Aug. 11, 2024

Living the dream with country music singer/songwriter Donnie Goins Jr

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In this episode of Living the Dream with Curveball, host Curveball sits down with singer-songwriter Donnie "The Original Big Fella" Goins Jr. Hailing from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Donnie shares his remarkable journey from singing in church as a child to reigniting his passion for music in the 90s, and ultimately signing a three-year deal with Murray Town Entertainment and Highway One Records in Nashville.
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> Curtis Jackson>Welcome, to the Living the dream podcast with curveball. if you believe you can achieve Chee Chee.

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> Curtis Jackson>Welcome to the Living a dream with Curveball podcast, a show where I interview guests that teach, motivate, and inspire. Today we're going to be talking to singer songwriter Donnie, the original big fella goings junior. Donnie is a singer songwriter that is from chattanooga, Tennessee. So we're going to be talking to him about everything that he's up to. And shout out to Kaden Gordon for sending them to us and allowing us to interview him on the platform. So, Donnie, thank you so much for joining me.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>I am very glad to be here, Curtis. Very glad to be here.

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> Curtis Jackson>Why don't you start off by telling everybody a little bit about yourself?

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>Well, I am, 52 years old. I live in chattanooga, Tennessee.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>I started probably like most people, I started singing as a kid in church, and then didn't, really get back into singing until the nineties, when. When all of that, you know, when Brooks and Dunn and Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson and Toby Keith and all those guys came out in the nineties, Tim McGraw and, man. I got into country music and started singing again and, had a band together for quite a while, and we played, all over town, played all over the southeast for a while and then got married and started having kids. So I quit music and started raising kids.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>And 20 years later, once the kids were grown, I decided to get back into music in 2020 and really start pursuing it and have, been blowing up social media, writing, putting stuff out.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>And, I actually just signed. And you're the first person.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>You're the first show that's getting this announcement.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>But I just signed a three year deal with Murray town entertainment and highway one records in Nashville, Tennessee. So we'll be on the radio here in a few months. I'll have a song out on the radio in about three to four m months.

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> Curtis Jackson>And that goes to show you right there. You're never too old.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>Oh, no, sir, never.

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> Curtis Jackson>So tell the listeners, you go by the original big fella. How did you get that name?

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>Well, it was just something when. When I. When I. In 2020, I, was 355 pounds.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>And, I wrote a song called big fella, and I wrote it for all the big fellas out there.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>It's basically explaining to women why they needed a big fella in their life.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>Because, of course, a lot of people, you know, when you get that size, you're not feeling all that good about yourself. And I wanted to write something that would give these guys a reason to feel good about themselves.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>So I wrote that song big fella, and I came up with the, with the oBF logo, the original big fella. And, that's how that came about. And I even added to it. It's a state of mind. You ain't got to be a big fella to have that big fella state of mind. And, I've actually dropped all the way down to two, hundred and 40 pounds. So I've lost 115 pounds in, four years.

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> Curtis Jackson>Well, congratulations on that.

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> Curtis Jackson>So for the aspiring singers out there, kind of let them know how you got your deal and some of the things that you did to be able to sign, this new deal.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>Well, I started out posting videos on YouTube and Facebook.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>and, man, I mean, I, I blew Facebook up. I have blown Facebook up for four years. I would say the 3000 people that follow me on there probably sick to death of me. but, I just kept plugging, man, and then Tick tock came out.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>When Tick tock came out, I got on tick tock, I'm up to about 12,000 followers on tick tock.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>and right now X is actually doing really well. I've been picking up a lot of followers and been getting a lot of traffic on X. It's just I worked at social media and I put myself out there and I sent emails out and, I mean, I just went after it. I, refuse for this not to be successful. I'm not giving myself any other choice but to succeed. And, you just got to keep plugging. You got to have that work ethic and you got to keep putting yourself out there. You'll have people tell you that you ain't going to make it, that, you know, I'll be 53 August 6 next month and I've had a lot of people go, man, you're too old. You're too old. They're not going to sign somebody that old.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>And, here we are, fixing to put out my first album. So just got to keep putting it out there.

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> Curtis Jackson>Absolutely. And once again, congratulations.

