Country Music Star Scotty McCreery Goes Deep

by Joe Bosso I portraits by Jeff Ray

“It seems like such a long time ago, but it also feels like yesterday,” says Scotty McCreery, reflecting on his resounding triumph on season 10 of American Idol back in 2011–when he was all of 16 years old. “I didn’t really know what was going on. I was just a kid, so I was pretty naïve. I was just trying to make the most of it, and you know, it turned out pretty cool.” He laughs. “I’ve been trying to make the most of it ever since.”

McCreery’s humility is laudable given his boast-worthy accomplishments in the 14 years since his American Idol win. In an age when album sales have cratered, he’s moved considerable units (over four million full-lengths) while racking up numerous gold and platinum singles such as “In Between,” “Five More Minutes” and “This is It.” McCreery’s songs have an easy-going, traditional mainstream charm that suit his rich, soothing baritone–it’s a combination that fits the still-boyish 31-year-old’s regular-guy-next-door image like a glove. While contemporaries like Morgan Wallen seem to court headlines, McCreery is decidedly controversy-free.

“I’m not looking for that kind of attention,” he says. “I think I purposely try to stay out of the limelight when I'm not on stage or when I'm not doing something. Probably too much–I'm sure my team would prefer I stay a little more at the forefront of whatever. I still live in North Carolina when I'm not on the road, and I just try to have a little sense of normalcy.” He pauses, then says, “Being on stage and having people chant your name and yell for you–that's not real life. It's a dream that I get to live.”

Which he will in just a few hours. As thousands of fans make their way inside the Desert Diamond Casino in Sahuarita, Arizona, McCreery kills time in the back of his comfortably appointed tour bus. He’s about 50 dates into his 2025 tour, and he’s already booked solid till the Christmas holidays. Yet there’s no trace of ennui about him–he still has the youthful exuberance that belonged to him when he first arrived on the scene. “Ever since I was a kid, I fantasized about playing country music for a living,” he says. “And here I am–I get to wake up every day, write songs, go play 'em around the world, and people care enough to show up and sing 'em with me. If somebody would've told me in 2011, ‘You’ll be doing all of that in 2025,’ I would've shaken their hand in a heartbeat and said, ‘Well, all right! I'll sign up for that!’”

That deep voice of yours–did you have that as a kid?

I did. It was there as long as I can remember. You know, I always idolized country singers like Johnny Cash and Randy Travis. Josh Turner was another big one for me. I think I tried to sing that way as a young kid, even when I couldn't. After that, it happened sort of naturally.

Was there a particular song or album that knocked you down and made you think, “Yeah… I’ve got to do that”?

The Storms of Life by Randy Travis. I think it’s my favorite record of all time. I love his songwriting, and I think he’s one of the truly great artists we have. I should also mention Jamey Johnson – “That Lonesome Song” and “The High Cost of Living.” He’s amazing. But yeah, Storms of Life is something I listened to from front to back, over and over.

There are so many influences–Conway Twitty, Alan Jackson…Alan could tell his story through songs and entertain you doing it. It always comes down to songs and songwriting. Oh, but Elvis was big for me, too. I got a book about him when I was five years old, and I wanted to be like him. I quickly found out I'll never be that cool.

I don't know if you want to be exactly like Elvis. Maybe you could skip the shooting up TVs and eating fried peanut butter sandwiches by the dozen.

[Laughs] Yeah, maybe not that part, but early Elvis was as cool as they come.

What about your vocal phrasing? Any particular influences there? 

There’s a myriad of singers. George Strait… he can deliver a song but sound so relaxed and cool. That’s something I aim for. Honestly, I think a lot of my singing goes back to my high school chorus days. My chorus teacher was always on me to enunciate properly. Sometimes I listen to my records and think, “Man, I put too much of a consonant sound there.” But that’s how I grew up learning the classical style of training.

I always think that country singers have it tougher than rock singers because you guys have to enunciate every word, whereas rock singers can get away with murder. Mick Jagger made a career off “What the hell is he saying?”

[Laughs] Exactly! There’s that Pearl Jam song I've seen online and on socials, it's like, “What's he even saying there?” Yeah, they're telling stories their way, but with our songs, it’s important that people hear each word.

You mentioned Pearl Jam. What kinds of music do you listen to that aren’t in your wheelhouse?

I listen to rock, but it’s more of the throwback stuff – your Aerosmiths, your Journeys. My dad was listening to those guys when I was growing up. But I love R&B, too. You remember the Gap Band?

Of course! “You Dropped a Bomb on Me.”

[Laughs] Yeah, yeah! I've become good friends with Charlie Wilson, who was their lead singer there. I love listening to their stuff and Charlie's stuff. So yeah, I listen to other types of music. It’s not all country.

Your songwriting has evolved and increased over the years. Does writing come easily to you, or is it a struggle?

I don't know if I would ever say it's easy, because I write a lot more songs that aren't great than songs that sound pretty good. But I do think I'm a lot more comfortable writing than I used to be. I was intimidated to tell my story through songs. When I got to Nashville, there were all these songwriters I loved and admired. I would write with them, but the whole time I thought they must be judging me. You know – “Here’s the TV kid. Let’s see if he’s got the chops.” But once I got in there and got to know these people and make relationships, I wasn’t so scared to tell my story. I got more comfortable. Now I think my favorite thing in all of this is songwriting.

Everybody writes a lot of bad songs until they write that first really good one. What was the first song you wrote that made you think, “That’s a banger”?

I think “See You Tonight” was the first one that worked for me at radio, and that gave me a lot of confidence to continue writing. I had others before it that were good. There was a song called “Before Midnight” that I sent to my friends. They were like, “Oh, cool, man!” I'd send 'em other song that kind of told our story – they loved that stuff. “Five More Minutes” is more recent song, and it was a big one. I tweeted after I left the studio, “I think I just wrote my favorite song I’ve ever written.” That’s still true today.

You like to kick back with a cigar every now and then. What’s your go-to smoke?

I love Tabernacles. The Tabernacle Havana Seed is great. I’d say the double corona is my favorite in the humidor right now. Cigars are a great way to slow down. Everything goes so fast these days – “I want this now, I gotta do this.” A cigar allows you to sit down, grab a magazine, grab a friend, have a conversation. I don’t get those moments as often as I’d like. 

Do you smoke cigars on the road to unwind?

Not before a show, but I’ll have one after we play. That’s a great wind-down – with a nice bourbon.

What kind of bourbons do you like?

Michter’s, for sure. That’s one I’m enjoying right now. But there’s a lot of great ones – Buffalo Trace is nice; even the Benchmark, which is a cheaper Buffalo Trace, that’s great, too. They pair well with a cigar. Give me a smoke and a little bourbon with a small ice cube, and I’m a happy man. 

New Jersey native Joe Bosso is obsessed with movies of the '70s, music of the '60s and cigars of any vintage. A graduate of NYU film school, Joe has written for TV shows you definitely know (like The Sopranos) and a few you might have missed. He spent 10 years in the record business and actually got to see a rock star trash a hotel room (identity withheld because, well, you know...)