Thad Cockrell Almost Quit

When I moved to Nashville 10 years ago, my dad said I needed to connect with Thad. Cockrell. He used to play music at my dad’s church and he thought we’d get along really well.  

We invited Thad over for dinner one night and told our kids, “A musician is coming!” They were 4 and 6 at the time, and seemed oddly disappointed when Thad walked in. The older one pulled me aside and said, “Is this guy going to do any tricks?” They thought I said, “A magician is coming!” Subtle difference. 

 Over the years, I’ve loved following his career. He's one of the kindest, most creative people I've ever met. 

When his latest album released during the pandemic, he, like a lot of artists in Nashville, seriously considered giving up everything though. 

It's a nearly impossible career to begin with and then the pandemic shut down every chance to play live music. 

 He wrote his manager a manifesto expressing his desire to do something else since music wasn’t working, but then Jimmy Fallon called. 

 Wait, what? That’s right. The album fell into Jimmy’s lap and he tells the story in such a beautiful way in this video. 

 Last night, Thad played on Fallon Tonight. 

Don’t quit your thing, regardless of what your thing is. Keep taking photos. Keep writing. Keep painting. Keep building your business. Keep on going. You never know who is going to find the work you’re brave enough to share.