Digital Social Hour - Small Town Dreams to Social Media Success Story | Marty Ray Project DSH #956

Episode Date: December 6, 2024

From small town dreams to viral social media success, join Marty Ray as he shares his incredible journey from tow truck driver to music sensation! 🎸 Experience the raw emotion as Marty reveals his life-changing encounter with BB King, viral success with Vanilla Ice, and how faith shaped his path to stardom. Discover how a late-night acoustic cover of "Ice Ice Baby" exploded into 200+ million views and opened doors to performing for crowds of 40,000. Marty opens up about his transformation from small-town life to social media stardom, while staying true to his roots and faith. Get ready for powerful stories about divine appointments, unexpected friendships with music legends, and the importance of following your calling. This conversation goes deep into finding purpose, maintaining authenticity, and the incredible power of pursuing your dreams - no matter where you start from. Watch as Marty shares his unique perspective on the music industry, viral fame, and how staying true to yourself can lead to extraordinary opportunities. Perfect for aspiring musicians, content creators, or anyone seeking inspiration to chase their dreams! 🌟 #socialmediamarketing #breemorgan #lawofassumption #socialwarfare #fieldsofharmony CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Intro 03:15 - Why Marty Ray Chose Ice Ice Baby 04:59 - BetterHelp Mental Health Services 06:42 - Meeting Vanilla Ice: A Life Changing Encounter 09:50 - Lessons Learned from Vanilla Ice 11:25 - The Harsh Reality of the Music Industry 17:40 - BB King: A Story That Changed My Life 21:55 - Finding Purpose: Why People Struggle 26:54 - Going All In on Faith and God 35:03 - Marty Ray's Life-Altering Accident 36:07 - Marty's Upbringing and Background 40:30 - Dream Collaborations: Artists Dead or Alive 43:10 - The Best Era of Music Discussion 45:40 - Outro APPLY TO BE ON THE PODCAST: https://www.digitalsocialhour.com/application BUSINESS INQUIRIES/SPONSORS: [e-mail] GUEST: Marty Ray https://www.instagram.com/martyrayproject https://www.youtube.com/user/MartyRayProject SPONSORS: BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com/DSH LISTEN ON: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-social-hour/id1676846015 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Jn7LXarRlI8Hc0GtTn759 Sean Kelly Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmikekelly/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Download Bumble and try it for yourself. All right, brother, let's do it. All right, stop, collaborate and listen. Ice is back, my brand new invention something. Grab some hold of me tightly, flowing like a harpoon. Daily and nightly, will it ever stop, y'all? I don't know. Turn off the lights, and I'll go to the extreme.

I'll rock a mic like a vandal, light up a stage, watch it jump like candle dance. Caress the speaker that booms. I'm killing your brain like a poisonous mushroom deadly. When I play a dope melody, anything less than the best is a felony. Love it or leave it, you better get away. Better hit bulls out of your kid, don't play if it was a problem.

I would solve it, check out the hook. I'm a DJ revolving ice. Vanilla ice, vanilla ice, ice baby. Oh ice, ice baby, yeah ice. Vanilla ice, vanilla ice, ice baby, oh ice, ice baby. Now that the body is jumping with the bass kicking, the fingers all pumping quick to the point, to the point no faking, cooking them seeds like a pound of bacon

burning up if we're not quick and nimble I go crazy when I hear that symbol and I end with a suit of tempo I'm on a roll it's time to go solo rolling in my 5.0 with the rack top down so my beat can roll If it was a problem I would solve it check out the hook while shiny revolves it ice vanilla vanilla ice ice baby oh ice ice baby yeah baby. Yeah. Vanilla ice. Vanilla ice. Ice baby. Oh ice ice baby. Now the body is jumping. The bass kicked in. The fingers all pumping quick to the point, to the point. No faking, cooking MC like a pound of bacon. Woo!

Wow. Thank you. Man. Thank you so much, bro. I signed my first album ever, my first signature ever, to B.B. King Wow after that moment I stopped worrying about trying to have to get a record deal and whatever the Lord does whatever whatever Jesus brings me That's what I'll take however it goes and that's where I'm at. Sit with his day

You're a blessing and I hopefully I'm a blessing to you All right, so that was vanilla ice, right? That was vanilla ice, you caught it. What made you want to pick that one out of all your repertoire? Well you know, it was a thing where, actually to be honest, I was trying to learn the guitar at the time. I was trying to learn how to play guitar and I was in my early 20s, which is when my music career actually started.

I was in my early 20s and I started picking around on some things and I learned those chords G, D, E minor and C and I said what could I do with this I'm just playing around and I played two different songs because I was I was big into hip-hop back in the 90s you know when I was young boy. Yeah believe it or not by looking at me you wouldn't think that. But so I was just picking around and out. The first one was actually not that first one was nothing but a G thing. You ever heard that? Yeah, I have.

