Welcome to the first episode of Biscuits and Jam, a new 12-part podcast series from Southern Living.

I'm Sid Evans, editor-in-chief of Southern Living magazine, and I'm thrilled to have you join me as we speak with legendary musicians and celebrated chefs about their hometowns,

their first jobs, their big breaks, and the southern food they love, both at home and on the road.

We'll cover everything from being hungry for a career in the spotlight to being just plain hungry.

Recorded as we all sheltered at home,

you'll also hear honest conversations about what really matters and the hope for a better

future. Later this season, we'll get to chat with Kimberly Schlapman of Little Bigtown,

Martina McBride, John Hyatt, Scott Avet from the Avet Brothers, and more.

To kick things off, today's guest brings a little Florida sunshine to the world of country

music and some great stories about making it big in Nashville.

Well, when I saw that I was doing a Southern Living podcast, I thought, wow,

mom's really going to be proud of this one. Jake Owen grew up on the east coast of Florida in

Vero Beach and moved to Nashville in 2003. Two years later, he scored a record deal, leading to his

first number one hit, Barefoot Blue Gene Knight, a song that reminds us all of Southern Summer

Evenings.

His most recent album, Greetings from Jake, was released in 2019, and you may have seen him as a judge on the USA Network's music competition series Real Country, alongside Shania Twain and Travis Tritt.

You can count Sugar Land, Little Big Town, Florida, Georgia Line, and Kenny Chesney as just some of the acts Jake has collaborated or toured with.

In addition to hosting his own podcast for IHeart Radio, Good Company with Jake Owen.

On today's show, we'll chat about his most recent number one hit

Homemade and the short film inspired by his grandparents' love story. The song tells its own story,

but I wanted to tell my story. I think everybody can relate to the song in their own unique

homemade qualities in ways, but I really wanted to let them see my homemade story.

...