Walker Hayes Discusses His Friendship With the Man Who Inspired ‘Craig’

Walker Hayes’ current single, “Craig,” was inspired by a true story. The father of six (with one on the way) reveals the tune was written about a close friend of his, who helped Hayes out in a time when he needed it most.

“The story in the song, ‘Craig,’ is of him, providing my family with a minivan,” Hayes reveals on the Ty, Kelly and Chuck Show. “It was a humbling experience. I don’t love to need help. Laney and I came to Nashville with a very ‘I’m gonna show you all’ attitude. Like, ‘I don’t need you. I’m gonna do this.’ I think a lot of us come and chase our dreams like that, with something to prove. Over the years, I just got broken down. At the time I met Craig, I was not doing music for a job. Things were bad off, financially really rough.”

When Craig, befriended Hayes and his family, the singer was not yet sober, working at Costco to make ends meet.

“I was drinking a lot to not feel the pressure I was feeling,” Hayes recalls. “We had just had our sixth kid. When I lost my record deal, I kept it a secret as long as I could, cause we had a minivan that was provided by a dealership, and I knew that as soon as they found out that things were pretty bad, they would come and get it. I remember that day. I remember watching them put it on the truck.”

“That was a sad time in our life, because for once, I acted as if ‘I got this. I’ll figure it out,’ because that’s just what we do as people,” he continues. “But honestly I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t afford a used — I couldn’t afford a really bad car at the time.”

The lines in “Craig” are all true, including the part that says, “Showed up at the ballpark after my son’s game one night / In two cars, with his wife Laura watching from the other / I said ‘What in the world are y’all doing here, brother?’ / He just laughed inside that old Chrysler Town and Country van / With the keys, and a title, and a pen in his hand.” But Hayes says the song is about much more than just his philanthropic gesture.

“The song ‘Craig’ is not just about him,” says Hayes. “He did provide us with a car, and that’s what the song talks about. That was extremely generous. But what touched me the most about my relationship with Craig is how different we are, but how those differences didn’t divide us. He invested in my life. He’s one of those people that, when he asks you how you’re doing, he actually cared. He didn’t want me to say, ‘All good’ and go do our things. He’s one of those guys that you just naturally spill your guts to, and then you leave, and you’re like, ‘Why did I say all that?’”

Download “Craig’ on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Instagram/walkerhayes