Aaron Tippin Brings Patriotism to the Troops, Prepares for Release of New 'Wanna Play' Album
Country musician Aaron Tippin has built his long career in large part on his patriotism, displayed most prominently in the flag-draped song “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly” that came out in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks nine years ago.
He doesn’t just sing of his love for America from the comfort of a studio or a concert stage, however. He’s in his ninth year of playing for American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“It’s quite an honor to go over there and see the good they’ve done,” Tippin said last week in a phone conversation from his home state of Tennessee. “You look in their eyes and they show great appreciation. What’s the old saying, ‘You must be present to win’? If you show up, they like you.”
Tippin, performing Sunday, Aug. 29 as part of the WOKO Country Club Music Festival at the Champlain Valley Fair, said those soldiers have so little entertainment while on duty that they look past their possible disinterest in country music or any ideological vibe they might be getting from the performers and simply appreciate the gesture. “They’ll come up and shake your hand and say, ‘Thank you,’” Tippin said. “There’s not much politics.”
Tippin taps into politics for the forthcoming album, “Wanna Play,” produced by Tippin and James Stroud. The album includes performances by Tippin, George Jones, Louise Mandrell, Ray Price, John Anderson and other country notables, as well as guest bass player Mike Huckabee, the former Republican governor of Arkansas and commentator for Fox News. Instead of taking a political turn, the project is a charitable one, with net proceeds from the album scheduled to go to the Wanna Play Fund, which provides instruments to less fortunate children.
Huckabee, according to Tippin, is a “pretty good” bass player who made an impression when he and Tippin attended the recent National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) convention in Nashville. “All those big-time bass players know exactly who he is,” Tippin said of Huckabee. “He gets all the respect in the world.”
The “Wanna Play” album is likely to come out in October, according to Tippin, who like all musicians is feeling the effects of digital downloading and dwindling album sales. With fewer album sales and less major-label intervention, however, comes increased freedom.
“I’ve got my own label now. We’re kind of doing what we want; my wife and I are the only two artists on the label. It’s very rewarding to do what we want to do rather than have some executive in Nashville tell you what to do,” Tippin said. “I’m just very thankful to be doing what I want to do musically.”
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