Yeah. So it was like, it was more of a picking thing. So it was like, one, two, three, and two, the four, Snoop Doggy dog and Dr. Dre is at the door, ready to make an entrance. So back on up. You know, we're about to wrap this up. Could you imagine that sound like that? No, right. It's crazy. So I started with that one, but then I did the ice ice baby. And I thought it's been several

weeks since I released the song because I had, I had one viral video that really launched my career in music and it was a parody of a beard song called All About That Bass but I called it All About That Beard and I parodied it and it got like two million views in a day and I thought wow I need to be consistent now because maybe God put me on this path to do it and so I actually told the Lord I said if you want me to do this honor the effort I put forth and I'll keep doing it. So I was doing that and then it was a span of about two weeks. This episode of Digital. Kick off an exciting football season with BetMGM, an official sportsbook partner of

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Ready for another season of Gridiron glory? What are you waiting for? Get off the bench, into the huddle, and head for the end zone all season long. Visit bettmgm.com for terms and conditions. Must be 19 years of age or older, Ontario only. Please gamble responsibly. Gambling problem?

For free assistance, call the Connex Ontario Helpline at 1-866-531-2600. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. You can't prevent early mornings. But you can help prevent certain HPV-related cancers with Gardasil 9. Approximately 75% of sexually active Canadians will get HPV in their lifetime. Gardasil 9 helps protect against certain cancers and diseases caused by certain HPV types.

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My favorite way is wrapping up in a blanket and watching Christmas movies with my family and two dogs, Milo and Otis. The holidays can be tough on people and seasonal depression is no joke. Therapy is a great way to bring yourself some comfort that lasts even when the seasons change. It's also a great way to learn more about yourself and understand any big feelings you may experience. You deserve to be the happiest version of yourself and BetterHelp is here to assist you. BetterHelp's also conveniently all online

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to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash DSH. Weeks that I hadn't posted a video. And so then I took this ice ice baby thing and that I'd worked on in the past. And I said, well, it's it was about three o'clock in the morning and I posted it at about three o'clock in the morning. And even the even the description, the original description said, uh, y'all probably won't like this.

You probably this is old song. It's not relative at all now, but this is a way I've been messing around with Ice Ice Baby. If you don't like it, just wait, I'll post another one. I'm sorry I've been absent, right? And I posted it, that video, and then literally, and I know it sounds cliche, but overnight,

that thing got millions and millions of views. It got posted on World Star Hip Hop, it got posted on Bam Margera's website, his Facebook. All kinds of crazy big time people just took this video and posted it, shared my post and it's at today, accumulatively that video alone, accumulatively across all social media platforms, you're talking 200 plus million views on just that one song. Crazy. It's got legs, man. And so the crazy part is that here's the wild part about when you go and you say, I'm going to do what Jesus put me here to do, he will honor that effort. So here's what happened. I posted that I had all these people

messaging me. I ran a tow truck. I ran a tow truck at the time for my dad in Memphis, Tennessee. And so I wasn't thinking about, you know, who's got my number or what. So when these people would message me and they would say, Hey, we're vanilla ice, my best friend, right? I'm gonna send him that song. It was everybody was hearing it. You know, did you know him before you made the song? Did I know vanilla ice? Yeah. No, no. That's what I'm about to show you.

How I got to know him in this, in this story, the, his so-called friends, right? These were his, they say, at least people said they were his best friends. There were several of them. And they said, give me your number and I'll give it to him. And I said, what I got to lose. You know, my number is a tow truck number anyway. So I said, I'll send them my number and maybe, my numbers, a toe, toe truck number anyway. So I said, I'll send them my number and maybe at the very least I get a toe out of it. So I sent all these people my number said, Hey, if you know him, send it to him.

I'd love to talk to him. I'm a big fan. And, uh, so about two months after this video posted, I get a call and I answered just like always, and I say, Glen Ray's tone and it's this voice and he goes, hey, Marty Ray, just like that. And I go, hey, how you doing? How can we help you? And he goes, what's up man, it's Rob.

And I said, how you doing Rob? How can I help you? You know, I didn't know that his name was Rob. And so he said, he said, it's Vanilla Ice. And I said, oh, okay, sure. You know, you said, it's, it's vanilla ice. And I said, Oh, okay. Sure. You know, you don't believe that the vanilla ice is calling some old country boy like me, why would this be happening?

And so then he, he says, I want to bring you out to that. We're doing this. I love the nineties tour in Miami. We're starting at the first show. I want to bring you out to play with me at the end of the show. I said, okay, man, Hey, if I see the email, I'll believe it. And sure enough, I got the email. I went to Miami.

It was my second show ever that I ever done in my life. I done one show and there was about 100 people there. And I went from that one show to the second show. Remember I told you, God, I told God, honor the effort. I went from one show playing for 100 people to the second show playing for 40,000. Holy crap. Dead serious and terrified. Yeah, absolutely

terrified. So that's how and then vanilla ice and I became friends after that he took a liking to me. And I sure like him Rob Rob and I are friends to this day. And I've done several shows with him now. I actually brought him into clubhouse remember clubhouse was I was popping. Yeah, I brought him into clubhouse. Remember when clubhouse was popping? Yeah. I brought him into clubhouse. We did a room there and had thousands of people in there.

It was really cool. Oh yeah. So yeah. What's the biggest lesson you've learned from vanilla ice? The biggest lesson is that dude is he is really positive. This dude is it. You it's it's hard that you never see him not smile. I've never seen him not smiling.

