Bobby remembers his friend Lesly Simon and shares their Conversation about her Cancer Diagnosis

Bobby wanted to share this special episode and start by talking about his friend Lesly Simon. He shares their conversation about her cancer diagnosis.

Lesly Simon passed away on Thursday (March 27) peacefully surrounded by her family after a battle with breast cancer.  At the time of recording this in 2022, she had over 25 years’ experience in the music industry that include jobs from assistant to radio promotions. She talks about her rise in the music ranks in Nashville that lead her to getting the job on Garth and Trisha’s record labels. She shared that in June 2017 she was diagnosed with breast cancer just shortly after getting that new job. She talked about how she has stayed positive even after being told her cancer has returned. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, guys, I'm gonna play you an old episode, not
because it's an artist that when we interviewed they weren't
famous and now they are famous, and it's like a
cool look back. We do that sometimes, like a Bailey
Zimmerman or Megan Maroney, or a really cool old episode
of like Chris Stapleton or The Greatest Hits, or a
themed episode. All that we do sometimes because they're kind

(00:21):
of cool to hear back. But I want to play
an old episode from like episode three fifty or so
with my friend Leslie Simon, who died yesterday and I
didn't listen back to this episode I'm about to play.
But when I was thinking about what I was going
to write about her, just remember how I felt when

(00:41):
we finished this episode, because she definitely had a really
great career in music. I'll walk you through that in
just a second, and she we'll do in the episode. But
we went from being professionals one whom I really liked
working with to someone who as a real life friend.

(01:02):
She spent over twenty years in the music industry. At
twenty sixteen, she started working for Garth's general manager of
his label. She worked with Tricia and All that we
get to it's not even what it's about. And she's
definitely not one of the most famous names that have
done the podcast. And again I haven't listened to this back,

(01:23):
but I remember how I felt when it was over,
and remember thinking how strong and brave and I could
do four or five other descriptive words that I felt
like I wasn't because she had been diagnosed with cancer,
did not know how much time she had left. And
again this is two years ago. She didn't know then.

(01:45):
She did a lot of things in that two years
to try to, you know, finger quote figured it out.
She called me a couple months ago, and if she calls,
I answered, it may have been less than a couple
months ago. But if she calls, answer one. Because I

(02:07):
really liked her. She was my friend, and she didn't
live in Nashville anymore. She lived in Alabama. So if
I was in Alabama, we had dinner. If I was
doing a show, she came to a show. I'm convinced
we may talk about this, that she's one of the
reasons I got to open for Garth Brooks. And so
she called and had seen her multiple times since her

(02:30):
cancer diagnosis, and honestly, there were times where I felt
like she was getting better because of what was being
communicated to me. By the time that I answered the phone,
that was not the case. And she was called to
tell me that they had told her that she had

(02:50):
a very limited amount of time left. My whole life,
most of my life, I've had something to say. It's
my career. I'm pretty good at it. My whole life.

(03:13):
I can talk about things. I give advice to situations,
good or bad, but i'd have it. I remember her
calling and saying, hey, I want to tell you this
so you don't hear it somewhere else. And then she
said she had just weeks to live. And I remember

(03:34):
saying exactly to her, I don't know what to say
right now, and she said, you don't have to say anything.
And then she told me how happy she was right then,
and that, yeah, sometimes she get really sad, and sometimes
she felt depressed, and she knew sometimes it was gonna

(03:56):
be worse, sometimes it's gonna be better, and then it
eventually was going to get bad, but that she was
so happy because what having an expiration meant was she
knew that she needed to find the joy now and

(04:19):
that she had put that off for so much of
her life, and that she had found so much happiness
since being told that she didn't have long to live.
And I thought that was I thought it was hard
to hear. I thought it was beautiful to hear. I

(04:39):
hated hearing it. I loved hearing it. I wished I
didn't have to hear it. And she said again, I'm
very happy because I know this is my time to
be happy. I remember saying, don't put off being happy.
Don't feel yeah forever to be happy. You may feel

(05:03):
that way because you don't have an expression right now.
But she's like I do. They told me I have
weeks to live, and I'm not gonna waste that on
being sad. And I've thought about that. A lot can
act like that. I've just been like a way better

(05:24):
person because of it. And then we all get wrapped
up in every day. We got to keep up. We
got to make sure all the little things are all
the irrelevant things that we think irrelevant are done, you know,
across the t's dot the eyes get to work, make sure.

(05:46):
But she said she was really happy at that time,
And I wanted to play this interview because I remember
feeling after we finished it a way I did not
expect to feel before we started doing it, and I
didn't know how far we would go into her cancer diagnosis,

(06:08):
because again this is a podcast. For the most part,
we talk about music, but they ended up being what
it was. And again I haven't listened back to it.
I won't listen back to it, at least not now.
So I'm only playing this based on remembering how I
felt when it was over two years ago. And if

(06:31):
you're moved by it, if you're commpelled by it, if
you do listen to it, and you want to reach
out in the DMS and tell me what part of
it connected with you, because so much of what she

(06:51):
did connected with me. There were times when I was
in Los Angeles and I'd be there for a few
weeks at a time, and again she was a big,
big wig music exec. She'd be there and I'd be
struggling for different reasons, and it didn't matter. She'd come
find me and we'd have talks and there were never answers.

(07:17):
There were never answers, but that was never the point
of it, I guess, just like I didn't have an
answer for her when she called, tell me she didn't
have very long to live, so rest in peace to
my friend Leslie Simon. I hope you listen to the podcast.

(07:38):
Maybe this is not for you. Maybe it's not the
time nor the place because something happened in your life.

Speaker 2 (07:43):
Maybe it's the exact time for you to listen to this.

Speaker 3 (07:46):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (07:47):
Again, I have a listened back to it. I could
be completely wrong about it. I just know how it
felt when it was over. You know, there's the saying
you may not remember the things that people said to
you or remember their names, but you'll have to remember
how you felt when you're around them, kind of paraphrase that.
That's how I feel about this podcast. But it is

(08:09):
not how I feel about her, because I remember many
of the things she said, many of the things she did,
many of the ways that she helped in, many of
the wonderful, wonderful things she did, both professionally and personally.
So I'll start talking Leslie Simon. We loved you. You

(08:33):
made a difference in a lot of people's lives, including
my own. And here's the podcast. I don't know the date.
I didn't do any research on it. I just felt
compelled down to come down and record this and play
it all right.

Speaker 2 (08:46):
Thanks.

Speaker 1 (08:48):
As we get into a lot of your career, Leslie,
what's interesting to me is that I wonder what you
remember from the day Cam came to the studio. That
up to me as part of my career, and you know,
I have my story for what I tell because it
was my version in my life. And you come to
the studio with Cam and you guys have a radio single.

Speaker 2 (09:10):
I don't even know what it was.

Speaker 3 (09:11):
Thinking back, I gotta be honest, I don't remember what
it was.

Speaker 1 (09:15):
And it was like, hey, we're gonna come. And I
liked Cam and so I didn't know where that well then,
but I liked her from our limited time together. And
Camp came in to the studio and she played the
song and I was like, man, your song I really like,
I said, I just love Burning House.

Speaker 2 (09:28):
I said, would you play it?

Speaker 1 (09:30):
And so she did and that's a slow song and
she's a new artist and obviously that's not it wasn't
a single.

Speaker 3 (09:36):
Oh no, I mean we were all so nervous about
I loved that song, but I mean it was like,
how can you put a four minute slow like the
slowest ballad on the way you have to.

Speaker 2 (09:47):
Say ball it's so slow, Yes.

Speaker 3 (09:50):
So slow. And when you were like, hey, I love
this song, I was like, cool, let's yeah.

Speaker 1 (09:55):
So she played it and then I remember playing it
all day. I played it every thirty min.

Speaker 2 (10:00):
It's on the air. Yeah, for two reasons.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
One because I loved it, and two I was kind
of figuring out my place here and what kind of
influence I had.

Speaker 2 (10:08):
Yeah, and I was like, let's just play.

Speaker 1 (10:09):
And so this is download still so six or seven
years ago. Yeah, and so you can watch the iTunes
chart where now it takes longer because streaming numbers aren't
immediate and yeah, and we just skyrocketed, and I was like,
holy crap.

Speaker 4 (10:24):
I remember well.

Speaker 3 (10:25):
I remember walking out that day and she and I
were both like, wow, that was really special.

Speaker 2 (10:31):
And we think it was weird because I was like,
I didn't focus on the single.

Speaker 4 (10:35):
It wasn't planned and we were fine with that.

Speaker 2 (10:37):
Oh you were.

Speaker 1 (10:37):
I always thought you guys were a little upset because
you came in for something and I didn't give it
to you.

Speaker 4 (10:41):
But not on purpose, no, no, no.

