Don’t judge his book by the curly-haired cover—though in this case, judging by cover songs could be acceptable.
Brady Seals’ book God Blessed Texas & Me Too is serious business. Free fallin’ fresh off a gig at Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley, Seals talks with the Pulse about local shows, family tradition and the splash he continues to make with his foray into storytelling.
The Petty Junkies band is made up of professional musicians and artists who have been very successful in their own right. Well over 300 hit songs have been penned, played on, sung or produced by Seals and its other members.
The Tom Petty tribute act will play Hop Springs this month.
“We play almost all of Petty’s hits along with one Traveling Wilburys song,” Seals says of The Petty Junkies junket. “[Bassist] Mark Hill and [drummer] Lonnie Wilson put the band together. I never met Tom. However, I have become good friends with [original Heartbreaker] Stan Lynch. We’ve written many songs together. You can find one on my independent album Play Time.”
The group’s official statement says The Petty Junkies are “just a bunch of pals who love Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers” who want to honor the memory of Tom and his art, but that they are not “impersonators or a band cashing in on a tragic loss.”
Aside from the Petty tribute act, Seals has quite a tale to tell, plus a persistently unfolding knack for making the most of it. A near mind-blowingly rich heritage of music-making relatives scratches the surface. The legendary Dan Seals was his cousin, as is Jim Seals of Seals & Crofts. Brady is related to Johnny Duncan, who achieved duet success with Janie Fricke on country standards “It Couldn’t Have Been Any Better” and “Thinkin’ of a Rendezvous” as well as on other cuts.
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Troy Seals is Brady’s uncle. Troy wrote a few tunes you might have heard, including “Lost in the Fifties Tonight” (Ronnie Milsap), “If You Ever Have Forever in Mind” (Vince Gill), “I’ve Got a Rock ’n’ Roll Heart” (Eric Clapton), “Seven Spanish Angels,” a hit duet recorded by Ray Charles and Willie Nelson, and “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?” (George Jones).
Brady, quite literally, had some big shoes to fill.
Musicians Jimmy Bowen and Brady Seals
“There’s a bunch of us out there, for sure,” Brady enthusiastically relayed to fellow musician Jimmy Bowen during an appearance on a recent television taping in town for Bowen’s program Jimmy Bowen and Friends, talking of the talented Seals family.
“When I was young I was pretty fearless,” he later tells the Pulse. “I just loved playing music. Growing up in Cincinnati I didn’t even know that Dan Seals and Jimmy Seals were cousins. All I knew was my uncle Troy. Last time I checked, he’s written over 40 No. 1 songs. I’m so proud of my heritage and I hope I do them proud.”
In the perpetual pursuit of doing just that, and by joining forces with Lua Crofts (Dash’s daughter), he’s even formed the duo Seals & Crofts 2.
“Lua and I will be touring a bunch this year and we will be recording some original material as well,” Seals said. “I plan on releasing my version of ‘I’d Really Love to See You Tonight.’ It’ll feature John Ford Coley and Lua Crofts. The Petty Junkies played on the track!”
Regarding Brady’s book, in addition to borrowing from the Little Texas hit song of the almost same name, it’s safe to say that inspiration also relied heavily on the Book.
“The title God Blessed Texas & Me Too came from out of the blue. It felt like it was a gift from God,” he says, smiling. “He was the common thread through my life stories. I was able to write down feelings I had stored up for years and it was very therapeutic for me,” says Seals, who went through a divorce in 2017 and remembers reading a lot of motivational books at the time. “I felt like my story could possibly help others going through their own heartbreaks and letdowns. I started the book over 17 years ago, although most of it was written in 2017 and ’18. It was much harder to finish than I thought it’d be. I’m so glad I did it, though,” says Seals, who dedicated the book to his son, Evan.
“Reading for the audiobook took forever and a day! Way longer than I anticipated,” he continued, regarding the publishing side of the process. “I wanted to do it, though, so if anything were to happen to me, my son could always have his dad’s voice available. I’ve had so many people tell me they’ve cried while reading it—both happy and sad tears.” Some readers, Seals reports, told him “they could feel the presence of the Lord. That means so much to me. The point of the book is to let everyone know that God is with you every step of the way. He’ll never leave your side.”
Brady adds that he has considered writing an additional book, a prequel, delving into his childhood.
“The current book starts in 1991, so it would be good to be able to explain how I got there,” he said.
Meanwhile, if you’re into the idea of runnin’ down a dream, workin’ on a mystery, why not see where it leads . . . especially if it leads to Hop Springs.
The Petty Junkies play at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15, at Hop Springs Beer Park, 6790 John Bragg Hwy. Tickets are $20 and available on Eventbrite.
For more on Brady Seals, visit bradyseals.com; find God Blessed Texas & Me Too on Amazon.
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Fun facts: Troy and Brady Seals, along with Gordon Bradberry, wrote the song “Slowin’ Down the Fall.” It appeared on an album by Brady’s critically underrated band Hot Apple Pie . . . and it featured some guy named Willie Nelson.
Troy also at one point released the single “You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover.”
