👉EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with JAY ALDRIDGE👈

Jay when he was 47. He’s presently 57 as of today.

As a journalist, it is always my joy to bring stories to life of people that I come across on almost a daily basis, or just a once week catchup, or just a long-time-no-see check-in. It was always one of my agendas while becoming an independent journalist in general.

I love stories. I love writing them for people who don’t know where to begin or how to start their own. I love making them comfortable to tell their tales in a way they have never told them before, and it makes the experience all the more personal and intimate when they become more and more open about all the things and main events they would like to share with the world.

I know for some journalists, they love to write the stories of Hollywood celebrities, or US (and world-wide) veterans, or scientists, or those who were in very life-threatening situations in their lives. All of that is very interesting. But what I love the most is the stories I hear around me, whether on a livestream or in a personal DM on any platform or in person.

I know there are plenty like me who love what I love to write as an independent journalist. But that still makes a difference in our world. It shows that we still care about all those who are around us, whether they be family, friends, or mutual acquaintances that spark our interest in their life’s story and personal existence.

My impact doesn’t come of dangerous visits to places to take in the words of someone who is present there. It comes of the way I manage to make the atmosphere and vibes around somebody in a way they can tell their story flawlessly, without any hiccups, and to feel at peace, respected, seen, heard, valued, appreciated, encouraged, motivated, proud, etc…

And right now, my friend of over a year, Jay Aldridge, has willingly, without any second of hesitation, agreed to tell his life’s story in a way he’s never told it before.

In my own thoughts of the man himself, I’d say he’s a very special breed. A rare find of an individual. Somebody you’d never expect to come into your life and change it in a way you never thought could possibly happen. I say this in the sense that he’s a man who will accept you for all that you are.

He never takes anything for granted. Even during hard times, he still keeps his head up high and keeps on moving forward. When he makes someone feel like they are valued, his day was successful, no matter who it was and what it was concerning of that individual(s).

He doesn’t take any foolish shenanigans from anybody, and most certainly doesn’t take any foolish shenanigans causing problems to his own kin and friends and neighbors, etc.

He’s a grounded man. A proud Christian who stands for only what is right in this world.

He is a recovering alcoholic who is almost 6 years sober.

He’ll talk to you for hours and you’d wish it never had to end because he’s one of the most genuine, entertaining, silliest, goofiest, and kindest man you’ll ever know and meet.

This man also encouraged me so much on my ability to write songs and to keep up a podcast. When I thought I wanted to quit, he gave me hope to keep on going. I didn’t say much of wanting to quit. I only thought it. But his words of praise and encouragement, as well as promoting everything I’ve done - including my novel writing - I’d say he is someone who appreciates anyone’s art when he knows, reads, hears, and witnesses true genuine talent.

He’s skilled to know a #1 hit when he hears it. He’ll tell you straight up. If he thought your song sucked, he’d tell you. He’s an honest man. He doesn’t butter you up so you feel better. He believes that if you are told the truth, you can push yourself to do better and keep trying at it. But if he thought your work was something of incredibility, you are golden.

That’s Jay for you in my own words. There could be more words to say about him, but I’ll leave it at this for now. This article isn’t just about how I think about him. This is about his life’s story. And I hope you all enjoy it as much as I got the privilege to write this article about a man who came from a small innocent upbringing, and has become wiser than his years. This is his story.

💬Jay Aldridge: We first met through the YouTube channel, Be Yourself Adventures of our mutual friend, Larry. We became best friends a few months later when I subscribed to your YouTube channel that day in Larry’s livestream.

We share common interests in music, films, etc. I’ve come to know you as a great journalist, author (I was one of your first buyers of your first novel Truth Seer Odyssey) and a brilliant songwriter.

You are a great inspiration for people your own age… and for older adults who think they can’t make a difference in this world.

You have been an inspiration to me as well. You helped me start a somewhat good song writing career.

My next to last song is one of my all time favorites I’ve written called, ‘Love Is An All-time High’.