Speaker 3 (10:43):
What was so exciting when we walked out of the
door was we felt this energy in that interview. We
felt your excitement for the song. We loved the song,
but it was really everything that you're told you can't
take to radio on a new artist. I mean, you're
constantly told we want tempo, we want something short that
you know is gonna be ear candy, and this was

(11:05):
slow and had a big, kind.

Speaker 4 (11:07):
Of powerful story behind it.

Speaker 3 (11:10):
So we walked out and we were both like, God,
that felt so good, and.

Speaker 4 (11:15):
We kind of went through this what if no.

Speaker 3 (11:18):
It would just never work?

Speaker 2 (11:20):
What if no?

Speaker 3 (11:21):
You know, all of the things that were always listening to,
which are the formula for what you're supposed to.

Speaker 4 (11:27):
Do, It didn't fall into any of those things.

Speaker 1 (11:29):
Well, and she's also a female artist too, which is
another layer, a huge and it's still a layer now.

Speaker 2 (11:33):
But it was like back then, it was specially it
was so hard. Yes, it was so hard. So everything
was working against it.

Speaker 1 (11:40):
Right, everything new, female, slow, no reason that should have
been radio song, no reason. So and my version of
the story from where I lived, I play it, a
play it.

Speaker 2 (11:50):
It's crushing. It's crushing.

Speaker 1 (11:51):
I talked to Ride, who runs the format and is
also one of my dearest friends.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
We've been together for fifteen.

Speaker 1 (11:57):
Years, and I'm like, hey, uh, I've only ever seen this,
like one or two songs ever that we've done.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
Ever, I've never seen a reaction like this before.

Speaker 1 (12:05):
And it's easier to react to a slow song because
you can actually hear the words, right, So I expect
reacting from powerful songs.

Speaker 2 (12:10):
But I said, hey, this is.

Speaker 1 (12:12):
A weird thing where and I thought you guys were upset.
I was like, they didn't come in to promote song
and asked him to play it.

Speaker 3 (12:18):
But Rod wasn't in that role yet. He was partially
he was getting involved, but he wasn't in the big role.

Speaker 2 (12:24):
But I called him because I was fighting for him
to get that role.

Speaker 1 (12:27):
And I was like, hey, we did this and we
were also and eventually I get to the on the
Verge part, but he was very much in that conversation
UoN the Verge, and I was already positioning for it
because not that I loved Cam and I later did,
and not that I loved you, because I didn't really
know you that well yet, but I saw that as
if that was a hit and I did it, that
people will be like, oh, that guy kind of know

(12:48):
what's talking about, because.

Speaker 2 (12:49):
I didn't know what I was talking about. But I
was just I was just experimenting at the time, and so.

Speaker 3 (12:53):
You've always had an ear and you had you had
that ear. Then I remember sitting at my desk after we.

Speaker 4 (13:00):
Got back.

Speaker 3 (13:02):
And you texted me and you texted me a screenshot
of the iTunes chart and I was like, oh my gosh.
And right within seconds of you texting me, we were
at a time that we didn't have a chairman at
Sony Nashville.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
Yes, some dude called me named Doug or something.

Speaker 3 (13:20):
So Doug Morris, Doug Morris, who was the head of
Sony in New York, called me and I answered the
phone and I said, somebody from his office called because
I guess right when you sent me that text, I
sent it to somebody in New York and I don't
even remember who. I just remember Doug's office immediately called

(13:41):
me and Doug said what happened today? And I said, well,
Bobby wanted and Doug loved Burning House. And Doug was
a huge part of signing Cam. I mean, he actually
pretty sure he signed Camp.

Speaker 1 (13:55):
That's what he told me. Yes, when I started listened,
I didn't really talk much.

Speaker 3 (13:59):
I listened a lot, That's what he I mean I'm like,
my chemo brain is like and so I have to
go back. But he signed cam. He called me and
he said, what happened today? And I said, Bobby loves
Burning House and wanted to play Burning House. And when
he played Burning House, there was this immediate reaction and
this is where it is on iTunes and so he
obviously saw the iTunes number and he was like, this

(14:23):
has to be our single.

Speaker 2 (14:24):
That quick he made that decision.

Speaker 3 (14:26):
He was like, I think this has to be the single.
And I was like, We're always looking for something that's reacting.
We want something that's organic and that's real and that
has an instant reaction, and this song is doing that.
And from that conversation, I mean, then he and I
started talking on a way more regular basis, and then
On the Verge came together and that was really what

(14:49):
jump started her career. That song, I mean, that was
a number one record that had it not been for
On the Verge and the response that happened that day,
that instant reaction from fans, we never would have gotten
enough exposure to have ever gotten the number one, I mean,

(15:10):
and then so many things, you know, opened up for her,
so many doors opened up for her, and you know,
Grammy nominations and performances on television and just all of
these things opened from the power of that song in
that moment, and it was one of the most special
things in my career because to have a new artist

(15:32):
on a song like that that everybody says it's not
going to work work, it was really really exciting and
really one of the things I'm most proud of.

Speaker 1 (15:40):
But I mean, I still remember it pretty vividly where
she came in, she played it, I kept I played
it a few times on the air, just being like,
you guys, if you you got to do something because
and then my goal was like, let's see if I
can move a needle more than just downloads. And I'm
on with Rod because we had just been talking about
on the Bird for another artist who didn't get it.

Speaker 2 (16:01):
So I don't want to.

Speaker 1 (16:01):
Say it is so and on the verse for those
that are listening, it's basically the biggest thing you can
get as a new artist with a song, because you
just automatically get a ton of play and automatically move
up the charts and automatically get a good place to
get research in a positive way because you have to
have research and it has to show up, but you
get enough spins that it's real life research.

Speaker 3 (16:19):
Well, most importantly, people hear it because you're getting those
spins in the daytime. And the only way fans can
react to music is if they can discover it and
they have to hear it more than one time, and
they have to hear it.

Speaker 4 (16:34):
Just over and over again in a regular rotation, and
you get that.

Speaker 2 (16:39):
And not at two in the morning.

Speaker 1 (16:41):
That happens a lot of time in new artists, like
most of the plays in the Overnight Spot. And I
remember getting home and as a New York number and
I was like, oh, I don't think it's SPAN. So
I answered, it's like, hey, this is Doug some name.
I just am not connected, right, and so he probably
has a lot of people who worship a door and

(17:03):
respect what he's done.

Speaker 2 (17:05):
Later I learned it. I learned too, but I was like,
what up, Doug.

Speaker 1 (17:09):
I didn't know who it was, and he's he starts
to tell me a story about Cam coming into Sony
and him signing her and how big.

Speaker 2 (17:16):
Of a deal.

Speaker 1 (17:17):
So I started to put it all together, like this
is the guy that's because you were an aristo.

Speaker 2 (17:23):
That that division of Sony exactly in my head. I'm
figuring it out. As I'm talking to Hi, I'm like, oh,
so Sony the big boss.

Speaker 1 (17:31):
He's like over over everything, all formats, and so he
was super sweet. He's like, I just want to say thanks,
because in a way, we were going to play this
as a single because the team in Nashville had felt
like we.

Speaker 2 (17:42):
Needed to give what radio usually wants. I'm like, can
we hang up?

Speaker 1 (17:46):
And he's like, this is going to be the song
and I appreciate your support. And he was also like,
can I have your support more so? And I was like,
I mean, I was like, yeah, why not. I don't
know what to say. And so, because it really had
happened so quickly, so I'm talking to Rod and I'm like, hey, man,
do we want a big win on this or do
we just want to grab an artist?

Speaker 2 (18:05):
It's probably going to be pretty good anyway, because if
we want a.

Speaker 1 (18:07):
Big win, this is the one because it wasn't a single,
it's female artist.

Speaker 2 (18:14):
It's such a good song. It's different.

Speaker 1 (18:17):
I said, if you want to win, we got to
give it a cam And I don't really get in
those conversations a whole lot. I think I've only ever
done it twice. The other one one was Chris Jansen
buying Me a boat, and I was like, you gotta do.

Speaker 4 (18:26):
It, yeah, because they just this was like right after.

Speaker 2 (18:28):
Yeah, like I'm a hot. I'm like, I'm like, let's
do it again.

Speaker 1 (18:32):
That's probably a little bit of why I kept doing
the song too, because I was like, let's see if this.

Speaker 2 (18:35):
Is I just caught lightning in a bottle.

Speaker 1 (18:37):
Yeah, and I did, because those songs were lightning in
a bottles, right. It was just somebody had to put
them on a platform, right right. I didn't do anything.

Speaker 2 (18:44):
Except go, hey, all my people listen to this this.

Speaker 3 (18:47):
Yeah, you gave it the exposure that any artist needs.
But when you have great songs like that and they
get exposure, then they do what they're supposed to do.
They do what they're meant to do. They react, and
that's what happened. And I mean, listen, there were some
program directors who were not happy. They did not want
to play it, and they were like, you know, why

(19:09):
why does it have to be this song? Why does
it have to be a ballad?

