When it comes to country music, Kentucky seems to have the perfect formula when creating icons of the genre. Country legends who happened to grow up or live in Kentucky included Loretta Lynn, Sturgill Simpson, Crystal Gayle, Chris Stapleton, and Tyler Childers. With Kentucky holding a special place in country music, Childers eventually found his way to the stage as he showcased his love for country, folk, and even bluegrass. Releasing several studio albums and gaining numerous Grammy nominations, Childers recently held a concert in Knoxville where he decided to open up about his road to sobriety.
Videos by American Songwriter
For the past four years, Childers has not only worked on his music but also staying sober. Before deciding to do away with drugs and alcohol, the country singer enjoyed layering his music with stories of his drug use. After getting clean, the country singer watched as his music drastically changed.
Childers paused his April 16th show at the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville to speak to the audience. The moment marked a special milestone. Knoxville happens to be the last place Childers got drunk before deciding to take his life in a different direction.
Tyler Childers Shares The One Thing He Got Back After Getting Sober
Childers recalled the moment he knew he needed to change. “We were gonna be gone from the house for about 36 days, and I had one day to be home. We woke up from here and went to the house, and I remember sitting around the house, being like, ‘Man, this is the one place that you want to be more than anywhere else in the whole entire world, and you ain’t gonna see this place for 36 days, and you can’t do anything but sit here and nurse this hangover’. And I was like, ‘I am done with that.’”
With a great deal of time on his hands due to not partying with drugs or alcohol, Childers joked about how he filled his time. “There was a short amount of time where I just became absolutely obsessed with cleaning my shoes.”
Keeping parts of his life private, Childers explained why he didn’t discuss his road to sobriety. “I don’t really talk about my sobriety because I don’t like to. I like to write songs. I’m not like some motivational speaker or anything like that. I will tell you that I just found things to do other than [drinking and taking drugs], because that’s the biggest thing you get back – time”.
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