Now. He might be he might have times, I'm sure he does, where he don't smile, but if somebody's watching him, he's always smiling. So it's as if he's figured out, and he actually sent a happy graduation, congratulations to my daughter when she graduated recently. And some of the advice that he gave her was,

he said, always remember to pursue, uh, to pursue happiness, the pursuit of happiness. And he was quoting that, of course, from, you know, the constitution. And, uh, I said, man, he's really done that. He's really pursued happiness. He's if nothing else, he is pursuing happiness. So I would think that that would be his stance on life. Yeah.

He always says, get in where you fit in. So whatever he means by that, I don't really know. But it sounds cool. Absolutely. I think it has to do with happiness. You know what I mean? Every time I see him on television, he's smiling. Smiling.

Look at his Instagram post. He's just happy. He seemed like a really happy dude. He had some times in his life though, where he was not happy. He was on a show called Surreal Life had some times in his life though, where he was not happy. He was on a show called Surreal Life and stuff like that. And it seemed like he wasn't happy, but I didn't know him back then.

It could have been all show, I don't know. But he's just a happy dude. So I liked that about him. I liked that he's figured out how to find joy in things. No, that is admirable. Cause of what the music industry, how they kind of kicked him out and he still is positive. That's really cool to see. The music industry will chew you up and spit you out. You mean nothing to them. Rick Barthorne will probably tell you that.

You're just a number to them, right? That's it. That's all you are, man. If you ain't performing, it used to be in the music industry, you used to could, they would have development deals and they would bring you in and they would put money behind you, develop you and things like that. And they would believe in you or not believe in you. And then if you if you had a chance to prove yourself after they felt like you were ready, and those times were good and bad for some artists, but but for some of them, at least they had the chance to be to get a

chance to be developed, you know what I mean? And they don't have that anymore. It's it's if you got a train going. Like I have probably collectively, I don't know, maybe a 1.5 million fans across all platforms. Yeah. Not in any one place though. So maybe, maybe I could go to a record label and say, Hey, here's what I've

done here's some numbers, will you help me now go further and they probably would I don't know. But maybe, maybe not. But if they that seems like the kind of mo that they have you you get something going, let us jump on board. Right? You know, and it's not it's not let us help you get something going. That's over. It seems like it seems like more artists are going independent these days. That's what I've been from the start when I from the start. I mean, I've been that from the start, but that wasn't my intention from the start. I really, I thought that giving, I took the last

bit of money I had in the bank and I went and made an EP and I had this EP and I had the honor and the gift to be able to go to certain shows. And I was actually, you know, when you get, anytime you get an idea, there's a spark there and you're, you're gung-ho, you know, you're going after it. And you go, I'm, this is it. The Lord put me on this path and I'm going after it. But then you want quick success. So you want it to go quickly, quickly and up and up and never see a valley. But sometimes, sometimes you have to go up and then've got to be humbled to get through the valley. You don't even build faith unless you go into the valley. There's no faith built on a top of a mountain because all you know is good.

You don't build faith to believe in the good if you've only experienced the good. It's kind of like the tree in the garden. Why was it there? So if there was no choice of evil, then there was only good. There's no choice at all So it was like that's how it was in my career But when I when I first started it was like it I had this this drive and I had this album I was going to all these different shows of these famous artists like BB King and Charlie Daniels and all these people these legends And I was I thought by handing them this this CD

One of them would listen and then then I would get a record deal and the whole rigmarole, you know, the whole thing. And one time, I was giving up really. I was done. I told the Lord, I said, I guess it ain't meant to be, because I put forth effort, and I'm trying to hand this album out.

This was before the Vanell Ice song. And I said, I'm handing this album out. Nobody cares about it. And then I went to, the last show I was going to was a BB King concert, one of his last shows. And I was on the front row because I knew the guy that booked entertainment. And I was sitting there on the front row and BB King's out there. He's old at this point. He's in a wheelchair. So they rolled him out and put him in a chair and he's playing. And as he's playing, I'm just sitting there, you know, just vibing the whole time.

You ever listen to BB King? No. Oh man. You got to pull up a BB King. Get it. Get it. Get when you leave here, just on the way home, just put some in. And, uh, so I'm sitting there vibing and just, just enjoying this time really.

And so he stops the show. He's sitting there and he goes, everybody hang on everybody. Hold on. They've got a trumpet section. He's got all these things and everybody just stops cause he stops the show, he's sitting there and he goes, everybody hang on, everybody hold on. They've got a trumpet section. He's got all these things and everybody just stops because he's the boss. And then he goes, he goes points right at me and he goes, as long as that man right there is having a good time.

So am I. And I was going, what in the world? Why is he pointing at me? You know, and so I, all these people, they think I know BB King. They think I'm famous and hey, how do you know B.B.? I'm like, I don't know him any different than you do. I'm just a fan. And so like I said, at this time, I'm giving up on music.

So it was like, God's going, no, you ain't giving up. I'm gonna use Kings to exalt you, to keep you going. Because the Proverbs says, a man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men. And so I live by that scripture. That's my life. And I was sitting on that front row says, a man's gift makes room for him and brings him before great men. And so I live by that scripture. That's my life.

