Meet Nash Hamilton

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Nash Hamilton.

Hi Nash, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born into a musical family. My grandad (George Hamilton IV) became a member of the Grand ‘Ol Opry in the early ‘60s and became the first country musician to play country music “behind the iron curtain” in a Soviet country.

My Dad (George Hamilton V) would follow a similar path, recording and releasing music, touring all over the world, and playing weekly with my Grandad at the Grand ‘Ol Opry. I made my debut on the Opry atop my Dad’s shoulders at the age of 4. We sang the first song I ever learned, “You Are My Sunshine”. And since then, I’ve been hooked. It’s been a nature versus nurture type deal.

My legal name is George Hamilton VI, so I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel any pressure to pursue music, but it just so happened that music is one thing that never ceases to bring me joy. I started my touring when I was 16 (I’m 24 now), and I hope to fill my family’s shoes someday by touring the world and meeting as many kind folks as I can.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s definitely not been a smooth road. There have been many times when I’m hundreds of miles away from home, and the car breaks down, or the gig falls through, or the band gets sick. But we’ve always made it back home with more good memories than bad ones. I remember a tour last year. We were going up the East Coast: Virginia, DC, NYC, and all the way up to Woodstock.

I was touring with five people crammed into a jeep, and everyone but the driver had something in their laps. It was winter, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how it’s kind of nice to snuggle up to your buddies in a cold car. We made our first stop in Lynchburg, Virginia, hung out with some friends, and had a great time overall. The next morning, however, we got in the car and drove 8 hours to the next gig, and by the time hour 5 had passed, we realized we had left all the merch in Lynchburg. Things got a little heated, and blame was thrown around, but we got back in the car and kept rolling.

That merch was our only hope of doing better than breaking even on travel expenses, so we were all a little bummed. I was driving, and it was silent. I should’ve been paying more attention, and traffic snuck up on us. I slammed on the brakes cause the car 30 feet in front of us went from 60 mph to 0, everyone let out a gasp, a scream or two, I swerved onto the shoulder to not hit the car in front or be hit from behind. And that near-death experience bonded us again, and we didn’t care about the merch anymore. It was just me and my friends that mattered.

But I think there’s a patron saint for artists because we ended up turning a profit on that tour, and by the end of the 10-day run, we were a little sad about the prospect of going home. I think the biggest struggle with being a touring artist is the whiplash of tours with no sleep, to coming home to mundanity. While you’re on tour, you’re generally wildly unhealthy (at least I am), and it begins to wear on you: you get homesick.

But the second the car starts heading back home, I begin to get sad that the wildness is coming to an end. And here I am, sitting at home, sleeping well, eating right, and I can’t wait to throw it all away on my next tour!

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a songwriter, first and foremost. I spend a lot of my creative time alone, working on lines. Most of the time, I write songs in my head while I’m running errands or walking the dog. And that’s the work I’m most proud of. The fact that these silly little thoughts in my head have the potential of reaching someone, of having them relate, and potentially making a positive impact on the listener.

But it feels weird to talk about what I might be known for. I think I am a good friend and kind person first and foremost, but that’s probably not the answer you’re looking for and probably not the best for my artistic persona. I write a lot, and I’m currently releasing a song every two weeks. Through being around music for as long as I have, I’ve learned how to record, produce, collaborate, play multiple instruments, etc.

Man, I just love all aspects of music, even the boring parts. So maybe what sets me apart is I’m absolutely addicted to my dream, and will be even once I’ve achieved it.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was annoyed. Very anti-authority, loved making jokes about everything, singing little made up songs, I’m pretty much the same person now (just add a handful of years, experiences, and lessons). I’ve never been a fan of someone saying something obvious to me and giving me advice that I feel doesn’t need to be given.

When I was five years old, I was walking down the sidewalk with my family. My dad was holding my hand because we were walking beside a busy road. He turned to me and said, “Don’t run into traffic.” With what you know about me, anti-authoritarian, doesn’t like obvious advice, what do you think I did? All I remember was the grill of a black SUV rushing toward my head, the sounds of honking, and my family yelling, “Nash!!”.

The car didn’t hit me, and no one has felt the need to ask me not to run into traffic since. What was I like growing up? A smart aleck who thought he was so smart that he would do wildly stupid things.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Nash.VI
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nashhamiltonvi/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/nashhamiltonvi/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmu9DheV7eaev0GBZ4TYPhA?
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3gjMRRFZxevWPIoFolErpP

Image Credits
Abbey Matheny and Lexi Elliott