John Rich Says He Would Give Up His Music Career For His Kids
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John Rich is known as a singer, a songwriter, an outspoken patriot, and one half of the country duo Big & Rich. But, the 49-year-old proudest accomplishment is being a dad.
John Rich and his wife, Joan, are proud parents of sons Cash (13) and Colt (12), and being a dad is a job that John doesn’t take lightly.
In a new interview with Fox New Digital, Rich said that he wouldn’t hesitate to give up all of his career successes for his children.
“Raising your kids is the most important job a man or a woman has if they have kids. … Spending time with my two boys … teaching them about the world they’re looking at today, getting them ready for what they’re going to run into when they become young men, that is job No. 1,” Rich said.
He added that kids are “coming under assault” and are being indoctrinated every day at school and through television. As a result, kids are faced with making sense out of issues that most wouldn’t have to deal with until they’re out of high school, according to Rich. That is why it’s more important than ever for parents to be active in their children’s lives, even if it means giving up your own dreams.
“I would never sing another note if you said, ‘Give up your music, give up your kids.’ Are you kidding? Not even a question. … There’s nothing I would not do for my two kids.”
John Rich went on to say that those who attack kids and encroach upon their innocence “have no understanding the resolve of a real mom or a real dad when it comes to protecting their kids.”
Rich added that his dreams and focus shifted after his sons were born, saying that all of his 20s and 30s were spent trying to achieve industry success which was his interpretation of the American dream.
“I spent … all of my … 20s and 30s, that’s all I cared about was just getting out, having hit songs, selling millions of records, doing big concerts. That was my focus, my American dream,” he explained. “But then my kids were born, and I’m like, ‘You know what? I’m still going to go do those things. But that is no longer my main focus.’”
Watching #JanelleMonae on the #GrammyAwards with my boy Cash…Don’t look son! Wait…no, don’t look! Wait…🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/mO4H1BsKdV
— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) February 11, 2019
In 2011, following the birth of his first son, Cash, Rich shared that music was going to be an important part of his kids’ lives. In fact, the Cash was introduced to Johnny Cash when he was only two minutes old.
“[Cash] can’t keep his hands off the guitar, and every time he sees it, he’s banging on it or strumming on it. It’s kind of funny. He doesn’t understand what I do, but I sit around and sing a lot in front of him and make up songs about him and stuff like that. I think that music is important for kids,” John said at the time. “He dances and bounces his knees up and down [laughs] … the first song he ever heard was ‘Ring of Fire’ by Johnny Cash. Literally, two minutes after he was born, they pulled him off the scale, and I hit my laptop computer and you hear the trumpets. He’s had it around him, literally, his whole life.”
He added that if his kids practice and become good enough musicians, he’ll put them in his band. Rich hasn’t shared whether or not his boys are following in his musical footsteps. But he did say that they play sports and participate in school plays, all things their dad enjoys being a part of.