And I was sitting on that front row and when he stopped the show for no other reason than just to say that, I go, wow, you must want me to keep going. And so then afterwards, this is crazy. After that, I get a chance to hope I get a chance to meet him. Neil, the guy who booked him, he's taking us backstage and they're leading us backstage with a flashlight that's down like this right here. And it's the side of the stage and there's security guards,

they're all standing there like this to keep us from going onto the stage. Now I don't know why they're doing that. I just figured, because it's dark, you can't hardly see. So I'm the only white boy going back because it's all his family, it's all BB's family. And so I'm not even supposed to be back there. So I was at the back of the line of like 50 people and I'm in the back of the line. I got my Martin guitar and I'm holding it and I'm watching. But before I even get back there,

they're leading us in this. There's these security guards. And as I'm going back, this hand, as I'm walking by this hand comes out between these security guards and grabs my hand and starts pulling me towards the security guards. And I'm doing like this and they're going, you got it. What are you doing? You got to move on. I said, somebody's got to hold my hand. And they do this and they part and it's BB King.

He's holding my hand. He's sitting in a wheelchair behind the security guards. And he goes like this and he goes, son, I want you to know I enjoyed playing for you tonight. And I go, uh, Mr. King, I love you, man. I love you. He goes, I love you too, son. He said, I'll see you back there. Like that right there. And I go, and I had, I had an album, a BB King album and a, and a picture of BB King and he signed both of those.

And I had my guitar. He didn't sign it right there. I didn't even know if he was going to. So I'm waiting in this line now in the back and right by the green room. It was as if BB King himself, the King of blues, waited for me to walk by there when he saw that I was gonna come through there. Imagine that, is that wild or what?

Crazy. That's insane, why would that happen? So then I'm sitting in the line, I'm watching as his people are turning all the, all these other, all the family members away with their guitars. They got guitars and they're being turned away. He won't sign them because he was contractually obligated to only sign Gibson guitars. So I'm watching them go away and I'm saying he's never going to sign a Martin then. That's like one of their number one competitors like in acoustic guitars. So I'm thinking I ain't

gonna get to get this signed and at the very end of it like I'm watching him and he's his energy is just real low and he's gone through all these people and then I come in as soon as I come in he goes hey my friend like that just lights up as if he didn't have a worry in the world. And I come in there and I steal him. I'm almost in tears. I don't understand what's going on. Other than it's a divine appointment.

It's divine from the Lord. It's the only explanation. I walk up to him, I hand him my Martin guitar, and he looks up at the head of it, and he looks up at me and he goes, I'm gonna sign it anyway. And he goes, hand me that Sharpie. And he signs B.B. King, and he looks up at the head of it and he looks up at me and he goes, I'm gonna sign it anyway. And he goes, hand me that sharpie. And he signs BB King and he hands the, he hands the guitar back to me, hands the sharpie off

and we're about to take a picture. But before we do that, I got that album. This is crazy. I handed him my album and he goes, my, my, my, I knew that. That's what he said. Now he had no way of knowing this. I had no fans at all, not one fan. And so he goes, I knew that. He said, who's got that Sharpie? And I said, no, no, Mr. King, that's for you. I want you to, I want you, he said, I know who this is for. I said, oh, okay. And so they brought the Sharpie back.

And when he brought that Sharpie back, he goes, I want you to sign this to Mr. BB King. I signed my first album ever, my first signature ever to BB King. And I handed it back to him and I kneeled down beside him and that picture is still on my wall today. And I held that album and he held it up too. And then they took a picture of me and BB King. And I got that picture and I got the picture

that he signed and the album framed in my office. Is that crazy or what? That's nuts, part of him lives inside you, man. Dude. Sounds like it, right? That story keeps me going. But that all started from you asking, you got to rein me in because I could be long-winded.

You didn't know what you're getting into though. That was from the question independent. So after that moment, I stopped worrying about trying to have get a record deal I said I'll just go about it and whatever the Lord does whatever whatever Jesus brings me That's what I'll take however it goes and that's where I'm at city this day this being on here This is amazing right to be on your show is an amazing gift. That's from him. That's a blessing from him You're a blessing and I hopefully I'm a blessing to you in some way. So all these things like this happen

and it just continues. It's his way to continue to honor my little bit of effort. Wow. That's the truth. Yeah, you've been at this for a while, man. A lot of people would have given up in your shoes. Yeah, man. You can't give up when you're on a mission.

You know what I mean? Yeah. If you really look at it as a calling, you can't give up on that because that's your purpose. If it's your purpose, then there's no giving up. There's no there's no plan B. Right. You might do other things to supplement the plan A like I do. I do other things now, but I didn't always, but I do now. I just started doing other things, but you might do other things to supplement, but that calling always stays true. You never give up on that. You'll die going after that calling

because it's not really for you, it's for other people. You see, here's the deal. This is the truth. People don't realize this. Everybody in this world would have a better life if they realized one thing. Jesus said when he gave his life on the cross, he said, love others as I have loved you.

And that love, if you trace it back to the root meaning, it means breathe for. One of the meanings is breathe for. Imagine that if he said, breathe for others as I have breathed for you. That means you don't get breath for yourself. You're only breathing for everybody around you. I'm breathing for you. You're breathing for me. And we're breathing for all of them. So seeing that, that takes the selfishness right out of it. Because every breath you're breathing for me, and we're breathing for all of them. So seeing that it takes the selfishness right out of it. Yeah, because every breath you breathe is for somebody else. Wow. And when you take the selfishness out of it, your purpose is great. See, again, I can go forever. So you if you

got another question, just ask me because I can I can just talk. No, it's important. I talked a lot on the show about purpose. So yeah, a lot of people struggle to find it. You know what? You know why people struggle with purpose? Because science, NASA, all these entities, whatever, rather good or bad,

they tell the world that they are in an ever expanding universe. And if they die, there's not much importance. Nothing really happens. No big deal. We're on the animals planets or whatever know, there's not much importance. Nothing really happens. No big deal. We're on the animals' planets or whatever. But that's not true. See, God said the opposite of that.