Speaker 1 (19:12):
And we were like, you can't say it's me because
other companies, especially then. Right now it's a little okay
because I've kind of established. But then if you were
to say, Bobby did this right, they'd just pee on it.

Speaker 3 (19:24):
They weed it, and I think too at the time,
I mean, it was just there was so much A
female cannot come out with a ballad and you need
to listen to us. A female can't come out with
a ballad. And you know, my thought at that time
was like, hey, man, if you don't hear this and
you don't want to do it, no worries.

Speaker 4 (19:40):
Let's see what happens in your market. Let's see what
happens with the streaming numbers.

Speaker 3 (19:45):
Let's see what happens with the download numbers, because like
you said, I mean, people were still downloading at iTunes,
and all of those things came together in such a
real and passionate and big way that you really didn't
have a choice. Yes, you could be you know, you
could have such an ego that you decided not to
share it with your audience. But why would you do that,

(20:08):
you know, because if the people are telling you they
want something, why would anybody have such a big ego
that they wouldn't give it to him?

Speaker 1 (20:15):
It was a great little snapshot of you know, those
early years for me in Nashville is seeing that success
because I loved to see a song that was just
real good, get it, yeah, even though it didn't match
what the criteria supposedly was for a song to be
real good whatever that meant, right, And there have been
a few of those like Eric Pasley, he Don't Love You,

(20:37):
She Don't Love You. That was one too where I
was like, it was slow and like, the song's just
so good, like right, guys, And so we played all
the time and it was only like a top ten,
but it like was nominated for big awards, and I
was just so proud of like fighting for that song
because it was just about the song.

Speaker 3 (20:54):
And what That's one of the things I love that
you did at that time.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
And you still do but not as much now, but yes,
but you really.

Speaker 3 (21:01):
At that time said I don't care if this doesn't
follow the formula of what we're supposed to be putting
on the radio. This is an amazing song. And I'm
seeing I mean, you're on the front lines. A lot
of program directors are not on the front lines, but
you're on the front lines because you're talking to people,
you're connecting with fans, you're you know, you're communicating with
listeners every day, and so you really see how they react,

(21:24):
whether you're seeing it on socials or I mean you
still have people call into the studio. I mean a
lot of people don't even have phone lines to do that,
but you do. And so you had the opportunity to
see how the listeners and the fans reacted to Burning
House into the other songs that you launched, but you
were you were playing songs that no one else would play,

(21:44):
and you were giving them exposure and letting the fans
and the listeners decide. And at the end of the day,
that's what it's all about, right, I mean, like that
discovery is what it's all about. And we kind of
got to a place where I felt like we were
really strung to get anything that was different, the opportunity

(22:04):
to succeed, and you gave it the opportunity, and good gracious.

Speaker 2 (22:09):
I mean, there's a picture in the little waiting room here.
It's massive.

Speaker 3 (22:12):
It was awesome.

Speaker 1 (22:13):
It was awesome, and it was an awesome song. There's
a picture in the room here when you walk out,
like the waiting room for the studio and it's Cam
and Kelsey because Kelsey's first song was going number one
and Cam was in because she'd just been announced on
the Verge and I had him come in at the
same time, and they don't I don't remember what they did,
but I have a picture of that day because it

(22:33):
was awesome to me because I used take Kelsey out
on the road and open for us. She didn't have
a song or anything yet, and I was so proud
of her and she was getting her first number one
and I was so pumped for that song and Cam
and I didn't have the relationship with Cam, but I
just loved the song and the idea of someone doing
something that wasn't really being done, which has taken a
big chance in the label had to take a chance

(22:54):
that's money. Yeah, yeah, And I was so proud of
her and that song. So there's a picture of us,
and I was like, this is such an awesome day
for all of us and.

Speaker 4 (23:02):
The women in country music.

Speaker 2 (23:04):
It's really cool. And I don't do that. It's funny.

Speaker 1 (23:06):
I don't do it as much anymore for a couple
of reasons. One because you don't really get the instant
because it takes a while for streaming to actually show up.

Speaker 2 (23:13):
Three reasons. Two, I just try to be funny at
this point, right.

Speaker 1 (23:17):
You know, I don't have a lot of time to
listen to a bunch of new music. And it got
to the point where I was getting people all the
time begging me to play new music or listen to
new music, and I didn't have time to be fair,
and if I couldn't be fair, I didn't really want
to do it. And then it got to and you'll
know this because you've been in this industry for a while,
it got really bad with because I had had a

(23:38):
bit of success in a non traditional way of breaking music,
and artists that other we'll call them gatekeepers or other
places started to get competitive with it and then hold
people back.

Speaker 2 (23:50):
That I was like, this is good.

Speaker 1 (23:51):
So I was like, oh, they're going to hold people back,
I'm out because I'm not gonna do anything and have
somebody penalize something I think is great because I don't
work with that sting service. I don't work at that.
And so that started to happen and I was like,
all right, I'm out. I'm gonna be out for a
while until it chills. And then so now I do
it in a way of I love this artist and

(24:12):
if they're coming to town, yeah you should go see them, right.

Speaker 2 (24:15):
Because that's how you can directly affect an artist.

Speaker 3 (24:17):
Well.

Speaker 4 (24:17):
And you put the gull on stage the other night.

Speaker 1 (24:19):
Yes, I love and I still love the same thing.
It's the same, but now I just find different ways.
Our waiter a place for eat all the time. Yeah,
never told me at all.

Speaker 3 (24:29):
Sorry. I loved seeing that story and I was.

Speaker 2 (24:31):
Like, hey, come out.

Speaker 1 (24:32):
So I put them up on stage you played it
was awesome. Yeah, So yes, I just have to have
to find a different.

Speaker 2 (24:37):
Way to do it. But I love it.

Speaker 1 (24:39):
I love people that are good and work hard and
are trying every way to get some sort of exposure.
And then if I can, if I have a path
for them to walk down, let's go.

Speaker 2 (24:48):
I'll take it and we'll go.

Speaker 3 (24:49):
Using your platform for that is it's exciting that that.

Speaker 4 (24:54):
Still can happen.

Speaker 2 (24:57):
Different Yes, yeah, in.

Speaker 4 (24:58):
A different way. I mean what ever way you're doing it.

Speaker 3 (25:00):
You're using your platform to expose music that you think
is great, and I think that's really important.

Speaker 1 (25:06):
I appreciate that. It's a big deal to me. It's
a big deal to take somebody's working hard and give
them a shot. Yeah, and I think that's probably I
go to therapy.

Speaker 2 (25:14):
My an's all. That's all that therapy part of stuff.

Speaker 1 (25:16):
But uh so I was interested to hear your take
on that because that was a really cool part of
my Nashville time.

Speaker 3 (25:22):
I'm telling you, it was one of the most and
then in the end when it came full circle and
it was the number one record it in all of
my career. It's one of the most special moments in time.
It is one of the things that I'm most proud
to have been a part of. And I mean, it's
just so many great memories that that.

Speaker 1 (25:44):
Yeah, just nothing for Grammy for that Song's so, you
had Brad Paisley, and I don't remember the first time
I met you. It had to be in studio because
you had you Oh you know, I do, Okay.

Speaker 3 (25:56):
The first time I met you was when we had
when y'all were announced here and we had Brad do
an interview, and do you remember that? It was right
when you was like, was it the press conference?

Speaker 1 (26:06):
There was a there was a really dumb press conference
that I'm embarrassed that we had. But I and I
didn't have I didn't know what was going on. I
was wide eyed, like what's happening?

Speaker 4 (26:12):
But was there a Brad there for that?

Speaker 2 (26:14):
Maybe?

Speaker 4 (26:14):
Or he was the first interview.

Speaker 3 (26:16):
There was something that Brad did at the very beginning,
and you and I met right at that time, and
I mean we just didn't we connected.

Speaker 1 (26:24):
Yeah, well because you weren't like a car salesman, honestly,
I mean, and that's it.

Speaker 2 (26:29):
Yeah, And that's it. In this town.

Speaker 1 (26:32):
It's like trying to figure out who's a car salesman,
who's not, or who you like. You know, you can
have a friend that this car salesman, but you gotta
be like, hey, you gotta turn that crap off around.

Speaker 3 (26:40):
Me, right right?

Speaker 1 (26:41):
And that's cool too, as long as they turn it
off around you. I've got that relationship with a few
people now where it's like I get it, but don't
do that here, don't.

Speaker 2 (26:48):
Do that like me.

Speaker 1 (26:49):
We're this is life, life, life, But you know, it's
interesting with Brad. Early on, I went to Brad. I
wrote about this my first book. I went to Brad's
house and he was like, hey, come outside for a minute,
and I was like, was he gonna shoot me? What's
happening were these country music people, and so I was
walking with them, and it was cool to me because

(27:10):
I grew up listening obviously to a lot of country
music in Arkansas, like it was the central part of
my music until I got to be a teenager and
that turned a little more alternative.

