Why the future of country music sounds like it’s 30 years old.
There’s a brand new country singer in Nashville, but he sounds like he’s been at it since the ’90s. This is exactly what Zach Top is all about: making the kind of music he fell in love with growing up in Sunnyside, Washington. And while he only made the move to Nashville in 2021, he’s already made his mark as the new guy who sings the old stuff.
Fans are lining up to hear him play, and other bona fide stars are publicly singing his praises. Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Parker McCollum, Jake Owen, Cole Swindell, Miranda Lambert, Cody Johnson, Carly Pearce, and Granger Smith are just some of the artists declaring Top the next big thing after the release of his breakout hit, “Sounds Like the Radio.” The rest of his debut album Cold Beer & Country Music is due out April 5.
Top sat down with C&I in a Nashville dive bar for a Q&A about why his music’s such a welcome change of pace.
C&I: Is there anyone in Nashville who hasn’t been sharing your name with the world?
Top: It’s been crazy. And I’m very grateful. Those artists don’t stand to gain much from saying those nice things, so I have to believe it’s a very genuine reaction to how much they enjoy the music. People always come around to, “This is the stuff that made me fall in love with country music.” That’s the sentiment. They’re glad I’m bringing it back, but making it fresh, and that makes me feel like I’m doing something right. All that old stuff is still what I listen to to this day.
C&I: What was your early life like in Sunnyside?
Top: We didn’t live on a cattle ranch, but we had goats, angus cattle, horses and more. So it was a farm-raising life: getting up at 5 a.m. to do chores, feed the animals, clean out the water troughs. My dad paid me 25 cents for two hours of chores, and I thought I was rolling in money. We had a bigger ranch we’d go to for brandings and gathers when we’d bring the cattle in from the pasture fields. You just get on a horse, round them up, and push them back to the catch pens. So I was somewhat useful (laughs).
C&I: Did you picture your future that way? Doing cowboy things?
Top: Yes. All the cowboy stuff. My real dream was to be a team roper. When I was too little to rope a calf, I started on goats. Me and my buddy would run around on foot and team rope the goats. Then we eventually started on a calf. But I wasn’t no good at it, and by then, I knew I was better at playing and singing.
C&I: And now you’re so good at it that Lainey Wilson is bringing you out on the road for her Country’s Cool Again tour. What are you hoping that’ll be like?
Top: The music Lainey’s making is a lot more country than what’s been out there lately. I haven’t met her yet, but I’m really excited to. You can’t find anybody that’s got a bad thing to say about her! I hope we get to hang out, write some, and maybe even work on a collaboration. A boy can dream, right? That’ll be my first big tour, so it’s a big step up for me. We’ve played decent size theaters, but this’ll be my first steady diet of arenas and amphitheaters. I’ll be finding new ways to keep people entertained on a big ol’ stage. My favorite part of any concert — no matter what size the room is — is when people know my songs and they sing them back to me.
C&I: Do you remember the first big country show you saw?
Top: I do. It was at the county fair, and I brought my first girlfriend to see John Michael Montgomery opening for Dwight Yoakam.
C&I: You’ve had a bluegrass band and now a country band. Have you always made room in your head for both?
Top: Country’s always been where my heart is. But when I took my first guitar lesson at 5 years old, my teacher asked what I wanted to learn and I said, “Amarillo by Morning.” But she was into bluegrass music, so she got me and my siblings to play guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and bass. That was just the world I was growing up in, until I had an avenue to get into country music.
C&I: You sure dress the part. Almost like an old-school George Strait uniform. What’s your ride-or-die outfit?
Top: It’s always been Wrangler jeans for me, ever since I was a little kid. And I like Kimes Ranch for shirts. My cowboy hat is an American Hat Company hat because that’s my daddy wore. My boots are from Fenoglio Boots. They’re handmade in Nocona, Texas. And my belt buckle’s from the NFR (National Finals Rodeo). They gave it to me just for singing the national anthem there. So I didn’t have to do near as much work as them cowboys.
C&I: If you weren’t having this kind of fame and fortune, what would you be doing now?
Top: Most likely I’d be working construction, but still playing shows on the weekends. I’d never get too far away from the music. But I ain’t started making money yet. I spend everything I have on my band and our van and trailer.
Cold Beer & Country Music Track Listing:
- “Sounds Like the Radio” (Zach Top, Carson Chamberlain, Wyatt McCubbin)
- “Cold Beer & Country Music” (Top, Chamberlain)
- “Cowboys Like Me Do” (Top, Chamberlain, Roger Springer)
- “There’s the Sun” (Top, Chamberlain, McCubbin)
- “Dirt Turns to Gold” (Top, Chamberlain, Paul Overstreet)
- “The Kinda Woman I Like” (Top, Chamberlain, Michael White)
- “Lonely for Long” (Top, Chamberlain, Mark Nesler)
- “Bad Luck” (Top, Chamberlain, Nesler)
- “Use Me” (Top, Chamberlain, Tim Nichols)
- “Ain’t That a Heartbreak” (Top, Chamberlain, Overstreet)
- “I Never Lie” (Top, Chamberlain, Nichols)
- “Things To Do” (Top, Chamberlain, Nesler)
Check out Zach Top and his music on Spotify or Apple Music.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy of management
