Corey Kent has exploded onto the country music scene with his debut song "Wild as Her." I had a chance to sit down with the 28-year-old chart-topper recently, and he recalled a time that he got to open for Willie Nelson, when he was just a teenager.

My immediate and first question after hearing this fact was, did everything backstage smell like weed? Kent laughed it off and replied with, "You know what was actually really surprising is ... he kind of gave me some advice after that moment, he was like ...

"...when I step on that stage, it's business time. These people paid a lot of hard earned money to come see the show, I don't get drunk, I don't get too high, I don't do anything that jeopardizes me putting on a world class show for them."

Kent went on to say, "Man, that's not what you'd expect from the king of weed. I would have bet all my money that guy was on a different planet while playing that show."

You can listen to the full conversation here:

Kent also detailed how that moment was a big moment in his life and really set his mind right that when it comes to live shows, you can have fun and get wild, but "right before we go on stage every night, my tour manager says: 'Handle your business.'"

The Tulsa, Okla., native played Western swing from ages 11 to 16, and meeting Willie Nelson in that moment was a big turn of events for him. He got to be on stage with the legend and even play with him as he sang "Milk Cow Blues."

Related: Meet Corey Kent, Singer, Songwriter, Father, Adrenaline Junkie

After that night, Kent decided to pursue music all-in and arrange his schooling so he could graduate a year early and move to Nashville to write songs. The rest is history.

Corey Kent is currently on tour and working on new music. You can listen to my full interview with the country up-and-comer on the Taste of Country Nights, On Demand podcast.

By the way, Kent just announced his next single from the Blacktop album: Look for "Something's Gonna Kill Me" to play on your radio real soon.

Evan Paul is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show heard on more than 120 country radio stations nationwide, every night from 7PM to midnight. He plays the best new country music and interviews today's top stars, like Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, Morgan Wallen + more! 

PICTURES: See Inside Willie Nelson's Historic $2.5 Million Rural Retreat

Willie Nelson's former home in Nashville is on the market for $2.5 million, and pictures show a splendid rural retreat that's a true piece of country music history.

Nelson's 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom hand-built log cabin, which the country music icon built for himself, sits on 150 rolling rural acres in Goodlettsville, Tenn., just half an hour outside of Nashville. The land surrounding the cabin offers a breathtaking slice of unspoiled Tennessee and ensures maximum quiet and privacy.

See Willie Nelson Pictures Through the Years

See photos of Willie Nelson's life and career through the years, beginning with his clean-shaven look of the 1960s to the 2020s.

See Inside Jason Aldean's Spectacular Florida Beach House

Jason Aldean's beach house in Santa Rosa, Fla., sits right on the Gulf of Mexico.

Aldean paid $4.1 million for the new 5-bedroom, 5-bathroom, 4,452-square-foot beach house. The spectacular property affords the singer and his family the opportunity to walk out their back door and down a bridge to their own private beach, and the exterior of the villa features a courtyard with iron gates that includes gas lanterns, a swimming pool and a fountain.

The home's interior includes a downstairs with an open floorplan and oversized windows, chiseled stone floors, a gourmet kitchen, a bedroom and study and a fireplace, with coffered ceilings throughout. The upstairs of the home includes two separate master bedrooms that both overlook the Gulf, as well as two more bedrooms that each have their own attached bathrooms.

The stunning home is also set for whatever weather might blow in from the Gulf. Built in 2005, the house features all-impact windows and doors, as well as Geo-Thermal heating and cooling, cellulose insulation, foam ceiling and floor insulation and more.

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