John Rich reflects on rise to fame, shares hints of cowboy wisdom: 'Be willing to bleed' for your dreams
Part 1 of John Rich's two-part appearance on 'Tucker Carlson Today' is streaming now on Fox Nation
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The message of inspiration and ambition in country music legend John Rich's cowboy wisdom took viewers back to the early days of his career during his recent "Tucker Carlson Today" interview on Fox Nation.
Rich told viewers about the importance of following their dreams and working hard to find happiness, underscoring that even having an opportunity to strive for happiness should make people content.
"We're not guaranteed the right to be happy. We're guaranteed the right to pursue happiness," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You're not always happy when you're pursuing it, but you ought to be happy that you've got a right to at least go for it. We should take advantage of that in this country, that we have the right to pursue happiness and absolutely exhaust our potential every chance we get.
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Country music star John Rich. (Fox News)
For Rich, his pursuit of happiness meant using his talent and thriving off of his love for music.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}During part 1 of the two-part interview with Tucker Carlson, he went back to his youth and described the uncertain future he faced after high school, venturing on to the Opryland audition and job that would skyrocket him to fame.
"When we got to Tennessee I was still in high school, and I actually went to a couple of big universities and was offered full-ride scholarships on a vocal scholarship. You know, singing [in Latin]," he said.
After growing up in the Texas panhandle, the change, combined with his lifelong love for country music, set the scene for his dream to turn music into a living and hit the road with the band Lonestar.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It didn't make my parents real happy, I can tell you that," he said.
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"I remember my mother saying, 'You'll never amount to a hill of beans if you don't go to college.' My very cocky and disrespectful answer came back, ‘Well, a hill of beans is not what I intend on amounting to. Bye.’"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lonestar moved into their first record deal in time, selling millions of copies and receiving their claim to fame.
Then the real work began.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rich went on to share the unique moments of his early career, including buying a house for his grandparents and living with them, moving on to Nashville and getting fired from Lonestar, and going on to write his own songs - all while pointing to the effort it took to get to where he is today.
"You have to struggle and suffer to go get these big things, and I think people these days think that if they don't get what they want when they want and exactly how they want it, they're gonna throw a brick through my window," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"They're never gonna accomplish anything that's truly great because they don't understand what it takes to go get it. They're not willing to bleed for it."
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