By now most of his fans know that singer/songwriter Tyler Braden that he’s a master storyteller, and that before he solely used his guitar to make a living, he was still working 12-hour shifts as a fire fighter. What his more than 17-thousand Instagram followers might not realize is that being a fire fighter helped him prepare to be the songwriter and musician he is today. 

Braden, who’s debut single “Little Red Wine” has amassed more than 20 million streams is calling from his home on a rare day off in Nashville. While the chorus “how ’bout a little red wine, moonshine, and you and me” is anthemic, Braden’s voice is quiet. He’s humble. He also starts and ends most statements and answers with a ‘yes, ma’am.’ 

Braden, 31, said he originally pursued being a first responder because his roommate at the time’s father had a plaque that showed his hire date and retire date. The length of service on the job started and ended on the same day – February 5, which also happens to be Braden’s birthday. After applying with his friend, months went by, before the training began. 

“I was actually working at Sears, we tested with I don’t know how many hundreds of people, and I was ranked No. 1, and he was 30,” Braden said. “We ended up side by side through the whole thing and it ended up being a great experience. 

“On the surface, it appears that the music industry is a bit more lax, and fire service is very strict. But, I think it takes some of the same about of will-power because in the music industry you’re very busy all the time, you have to stay focused and there is rarely any down time. I started relatively late, I was 28 when I really started writing and I’ve always thought it was probably a good thing. If I had started early I wouldn’t have been as mature, I wouldn’t have been through what I’ve been through, and seen the things I’ve seen.” 

One song that he always includes in his live set is “Brother”. What started out as a tribute to the guys that took extra shifts and had his back while he was working double-duty as a fire-fighter and musician in Nashville, has turned into honoring the guys in the band. 

“There’s a lot of similarities,” he said of the comradery between being in a band and fire service. 

Growing up in Wetumpka, Alabama, Braden said the small town atmosphere provided much inspiration for his songwriting. The 2010 US Census reported “The City of Natural Beauty” as having just over 6.500 residents. 

“Knowing everyone around you, the good and the bad,” he said. “I have a song called ‘Secret’ that’s just about knowing the skeletons in the closet, the people that you live around. You have to live with them. We have a song that we just played the other night called ‘Hell In This Town” and it’s just facing the bad sign of a small town, people being in your business for lack of a better word. It’s a play on the words ‘hell, in this town everybody knows your name’. I hate that I’m in this bar and you are too, and I’m not getting over it and I know you’re going to hear about it, that I’m going through hell in this town.”

“Thank Me For That” is a song that while he didn’t write, he felt like it was right in his wheelhouse. The song has over two million streams on Spotify. 

“My friend Ray actually called me at 6 a.m., I couldn’t believe he was awake first of all, and he was in a tree stand (deer hunting),” Braden said. “I just jumped all over it. It just really hit home and it felt like my style of writing. That’s the only way we’re going to be up at 6 a.m., is if we’re hunting.”

Braden’s voice has grit to hit. He’s carrying the heart and the passion of a guy who used to sing in rock bands. The guitar work in “Leave Me Alone” (over nine million Spotify streams alone) is bright, and while his voice buoys above the reverb and percussion, Braden comes out sounding more like Chris Daughtry (“It’s Not Over”) and even Luke Combs then fellow Alabamanian Hank Williams. “Leave Me Alone” is country for 2020 and could easily be a crossover hit. His musicality and his ease on the stage is one of the reasons he’s been supporting Granger Smith (“Backroad Song”, “If The Boot Fits”)  on numerous 2019-2020 tour dates. 

Working with a vocal coach to preserve his voice on three-day runs, Braden has learned that keeping his voice healthy is just part of the routine. Something else that is in his routine – drinking coffee. He’s a traditionalist and likes his cup of Joe straight black. Fans might be surprised to learn that he doesn’t drink alcohol. 

“I’ve been doing sober October for 31 years,” he said. “Coffee would be my vice. Anyone that knows me, knows that. On my birthday I was writing at Sony ATV and when the people that worked there were singing Happy Birthday to me, they were carrying a cup of coffee. The fire-service is when I first started drinking it, it smelled so good. I couldn’t stand the taste of it (at first) and finally weaned myself off the creamer.”

March will be a busy month for Braden, and with news pouring in on the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) postponing the majority of live events, it’s unknown at this time when his next shows will be. News of the health pandemic had not been reported at the time of this interview. In the meantime, Braden’s completed four songs in the studio and hoping to release a single soon. 

“We’re talking about releasing the new single soon, it has to go through a long process,” he said. “We’re staying busy rehearsing as much as we can, I’m writing as much as I can. It’s very busy.”