Speaker 2 (27:17):
And hip hop. But I remember Brad because I remember.

Speaker 1 (27:21):
His early early part is right before I checked out
for a little bit in that part of country music,
and so I thought it was really cool that he
was walking in and he was like, hey man, they
ain't gonna like you here, and a little bit I
was taken aback because I thought he was maybe agreeing
with them or maybe secretly, like I don't know, as

(27:44):
showing his how dominant he was. I don't, I didn't know,
but it was weird, and I was like, what do
you mean, and he goes, I'll play from experience, and
that's when I knew he was kind of giving me
some advice. He was like, they didn't like me here
for a long time because I was quirky and I
did some funny stuff and he goes, listen, I love
country music.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
Nobody doubts that.

Speaker 1 (28:00):
But there are a lot of people here that was
like that guy ain't for here, and he said, you're
gonna get that a lot. And I remember, and this
is before I really got that, Yeah, because I did.

Speaker 2 (28:08):
Boy did I for two or.

Speaker 1 (28:09):
Three years, and I remember going really but I always
held that like, it's very precious to me because.

Speaker 4 (28:16):
A real moment.

Speaker 1 (28:17):
Yeah, few people, Yeah, he didn't have to do that,
and he was like, they're gonna like you and it's
gonna suck for you for a little bit.

Speaker 3 (28:23):
And he was right, Well, I mean, like he's one
of my favorite humans in the world. I mean, he's
a dear friend and I loved working with him. But
you know, one thing that I always felt about Brad
is when he wanted to sit down and have a
conversation with you, it was a person a person conversation.
He wasn't there wasn't some other intention that you didn't

(28:43):
know about. I mean, he really wanted to have a
conversation with you about you know, whatever it is y'all
were talking about. And so him having you out there
and having that discussion with you was a real moment
of connection. And there was something that obviously you guys
connected on very early that y'all had a lot in common,
and I think it was it was really cool to

(29:05):
watch y'all's relationship.

Speaker 2 (29:06):
Yeah, it's very special.

Speaker 1 (29:07):
And you know, I got really isolated myself a lot
for a few years because I just felt like people
were just taking their shots. But I always remember that
and really appreciated that from Brad because he superstar. You
have to do that superstar to do anything.

Speaker 3 (29:20):
And you know what, people did that for him when
he started and then he has I watched him do
that with other artists and other people in this industry,
and it's it's really special. I mean, it's one of
the things in this industry that I love so much
is that there are these real people who want to
connect with real people and then also want to help
grow these relationships in this industry together. And it's really

(29:43):
fun when it's a partnership and we all work together.
And I think he really y'all made that connection early,
and I loved watching that relationship.

Speaker 1 (29:59):
I was talking to me me today and yeah, I
mean it worked, you know for those if you did.
Leslie and I are we're friends, like real life friends. Yeah,
but we met through a professional environment and we kind
of you know, morphed into that and you and Amy
you are close, Amy and I are closed, so you know,
it just gets a love triangle, I'll say it.

Speaker 2 (30:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (30:20):
So Amy was like, she said something about Chiney this morning,
and I was like, where did Chingey come from?

Speaker 2 (30:25):
Because I know Chingy.

Speaker 1 (30:26):
Holiday in right there all the and she was like, well,
this is Leslie Monday night. Yeah, and she said Leslie
to work chiny records or something, and I was like, what,
So did you work in hip hopera Pop?

Speaker 4 (30:37):
I worked in Pop. I was at Capital Pop before I.

Speaker 2 (30:40):
Came to Aristo what where?

Speaker 3 (30:42):
And I was based out Atlanta, So I was at
the time, I was the Southeastern regional.

Speaker 4 (30:49):
So you know, back in the day there.

Speaker 3 (30:50):
Were ten and twelve fourteen locals that worked records across
the country for one imprint.

Speaker 1 (30:58):
And by that, you mean, if we simplified a little bit,
you had an area and you stayed close with all
the radio stations in your in your localist.

Speaker 2 (31:05):
Area, correct it.

Speaker 3 (31:06):
And so I covered the southeast out of Atlanta, which
was basically Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi was basically my territory.
And I mean when you're in pop, you work every
pop format, so you're working hip hop, alternative.

Speaker 2 (31:26):
Rock, hot ace, hot ac pop.

Speaker 3 (31:29):
I mean, I want to say I had seven formats,
and I mean fifteen records at a time very different
than and this is, you know, this is how I
kind of was growing up in the promotion world before
I came back into country. And my very first artist
that ever worked to radio, my very first song was
Coldplay in My Place. It was my first day of

(31:51):
work was the ad day for Coldplay in My Place.
You know, I didn't really know hip hop music, but
I lived in Atlanta, which is like the center of
hip hop music, and I had to represent those artists,
and so I really started to learn the music. But
I mean, I'm from Montgomery, Alabama, and I'm you know,

(32:12):
most of the one syllable words I say come out,
and especially you know, twenty years ago, twenty five years ago,
they came out in two, three, four syllables.

Speaker 4 (32:21):
So I worked Chingy right there.

Speaker 3 (32:25):
But obviously there does not even sound normal coming out
of my mouth. So when I would call my program
directors to talk to them about this new artist, Chiney
and y'all, that song was such an infectious record massive.

Speaker 2 (32:40):
I mean, yeah, I heard it once sin time. I
had all day still still this long.

Speaker 3 (32:45):
So I would call to work the record and I'd say, hey,
I'm you know, this is Leslie with capital called to
talk to you about Chiny right there. And they were like, Leslie,
the song is right there. I'm like, I know that
the song is called right there. But if I said
right there, don't you actually think it's ridiculous and you
don't really take me seriously?

Speaker 4 (33:04):
I mean, let me just call it right there. And
then I'm a.

Speaker 3 (33:08):
Huge numbers geek, so I always have like the stats
and the numbers and all the things that were going
on with this song. But I had it in my
Southern accent, in my searsucker pants, with my bows in
my hair, working right there, and these people thought they
all thought I was hysterical, because.

Speaker 2 (33:30):
Well, the record, you did it, you made it. I
made it.

Speaker 3 (33:34):
The first time Jingy I took Chingy to radio, it
was to the Beat, which was the huge hip hop
station in Atlanta, and we met outside of the radio
station and he gets out of the car and he's
got like this posse of like twelve people, and I'm like, Chingy,
like the studio where you're gonna go cut these liners
is the size of a closet. We cannot take ten

(33:56):
people downstairs. You get to pick one person to come
downstairs with you. And he's like, no, they're all coming.
I was like, they can't fit in the closet. Everybody's
going to sit upstairs. We're taking one person. But they
all thought I was so funny because they were not
used to having this like really southern, strong, Southern woman

(34:17):
who you know, if you thought that you could tell
me how it was going to go, then I was
going to stand up and go huh uh, and I'd
get my little southern accent on and kind of slow
it down. And they all thought I was hysterical. And
I also wore so Chingy gave us all these belts
that literally the belt buckle was this big and it

(34:38):
said Chingy on it. So when I took him to
the radio station, I had on my cute little seven
jeans with my seresucker top and my bows and my
hair and my chini belt and Rich Money, who was
one of the guys in his group that would would
be on stage with him when he performed. He was like, Chingy,
she is representing and I was like what. I had

(35:00):
never heard that word before.

Speaker 4 (35:01):
I was like, what does that mean? And I didn't
see him pointing to my belt.

Speaker 3 (35:04):
I was like, and I'm sitting there thinking he's talking
about something that I'm wearing or whatever, but not thinking.

Speaker 4 (35:11):
It's the belt for God to have the belt on.
He's like, look, she's representing. And I was like, what
does that mean?

Speaker 3 (35:17):
And they all started laughing and they're like, she's representing.

Speaker 4 (35:20):
And I looked down and I was like, oh, my belt,
I'm representing you.

Speaker 1 (35:24):
I'm representing you. That's funny.

Speaker 4 (35:27):
And they were like, oh my gosh.

Speaker 3 (35:29):
But I loved them and these guys were great, and
it was super fun to work two songs from a
brand new artist that were so massive. I mean, I
still like you said about right there with Holiday Inn.
When that's when I hear the word holiday in, I
go straight to what you're doing nothing chilling at the
Holiday Inn.

Speaker 2 (35:49):
Yeah, so you worked and we'll call it pop.

Speaker 1 (35:52):
There's a lot of little formats there. How long did
you do that Atlanta?

Speaker 3 (35:55):
I was only in Atlanta for two years and then
I came back here to do again. So i'd started
in country. I actually started as a temp at rca label.

Speaker 1 (36:07):
Group, like a like an administration, yeah, temp, like an assistant.
Were you doing that because you knew you wanted to
get into it or are you just looking for a job.

