Ron Pope is a musical artist from Marietta, Georgia who is in the middle of a fall tour, playing songs from the album he released this year titled “Ron Pope and the Nighthawks.”
“This album is the greatest artistic achievement of my life,” he said. “I have released many records, but this latest one is the record I am proudest of.”
Although Pope grew up in the south, he spent most of his adult life in New York City. He attended New York University in Manhattan, but after graduating college he struggled to get a foothold in the music industry. He released his music independently and eventually founded the independent record label Brooklyn Basement Records.
He moved to Nashville, Tennessee recently, and he says the reason is twofold: the cost of living in Nashville is much lower than New York; and the gentrification in New York City is pricing out artists. So, as the head of a record label, Pope wants to be in the thick of the creative magic.
“Nashville right now is kind of like New York City when I moved there,” he said. “All of the artists are here in Nashville. So, when you go out to eat, your waiter is in a band, and when you get your oil changed that person is also a photographer. So being around all of those types of people fosters a creative mindset within the community.”
Pope describes the music he plays as American Rock music, but admits that there are myriad influences to his sound.
“Most of the music I listened to and loved while growing up in Georgia was made by people within a short drive from where I lived,” he said. “So there are country elements with the slide guitar, there are some New Orleans horns in the songs, there’s Wilson Pickett and the Allman Brothers influences for sure.”
Pope describes his latest record as a “love letter” to American music. This is a comforting sentiment, when one considers that much of the sound that Pope has is usually accompanied with a feigned country accent. Rest assured, Pope is a sincere artist and will not feign an accent to sell more T-shirts.
“I want fans to know I’m swinging for the fences with every song, with every record,” he said. “I feel like if an artist is doing that and giving you what he feels like is the truth, then there’s nothing bad you can say about that. And that’s what I want to do, I want to give my fans the truth.”
While Pope does consider “Nighthawks” to be his best record yet, he will continue to create music.
“I have always been a writer. I have always been writing songs, I mean, ever since I was 12 years old,” he said. “I feel compelled to write; it’s like an itch I have to scratch. I have written on average 100 songs a year since I was 12 – 200 songs in a very productive year. But the thing is, almost everything you write is bad. You just have to push through to find the best stuff, the stuff that works.”
Pope has been listening to artists like Chris Stapleton, Leon Bridges and Sturgill Simpson recently.
“That Stapleton record is a masterpiece,” he said.
Pope is an artist who loves to see artistry flourish, and that is, in part, why he founded his own record label, and why he himself continues to make music.
“I want to give these amazing artists a chance to do something they would never, ever get the chance to do without a major record deal,” he said.
Pope has three shows left in October: Oct. 18 in Athens, GA, Oct. 21 in Birmingham and Oct. 22 in Chattanooga.
Go to http://ronpopemusic.com/shows/ to purchase tickets and visit Pope’s website.
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