He said, I built all of this. I made all of this creation, and then I put you here. You are the most prized creation. You are the most treasured thing, and I made you in my image. All of this is for you. All of it. So then when you die, it is greatly important to heaven.

It's greatly, it's of great importance and sorrow to them. If you die and it cuts off that purpose, it's a sorrow for heaven. And he doesn't look at it the same way as whoever it is, science or NASA, whoever it is that says those things about it doesn't really matter. Because they're trying to see the enemies, the enemies job is to take value and purpose out of people to make them think they have no value. When we are the most valuable thing here, humans are the most

valuable thing here and we are under attack actually from certain groups and sects saying that we are the problem here. When this whole planet, this whole earth is for us. That's the difference and that's really the difference in living for the Lord and living for, not living for the Lord. Because you realize that my purpose, you put me here, you knew me fearfully and wonderfully you made me.

Before I was formed in my mother's womb, you knew me. And you have a purpose for me and I'm gonna live that purpose. You never lose sight of it, if you made me. Before I was formed in my mother's womb, you knew me. And you have a purpose for me. And I'm gonna live that purpose. You never lose sight of it if you believe that. You see what I'm saying? Yeah, that's deep. But so many people have lost sight because they don't believe that.

They've been trained. Some people have been trained up to believe in that, but then they're trained out of that through college and intellect. You know, and the Bible talks about, the Bible even says, it says there are many wise people and they are forever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the truth.

Think about that. They're super smart people and they still don't know the truth. Crazy, right? It's wild, dude. They can study all day, but they'll never know. They'll never know it. Well, because they won't humble themselves to say,

I can't know, I can't because they won't they won't humble themselves to say I can't know I can't I can't understand you God I can't fully understand you if I could grasp you then you wouldn't be God if I could if I could say okay I figured him out then he lives outside of space and time we try to put him in time sometimes but created it. The creator of space and time can't live within it. He has to live outside of it. So then we go, I gotta figure out exactly when you are gonna do this, when you want this and how you did this.

What was the beginning, what was the end? And he goes, I have no beginning. I have an everlasting. See, humans have a problem with that. Even Christians, they have a problem with that. Even Christians, they have a problem with that. And that's a tough thing to grasp, but if you can humble yourself and go, I'm okay with that.

I'm okay with knowing the hope in me is that I know that the God of all creation, that he gave his life for me, that he robed himself in flesh, and he came down here, and his name is Jesus, and I thank him for doing it. What an honor to know that He did that for me, that He loved me that much.

That is the greatest purpose of this world. And if people could really realize that, this whole thing where you say you talk about purpose a lot because people like it, if they could just study a little bit, if they could just humble theirself a little bit, they would find real true purpose that is everlasting purpose.

It never leaves you. Yeah. It never leaves you. There's always that battle with science and religion, right? There is, but in reality, there's a guy named John Lennox. So smart, such a smart man. And he talks about science and religion

and most scientists try to say, they try to take God out of religion, but the greatest scientists that they all are inspired by, like Isaac Newton, he didn't discover the law of gravity and say, oh wow, the law of gravity, now I don't need God. He said, oh wow, the law of gravity. This is how he did it. That's what Isaac Newton says in his book, Mathematica. He talks about God. he's not against God. He's trying to figure out how God did this, these things. And, and I

think God's okay with that. I think he's fine with you. I think he left trails here for us to figure out to prove his existence. So science, while today seems like the mortal enemy of God, it's because a religion of science has begun. But the but the actual study of science is not really an enemy. It's it's a it's an adversary. I mean, it's a it's a an ally. Yeah, of God. So was there a specific moment in your life that made you go all in on God? I was actually born. I was born into Christianity, you know, but that doesn't mean that you're gonna

you're gonna stay the course. A lot of people were born into Christianity and I was born in apostolic Pentecostal church and I'm still in one. Wow. And you know what that is? No. Is it a specific branch? You know there's many denominations but we know like the thing with us is that we believe in Acts 2.38 to the T, like the message of Acts 2.38, the plan of salvation. And it is Peter said unto them, repent every one of you and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins

and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. We believe in that entirely. Some people, some other denominations don't, some of them do. I don't know, but I'm just saying we are the ones that staunchly believe in that. But it's when did I, when I was to do a, to give a, I guess a pinpoint, a moment when I was all in on, on Jesus was I was 18 years old, I was living a wildlife. I mean, in the clubs, fighting and doing all kinds of horrible, treacherous things. You were a hothead back in the day?

Oh, dude. Yeah. Bad, bad, bad thing, man. Bad situation. Still have the same friends. I mean, as far as they're still my friends, but we've all calmed down now, but I started calming down they're still my friends, but we've all calmed down now. But I started calming down from this point. I was 18 or 19 years old. We were in a parking lot and there was this car driving around the parking lot. We were all parking, you know, back then, I don't know what kids do now, but back then we would go and park on. We had certain streets that we would cruise and then we would park somewhere and gather and talk and whatnot. And kids still do that? No. Yeah. I didn't think so. They're online or something now, right?

