Old Dominion is grieving the recent loss of the great Jimmy Buffett right along with the rest of us. During a recent chat with Audacy’s Rob + Holly the guys recalled bonding over their love for Buffett and shared how they’ve honored him since his passing last month.
LISTEN NOW: Old Dominion joins Rob + Holly for the Friday Night Takeover
“We’ve talked about him a lot over the last days and weeks, as you can imagine,” said frontman Matt Ramsey. “Without his music and the way he wrote songs, and the way he presented himself, there probably would be no Old Dominion.”
He continued, “That’s something that I think, without even realizing the impact he had on us. It sort of came to light later when we all discovered that we loved Jimmy Buffett’s music and we put it on in the dressing room — played it all the time.”
The guys went from playing his music in the dressing room to recording their most recent album, Memory Lane, in Buffett’s personal studio in Key West. An experience that allowed them to be surrounded by the belongings, spirit and creativity of one of their biggest inspirations.
“This album that we recorded… a lot of it was recorded in Key West and in his studio,” said Ramsey. “It was really great to be in his studio and just kind of surrounded by his memorabilia and his spirit. It was really a special place to be.”
Those recordings are now available via the group’s new album, Memory Lane, an extension of the 4-track Memory Lane sampler they released earlier this year. With a total of 18 songs, the guys say the project is a direct reflection of where they’re at these days.
“We’re feeling very grateful for where we are,” expressed Ramsey. "We’ve got quite a career behind us and quite a career ahead of us, hopefully. We’re on an amazing tour right now, we keep winning awards and stuff — so it’s really good to be us and good to be in a place where we can turn around and sort of be proud of everything.”
One of those awards has been CMA Vocal Group of the Year for the past five years. They’ll be going for their sixth win at this year’s award show after being nomination alongside Lady A, Little Big Town, Midland, and Zac Brown Band.
See if they take home the big win by tuning in to to the 57th Annual CMA Awards, live from Nashville on November 8 via ABC. Also, be sure to check out the rest of their interview with Rob + Holly above to hear more about their current tour, new album, and what happened to all their meow mix songs.