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> Curtis Jackson>And before we get into your first album, talk about some of the musical influences who makes, you do what you do.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>Oh, man, absolutely. Ah, first and foremost is, of course, George Strait. I mean, I don't think I've ever heard a song of his I don't like. And when I first started singing, I started singing karaoke in a bar here in Chattanooga called waltz.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>And, man, I did a ton of, George Strait, Tim McGraw, Travis Tritter, Red Atkins, Doug Stone, Tracy Lawrence. Tracy Lawrence.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>It's probably one of my all time favorites.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>but, yeah, a lot of those guys from the nineties, man. I mean, of course, everybody loves George Jones and Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings and willie Nelson, you know, but I'd say my biggest influence were the. Were the men in the nineties. And it's great to see that that nineties music is coming back around. That not just that music, but that style of country music is coming back around.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>There's a. I had a friend of mine that is my ar guy actually sent me an email, and it was talking about, college kids right now are listening to nineties country more than they are anything around the United States.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>So they're. They're. They're getting back into that. That same stuff that. That made me want to sing and made me want to ride and learn how to play the guitar.

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> Curtis Jackson>Absolutely.

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> Curtis Jackson>Well, we know you got the deal coming up as far as upcoming projects, so kind of explain, to the listeners about your first album.

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> Curtis Jackson>what can they expect when they listen to it and what inspired it, and when do you think it might be released?

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>Well, the first album is. Of course it's going to be take me out of Tennessee is the name of the album, and that's a song I wrote in 2020 when Covid hit and everybody was stuck at home.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>One of our local radio stations here, 97 three and channel twelve, one of our local news stations, and the Chattanooga area food bank, had a songwriting competition for local writers during that time because everybody was stuck at home.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>And I wrote take me out of Tennessee and actually won it, won the songwriters competition with it, and then it's gonna have a lot of stuff from 2020. It's got about four or five songs that I wrote in 2020 and 2021, and then it's got about three or four songs that I've just written in the last couple of years.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>so it's kind of a mix from the last four years, but I am really looking forward to it. We're looking to hopefully get in the studio next month.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>and, we will release.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>I think we're going to do five songs at first that my. Whatever the record label thinks is my top five songs, we're going to do those first, and, we'll release one about every three to four months, and then probably release the album about six months after the first single release.

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> Curtis Jackson>Okay. Well, so people can keep up with everything that you're up to and check out those singles and the first album, when it comes out, throw out your contact information.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>Sure. It's, on Facebook, it's Donnie goings junior.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>on Instagram, it's also. It's Donny goings.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, any music platform. It's Donnie going junior. I pretty much got it all the same.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>And, of, course, tick tock, I think, is a. It's Donnie goings music. but, yeah, I'll be, I'll be posting everything out there. We'll be making videos of what's going on in the studio so that I can. I can share them on social media and show people kind of what it's like to be in the recording studio, doing all this stuff.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>It's. It's a dream come true, man. M.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>I'm. I'm not nervous about it at all.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>I'm actually looking forward to it. I can't wait.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>but, yeah, it'll all be out there, and, man, I can't wait to take, me out of Tennessee's gotten airtime already.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>but it's just a version that I pretty much recorded here at home. And, but it's already got airtime all around the world on the Internet radio and on some FM stations all around the world. So it's done really well. The actual song, take me out of Tennessee, has, But, yeah, I can't wait to get in the studio and get it laid down with some professionals and. And get it sounding like I like I want it sounding and get it. Get it on the fm radio stations.

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> Curtis Jackson>Absolutely.

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> Curtis Jackson>We'll close this out with some final thoughts. Maybe if that was something I forgot to touch on that you would like to talk about or any final thoughts you have for the listeners?

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>Well, no, not really. Just, you know, if they're. Man, if you got a dream, go get it. Don't leave yourself any other option. you know, I work a 40 hours week job. I work full time, and I have this whole time that I've. That I've been doing this for the last four years. And, I just decided I was going to do this, and it was. I there. I was not going to leave. I was not going to be willing to accept anything except for success.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>And that's, That's the mindset you got to have with anything. So if there's something you want, it don't matter how old you are, it don't matter what sex you are. If there's something you want, go get it. And don't quit until you do.

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> Curtis Jackson>There it is, ladies and gentlemen, the original big fella, Donnie goins junior. Please be sure to check out his music, check out his new singles and his album when it comes out. Follow rate review share this episode to as many people as possible. Jump on your favorite podcast platform. Give us a follow a review.

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> Curtis Jackson>Check us out if you have any guests or suggestion topics. Curtis Jackson 1978. Net is the place to send them. As always, thank you for listening and supporting the show. And Donnie, good luck to you. We'll be following you and checking you out. And thank you for joining us.

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> Donnie Goins Jr.>Thank you very much for having me, Curtis. I look forward to talking to you again.

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> Curtis Jackson>For more information on, the living the Dream podcast, visit www.djcurvefball.com.

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> Curtis Jackson>until next time, stay focused on living the dream. Dream.