They're on TikTok. Parking on Metaverse. So no, we were parked outside of a parking lot, big parking lot. And this car is just driving around, trying to hit people. This car is like really acting wild. And so I'm walking with my buddy across, uh, across one of the streets there. It was in this

parking lot and this car comes up and right here, it just, almost, it almost hits me and it just, it just stops right here beside me and I'm going, whoa, man. And so, you know, back then I'm a different human. So I'm like, man, what's your problem? You know, we're going at it and he's, he's running his mouth and he's saying some things and wants to fight. And so, you know, back then I'm a different human. So I'm like, man, what's your problem? You know, we're going at it and he's running his mouth and he's saying some things and wants to fight. And so I said, you know what, let me come around there. And so I started walking around to his side.

And, uh, when I started walking around, he took off again. He took off, uh, driving. So now he's really on a mission to hit somebody. And as he's driving around, it's just really, everybody's frantic at this point, because he's trying to hit cars and, and I think the dude was met out or something. But nonetheless, I took a shopping cart. And I, and I swung the thing and hit, I mean, I hit right in the side of his car with a shopping cart. And

add when I did that, I was left out there in the middle of this parking lot, no poles, no vehicles, no nothing. And he made a circle and I thought he was leaving. And I was just casually going back to the group, which was down the way. And they started yelling. And they was like, Marty, look out.

And he had made a circle and gunned it. It came right towards me and ended up running me over. He hit me right here in my side. And I went up, I said, he's a proud. And I went up, I hit the glass, went up in the air and I was coming down on my head. I was coming down with my head first. And as I'm coming down, literally I'm going through my mind

and I'm thinking, and people say this all the time, but this actually happened to me. I was flipping flipping through it was as if I was in slow motion because I knew I was coming down on my head and I was Going man Lord. What have I done? That's any good in my life, man I'm just it's like I'm flipping through pages in my life and I can't find nothing Yeah, I'm like what have I done for your glory and not for my own and I'm just doing that and I said it it's such a long conversation that happened like that. And, but like I said, it felt like slow motion. So then as I'm coming down, I ended up saying toward the end, I said, I said,

Lord, if you, if you, if you'll save me one last time, I will, I'll serve you. I promise you, I'll run after you. And, uh, I came down the last minute. I hit my shoulder somehow. Can you came down the last minute, I hit my shoulder somehow. Can you imagine this big head not hitting the concrete before the shoulder? Somehow my shoulder, I came down and at the right time this my head was forward and my shoulder hit the ground like it almost like this, you know what I mean?

And so my head never even touched the ground. Wow. And got up. I still have a massive hematoma right here. You know what a hematoma is? It's when you get hit and there's just this massive blood pocket or something. And so it's like steel, right? It's not it's not blood anymore, but it's just soft tissue now. But it still sits there and I got up, I had a broken rib. I had I had several things that went wrong. I'm limping to the to get into my

buddy's truck, he's going to take me to the hospital and and I said, I said, just take me home and just take me home. You don't want to go to the hospital. I didn't because I didn't want my dad to find out because I was worried that my dad would get so mad that he would go after the guy and try to, you know, kill him. He was like that so mad that he would go after the guy and try to kill him. He was like that? Well with his kids, with his children, who wouldn't be, right? That's your son.

I have two daughters so you don't have kids yet, do you? Not yet. So you don't know. And you'll do anything for your children, man. If somebody hurts your children, you'll do anything. Yeah, if they hurt them intentionally, I'd imagine you'd be really pissed. Big time, big time.

So I didn't want him to know. So I went in there. He ended up finding out anyway. Oh, he found out who did it. He found out he didn't know who did it, but he found out that it happened as I was, as I was in the, I was already there. And he, the cops, cause he was, cause like I said, he owned a sewing service. So he knew all the cops because we told for him and they ended up calling him

and say, Hey, we, we, uh, got a call about your son. He got ran over and he's going, what? He goes, yeah, he got ran over in the, in the parking lot. And he goes, he goes, Marty is you talking about Marty? He goes, yeah. He goes, he's in the bathroom in here. And I was in there, you know, licking my wounds is what I was doing. And, uh, he keep busting through the door.

He goes, Hey, what happened? I said, I fell out of a truck. My, you know, me and Tyler was messing around. I fell out of the truck and he goes, no, you didn't fall out of the truck. And he goes, what happened? I ended up telling him, sure enough, he got his gun. And no, he went looking for the guy, man.

And thankfully he didn't find him because who knows what charges could have been brought up. You know what I mean? Could have been in prison for life for something, for some stupid moment in my life when I would have been the cause of that because of, because I couldn't control my temper because I was a tough guy. You know, you, when you're a boy back then, you want, you think you want to be a tough guy. You think this is all I need. I you think this is all I need I just need to be able to I just need to be able to hit people and if I could just hit somebody and And they can get knocked out immediately that'd be great man. I'd feel real tough But then but then if you're if you're honest with yourself no matter how tough you get there's always somebody tougher

There's always somebody that might have a knife They might have a gun so don't really matter how tough you get. And then it was like, Jesus said, the only way for you to really be tough is really on your knees, praying. That's really the only way, because you can't protect your kids better than I can. You can't protect your wife. You can't protect yourself better than me.

