Podcast Eps 36

    Brennan Scott Greene is a freelance cowboy in the truest sense... by day he's working ranches across the Texas Panhandle, and by night he's on stage opening festivals like Dusty Vaquero Days in Gillette, Wyoming with one of the most unforgettable sets in western music. In this episode, I sit down with Brennan right after his performance to talk about what it means to live the cowboy life in 2026, how that life shapes his songwriting, and why his music sounds like a dream you can almost remember. What we get into: Growing up on a ranch in the Texas Panhandle: his family's been there since 1900What "day working" actually means and why he keeps his saddle in the vanWriting songs like film scores and dream logic: his unique approach to western storytellingHow the didgeridoo became his signature instrument (hint: it started with PVC pipe)The bobcat skin, the deer antler stand, and why the weird setup just worksHis third record in progress and the Tennessee connectionWhy festivals like Dusty Vaquero Days matter for preserving real cowboy musicIf you love western music, cowboy culture, and artists who actually live what they sing about, this one's for you. Brennan Scott Greene | Real Country Podcast | Dusty Vaquero Days | Western Music | Cowboy Music | Texas Panhandle | Traditional Country | Storytelling Songwriters | Working Cowboys Thanks for listening! Tune in every week when we release new episodes discussing new music, chatting with artists, and all things country.

    Freelance Cowboy: Brennan Scott Greene on Day Work, Dream Songs & the Didgeridoo - Real Country Podcast Eps 36

  6. May 3

    Rachel Brooke: The Underground Country Queen on AI in Music, Staying Independent & Why She'll Never Sell Out

    Y'all, this one was SO good. I got to sit down with Rachel Brooke. the underground country queen from Northern Michigan, and honestly this might be one of my favorite conversations I've had on the Real Country Podcast. Her new album This One's For You dropped April 24th and she came in with zero filter. Love her for it. We talk about what it actually looks like to do everything yourself as an independent country artist, the booking, the emails, the registering, the social media you hate but have to do anyway.  Rachel breaks down that split between being the artist and being the business owner, and how those two people literally cannot exist at the same time. We also get into AI in country music and why it genuinely frustrates her (she brings up the John Henry song and it's perfect), her roots growing up in the woods of Northern Michigan with a banjo-picking dad, her five biggest musical influences from Hank Williams to Fats Domino to Brian Wilson, the story behind Sing Sad Songs, and why she's finally made peace with the "underground" label. Oh, and we played "You Chose Poorly" a little game on bad relationships, terrible advice, and a THC cider story that had me LOLing. If you love real country music, independent artists, and honest conversations about the music industry this episode is for you. Rachel Brooke | Real Country Podcast | independent country music | underground country | authentic songwriting | country music podcast | new country music 2026 Thanks for listening! Tune in every week when we release new episodes discussing new music, chatting with artists, and all things country.

    Rachel Brooke: The Underground Country Queen on AI in Music, Staying Independent & Why She'll Never Sell Out

  7. Apr 10

    Alex Miller: More Country Than You (And He Can Prove It) | Real Country Podcast Eps 34

    Alex Miller has been more country than most people twice his age since he was ten years old, and this conversation proves it. Raised in Lancaster, Kentucky on Merle Haggard records and late nights at honky tonks with his granddaddy, Alex Miller is 22 years old and already has a Grand Ole Opry debut, an American Idol Season 19 run, and a brand new album under his belt. And not just any album, More Country Than You features an unreleased Alan Jackson song, duets with Tracy Byrd and Emily Ann Roberts, and might be the most authentically traditional country record you'll hear this year. I sit down with Alex for a wide-ranging conversation about where he came from, what drives him, and why he can't help but be exactly who he is. In this episode: Growing up in Kentucky honky tonks at age 10 with his granddaddyHow Merle Haggard, George Jones, and George Strait shaped his soundThe unreleased Alan Jackson track on his new albumHis American Idol Season 19 experience, including a cornbread moment with Ryan Seacrest you didn't see on TVHow Eddie Montgomery showed up at his mom's house and personally invited him to play the Grand Ole OpryWhy authentic country music is having a moment, and why Alex can't make anything elseThe Hank Williams Sr. song he'd wish he'd writtenWhat legacy means to a 22-year-old who's already lived a lot of lifeIf you love traditional country music and artists who are the real deal, this one's for you. 🎵 Find Alex Miller's music on all streaming platforms  🎟️ Catch Alex Miller on tour in 2026  📲 Follow Alex Miller on socials Subscribe to Real Country wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening! Tune in every week when we release new episodes discussing new music, chatting with artists, and all things country.

    Alex Miller: More Country Than You (And He Can Prove It) | Real Country Podcast Eps 34

  8. Mar 31

    T. Graham Brown on 40+ Years of Marriage, Country Music Legends, and Still Loving the Ride | Eps 33

    On this special episode of The Real Country Podcast, The Real Country Corner, I sit down with T. Graham Brown for a conversation that feels like sitting with a true piece of country music history. With an illustrious career spanning more than 50 years, T. Graham has built a legacy not only through his own music, but through the incredible company he’s kept along the way. We talk about his friendships and experiences with some of the most legendary names in country music, the staying power it takes to last in this business, and what it means to still be having fun with your career in your 70s. We also get into the personal side of that longevity, including his 40-plus-year marriage and why he credits his wife as such a huge part of his success. On the music side, we talk about his recent accomplishments, including earning a #1 blues chart album after five decades in the business, his Grand Ole Opry member induction, and the perspective that comes from still creating, performing, and loving the work after all these years. This is a conversation about legacy, resilience, love, friendship, faith, and the kind of career that only comes from doing it for real, and doing it for a long time. If you love classic country music, country music history, Grand Ole Opry stories, legendary artists, and conversations with the people who helped shape the genre, this episode is for you. In this episode, we get into:  T. Graham Brown’s legendary career in country music  His friendships with some of the biggest names in the genre  The secret to a 40+ year marriage  His Grand Ole Opry member induction  Reaching #1 on the blues charts after 50 years in music  Why he’s still loving the ride and making music in his 70sThanks for listening! Tune in every week when we release new episodes discussing new music, chatting with artists, and all things country.

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About

Real Country is a podcast about the people, stories, and culture behind country and Western life; where music is the backbone, but not the whole story. Hosted by Nikki, Real Country goes beyond radio hits and industry hype to explore what it actually takes to build a life, career, or legacy rooted in country and Western values. Each episode features honest conversations with country music artists, creators, ranchers, entrepreneurs, photographers, and cultural voices shaping modern country, from Nashville to rural communities across the West. This show isn’t about chasing trends or overnight success. It’s about the long road: consistency, grit, creativity, and staying true to your way of life in a world that’s changing fast. You’ll hear real stories about breaking into music, building businesses, preserving culture, growing audiences, and creating something meaningful outside the mainstream. Real Country also dives into bigger conversations around culture, creativity, and the future, covering topics like independent artists, Western entrepreneurship, personal brand, content creation, land, work ethic, and the evolving role of technology and AI in music and media. If you care about country music, Western culture, honest work, and the people building something real, this podcast is for you.

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