Weeks ago, emerging pop-country artist Walker Hayes released an unconventional song titled “Craig” as the second single off his new album Boom. Spoken word with sparse musical backing, it recounts when Hayes and his family were at their lowest point — and a Christian friend who provided an unexpected gift.

The son of a former music minister, Hayes had strayed far from church and struggled for years with alcoholism. It grew worse as he lost his recording contract and was trying to make ends meet. For Hayes, the dream of a successful music career to provide for his wife Laney and six kids began to fade.

“At the time when I met Craig, I was not doing music for a job,” recalled Hayes in a recent interview. “Things were bad — financially, really rough. I was working at Costco and this was prior to my sobriety.”

“I was drinking a lot to not feel the pressure I was feeling.”

When the Dream Seemed Lost

When the family visited Redeeming Grace Church in Franklin, Tenn., associate pastor Craig Cooper approached them.

“What touched me the most about my relationship with Craig is how different we were, but those differences didn’t divide us,” recalled Hayes recently to one Nashville morning show.

When the pastor asked about his week, Hayes sensed genuine care. “He didn’t want me to say, All good,” recalls the then-struggling artist. “He’s one of those guys you just naturally spill your guts to, you leave and you’re like: Why’d I say all that? He invested in my life.”

Yet his crisis deepened. Walker and Laney Hayes were stunned when a large tow truck came to their house one day to repossess the family minivan.

“I remember that day, watching them put it on the truck,” recounts Hayes. “My kids were like, It’s awesome how they do that! I was like, Not really. That was a sad time in our life.”

Working long hours at Costco, he would sometimes encounter former friends in the music industry. “It was awkward for both of us,” he stated recently.

The Life-Changing Surprise

The family man continued to bring his family to church on Sundays — asking the kids in the back to quickly duck when their parents saw a police officer. Their compact Honda was a few seats too short for a family of eight.

Hayes also cheered on his kids at their ballgames. After a game one night, Hayes was surprised to find his church friend Craig Cooper in the parking lot. He had the keys and vehicle title to a minivan. They argued until Hayes finally accepted it.

“When Craig did this for me, he wanted it to be anonymous,” says Hayes. “He did not want a single soul to know that he gave me a car. [Even] his brother had no idea this happened until this song.”

To thank his friend, Hayes worked for three months on a song. During this time, he also reconnected with Nashville producer Shane McAnally. The hitmaker behind such country artists as Sam Hunt and Old Dominion saw promise in Hayes’ honest songwriting. They began to plan out a record.

When Hayes turned in “Craig” as one option for his new album, the producer was floored. “I have never made it through where I’m not still surprised in moments of that second verse,” McAnally told Billboard.

The song recounts Cooper’s act of kindness, with subtle biblical allusions. “The word ‘Jesus’ is a whole book, and I feel like I said, ‘Jesus,’ without saying, ‘Jesus,’” says Walker of the song. “It’s almost like I say it even louder without saying it.”

 

 

“It’s definitely hard for me to sing when I’m the slightest bit emotional,” continued Hayes, noting the high-tenor chorus. “But when I was writing it, I wasn’t thinking, Hey, I’m going to sing this every night for the rest of my life.”

Facing the Unexpected

When McAnally founded a record label last year, Hayes was among the first signed. His full-length studio album Boom released in December.

The first single “You Broke Up with Me” became a Top 10 country hit nationwide. Most assume the song to be about a past relationship; it actually refers to record execs who stopped returning his calls. It’s one of many ways Boom subverts expectations. On “Beer in the Fridge,” Hayes admits his struggles with alcoholism.

Since it hit country music playlists in April, “Craig” has had mixed reactions. Many are moved by the story and clever lyrics. Hayes has even started offering t-shirts with the phrase Be A Craig. But some country fans say spoken-word rap and programmed beats don’t fit their genre.

“I know it is alarmingly different and stylistically polarizing,” Hayes wrote online last week about the song. “But it’s the truth. Every time I sing it, I mean it, I feel it and I know it means something to someone listening.”

As Hayes begins a summer tour at festivals across the Midwest, he is quick to credit his producer, his wife Laney and others who believed in his music. All the while, the message of “Craig” has made Hayes grapple with faith in a deeper way.

UPDATE: The Hayes family are not without their ongoing trials. On June 6, Walker Hayes announced via Facebook that their seventh pregnancy ended in miscarriage. Some upcoming shows have been cancelled as they grieve the loss of their child.

“Craig changed me, I wrote a song, and maybe it’ll have a big impact,” he said in a recent CMT interview. “Maybe it will take country music to a different place. I just tell this amazing story that this guy brought into my life.”

“It’s not about me — I hope it inspires other people.”

Learn more about Walker Hayes at his website, and join us in praying for his family in their time of loss. This summer, consider how your church can reach out to the local community.