So be a warrior on your knees, not with your fist. So that was, it all started changing right then. I would like to say it happened overnight, but it did not. I just started, I started getting into his word and I started, you know, going, I plugged into church. I said, I'm gonna, I'm gonna go to church, man. I gotta, I gotta be in there. Cause I'm not able to live a good life

without being constantly filled with the word from the Lord. What a story, man. Holy crap. Yeah, dude. And you look at these tough guys, some people call them bullies, and you look at their personal lives and they're dealing with a lot of stuff mentally usually,

and they're taking it out on other people. Big stuff, man. Did you see the, do you watch Theo Von? Yeah, I watch his podcast. Did you see when Sean- Strickland. Strickland was on there? Yeah.

Did you watch all that? He was crying. Golly, man, that broke my heart, dude. That broke my heart because I know where his answer is, but he is, I can tell that he is one of the ones, he's been hurt probably by church, he's been hurt by people in the church, and the answer, if he would truly go after Jesus,

Jesus will heal that broken heart, man. You think so? I know he would. I've seen it happen. I've seen it happen so many times. It happened with me. Wow. It's happened man. My own daughter it's happened. Really? For real man. There's no true healing other than the healing of the Lord. There just really is. I hate to sound so preachy on here. I didn't intend for that to be the case but it just comes out because it's my life. It's just my life, man.

I've noticed a lot of people, this is my first time in Nashville, but a lot of you guys are passionate about the Lord out here. Oh man, that's good to hear. I didn't know that. I'm not really from Nashville. Oh, you're not?

I've only lived here for five years. I'm from Memphis. I was born in Memphis, raised in Arkansas, across the bridge. Memphis is divided by a river, the Mississippi River. And right across the river is Arkansas, but it's still called West Memphis.

Pretty weird. So that's where you grew up? Well, I was born in Memphis, Tennessee. I grew up a little further down, down the river, away from the river. It was a town called Blavo, Arkansas. Small town? Very small.

Actually, to be precise, Blavo was the big town that I grew up in, not really in, but I grew up in a smaller town outside of that small big town. Oh wow. There was about probably 20,000 people in Blavo. I grew up and graduated from a school in Gosnell, Arkansas, which was about maybe 2,000 people.

Damn, that's it? Yeah. Super small. It's really small. There's pros and cons to that, I think. There's more pros and cons. The cons are the cons are not having access. Access, limited mindset. You think your whole life is in that area. Oh, that's true, dude. Yeah. You nailed it right there. But the pros are the community. The community is important.

You know, how many people you could trust. And you know, everybody and everybody's your friend and everybody's looking out for everybody and it really is that way in the small towns, but you're right about the, I always told people I was actually taught in my school and, and by my family, my family, they weren't. No one really in my town was ever a dreamer where they thought, Hey, you, you know, you can dream outside your city limits. You can go out.

There was a, there's a still is a new core. It's called new core steel. And it was, it's a big steel mill. One of the biggest in the, in the world, I think, and it's right in Blable. It's a big steel mill. People make great money there. They make a hundred and to $200,000 a year there. So that was what we were taught to go after really.

And then that in the small town, that was the dream that you're within your city limits. This is achievable. Don't think of that you can achieve something greater than this higher than this, because this is what you're meant for. You're here, right? And so my whole life, I never did really have a dream to be in music. I never thought that I could make

make a make a living doing music. I never thought that I thought God gave me this gift. I've always been able to sing. I never really learned how I just sing and some people like it. Wow. You never got lessons or anything? Never got singing lessons. No, I don't even I probably don't even sing right. Be honestly, if some if some vocal if you got a vocal teacher or something that watches your show, they'll probably hear me and go, Yeah, he could have done better if he was breathing

right there or or singing, you know, it's probably the truth. I've seen those YouTube videos. Yeah, yeah. Those. And I would hate for them to grab one of my videos, because they would probably destroy it. You know, because I don't know really how to sing. I just do it from the heart. And like I said, some people like it, some people don't. I mean, from the first comment I made to you

when you were singing, I felt it was spiritually like comforting. That's great. You definitely sing from the heart. Thank you for saying that, man. That means the world to me. Cause that's the truth. It's the only way I know.

Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Too many people are robotic these days and they use auto-tune and stuff. And it's like, dude, you don't even sound human at this point. On my albums, I made it a point on all of my albums that I've released, my original albums, and even on my covers, whatever I do,

whatever I release musically, there is not one stitch of auto-tune. No, no melodyne, no nothing. So there might be a place where I get off pitch or something. It stays. I just keep it there. And then if people don't like it, then they don't like it. That's kind of how it goes.

But you, it's a fight though. When you have an engineer, they're sitting there. You sure? I mean, it could be right here. You could take this as much as we're supposed to be here. And I go, man, just leave it like it is, or, or I'll go in there and say, let me just try to sing it until I get it right. Let me sing that line again. Sometimes we'll do that.

And then, but now I got an engineer. So he's so awesome. Jesse pole, if anybody needs one, he's the guy here, man. And he just knows me and he, he's very encouraging and anyway, so yeah, that's, that's, that's the truth though. Pitch, uh, pitch correction is huge everywhere. Now you don't hear anything on the radio that doesn't have it. No, if you could make a song with any artists, dead or alive, who would it be?

