On this day (December 18) in 1966, James Barry Poole was born in Cartersville, Georgia. Nearly three decades later, he would take the stage name Cledus T. Judd and begin writing and recording hilarious parodies of country songs. He also writes original comedic songs.
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Poole didn’t come to Nashville with the ambition of becoming the Weird Al of country music. Instead, he was chasing his dream of being a country singer. However, in 1993, he had failed to break into the industry and was ready to give up and go home. According to Billboard, he had already called his mother and asked her to meet him at the bus station in Cartersville. Then, he heard Tim McGraw’s cringe-inducing hit song “Indian Outlaw.”
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“I wrote ‘Indian In-Laws’ in about 15 minutes, and the rest is history,” he told the publication. That song became the lead single from his 1995 debut album, Cledus T. Judd (No Relation).
Poole’s career is proof that chart success isn’t everything. Moreover, it’s an example of how subjective success can be. He’s never had a song land within the top 40 of the country chart, nor has he won a trophy case full of awards. However, he has made countless people laugh and performed alongside the likes of Vince Gill, Toby Keith, and Wynonna Judd. He has also performed on the Grand Ole Opry multiple times.
“I never really won a lot of awards, but you’ll never meet a man more happy to have had a seat. You’ll never meet someone that’s more appreciative,” he said.
A More Serious Side of Cledus T. Judd
Barry Poole chose to retire the Cledus T. Judd character in 2015. He stepped away from the music industry to be a more present father to his daughter. At the same time, he no longer wanted to perform.
Stepping away from writing and recording parodies allowed him to follow his original dream. He has co-written songs recorded by Tyler Farr, Craig Morgan, the Crabb Family, Rascal Flatts, Brian McKnight, and Brantley Gilbert. “The music business they have me pigeonholed,” Poole said. “But there’s a much bigger side to me than standing up singing ‘How Do You Milk a Cow.’ I want to be able to share that with people. Mainly, I just want to motivate people.”
During his interview with Billboard, Poole shared a memory that illustrates the impact he wants to have on people. His story of perseverance appeared on an episode of the CMT series Inside Fame in 2004. He received a letter from a woman who had moved from Seattle to Nashville to chase her dreams. However, she soon decided she wasn’t built for the music industry. As a result, she called her parents and asked them to come get her and take her back to the Pacific Northwest. “While she was packing her clothes, she watched my Inside Fame. Her parents were already seven hours away from Seattle, and she called them and said, ‘Go home.’ That’s the impact that I want to have on people’s lives,” he said.
Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
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