Earning a degree in songwriting from Middle Tennessee State University, Hardy gained a stellar reputation in Nashville, penning hits like Blake Shelton’s “God’s Country” and “Sand In My Boots” by Morgan Wallen. Inking a deal with Big Loud in 2018, the artist (whose real name is Michael Hardy) released his debut album, A Rock, two years later. While Hardy certainly knows his way around a hell-raising, beer-drinking anthem, the Mississippi native isn’t afraid to tackle more weighty materials in his work. Debuting a brand-new song during the Listening Room’s 20th anniversary at the Ryman Auditorium Tuesday (March 3), the ACM Award-winning songwriter showed off his versatility.
Videos by American Songwriter
Listen to Hardy’s New Song “Tommy Made the News”
Titled “Tommy Made the News”, Hardy’s new song chronicles the final hours of a school shooter: Tommy woke up for school this morning / Had everything he needed in his old backpack /Ketchup and a fried egg waiting for him / And he pulled out the drive just to never come back.
Once a terrifying anomaly, school shootings have unfortunately become commonplace in today’s climate. In “Tommy Made the News”, Hardy paints a picture that is sadly all too easy to envision: hollow-point bullets “rained like hell” in the hallway before Tommy is discovered “on the bathroom floor.”
Tommy’s mama cried / Whole damn town did too, Hardy sang. What a mess the devil made / What a hell they have to go through / Lord, ain’t it a shame / That Tommy made the news.
Country Singer Shares Surprising Pre-Fame Occupation
Before he became one of the most sought-after songwriters in Nashville, Hardy had to make a living somehow. During a recent episode of State Farm’s Neighborhood Beats, the “Give Heaven Some Hell” singer, 35, revealed he previously worked as a gravedigger in his hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi.
“It was really fun,” he said. “Other than this job, it was the most fun I’ve ever had as a worker.”
Hardy continued, “I just had a great boss. Our departments were so small because our town was so small. It was the cemetery department/animal control. So in the summer, when it would get really hot and all of the grass would die, we’d just chase stray dogs around. But yeah, I was a gravedigger.”
Featured image by Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.