Speaker 3 (36:15):
At that time, I knew I wanted to get into
the music business, so I started. I was living in
Nashville and I actually worked for the temp company doing marketing,
and my first year out of college. I'll move through
this really quickly. It's just kind of funny. My dad
was like, Okay, you got four years in a day.
Your four years is about up. Then that means you
have to have a job. And I was like, well okay,

(36:37):
And he's like, if you don't have a job by
the time you graduate, you're moving back to Montgomery and
I'm going to help you find a job. And all
I could think is, I don't want to move back
to Montgomery, Alabama. I mean, I want to go spread
my wings and figure out who I am. And so,
long story short, I ended up getting a job as
a living nanny for a race car driver.

Speaker 2 (36:57):
A famous one.

Speaker 3 (36:58):
He's a top fuel driver, great top field driver's name
was Jim Head.

Speaker 4 (37:02):
So I moved to Columbus, Ohio, oh he didn't live here. No,
my dad was like.

Speaker 3 (37:07):
You're not gonna go live with some family we don't know.
And long story short, his uncle happened to live in Montgomery,
Alabama and was in the Chamber of Commerce and Rhetorie
Club and did all of this philanthropic stuff with my dad,
and so my dad knew him, and he was like, Okay,
well he's a great man, and this is his nephew.

(37:29):
Then he's a great man too, and yes, you can
take the job. I was like, well, and I'm also
twenty two years old, and so I can kind of
take the job if I want to. So, long story short,
I went to go live on this racing circuit and
living in that I so we were races every weekend.
I think we had thirty two races in that year.
Living in that sports world, I kind of knew I

(37:49):
wanted to be in sports and or entertainment. I grew
up in Montgomery, but my family's from Nashville. My mother
grew up in Nashville. I had all these aunts and
uncles in Nashville. So I called my aunt and uncle
and I was like, can I.

Speaker 4 (38:01):
Come live with y'all? And can you help me find
a job.

Speaker 3 (38:03):
When I finished the year as an Annie, and so
I came here and went to work for a temp
agency and when they were RCA was one of our clients.
And so I actually went to the owner of the
company after you know, six or eight months, and I said,
I really want to work in the music business and
I just wanted to see if y'all would consider placing
me if there's an opening at RCA. And he was like,

(38:26):
of course, and so you know, you've got to do
the work when you get in there, but we'll we'll
if you want to be a temp, we'll get you
in the door. And so I went to be a
temp for the head of sales at RCA and they
had had a lot of different assistants kind of come
through that desk. And I was there for two weeks
as a temp and they hired me full time and.

Speaker 2 (38:48):
That quick and Joe was it. We were a ching
CHINGI belt.

Speaker 3 (38:51):
I was not wearing the Chingi belt.

Speaker 4 (38:53):
That was pree chingy.

Speaker 2 (38:54):
I joke a lot. I was here yesterday, I know.

Speaker 3 (38:57):
I actually I just had coffee with a friend and
she was telling me that Joe's over here. So I
can't wait to hear that podcast. He's one of my
mentors and one of my favorite human beings on the planet.
And I mean, he really taught me so much about
this business.

Speaker 1 (39:12):
So did whomever you were with talk to him after
he was here? I wonder how people feel and do
you have good experience here?

Speaker 2 (39:18):
Do we know?

Speaker 4 (39:18):
I don't know if she talked to him after.

Speaker 3 (39:20):
She just said, oh, because I said, I'm headed over
to do Bobby's podcast and she goes, oh, my gosh,
Joe just did it yesterday, and I was like, that's
so cool.

Speaker 2 (39:26):
It was awesome.

Speaker 3 (39:26):
He's amazing, just done everything and he's done. He's been
so influential in country music. I mean, and he really
has been so important in so many different executives and
artist careers. I mean, he really was is still one
of the greatest mentors that you could have.

Speaker 2 (39:48):
Did he move you up?

Speaker 1 (39:50):
Like?

Speaker 2 (39:50):
How did that?

Speaker 3 (39:51):
Well? I mean I worked for people under him who
moved me up. But I mean, you know, I've always
had a really strong work ethic, and I'm very driven,
and I'm also insanely organized, and so I kind of
dope end my day until everything is done. And so
when I was at so at RCA. It ended up

(40:11):
becoming Sony. But when I was at RCAA at the time,
I worked in the sales department and I ran all
of the sales reports. Well, I mean, y'all, back then
we barely had email. I mean, we didn't have cell
phones really, So I would have to get in on
Wednesday morning, which was when all the sales numbers came out.
I would show up to the office at like four
in the morning because I'd have to run all these

(40:33):
programs out of DOS. Do y'all even know what doss y'all,
you do not know what DOSSA is. So I'd have
to like run these all of sound scan out of
DOS and then move it into an Excel spreadsheet. And literally,
I mean it's a lot of and I don't want
to say labor intensive, but I mean it just takes time.

(40:55):
So I did that and up put the reports together
for all of the executives, and so to get everybody
report together for their meeting at nine am, I mean
I'd get into the office at four four thirty in
the morning, so that when they all got into the
office at you know, eight thirty for their nine am meeting,
all of their reports, their sales reports were there and

(41:15):
my degree was an accounting so I was always just
a numbers person and I would dig through all of
the numbers because I was just interested.

Speaker 4 (41:22):
I wanted to know what made.

Speaker 3 (41:24):
Things sell, why did certain things sell when other things
weren't selling, how was it marketed? And so I just
started really paying attention to all of the reports. I
was focused on to try to understand not just to
give them the report, but to understand the why behind it.

Speaker 1 (41:40):
So when you moved from being at Tempt, what was
the job you took or they get they offered you.

Speaker 3 (41:44):
I was the assistant to the head of sales, So
what do you Okay, that's still a numbers very numbers
oriented Yeah.

Speaker 2 (41:51):
So from that then what did you do?

Speaker 3 (41:54):
So then I actually ended up leaving and I went
to work for Mindy McCready who was one of our artist.

Speaker 2 (42:01):
And what did you do for her?

Speaker 3 (42:02):
I started as her personal assistant and then became her
tom manager.

Speaker 2 (42:06):
You were a tour manager.

Speaker 4 (42:07):
I wasn't like twenty five years old.

Speaker 2 (42:09):
That's a that's a difficult, stressful it is raveling.

Speaker 4 (42:14):
And we were a baby act.

Speaker 3 (42:16):
We were we opened for at the time, we were
going back and forth between to McGraw, George Strait, and
Alan Jackson, and I literally like showed up that. I
was like, how did I become this rough? I think
the tour manager quit and then she was like, oh,
Leslie's going to be the tour manager. And then her
manager called and said, this is a terrible idea. You
are basically a child and you have no idea what

(42:37):
you're doing. And I was like, I completely agree with you.
I have no idea what I'm doing. And he was like, well,
I'm going to go out on the road with you
for a weekend and I'm going to teach you and
and so he, you know, taught me what he could
literally on the bus. And then I remember getting to
the first show was Alan Jackson and Tony Stevens was

(42:58):
Allen's tour manager at the time, and I walked into
the production office and I was like, Hi, my name
is Leslie and i'm Mindy steruner manager and I have
absolutely no idea what I'm doing, and so if you
would just teach me, I promise I will make this
as easy on you as possible. And I did the
same with Tim's temer manager and they were just so
gracious and wonderful and kind of taught me the road

(43:20):
side of the business and the touring side of the business,
which is very different than the label side.

Speaker 2 (43:25):
Yeah, and it's interesting.

Speaker 1 (43:27):
What's really cool is you had I mean you had
to learn a skill and at the time it's probably
difficult and like this is really hard, but then you
had an element that you knew with your artists that
other people do in your position didn't know because they
hadn't probably been on the ground in that form. I
was with my booking agent is Brad Bissell at CIA, Yeah,

(43:47):
and his wife Stally. He's run the opry and I
was with them, but they came out to my show
that I did at CMA Theater and afterward Brad it
was like, it was really interesting about your career is
like you can relate to people on so many levels.

Speaker 2 (44:00):
He said, you know, you've.

Speaker 1 (44:01):
You tour, you know how hard it is, and when
you get an artist it's coming into your show to
do an interview and most people are like, oh wow.

Speaker 2 (44:08):
It's like you can talk about catering or what.

Speaker 3 (44:13):
It's like to be in a different hotel and wake
up and not know what city you're in and or.

Speaker 1 (44:17):
Sure or brought a promoter is or not getting your
merch money or you know all this and he's like
that's cool, and I was like, it was hard. I
didn't want to do it, Like I had to learn
because I wasn't I wasn't good at other stuff.

Speaker 2 (44:30):
So I had to find a different.

Speaker 1 (44:31):
Way to actually get to where I was, which is
doing all these crazy things.

Speaker 2 (44:34):
But now it's like a superpower.

