Battle Creek, Mich., native Frankie Ballard brought a “Detroit country” vibe to the rising-hit title track from his Warner Music Nashville LP Sunshine & Whiskey (No. 2 on the Nov. 22 Country Airplay chart), so it’s no surprise that the music of his early years was his biggest inspiration.
John Mellencamp, “Jack & Diane”
“Battle Creek had a balloon festival on the Fourth of July and they would always play ‘Jack & Diane.’ When I hear it, I get snapped back to 12 years old, feeling like I could take over the world.”
Kid Rock, “Cowboy”
“Even though it’s a lot more rock ‘n’ roll, it has that same groove as ‘Sunshine & Whiskey.’ The first time I heard it I was like, ‘This is going to be a huge hit.’ I went to FYE after school and it hadn’t come out yet. I had to wait until [1998 album] Devil Without a Cause came out to get it.”
Bob Seger, “Mainstreet”
“I can really relate to the emotions he was feeling; he was trying to find who he was. He also does that in ‘Like a Rock’ — he reaches back to those tender years. I love thinking back to me as an 18-year-old.”
ZZ Top, “Heard It on the X”
“Billy Gibbons is my favorite guitar player. Whether it was getting fired up for a game or trying to wake up to go to school, I would put this on and play guitar on my steering wheel. I want to be Billy Gibbons.”
Steve Earle, “Guitar Town”
“I played baseball [in college], and whenever I had a bad day at the plate, I’d put this on and feel better. I would think, ‘Someday I’m going to get out of this town.'”
All images are from Getty Images
This article first appeared in the Nov. 22 issue of Billboard.