Chris Janson Went From Living In a Car to ‘Buy Me a Boat’

Chris Janson might have scored his first No. 1 hit with “Buy Me a Boat,” but there was a time when Janson lived in his car. The Missouri native moved to Nashville after graduating from high school in 2004, an 18-year-old without a job, a place to live, or any money.

After spending his first night in Nashville sleeping in his green Monte Carlo, Janson woke up the next morning with a boot on his car for illegal parking, but he was undeterred. Janson spent the entire day asking all the local bars for a chance to play. By 1:00 AM, he had been rejected at every single place, when he returned to Tootsie’s, this time finally getting a chance to perform on the honky tonk’s stage.

Janson asked the band to play an up-tempo version of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” and his career was launched.

“It was off the rails and the place went crazy,” Janson recalls to Nashville’s Tennessean.

Janson’s performance was so good, Tootsie’s invited him to become a regular, playing there every day for almost a year. Three weeks later, Janson finally moved out of his car. But when Janson, who typically ate off of the children’s menu at Cracker Barrel, decided to skip his lunch one day and purchase a harmonica instead, he saw his tips — and attention — skyrocket.

Still, it wasn’t until he met his now-wife, Kelly Lynn, that things began to really take off for Janson. After initially seeing her in a bar, Janson, instantly smitten, found out that she worked for Curb Records and scheduled a meeting to pitch her songs. The two soon fell in love and married, with his new spouse suddenly spearheading his career, with his blessing.

Janson spent his first several years as a husband building his fan base as an independent artist and working as a songwriter, and may have stayed that way if not for the encouragement of his wife. Kelly Lynn Janson is the one who took the artwork for “Buy Me a Boat” and convinced him to release it on iTunes.

“I have a business mind, but not to that extent,” Janson tells PopCulture.com. “I am tight with money, I am extremely frugal, and I don’t like to spend my money. I work really hard for it. So, when we were independent, money doesn’t come so easy when you’re independent. And I was working really hard, and saving every penny I could. We have a bunch of kids, and a life, and she was like, ‘We’re going to put this on iTunes,’ and I said, ‘I’m not spending the money to do that, the right way.’ She convinced me to, and the very next day it paid itself back, which was unbelievable.”

Janson will hit the road on Feb. 15, to serve as the opening act, along with Lauren Alaina, on Cole Swindell’sReason to Drink Tour. Dates can be found on Janson’s website.

Photo Credit: Instagram/TheChrisJanson