Speaker 3 (44:35):
I have.

Speaker 2 (44:36):
Same for you.

Speaker 1 (44:37):
You were a tour manager for an artist, but you
understood how hard it was to travel and you had
the sleeping always difficult. Comfortability not a thing, especially a baby.
Artists no money, no money you're living on, and so
to have that skill that you earned, I just think that.

Speaker 2 (44:58):
Would be so valuable.

Speaker 3 (44:59):
It was a it was a really wonderful experience. And
it's all very humbling. I mean anytime you whatever you
start doing in this business is humbling because there's so
many people who have come before you that know more
than you know. And so I just always felt like
instead of walking in and pretending like I knew something
that I didn't. And also there are a lot of

(45:20):
people like they need you to be efficient and to
not get in the way of their job. And so
what I wanted to know is how do I come
in and be the tour manager for the support act
and do what y'all need us to do out here
and not get in your way and also look out
for my artists at the same time.

Speaker 4 (45:38):
And so, and I was young.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
I mean, I you know, I didn't have a lot
of world experience, much less working experience.

Speaker 4 (45:47):
But it was a great opportunity.

Speaker 2 (45:48):
I mean it sucked. I know it sucked. Had to suck.
It sucks. That's a hard, sucky job. And I mean
that it was also.

Speaker 3 (45:54):
Fun because I was a kid seeing the world.

Speaker 1 (45:57):
When I say valuable, I don't mean valuable like it
was the most amazing thing. I feel bad for my
tour manager, and you know what, I pay them pretty good.

Speaker 2 (46:03):
And yeah, but I also.

Speaker 1 (46:04):
Know they're dealing with me and my schedule and I
might need a lemon before I might come my throat sore. Right,
they not only have to deal with Okay, here's the
person doing the merch. Okay, this is the promotere I
gotta meet with them after the show to clear this.
I got to give Boby a freaking lemon. I got
to make sure the lights and make sure people don't
have their salt. It's everything, and you got.

Speaker 3 (46:22):
The band and you've got to you know, help you're
you're also representing the band and so they have knees
as well. I mean it's my only point great experience.

Speaker 2 (46:30):
Yes, it's a great experience, but it's very difficult.

Speaker 1 (46:33):
And that is like to have empathy, yeah for that,
Like that's that's awesome, that's what so fun you do that?

Speaker 2 (46:40):
Where do you do you get back in the label
business after that?

Speaker 3 (46:42):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (46:42):
I ended up getting back.

Speaker 3 (46:43):
I mean it's some other things and kind of stepped
away and then I came back in it and then
I started. So the next thing I did in the
industry was promotion for Capital and I was hired by
our president was in LA, so it'shigh hired out of
the LA office and for the Atlanta job, like as.

Speaker 2 (47:05):
A regional again where you're representing area of stations.

Speaker 3 (47:08):
Yeah, so that's where I where I represent a cold
Play And yes, that was my first promotion job. So
you want to And I didn't know anything about promotion
at the time.

Speaker 4 (47:17):
By the way, I didn't know. I didn't even really
know that.

Speaker 3 (47:21):
Thing record reps called a radio station to ask the
program director to play the music. And so, you know,
believe it or not, there's a lot of numbers that
go into promotion as well, and you're looking at not
only We're a song is on the charts, but you
know which markets generate more audience and how to drive listenership,

(47:45):
how to drive people to play the song more so
that you have more people listening to the song. And
then when you're going into a market, you obviously want
that song to be really exposed in a in a
very strong way so that when the artists are on stage,
the fans a or there bround the tickets and then.

Speaker 4 (47:59):
They're singing along.

Speaker 3 (48:00):
So I just really learned that side of the business
and it really fit my personality. I loved it. I mean,
it was a lot of fun and it was fun
to work. You know, this variety of artists, I mean
Kylie Minogue, Colplay and adored Coldplay. It was there really.

(48:20):
I mean, so I worked Russia Bloods one, Yeah, and
in My Place was the first single off of that,
and then they came in for the tour.

Speaker 2 (48:28):
Oh it wasn't the first one Yellow that record before
that was.

Speaker 3 (48:30):
That was the album for I didn't work that album,
so I worked Russia Blood, and I mean I feel
like they started the US tour, I mean pretty close
to the beginning. They did Atlanta and Elton John came
out and played with them in Atlanta, and then they
did The Rymen, and so I brought them to the
Rymen and they wanted to go out after y'all, and

(48:52):
nobody knew who they were, so well, literally we walked
across the street from the Rymend to this bar called Rippy's,
and the guy that owned the bar shut it down
and let them and the band the music was the
opening act, just play all night long. We had the
best time, and they they love music so much that
they wanted to stay another night before they went on
to the next venue. And so they were like, take

(49:15):
us out to hear bluegrass, and so we took him
to the station in and they got to hear Sam
Bush play and they you know, these were just young
guys from.

Speaker 2 (49:25):
No one knew them but knew them to look because
you knew their.

Speaker 3 (49:27):
Music, their music, but didn't I mean people, they weren't
as recognizable when they walked off of the stage that
I mean now they can't walk outside but they weren't
as recognizable then because.

Speaker 2 (49:39):
Chris Martin was.

Speaker 1 (49:40):
When I remember the Yellow video, I shook my whole
world when I saw him walking on the beach with it,
and I was like, this is the great song and
the rest video IVE ever seen. He's not doing anything
but walking and being sad, and I was like, this
is changing, this is it, And so I was still.

Speaker 2 (49:51):
I love cold Play.

Speaker 1 (49:52):
I like their piano slow stuff more than their I
like the version of the instrument. Some people like the
new version, but I love Coldplay. But it's cool that
they just wanted to hang.

Speaker 3 (50:04):
They just want to Yeah, And I mean they're just
great people. They're great guys. I mean, and you know
that album. I mean, think about the great songs on
that album. Clocks the Scientist what a brilliant song, I mean,
and then Willie Nelson covers The Scientist and Chris's version
of the Scientists and Willie's version of the Scientists are
so different, but both so poignant. I mean, that's just

(50:26):
love of music.

Speaker 2 (50:27):
So you were I also remember you with Carrie? Yeah, right,
you're with Carrie?

Speaker 3 (50:38):
Right?

Speaker 2 (50:38):
Arista is aria still a thing?

Speaker 3 (50:41):
Yeah? It is?

Speaker 2 (50:42):
Yeah, I mean I have no connection to labels at all.

Speaker 3 (50:45):
Yeah, so old Dominion is on Arista and I'm gonna
be honest, I can't remember.

Speaker 2 (50:51):
Yeah, I mean I don't.

Speaker 1 (50:52):
I don't know who's on one labels either, because I
was talking to you before it.

Speaker 2 (50:55):
Labels don't come in the studio anymore. They're in the
green room. Because it was just a mess.

Speaker 1 (50:59):
I was like, I want to do a show and
have connection with me and the artist and really, but
if the label's in there, it's just like.

Speaker 4 (51:05):
It's sometimes, yeah, it's a little different.

Speaker 1 (51:07):
So you're an aristo and I remember there was like
a big layoff or something like some people left, and.

Speaker 3 (51:14):
So I was there for thirteen years and then.

Speaker 2 (51:17):
As a long time.

Speaker 3 (51:19):
I started as a regional and then you know, became
the national and then I became the baby and I mean,
I gosh. When I started, I mean it was I
had Brooks and Done and Alan Jackson and Brad and
Keith Anderson, Phil Vassar, then Carrie.

Speaker 2 (51:39):
Cam Lanco at the beginning, maybe.

Speaker 3 (51:41):
I had the beginning of Lano and then you know,
as happens in this world, when you have changes at
the top, chairman changes, That's.

Speaker 2 (51:49):
What it was.

Speaker 1 (51:50):
It was a big change and they brought in their
own people. Yeah, I think I remember being.

Speaker 2 (51:54):
Like what and I hated her After that, I was
like no more.

Speaker 3 (51:56):
Well, I mean listen when when I left, we were
the number two label, the number two imprint and country music.
So I mean we had a ton of success and
it was a lot of fun. But then, you know,
everything in life happens for a reason. I'm a huge
believer in that. And I'm also a huge believer in
one door closing is just making room in your life,

(52:18):
in space for another door opening. And right when I
so I left Sony and Arista in February of twenty sixteen,
and I mean, I want to say it was like
either right before that or right after Garth announced he
was staffing the Imprint, And.

Speaker 2 (52:36):
I said for Garth, yeah, I was like Brooks and
You're like yeah, and so how does that happen? You're
still with Garth?

Speaker 3 (52:49):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (52:49):
Right?

Speaker 1 (52:49):
And Trishia, Yeah, so how does how does that conversation
does he call you?

Speaker 2 (52:55):
Does?