And why dead or alive? Yeah. Man, you know, of course I just told a story about BB King. I thought after that day, I said, wow, we're going to do a song together some point. There's just it just seems like God has intended that to happen. But never happened. He died shortly not too long after that. So if I could do a song with somebody that'd be really cool. It's crazy that he played so late into his career.

Now he played till he died. Wow. Yeah, I like to think that my album that he took rode on his bus for his whole life. I wonder if you ever played it. I don't know. I don't really know. I know that so I don't have the guy the only guy that I know played it that I really know is a Charlie Daniels. You know who that is? No, you don't know Charlie Daniels is. Do any of you guys know Charlie Daniels is? Wow. So you know him right? Oh, thank you. He's 35. So thank God Well, you ever heard the song devil went down to Georgia if you played it, maybe devil went down to Georgia

He was looking for a soda still he was in a bind as he was running behind He was willing to make a deal when he came across this young man saw it on fiddle and playing it hot The devil jumped upon a hickory stump said, boy, let me tell you what, I guess you didn't know it, but I'm a fiddle player too. And if you care to take a dare, I'll make a bet with you. You play pretty good fiddle boy, but give the devil is due. I better fiddle a gold against your soul to think I'm better than you. He goes, it's a story, right? Boy named Johnny goes, Johnny, you're

rising up your bow and play your fiddle hard. Because hell broke loose in Georgia and the devil deals the cards and if you win you get this shiny fiddle made of gold but if you lose the devil get your soul it's a jamming song dude y'all gotta look this song up man yeah i might have to you have to don't hate the mic you have to try and say i will. I thank you so much for saying that. Yeah. You, you guys back here too, right? Y'all going to look at us. Okay. Oh, you've heard it.

Oh, sweet. Sweet. Wow. So I saw him live too. That was during that same era of time. I handed him the album. He just took a picture with him. He goes, thank you, Sean.

And then it was about, I don't know, it was a while later, but I got a tweet. I still have the tweet to this day. If the tweet is still on his Twitter. Yeah. And he tweeted me out. He said at Marty Ray project, listen to your album. It rocks. And I go, how do screenshot share that everywhere.

And I still share it every now and then today because that, that was another moment where I was, I was down in the pits and then at this then this king said, love your music, it's rocks. And so I just started going back up like that again. Love it. Yeah. We'll end off with a fun question here. What is the best era of music in your opinion? The best era of music?

Well, that's tough. That's tough. What's your answer? I just want to know. I would say nineties. That's a good answer, dude. That's a real good answer. That's the era I really grew up in was the nineties. So it's tough,? I just want to know I would say 90s. That's a good answer, dude That's a real good answer. That's the era. I really grew up in was the 90s So it's tough, but I really just like we were talking about earlier before you started recording

70s era in the 80s and but the 70s was you know, Al Green and people like that So but I think I got to go with 90s just to end it good. Okay. Yeah, who's your favorite artist from the 90s? go with 90s just to end it good. Okay. Yeah. Who's your favorite artist from the 90s? That's tough. It's Michael Jackson 90s or 2000s. Michael Jackson's a long span. So you can say yeah, Michael Jackson 80s 90s. I was early Michael Jackson back to the 50s. I believe damn what? Yeah, Jackson five. Oh, that's true. Yeah, he was a little boy. Yeah, I'm trying to think who else is

big in the 90s. Who's yours? Well, I grew up listening to Boyz II Men. You listen to them? No. God, son of a gun. Please tell me I know Boyz II Men. I'm not gonna say any Boyz II Men. But son, hey, y'all gotta get him some real 90s music. Yeah, I'm gonna send you a playlist.

Okay. I'm going to for real. I want you, will you listen to it if I send it. I will. Or will you do like you did a while ago and not answer me? No, I was filming. People, he was filming. That was just a joke.

If y'all can even keep that. Well, dude, it's been a blast. We'll link your YouTube below. Where can people find you? I am at Marty Ray Project wherever social media is. And then I have original albums that are able to be streamed anywhere. And I just bought this, uh, beard oil company. Can you believe I own a beard company?

Oh yeah, you do. Yeah. Beard Alizer, beardalizer.com. So if anybody's got a beard or if you want a beard, it looks like you could grow a nice one there if you'd let it go. Maybe if I let it go. Yeah. Yeah, you should.

You think so? I think you should become a man today. Damn. Yeah. I should. Shots fired. You sounded scared when you said that actually. Not everyone can pull them off, man. That's true. Asians don't have the best beards, in my opinion. That is, well, sometimes the Samurais. Samurais can pull off the goatee. They have some pretty nice beard styles. Yeah. But yeah, full beard like this, I don't know if there's ever been an Asian one. I can't think of anything.

We get a mustache and that's about it. When you gonna let that come out? Never. Break it out. Nah, dude, I'm good. You know how good you'd be on the court? I'm already good on the court. That's true.

Well, you got me there. There we go, man. Thanks for going on. God bless you, brother. Thank you for having me. Yeah, you got me there. There we go, man. Thanks for going on. God bless you, brother. Thank you for having me. Yeah, thanks for watching, guys. As always, check them out below. See you next time.