Adam Craig has checked off plenty of boxes from his bucket list since moving to Nashville from his hometown of Tenino in 2004.
Write a radio hit? Check. Perform at the iconic Grand Ole Opry? Check. Write songs for country music greats like George Strait, Jason Aldean and Tim McGraw, among many others? Check.
But this past weekend, Craig had the opportunity to ingrain his name even deeper into Tenino’s history as he headlined the first two concerts at the Stone City Event Center, part of the Tenino Agricultural Innovation Park. The country music singer and songwriter performed in front of sizable crowds Friday and Saturday, performing his own recorded tracks along with songs he’s written for other country stars and covers of 1980s and 1990s classics. Craig succeeded Olympia band Oly Mountain Boys on Friday and Whiskey Strut, another Olympia group, on Saturday.
“It’s just awesome. I wouldn’t have cared if I was the 100th, as long as I get to still be a part of this community,” Craig told The Chronicle on being the first artist to perform at the event center. “If I’m playing and everybody’s coming out and supporting the local businesses, that’s a huge part of it for me. I’ll always have a close tie to my hometown.”
Craig only recently became aware of the development of the Agricultural Innovation Park and took a tour of the facility while on a trip in June. He left the tour impressed with how Tenino has invested in local economic development and agriculture, but he simultaneously wasn’t surprised at how the community has rallied around its own.
“It’s so cool. We need to get the word out that it’s as cool as it is. This town has always rallied. That’s what I love so much,” Craig said. “I remember when I moved to Nashville in 2004 and I got robbed, the town threw a spaghetti feed and raised a bunch of money and sent it to me and said, ‘Hey, we got your back.’ That’s the common theme around Tenino. If you’re trying to start something that’s really cool, they’ll support it.”
Craig told the crowd during Friday’s concert that his career as an artist is that of one of the titles of his biggest songs “Just a Phase” and that he was an artist for “as long as you could sneeze.” But he said he has been blessed to write songs for a living, crafting hits such as Jason Aldean’s “Church Pew or Bar Stool,” Parmalee’s “Close Your Eyes,” Dustin Lynch’s “World to Me,” and Kane Brown’s “Whiskey Sour.”
Throughout the concerts, he recalled behind-the-scenes stories of how the songs he wrote came to life, including how a dad joke turned into “MIA Down in MIA” on George Strait’s latest record and how he “might have shed a tear” when he got the news that it was on the album.
“I’ve listened to George Strait since the early ‘90s,” Craig said. “When the ‘Pure Country’ soundtrack came out, I’d be at Ocean Shores and just wear that record out.”
Growing up in Tenino has played a significant role in Craig’s approach to songwriting. While the lens of small-town living is common for many country music artists who have churned out hits, Craig believes no small town tops Tenino.
“As soon as you drop down the hill on [Old Highway] 99 and you see the old elementary school, it’s all the cliche things. It’s the football field. It’s the baseball field. There was blood, sweat and tears for those places,” he said. “I loved growing up here. There’s so many cool things now, but I remember what it was when I was here. It has changed, but it hasn’t at the same time. It’s a hidden gem for sure. I’ve been to a bunch of buddies’ hometowns over the years, and ours is the sickest, in my humble opinion.”
Up next for Craig, he is waiting for Tim McGraw to record a song he wrote for him, and he will also have songs coming out from Dylan Scott and Dustin Lynch.
“I’m just working on ideas as a songwriter. Every conversation that I’m in, every TV show that I watch, every podcast I listen to, every book I read, I’m just looking for ideas,” Craig said. “The hardest part about writing songs is finding an idea that is universal but said in a different way. That’s a 24-hour job.”