Speaker 3 (52:56):
So? Mandy McCormick was working was the first person that
went over to work directly with he and Trisha, and
so she was really helping him staff it. She called
me and we had a couple of conversations and then
she said, he's playing the show with a Ryman and
we want you to come up and see it. And
it was his first time to play the Ryman, y'all,
which I did not ever.

Speaker 1 (53:16):
Yeah, oh ever, I thought it was like a person
time to play the ryman in like twenty years in this.

Speaker 2 (53:21):
Did he get too big?

Speaker 1 (53:22):
He quick?

Speaker 4 (53:23):
I think he did.

Speaker 3 (53:24):
He all of a sudden he had not played the
rhymen and then he went out and was playing these
huge shows. And I don't actually remember the exact story
of why he didn't play it until that moment, but
it was when I say it was one of the
most special music experiences of my life. My husband came
up here with me. We went to the show, and
at one point in the show, I had tears coming

(53:45):
down my face and my husband looked at me and
he's like, that's a visceral reaction to music, and if
you are emotional in a happy way, not a sad way.
I mean, it was just so it was such a
beautiful performance. I mean, here he's playing these covers at
the beginning with the with the curtains closed on the
stage of the rhymen and he's playing George Jones and

(54:08):
Johnny Cash and just this. You're like, oh my gosh.
I mean, you're listening to this amazing music and from him,
and then he and Tricia come on stage together. It
was just it was really a powerful night. And the
next day I remember my husband looking at Mandy and
is like, she's going to do this. And then he

(54:30):
called me that night the next night and we just
had a conversation about, you know, kind of where I
was in my life and what I wanted to do
and what he wanted to do with the label, and
you know, where he was. And at that point, I
was like, I'm in It's weird.

Speaker 2 (54:46):
When Garth calls on the phone. It's weird because you're
just like, that's crazy. Guard's voice is coming out of
a little phone right there.

Speaker 3 (54:53):
And he's just this kindest Yeah, that's weird too. He's
so kind and he's so gracious, and he he's so
he listens better than anybody I know. I mean, like
he literally listens to the words coming out of your
mouth and what you're saying. And some people are thinking
about what they're going to say next when they're talking

(55:15):
to somebody he doesn't.

Speaker 2 (55:17):
I agree.

Speaker 1 (55:18):
It's again I keep using the word weird, because you
just don't expect a massive star, the biggest star in
the world.

Speaker 2 (55:24):
I have time. Yeah, Ordy care.

Speaker 4 (55:26):
And all that.

Speaker 3 (55:27):
He makes the time and he cares, he really cares
about human beings. And I mean Tricia is the same.
She's one of my very best friends. I just absolutely
adore them. And I have to say, I mean, you know,
I started in September of twenty sixteen, and you know,
here I was the gem of their labels and we're

(55:48):
launching this new team and this new music. And six
months after I started, I was diagnosed with cancer. And
both of them immediately went into whatever you need every
single time that I called him, and I was like, Okay,
I want to really not focus on cancer. I want

(56:08):
to feel normal and focus on work. And so, you know,
after I had the surgery and i'd kind of get
over the hump of chemo, I would call him to
talk about work and he'd answer the phone and he'd
stop me. I mean, I'd go, hey, hey, doing, I
want to talk to you about and I'd just like
dive in and he's like, whoa, hey doing, and I'm like, okay,

(56:29):
how are you feeling?

Speaker 4 (56:31):
And he would.

Speaker 3 (56:31):
Always stop and want to talk about how I was.
And I felt like with both he and Tricia my
health and where I was, not just physically, but I mean,
you know, this kind of a disease is it's emotionally
trying as well.

Speaker 4 (56:50):
And they were always so concerned.

Speaker 3 (56:52):
About me and my family and how we were doing
in the juggle, And I remember saying to him, I
need to work. I need to feel normal, and working
makes me feel normal, and he was like, you know,
you can work as much as you want to, but
you also need to take care of yourself.

Speaker 2 (57:13):
You felt supported.

Speaker 1 (57:16):
Personally and professionally, which makes you feel even more supported
personally exactly.

Speaker 3 (57:23):
I mean, and I don't I think it's really difficult
in a corporate environment, even though a lot of corporations
are very supportive of especially if people with you know,
health situations, but in this industry, it's really hard to
have that much love and support around you. I mean,
I remember after we kind of got over the hump,

(57:45):
and it was now it's twenty eighteen, and I was
up at the house one day and I said to him,
you know, we were just talking about the whole journey,
and I said, and you know hear him on the
other side of it, I have no cancer in my body.

Speaker 4 (57:59):
Hairs grow on back.

Speaker 3 (58:00):
And he was like, so, how you know you have
been through a lot and you've been so strong through
all of it. And I remember saying to him, as
difficult as this diagnosis and going through all of this,
it's the greatest thing that's ever happened in my life.
And I thought that then in twenty eighteen, and then

(58:22):
as you know, it came back actually right after your wedding.

Speaker 1 (58:27):
I remember you told me the wedding was like one
of the last time you didn't know it was.

Speaker 3 (58:31):
The last celebration I had that I didn't know. I
had my doctor swim on a Tuesday after your wedding
and we found out that it's metastatic stage four. You know,
this is the rest of my life and it has
been the is trying and difficult as it is, it's

(58:51):
been the greatest thing to happen in my life because
of the perspective shift that happens when your mortality is
staring you in the face. You just you have a
choice to make, and you can either be a victim
or you can live really intentionally and you can really

(59:12):
celebrate your life and the people in your life, and
you can really decide what matters now, like what am
I going to do that's going to matter, because you know,
my life expectancy is not the same as any of y'all's.

Speaker 4 (59:28):
And I've come to terms with that.

Speaker 3 (59:32):
I've processed that, and so what you know, what I
told my doctors is just recently we found out a
couple of weeks ago that is fantastasized into my brain,
which is the worst possible news that you can get.
But at the same time, this new drug was just
released that is really you know, this could.

Speaker 4 (59:53):
Be a game changer for me.

Speaker 3 (59:54):
You could take my life expectancy from two years to
you know, we don't know how long because it's a
new drug. So it makes you look at life in
a completely different way. It makes you every decision you make,
every what you do when you wake up in the morning,

(01:00:15):
you know, kindness and love and joy. I've been so
overwhelmed with this, just gratitude the number of people that
have reached out. I mean, the first time around, you
guys sent me this wall box full of pimp and
joy stuff, and all I wanted to do during the
first battle was to run this race. That was like
the one thing that I was like, if I can
just run this ten k on Thanksgiving Day while I'm

(01:00:37):
going through chemo, It's proving to me that I'm still
physically able. And so my sister and my step children's
mom and her wife, we all went out and ran
this together. And we all I've had everybody in Pimp
and Joy, So everybody on our crew was in like
a Pimp and Joy shirt or a Pimp and Joy sweatshirt,

(01:00:58):
Pimp and Joy hat, and we all went out and
you know, we were in our Pimp and Joy and
so you feel this love and gratitude that actually is
out there for all of us to feel. You don't
have to just have a disease to feel that. But
a lot of times we get caught up in negativity
and just stuff and.

Speaker 4 (01:01:15):
Worry in the world.

Speaker 3 (01:01:16):
And when you kind of let those things go and
you focus on spending really good quality time with people
and sharing love and receiving love, and and then also
you know, right now we're in this phase of bucket
list as I told you earlier, and you know, Robert
and I are, let's do everything that that we ever

(01:01:41):
wanted to do, and you know, spend quality time with people.
And you know, I'm sitting here with two bosses that
not only helped me do that, but there's not just bosses.
They're my friends, and they're a real part of helping

(01:02:01):
me have these experiences that.

Speaker 4 (01:02:06):
There's nothing there's no way for me to even.

Speaker 2 (01:02:11):
Use.

Speaker 3 (01:02:11):
I don't have the words to express the gratitude for
that kind of love and compassion.

Speaker 1 (01:02:25):
I remember at the wedding and you know, things are
running ten thousand miles an hour wedding because it's just
everybody that you care about, and everybody wants to hang
out and stay a few things. And I remember, and
I love your husband too, just just the best. And
you know, one of the only people that I've let
dominate me in the fight for the check, which is.

Speaker 2 (01:02:42):
Nothing like all right, you can have it. I get it.
I'm in your hometown, you can pay it for it.
And went with Alabama.

Speaker 3 (01:02:47):
We had, you know, we had dinner.

Speaker 1 (01:02:49):
And so I remember spending time there and I guess
you had spent some time with Garry the vox in
my wedding.

Speaker 4 (01:02:56):
Yes, oh my god, we had so much fun. We
sat next to each other at dinner and.

Speaker 1 (01:02:59):
I remember I'm calling and somehow he had heard your
story or I don't know how he caught it somewhere else,
because obviously at the wedding you didn't even.

Speaker 2 (01:03:11):
Know the cancer come back.

