It’s been a while since we’ve chatted with Georgia’s own Joey Stuckey but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been working on hard on new music!

After enduring and healing from a shoulder replacement surgery in 2018, Joey is back into the full swing of things with his latest album and upcoming tour dates.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Joey about his surgery, his funnest music memory, his performance preparation process and much more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

You can find my previous in-depth video interview with Joey here.

How is spring 2019 treating you?

It has been a great year so far. I had a complete shoulder replacement last year and while I did some great things in 2018, including the chance to work with Alan Parsons again, meeting a lot of amazing people at the GRAMMYS in NYC and even a trip to VA to learn about archiving at the Library of congress, I was glad to get into 2019 and get back to work after a long recovery from the shoulder surgery.

Of course, my new album is out “In The Shadow Of The Sun” and it is doing well—people really dig the vibe we created on this record and I am very pleased about that. It is always nice when someone appreciates your hard work:-)

Any exciting summertime performances planned?

Yes indeed! I will be speaking at Berklee in June and also doing a short tour of the East Coast—please check my official website www.joeystuckey.com for all the details.

What is the last single you downloaded?

WOW by Cara Larsson, love it, so much attitude!

The most meaningful song you’ve ever written?

That is a hard one. They all mean something and at different times in my life they have more importance than other times. Currently, I guess the song that means the most is my song on the new album “Aint It Good To Be In Love”. I wrote this song with a dear friend, Charlie Hoskyns, who passed away in 2017 very unexpectedly . So the song has meaning because of my friend’s memory and because it is such a positive song in a time in which there is a lot of negativity in our world.

How do you get ready for your shows?

A few things. First, I do work hard to create an engaging set list. I think of it just like sequencing an album, something a lot of folks don’t bother with anymore as you can buy just the songs you want, but I still think the order of songs on a record is important and the same is true of a live show. Second, I warm up my voice for about 10 to 15 minutes about an hour before show time. I don’t warm up anymore than that as at some point you are burning performance time and move from warming up to performing. I might do another very short 2 minute warm up 5 minutes before show time if my allergies are really bothering me or I wasn’t able to get good rest the night before a show. Rest is the best thing for your voice. For guitar, I might stretch my fingers if my hands feel tight, but I hardly ever have to do this. Besides those things, I just try to block everything else out, any troubles or concerns I have, and focus on the music and the show.

Is writing music like therapy for you?

Very much! But it is also a natural extension of my spirit and a part of my very existence, no less important than breathing or eating.

When I’m not playing music, you can find me…

Well, I am obsessed with music and wake up to it, work on it all day long as I am a full time producer and music educator and then I go to bed with it. However, I do also love to read, in my case audiobooks as I am blind. I read about lots of different things, from history, politics, music, Si Fi and more. I also have some favorite TV shows, from Family Guy to Game Of Thrones to How the Universe Works and more. I am a particular connoisseur of British Comedies! I also treasure good conversations with friends, family, students or fans of my music and I love Baseball!

What is the most fun you’ve ever had on stage?

I have been very blessed to have some wonderful moments on stage, from performing with Trisha Yearwood, The B52’s, Ted Nugent and many more, but I have to say that one of my favorite times was performing at a very small venue in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, called Nick’s Ice House. I would guess that the venue held about 60 people. It also had plank wooden floors and no AC. It was just me and my guitar and I played for about 2 hours. At one point, the entire bar started singing along with me and clinking their bottles along with me. It was great fun!

Please list your spotify link and IG link for us.

IG @jstuckeymusic

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/4H5sd7R9Or0DSHbiWobGll?si=bYuNfAJxRFS_YjLSCnThMA