Ernest is just a vessel through which music fans can discover the country music artists of yesteryear… his words, not mine. The hit-making singer and songwriter recently joined The Pat McAfee Show and spoke on his role in the music world. Ernest has helped countless acts and artists craft No. 1 hits (like Morgan Wallen and Florida Georgia Line), and his own song “Would If I Could” reached the top of the charts back in 2024. He see’s all of his success in the modern country landscape as a way to lead others to the country music of the past. While speaking with McAfee – whom he’s actually worked with musically (Pat has decided to dabble in music and acting as of late) – Ernest explained his appreciation for the genre that his music calls home. He’s very much in tune with the history of country music, and if you need proof of that… he named his son Ryman. The “Flower Shops” singer loves the sound of older country music, and as he sees it, his modern songs are just one way to eventually lead country fans to the greats of the past. And he takes that responsibility seriously: “I’m glad that I exist in this timeline, because the industry will allow for a wide variety of things to fit underneath the country music genre. The more people that are coming to country music, and the more it spreads, I see that as an opportunity – as a disciple of traditional country music – it’s just more eyes on this too. There’s nothing wrong with making this. I love this. But while you are here, let me show you this. I treat it as almost getting to be a history teacher of country music. I can write songs that exist in today’s country music landscape. But I also want to put you on some Merle Haggard and George Jones and Keith Whitley and Ronnie Milsap. There’s layers to it that you should go find.” "I'm glad that I exist in this timeline because the industry will allow a wide variety of things to fit under the country music genre.. There's layers to country music" ~ @ernest615 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/aBFuZzIUA5 — Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 5, 2026 There’s definitely layers to country music… that’s a good way of putting it. Though Ernest might have a handful of songs that sound more traditional, he typically leans more towards the modern sound that the genre has to offer (his upcoming album, Deep Blue, has more island vibes). But based upon that quote above, all he’s doing is just trying to get people to listen to country music in general… so that they can hear all the other great artists and songs the genre has to offer. Call Ernest a disciple or a “gateway artist,” whichever you prefer. The “Boat Named After You” singer actually talked a lot about his place in the country music world, how and why he helps so many different artists, and the legends that he looks up to (and tried to get to feature on his next album) in a recent interview with us here at the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to it, make sure to check it out by downloading the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Just search “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Audio Video The post “Put You On Some Merle Haggard”: Ernest On Why It’s Important For Today’s Artists To Lead Fans To The Country Music Greats first appeared on Whiskey Riff.