Chris Young enjoys the view from the top

After 10 years in the music business, Chris Young knows a good thing when he sees one.

And right now, with a new album that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts which already has spawned two No. 1 Country Airplay hits, things are indeed good. The Tennessee native rose to fame in 2006 as the winner of the reality series “Nashville Star.” Since then he has carved up the charts and cultivated a strong following.

“(Debuting at No. 1) meant a lot for a couple reasons. One, it was the very first album debut at No. 1. We have had some really good weeks, but never No. 1 before. Also, this is the first thing I’ve ever been in the producer chair for. It was really exciting to be able to do that. So, yeah, it was one of those things to check off the artists bucket list for sure,” Young said from the road in Montana.

He brings his music and longtime band to Ironstone Amphitheatre in Murphys on Sunday, Aug. 14. Also on the bill are country artists Jon Pardi, whose new album “California Sunrise” also just debuted at No. 1 on the country charts, and Tyler Rich.

Young has topped the charts with “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song),” “The Man I Want to Be,” “Voices,” “Tomorrow,” “You,” “I’m Comin’ Over,” and the Cassadee Pope duet “Think of You.” His newest single, “Sober Saturday Night,” released last month, is a collaboration with superstar Vince Gill.

The country star spoke with The Modesto Bee about his new album, his inspirations and taking more control of his music.

Q: I understand you helped produce this album, which was a first for you. How was that experience?

A: It was really cool. You kind of do get a little nervous about it beforehand. I’d had success before and now I’m doing something completely different. But I was really proud of the project me and (co-producer Corey Crowder) were making. I might have been a little bit nervous the day before it came out. But then seeing the numbers of everyone buying it was really special.

Q: Your CMA Music Festival performance with “The Voice” 2012 winner Cassadee Pope on “Think of You” aired the other night on ABC. Why did you want to work with her on that, and what do you think made that collaboration successful?

A: Yeah, we wrote this song pretty early on in the process. We wrote a duet, and those are tough. They’re easy to not get right. From the jump I wanted Cassadee to be on this. She has a great voice and she is obviously a great, great singer. When they picked the second single, we believed in it, but I don’t think anyone thought it would rise that fast. I’m really proud of that. It was so much fun to work with her – she will be on tour with us in September-October. It’s a great tune off this album and great to see other people think so, too.

Q: Your newest single, “Sober Saturday Night,” is also a collaboration, but this time with Vince Gill. What was it like working with him?

A: I asked Vince to be on this song. It was one of those things where I asked him and didn’t know if he’d say yes. But he said, “Yeah, man, come on over; we’ll record it in my studio.” Obviously I love Vince Gill, so it is incredible to have him on this song to get to know him and work with him. Sometimes you put someone on a pedestal because they seem like a really great person, and then you meet them and worry, “Oh, will he be what I expect him to be?” But he is an incredible guy and exceeded my expectations.

Q: You started out on a reality show, “Nashville Star.” What did you learn from that experience, and is there anything you’d do differently if you had to do it again?

A: I don’t think I’d ever do anything differently. I’ve been really, really lucky in my career. I basically celebrated 10 years on this same label, RCA. I’m five albums in and I really feel like we’ve been on this long, slow upward trajectory. If you’d have asked me when I was 22 and in the middle of going around to every radio station in the country if I want it to happen faster, I would have said yeah. But everything happening now is at the speed I want from where I am sitting. I have so much left to to accomplish still, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

Q: How do you think you’ve grown as an artist in the past decade?

A: You do continue to evolve. You take all the things that happen to you in your career and they mold you into who you are. Those experiences mold you as singer, songwriter and producer and then all those things show up in your music.

Q: What can people expect from the live show?

A: They’ll hear stuff playing on the radio, some deeper album cuts. Me and my band, that’s my road family. My guitar player and drummer have been with me right about 10 years. Guys who come on the road with me stay on the road. There’s a cool vibe, and people can tell we have that camaraderie.

Q: Any other projects on the horizon?

A: I’m working on a Christmas record that will be coming up this fall. It’s always weird to be doing a Christmas album when its 102 degrees outside. But then I’m just touring through the summer and getting ready for the fall.

This story was originally published August 10, 2016 at 10:36 AM with the headline "Chris Young enjoys the view from the top."