“My parents were immigrants from Taiwan and settled in Nashville. They wanted me to be a boy genius, an astronaut, a doctor, and the President. I became a musician, instead. 

My mother played piano in church. I went to Belmont University on a piano scholarship but being stuck in a room practicing concert piano wasn’t for me. I was also getting a double major in music business. A professor told our class that the music industry was about to change, so get out now and get a job. That’s when I transferred to Indiana University and switched my major to journalism and literature. I like reading and wanted to sharpen my writing. Bloomington is a great college town. I sang in the school choir, played in little bands, and worked in restaurants and bars. All of these created relationships that gave me a broader perspective beyond Nashville. 

I graduated and returned home. There were years of playing in bands, woodshedding songs, and bartending to pay the rent. I put out my first record in 2019 and released four records in four years. I live in a musical world between singer-songwriter, rock, and traditional country—all based on storytelling. Songwriting often begins with listening to other people’s experiences; bars and tours provide good places to have conversations. I want to hear what the world has to say. We can become zombies when we are engrossed in the stories on our screens and forget how to listen to real people around us. 

I released the Drink the River album in July. Empathy is a focal point of the record. These may be someone else’s stories, but most of us have had the same feelings. The song ‘Merigold’ is named after a small place in the Mississippi Delta. A group of friends in nearby Cleveland, MS, became fans of my music and had me down to play. They were about my age, and I hung out with them for the rest of the night, getting to know them. One had recently lost his wife to cancer. The tragedy of her death and the emotions of those friends and family stuck with me. I wrote ‘Merigold’ about the length and breadth of their heartbreak. I changed some details and received the husband’s blessing to do the song. The whole record is about joy, despair, and the emotions of losing something you hold close. How do we respond when life comes at us hard and fast? It’s tragic but can also be beautiful. 

It’s cold in Mississippi, longest day of the year

The geese cry in the wind

As I wade into the Delta, shotgun in my hands

Knowing I’ll never see you again

Her cancer gave no warning, dug its roots into her ground

Wild as the kudzu on the highways of the South

Barely time to dream of better days to get her by

She was gone in the blink of an eye

Time to time we all lose something

But it ain’t worth nothin’ to me like this all broken

Lord, if you can hear me I swear to leave you alone

Please pick up the phone I want you to know

You can take me when she goes, Merigold

‘Merigold’

Songs like ‘Merigold’ are a privilege to perform. Having something worth saying in every song is a dream all songwriters chase. I wish it happens with every song I write. I drove 70,000 miles to gigs this year, stories and ideas come from everywhere. Some songs come easily but others take years to write. I have to live a little more and get a bit better as a songwriter to come back and finish them. 

Relationships and community influence my songs. Most of our family was in Taiwan, and creating our own life and traditions in a new country was hard. People took us in despite our differences. I am interested in nature versus nurture. How would my big family shape me if they weren’t so far away? My four grandparents died before I had a chance to really get to know them. I am similar to my dad’s mom. How much could I have learned from her if I had grown up down the street? Instead, I had an Aunt Ruth who lived across the street in Nashville. She ran the phonetree letting everyone know about bad weather or sleet on the ground. She doesn’t live in the neighborhood anymore, but sometimes she leaves me a voicemail when a storm is coming. We created a new family, and Nashville became the home we were supposed to have. There are many similarities between cultures.

Life is about making the most of where you are and the lessons learned along the way. I have been a full-time touring musician for almost two years and have been on the road lately with Muscadine Bloodline from Mobile. Opening for them is the best job on the planet. I am learning about presenting a show and the business of being a professional musician from them. I also played in Sweden and debuted at the Grand Ole Opry in September. It’s exciting that the gigs are growing, but it’s time to slow down over the holidays and write.

Success is building a sustainable career in recording and touring with time to one day to be a good husband and father. It’s about being one big family with respect for traditions and the folks who came before me.”

Gabe Lee

Gabe is playing Sunday night at Callaghan’s in Mobile. Here’s the link for tickets.

I first heard Gabe this summer when I was in Memphis doing Souls interviews with my kid. We were walking through the neighborhood where Johnny Cash had his first gig. I looked down and saw this big sticker on the sidewalk. We pulled up Gabe to listen right there. The first song was Merigold and he had me from “It’s cold in Mississippi, the longest day of the year.” Excited to have him coming to Callaghan’s.