Get country music legend T. Graham Brown talking about his life and career — and in a matter of mere moments, the Nashville-based star and new member of the Grand Ole Opry is sharing his faith in God, his unwavering belief in the USA, and his abounding love for his wife and partner, Sheila Brown, whom he credits with helping him beat drug and alcohol addiction issues years ago.
“My wife, Sheila, is my best friend. She’s been taking care of me for 46 years,” he told Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview.
“She’s seen me go up and down and all round.” (See the video at the top of this article, plus other videos within this piece.)
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He added that he’s “thankful to God for helping me get everything straightened out.”
Speaking via Zoom video from his home in Nashville, Brown said, “If it weren’t for the grace of God and the love of Sheila Brown, I wouldn’t even be here. But I came through all this craziness, and I just like to tell people there’s a way out.”
Brown’s desire to help others through tough times after pushing through his own is a running theme for him, he indicated to Fox News Digital — and stems from a bedrock desire to do the right thing, he said.
He shared all of this and more as he prepares to release a new studio album on Aug. 2, called “From Memphis to Muscle Shoals.”
The album includes duets and collaborations with such stars as Dwight Yoakam, Tanya Tucker, Sam Moore, Wynonna Judd, Delbert McClinton, Randy Houser and more.
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He’s released three individual tracks so far, including, most recently, “Take Me to the River,” an Al Green song that he performs with Wynonna, a longtime pal of his.
Here are edited excerpts of Fox News Digital’s original interview with Brown, a Grammy nominee and a CMA Award winner, in five key areas of his life and work.
“Sheila didn’t really know what was wrong with me,” said Brown about problems he was experiencing years ago. “And she was watching TV one day and saw a doctor talking about bipolar disorder, and she told me that she immediately thought, ‘Man, that’s Tony.’
“And she said, ‘That’s Tony right there.’ (Graham’s given first name is Anthony.) So she tracked this doctor down, and it took a while to get on a waiting list, as he’s a world-renowned doctor.”
“So I was finally diagnosed with bipolar. And, thankfully, there’s medication that can alleviate the symptoms, pretty much.
“And I always like to tell people at every show that Sheila and I make our living mainly from doing concerts. But our real thrust in life, our calling, our personal ministry — if you want to call it that — is to help people get sober and stay sober and to educate people about mental illness.
“That’s really what we care the most about. We’re just trying to help some people.”
“It’s pretty simple,” said Graham. “I was talking to a guy. I [had just done] the Grand Ole Opry. And I was talking about my faith on stage, and one of the guards came up to me afterward and said, ‘Man, I’m so happy you talk about that kind of stuff.'”
“And we feel like it really helps people,” he said. “Every show I do, I tell people my whole history. My life’s an open book. I just try to give people some hope and let them know that, especially about mental illness, it is nothing to be ashamed of.
“I think there’s still a lot of negative stigma out there about it. But I urge people: If you’re going through any kind of mental illness or if anybody real close to you is going through any kind of illness, try to get to a doctor and get diagnosed.”
He went on, “There is medicine now that can alleviate the symptoms. You know, there’s no cure for it. But you can live a pretty normal life, and you just don’t have to live that way anymore.
“I just want people to know this. Hey, I’m no big deal, no genius or anything like that. I’m just, like I said, trying to save people from trouble.”
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He added, “I get to make people happy for a living, see? It’s such a blessing to do that. I think I finally figured out what really matters. And when you get right down to it, that’s what matters.”
“I grew up in church. I always went to church. My mama and daddy made sure I went to church, and I think I’ve always been a Christian,” said Brown.
He added, “I got baptized early in my life, and I’ve always been a believer in Jesus. I think I just kind of maybe drifted away.
“One morning — and this is a cliché of a story — but I’d been trying to get sober. I’d get on the horse and ride for awhile, then fall off. I’d get on the horse, ride awhile and fall off. I went to rehab. That didn’t help.”
“But one morning, I think I finally had my heart right and my head right.
“I think I was ready, and I can remember it like it was yesterday. I looked in the mirror and I actually talked to myself. I said, ‘Man, what are you doing? You’re about to blow everything. You need to straighten up and do something about this, man. You’re smarter than this.’
“And I asked God to help me.
“And you know, from that instant — I have not had one craving.”
“I went from looking for a buzz 24/7 to never thinking about it,” he said. “So I got to call that a miracle. This has just been wonderful.
“I’m 69 years old now, and I guess I was 54, 55 years old when that happened. So I lived most of my life, you know, all bipolared out and drunk and doped up, and all that. But now my mind’s clear. Everything’s great.”
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“Sheila and I are happier than we’ve ever been. She’s my best friend. And another thing. It is wonderful to have somebody that you know has got your back and is sincere about it, that you can count on, man.
“It is such a blessing to have somebody that you can count on.”
Brown’s recent induction as a member of the Grand Ole Opry “was great, man. It’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me,” he said.
“I’ve been singing for a living for 51 years. I’ve been going out to the Opry for 40 years, and I think I’ve got about 400 appearances out there.”
“And finally, a couple of months ago, Vince Gill asked me if I’d like to be a member — and I just cried like a baby.
“It was something I just wanted for my whole career … It’s a pretty exclusive fraternity over there. You know, there [aren’t] many members of the Grand Ole Opry in history, even.”
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“And just to be one of them is just great,” he added.
“It’s like, I’ve won all the awards and all that stuff. But being a member of the Grand Ole Opry is the No. 1 career achievement for me.”
As the nation celebrates the Fourth of July this week, Fox News Digital asked Brown what America means to him.
“Well, I’ve been all around the world. I’ve been everywhere the grass grows green. And I’m gonna tell you what. The United States of America is the only place to be for me.
“I’m sure I could be anywhere I wanted to be, but I like being in the United States of America,” he said.
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“And I got great hope for America.”
“I mean, there’s some craziness going on, you know? But this is what I think.
“I think that God is on top of it all. I think God is large and in charge and pulling the strings — and everything’s going to work out just like God wants it to work out.”
And “I think that’s just the fact of the matter.”
