Scotty McCreery was one of the many artists chosen to honor Ronnie Milsap at Milsap’s The Final Nashville Show tribute concert, held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, along with Kelly Clarkson, Little Big Town, Justin Moore, Scotty McCreery, Tracy Lawrence, Sara Evans, Trace Adkins, Ricky Skaggs, Ray Stevens, Pam Tillis and more.
For McCreery, it was a full-circle moment, after being inspired by seeing Milsap in North Carolina when he was a young boy.
“It was really an intimate kind of show,” McCreery tells People. “That concert was a highlight for young Scotty, for sure.”
McCreery also praised Milsap for how he tells stories in his music, helping maintain a career that has spanned more than 50 years.
“You can just tell how much fun he’s having singing the songs and how happy it makes him, and how happy it makes the fans listen to his music,” McCreery boasts. “I just always find my way back to his music, even if it’s been a while.”
McCreery is a big fan of traditional country music, which will be evident in his very country next record.
“I think what I’ve found that works for me and what I like doing is pretty autobiographical stuff and writing about life,” McCreery said on Audacy’s Katie & Company. “So there will obviously be baby songs on this record, but there will be other stuff too. It’s country. Our steel guitar player, Mike Johnson, was in the studio with us, and he’s like, ‘Man, I actually get to play country music this week!’ He was loving it, and I love singing that stuff, so hopefully folks are ready for a little dose of country music.”
The American Idol alum is eager to share his new album, which includes his hit single, “Cab In A Solo,” with the rest of the world.
“I’m pumped about this thing,” McCreery recently told Everything Nash. “It’s a little different for me, a touch. I feel like a lot of my other records were very autobiographical. This one has a couple of those songs. There’s a song for Avery. There’s a song for Gabi. But we’re kind of going in some different directions on this record. Some heartbreak, and some breakup songs. Some honky-tonking songs, and stuff I really haven’t done before on records.
“But I grew up loving those kinds of songs, so we just kind of let the guitar take us to where it wanted to when we were writing these songs, and this is where we ended up,” he added.
Find all of McCreery’s music and upcoming shows at ScottyMcCreery.com.
Read ‘Scotty McCreery: 11 Things to Know About the Country Music Star’ here.