Granger Smith Talks Balance, George Strait, and Negan

Granger Smith is a rising country music star. He is also a rare breed that combines a keen sense of respect for the musicians that came before him with what it means to have a family and thriving entertainment career.

Smith exhibits a passion for what he does, but what helps make it work is the support coming from his personal life -- alongside his talent.

PopCultureNow.com spoke to Smith and got a chance to delve into his career, but also his home life and how his family keeps him from being a workaholic. We also got a chance to lock in some more thoughts on Negan's kills in The Walking Dead (spoilers below).

"I have two different sides," Smith said. "There's a side of me that's a fan that kicked off the passion...and that was a George Strait concert back in 1995 in Texas Stadium in Dallas. I developed a passion for what that was and that lifestyle. Whether it was being a lighting guy, or a sound guy, or just someone in the crew itself. That really started the fire.

"The first time I ever got on a real stage was that same summer in 1995 and I auditioned in this little opry. I made the audition and sang two songs that night. After I finished the two songs, I thought, 'Man I wish I could keep going.' So I continued to keep booking those Saturday nights."

Smith, though, has one very specific country music influence that he honors for reasons aside from his obvious music talent.

"I will always put George Strait at the top of that answer for you," he said. "He stayed in Texas like me. He stayed married to the same woman. There's a lot to be respected in all of that."

The largest pillar in Smith's life is not music, but his family.

Interstingly, the two play off of each other and act as fuel that keeps the entire machine running smoothly. For Smith, leaning all the way into one lane is not an option. The dream lives with both meshing together as one.

"It's the hardest challenge by far," he said. "Of all the stumbling blocks in this business, that's the one that's the hardest to get over. It's trying to have that balance of being a husband and a dad and a son to my mom. I consider myself kind of overly driven. I'll go without sleep and not really mind it. I'll go without eating and not really mind it. Trying to find that balance of being a family guy is also helping me slow down a little bit occasionally. I can't imagine what I'd be like if I was still single. I don't know if I could ever say no to any offers that come my way. I don't know how I wouldn't work every single day. It would be very hard for me to say, 'I'm single and I have nothing going on in my personal life, but I'm going make time for myself."

He has to take a step back to outline his where he sees everything fitting in.

"My biggest goal is to be a good dad and to be a good husband. That's my top priority," Smith said. "In order to do that, I need to make the time for them. I need to be present when I am making time for them. When I am on the road, I have to understand that that is also making me a better dad. I'm a better dad if I am giving that time to them, but also living my dream. If I was glued to something that I didn't feel great about I think I would just be a lost soul."

But Smith has another passion that sits outside the realm of family and music: The Walking Dead.

His love for Rick Grimes and the crew started on day one with the pilot and he has never looked back.

"I'm a huge Walking Dead fan," he said. "My wife and I... we watch it together."

And we of course had to ask him what he thought about Negan's victims.

"I heard before the episode somebody say it would be somebody from the original cast," he said. "And then I heard somebody say it was two people. When people start leaking out the original cast members, that mades you think it is going to be Glenn. They can't do Daryl and of course they can't do Rick."

Negan's gruesome carnage party took the lives of two of our favorite characters from The Walking Dead. So it looks like Smith's predictions were pretty close.

From music to family to The Walking Dead, Smith is highly talented at not only executing, but balancing. We can't wait to see what projects he has coming up and will be sure to catch up with him on future The Walking Dead breaking news.

Check out Granger's new single "If The Boot Fits" which is Top 20 and rising at Country radio, right here by watching the video and if you like it, buy it.