Nashville is undoubtedly the center of country music. Whether it's something you've really sat down and considered or not, it's true - everyone knows that if you want to get somewhere in country music, the best place to get your start is the City of Music.
But, of course, that's not always the truth. You've heard of the name Travis Tritt but did you know he never went to Nashville - and he's proud of it?
Per People, he recently got into why he chose not to make that leap. During an episode of the Pickin' It Out with Andrew Page podcast, he said that he was inspired by other country legends.
He specifically picked out Buck Owens and Merle Haggard. In case you didn't know, they "stayed pretty much out of Nashville" after being catapulted into stardom. They lived out their lives in their native state of California.
Another band who inspired him was Alabama, who stayed put in Fort Payne whilst becoming superstars in their own right.
Travis Tritt explained that Nashville was quite the busy place - "everybody starts thinking the same," he explained. "[They start] borrowing from each other and copying each other... and before you know it, originality is totally gone."
Videos by Wide Open Country
Travis Tritt Says Staying in Georgia Helped His Authenticity
"I just never wanted that on me." He clarified that Nashville was important for his musical career - but just for his musical career. "I go to Nashville to record, go to Nashville to do whatever I needed to do, but I never wanted to move there - I never wanted to live there. I wanted to live right here in Georgia where I was born and raised."
Travis Tritt continued, "The seeds for songs would be planted right then and there... I can't tell you how many songs I wrote, just based on riding around the area I grew up in."
He says that authenticity is really important to him. And he wishes it was more important to the rest of the music world. "I just keep doing what I always have done, and I think that's an important thing that really has kind of gotten lost, to be honest, over the years in music. People not being able to think outside of that box, 'cause they're right in the middle of the box."