Speaker 1 (01:03:12):
And so you're with Gary, Gary Levox, who's leadsing a
Rascal Flats and Gary's just lovely and it's like a
ball of energy and just yes on, He's just on,
and it's so I remember he called me and he
was like, hey, so your friend. Likely I spent a
lot of time the here the wedding. I don't know
if he knew he had cancer. He just wanted to

(01:03:33):
reach out to you. I don't remember what version it was,
but I remember reaching out to you.

Speaker 2 (01:03:36):
I was like, hey, can I give Gary your you
know your number?

Speaker 1 (01:03:39):
And Gary called you and I think you told me
that you guys had just prayed just about about you know,
what you were going through. And I thought one the
fact that he had such a a night, you know,
this this gathering of moments with you through one night

(01:04:01):
that he was like, I need to get in touch
with her because that needs to be my friend. First
of all, I was like, I get it, like that
she's my friend, Like I understand why.

Speaker 2 (01:04:09):
And then secondly because I think he said, do you
care if I call her and just pray with her?

Speaker 3 (01:04:14):
Yeah, that's what when you called me, That's what you said.
He just wants to pray with you. So he must like, honey,
I got I'm taking all of the prayers and anybody
wants to pray with me.

Speaker 2 (01:04:23):
I mean, I'm in So he must have known somehow.

Speaker 1 (01:04:26):
Yeah, but I and I just thought, man, like, A, Gary,
that's awesome.

Speaker 3 (01:04:31):
You know, and you know what I think happened. I
think when I started, I'm so you know, I'm like
the worst person at social media. A I'm just not
good at it, and be I'm pretty private, so I
don't share a whole lot. But I had this moment
sitting in the chemo chair on October first and starting
this horrific Adrian Maysen which is Red Devil chemo, and

(01:04:52):
I was like, this is I have to tell people
what's happening because people need to be self aware and
do self checks. There are things that can save your
life if you find cancer early. And so I just
felt really compelled to write my story in a social

(01:05:14):
media post which is about is not me as I mean,
it was kind of shocking, and I think that somehow
he saw that, whether.

Speaker 4 (01:05:23):
It was through a mutual friend or.

Speaker 3 (01:05:27):
But it was really sweet. I mean, to me, somebody
offering to come and pray with you and take It's
one of just the most beautiful things that happens when
you're going through something traumatic, if you take a step
back and you just look at what is happening in
the moment. People wanting to take time out of their
schedule to pray for you, to check on you, to

(01:05:52):
just let you know that they're sending love. I mean,
those little things are huge, and it's really how we
should all try to live our lives. I mean, one
thing that I try to do now is when somebody
comes to my mind, there's a reason that person came
to my mind, send them a text or a note
and just say you know, I love you, I'm thinking

(01:06:15):
about you. You just came to my mind. I just
wanted to say hey. And I used to like, I
don't want to bother people.

Speaker 4 (01:06:21):
I mean, I don't want to sell me.

Speaker 3 (01:06:25):
But I have this experience has made me go when
I feel that way, I look at my phone, and
you know, yesterday out of the blue, I had six
or seven friends just reach out that I'm not talking
to on a daily basis. Hey, I just want you
to know I'm thinking about you today. How's it going, when's
your next treatment? And it just fills you, fills you

(01:06:47):
with love and joy. And then, as you guys always say,
with pimp and joy, want joy, forces joy and forces
joy and forces joy. And the more that we spread that,
I mean, listen, there's enough bad news on the television
and in the news that if we just started all

(01:07:08):
trying to do our little part to spread kind of
joy love, it's really life changing.

Speaker 1 (01:07:15):
The last thing I want to ask you about is
they or Laura Slater raised, Yeah, Ray, Ray my producer,
my friend's wife, how because she got diagnosed ye breast
cancer as where as well, and obviously she loves you.
But you, guys, I don't know if you knew each
other before.

Speaker 3 (01:07:34):
We did not. So Tricia called me and said, I
have a friend who was just diagnosed and she's really young,
and she said, would you talk to her? And I
was like, absolutely, Well, I had my wig made at
this fabulous place here because the first time I went
through it. Losing my hair was incredibly traumatic. And so

(01:07:57):
Tricia introduced me to this company here who made wigs,
and Tricia had found them when they made her mom's
wig when her mom had had cancer. So I had
gone there and they made this gorgeous wig for me.

Speaker 2 (01:08:08):
And so.

Speaker 3 (01:08:11):
Babe was going to have an appointment at this place,
and so I flew up here and met her and
went to her appointment with her, and then we just
sat down afterwards and I talked to her about my
experience and all the things that I had been through,
the good, the bad, the ugly, but really the good
and the love and the joy that you have to

(01:08:32):
keep going while you're going. You have to keep perpetuating
while you're in this process. And we instantly connected and
then she what a rock star. I mean, she shared
her journey to so many people and has had such
a great impact on women who are going through this.
So it started, you know, with her sharing on social media,

(01:08:53):
and then she started a blog, and she really has
been so impactful and so many women's meant in discovery
of the disease. And then she actually asked me to
write my story in her blog, and I was like,
oh my gosh, like, I don't really do this. I'm
super private, and then I was like, no, I need

(01:09:14):
to do this. So this was before mine came back,
and so I wrote for her for her blog. She's
the only person I think that at the time could
have gotten me to do that. And you know, we've
just been friends ever since, and she's followed my journey
and I've followed hers, and we're you know, we've just
been friends. There's It's a really interesting thing was when

(01:09:36):
this happens. There's a lot of women who have been
through it. There's a lot of people that have cancer.
But you all of a sudden, you're in the club
that nobody wants to be in. And when you get
invited into this club that nobody wants to be in,
you really want to help love and nurture the other
people in it. And so I mean, right now, I
have my friend Clia from the Home Edit. She's going

(01:09:56):
through it as well, and you know, we have else
is in Florida in the same community, and we're sitting
at the pool one day and she's sitting next to
me and I was like, I'm Leslie, I'm going through
the same thing. You're going through. And we sat and
talked for you know, three hours, and we just you
really try to love and support people through it and

(01:10:19):
be there because there's, like anything, you can't really understand
what it's like. As much as I mean, my husband
is my rock, my family, my friends, you know, there's
so many people that are here to support me. But
the women who are going through it, there's just a
different reality that we know that you can't know unless

(01:10:40):
you're going through it. And so there's something super special
about the relationships that form because of this, and it's
one of the things that I'm forever grateful for. And
Bey and I have that and I'm really grateful for it.
And she is just y'all know, this fall of energy
and light and fun and funny. And I'm super great
for her.

Speaker 1 (01:11:00):
Yeah, she admires you so much. Heck, so I you know,
just well I'm glad you stop by. And and I
was gonna see you anyway, yeah, because you text her
like Hay in the town and I was like, well,
I'm going to know the Amy Monday, Amy and the girls.

Speaker 2 (01:11:14):
And I was like, well, I can't do that. Who's
that I'm here?

Speaker 1 (01:11:16):
And I was like it's so last minute, but I
gotta find some space.

Speaker 3 (01:11:20):
And so I literally had two hours to open this afternoon.

Speaker 2 (01:11:24):
This week, and I was like, I was like, cant
you come in?

Speaker 1 (01:11:26):
It's all I got and said, obviously I want to
see her and talk to her, but I also want
to talk with her because I think your career itself
is very interesting. I think your story and your journey
through cancer is extremely compelling, but it's also encouragement to
others and the fact that you remain this positive force

(01:11:47):
and it's not always positive, honestly, nothing right, but you
still remain you know, this pot but then.

Speaker 2 (01:11:53):
Your overall story of all of it.

Speaker 1 (01:11:54):
Like, I just think people are going to take so
much from this in so many ways. I'm grateful that
you did it, and you did this. I'm just so thankful,
and you know, I love you, and same with Robert,
and thank you for having me, kidding for asking me
to do awesome.

Speaker 3 (01:12:07):
It's been a you know, I didn't used to talk
about this stuff so openly, but I think it's important,
and I think it's important, especially in the world and
all the craziness that is happening in our world. You know,
to use whatever platform we have to share love and
joy and kindness and compassion, and everybody's going through something

(01:12:29):
and they just need it's a little kindness.

Speaker 2 (01:12:32):
Well, thank you for your time. It's been awesome. All
right there, she is appreciate it. Leslie Simon, everybody, Bobby Bums,
you have to do that.

Speaker 1 (01:12:42):
Thank you a Leslie for coming by. That was an
amazing episode. Again, let me remind you Leslie's being honored
by the American Cancer Society Hope Gala in August and
she's currently raising money for cancer research and patient programs.
You can find that link in the episode notes of
this podcast. Five bucks, ten bucks, whatever you can that
would be awesome. Hopefully you removed by this. Click that
to donate her honor or an honor or memory of

(01:13:04):
a loved one that is also battle cancer.

Speaker 2 (01:13:06):
Thank you, guys,