LA County Fair 2024: An interview with Dustin Lynch

Photo by Alysse Gafkjen

Dustin Lynch is all about spontaneity in concert. While opening for Blake Shelton on tour recently, the Tennessee singer invited kids onstage in different cities.

“I do it whenever the opportunity’s right,” said Lynch, in a phone interview from Spokane. One girl was “an absolute treat, all decked out in her gear. She had a poster that said it was her 10th birthday and she was here to celebrate with us. I thought, ‘We got to take a moment here to shine some light on her.’ If you get an opportunity to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ with people in an arena, it’s a special moment. Hopefully, one she’ll never forget.”

Having released sixth studio effort Killed the Cowboy last fall, Lynch is “chomping at the bit” for his solo headlining tour and the chance to play more new material.  

Lynch previously played the Pomona event in 2018 (the same year Reba inducted Lynch into the Grand Ole Opry), so he knows “what we’re getting into. The energy is really high there and that market has always been really strong for us…at the fair, you can get out on stage and really judge how avid the fans are. If we need to embrace cover songs or something else to get people involved, we’ll definitely go there.”

Graduating from college with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Lynch considered medical school. Instead, the pull toward a music career was stronger. The budding singer/songwriter got an apartment behind the nearby Bluebird Café (a launch pad for country musicians ranging from Garth Brooks to Taylor Swift and the place where Lynch did an Open Mic Night at age 16). He performed at the intimate Nashville venue whenever possible and was eventually discovered by Justin Moore’s manager via MySpace.

Lynch’s eponymous debut album arrived in 2012 and went to No. 1 on the country chart thanks to the big hit ballad “Cowboys and Angels.” He landed tour opening slots for Brad Paisley and Luke Bryan and appeared at Stagecoach twice.  

Since then, “Where It’s At,” “Hell of a Night,” “Mind Reader,” “Seein’ Red,” “Small Town Boy,” “Good Girl” “Ridin’ Roads,” and “Thinking ‘Bout You” all topped the Billboard Country Airplay tally. The latter spent six weeks there, becoming Lynch’s most successful radio track.

Five songs on Killed the Cowboy were co-written by the musician, who calls it his most personal yet.

“This album was for me as much as anything,” said Lynch. “It was a great therapeutic process to write, create, and record and then jump in and really talk about discovering and accepting where I’m at in life” as a single man.

“I think all of us do that,” he continued. “And I get a way to express it outwardly to the world.” On the headlining tour, “I’m going to get to really live life in front of everybody on that stage, and our fans are going to be a part of that.”

In addition to penning reflective songs, Lynch often has the atmosphere of future concerts in mind while crafting fun, upbeat numbers. The infectious “Honky Tonk Heartbreaker,” a Killed the Cowboy standout, is a prime example.

“We want our shows to be high energy, interactive, and give the fans a moment to participate in the show and not just sit down and watch it. I want people to be up dancing, moving around and mingling.

“That steers how I go about writing songs,” he continued. “When I’m in a room with some co-writers, I’m always pushing them towards that” end result.

Sonically, Cowboy contains a few effects often prevalent in other genres. Lynch said he and producer Zach Crowell pondered how to “make the songs special and come up with sounds and flavors that the ear hasn’t heard yet.” But they were careful about being “too slick or too different” and reminded themselves to “make sure we still do what we know works.”

“The spectrum of songs that we’ve put out have been very traditional and hard rockin’ stuff. And the R&B/hip-hop influence is in there too. We’ve been all over the place.”

Still, Lynch doesn’t go to extremes. “We’ve identified my lane and (know) people probably want me to stay in this lane as we see what songs continue to react over time and stick around. I think that’s a luxury of getting to do this as long as I have already.”

Another highlight is “Chevrolet,” an interpolation of Dobie Gray’s 1973 pop hit “Drift Away” which features guest vocals by Jelly Roll, a previous Crowell client.

“Jelly was just the right amount of soul that the song needed,” Lynch enthused.

Lynch, who turns 39 this month, received a 2024 CMT Performance of the Year nomination for “Thinking ‘Bout You,” his televised duet with MacKenzie Porter from “CMT Campfire Sessions.” The tune was originally recorded with Lauren Alaina, but another version was required, so Lynch conducted a blind audition where he discovered Porter, a Canadian singer/actress.  

The acoustic outdoor performance CMT series spotlighting Lynch debuted a couple months ago. Getting the chance to film one was among “the top musical moments of my life,” said Lynch. “I had so much fun curating that show, that setlist and arrangements around the fire. It was a labor of love having friends play music together. We made it what we wanted. It became a night that I’ll never forget.”

Dustin Lynch and Russell Dickerson perform at Fairplex on May 18. All concert tickets include admission to the Fair. To purchase and for more information, go to lacountyfair.com/concerts.

Top photo courtesy Red Light Management.

A version of my interview originally appeared in print in selected SoCal News Group (SCNG) papers and online.