💬Jay Aldridge: That I brought them joy is hearing me sing. That really touched it was at one of my shows with my band. A older woman I’d say in her eighties came rolling up in her wheelchair. She just lost her husband of 66 years. She got married to him when she was 14. He and her would dance in the kitchen listening to Conway Twitty when one of his songs came on the radio.

Her granddaughter brought her to see us perform. She enjoyed the show so much she had to meet me and the band. She asked if she could hug me. Sorry I’m getting emotional…

💬Charlotte Nightstar: It’s alright. Take your time.

💬Jay Aldridge: That’s just one of the many special things that has happened during one of our shows.

💬Jay Aldridge: We performed to our first out of two sold out shows ever and mind you I’ve been doing this since 1988. Our next to last show the venue raised enough money to pay a boy’s hospital bill. We brought him and his family up on stage and the venue coordinator gave them the check. It was touching. I’m sorry I’m getting emotional again.

It was a special night. It was a night that we premiered one of your new songs on stage which we got permission from you to do.

The audience gave your song a standing ovation.

💬Charlotte Nightstar: What song was that?

💬Jay Aldridge: Well it had been out for some time mind you but it was the first time we premiered it at one of our shows it was ‘I’m Here For You Now’. People were dancing to it on the side aisle and in the back.

💬Charlotte Nightstar: That one I believe my top song ever written in my opinion. A very personal story told there concerning we both know and God bless her soul for the most moving song of all time in my songwriting career.

💬Jay Aldridge: Yes. And God bless her...

I once met Conway Twitty after one of his concerts.

I saw a group of girls - teenage girls - going behind the Civic Center, and when I followed them to see what was going on, I saw them running out of a hole of the gate at the back of the Civic Center. So curiosity killed the cat, I went through the hole in the fence, and there were some RVs. And I went to the back of one of the RVs, not looked around the corner to see some people there, I turned around real quick back to the back of the RV, and all of a sudden, I heard it being revved up.

And instead of heading back toward the hole of the fence, I turned back around where the men were and they're not there anymore, and I run right into a body and I fall to the ground and I looked up and it's Conway Twitty.

He offers me his hand and he asked, ‘Are you all right, son?’

And he helped me up and I had a little cut on my head and he said, ‘Let's go take care of this in the bus.’ And we went into his bus and his wife at the time helped me and patched me up with a Band-Aid.

He and I talked for 5 minutes, and I told him what I was planning on doing, and he said, ‘I'd love that idea that you could help people with benefits, and if there's anything that I can do to help, please get in touch with me.’

And he gave me this book. It was a song book of his songs that he was singing that night and more. And on the back it had how to contact the city.

I left and I was just absolutely amazed at how he was just like you. You may think that celebrities are god-like… that they can do no wrong… but they're just like you and me. They hurt, they feel pain when you hurt them, they bleed when you cut them, and I will always remember that memory of my life and I will cherish it forever.

💬Jay Aldridge: By the people who have been an inspiration to me. My Daddy, my Momma, my Mawmaw (grandmother) my PawPaw (grandfather who was a Southern Baptist Preacher, mind you).

And of course Conway Twitty, who we try to keep his memory alive by performing his songs at benefits, mind you. We never take any money for our performances it’s strictly free. All proceeds go to the benefits. A lot have been for retirement parties for retiring preachers and their wives.

And of course last, but never least, is you, Ms. Nightstar. You have been one of the greatest inspirations of my career and life. Your friendship means more to me than you can ever know. You’ve taught me about how to write songs.

You’ve been like my life coach. You’ve taught me to get in touch with my feelings and not hold on to the hurt of so many things I’ve been carrying around me for so long.

The people who’ve come to our shows will keep not our legacy but Conway Twitty’s legacy alive after we’re all gone. That’s why we do our shows, to reach the young people today that don’t know about the man who has a record of 73 number one hit singles. No one can surpass that at least I hope no one ever does.

George Strait just had an article written about his 62 number in hit singles being the most anyone ever has had. That’s a lie. We (meaning his fans and his family) have found 73 number one hits of Conway’s and they have all been certified.

So his legacy is more important. That’s why Jay & Friends are and have been dining what we’ve been doing since 1994 a total of 32 years.

It’s been since 1994. We didn’t start our shows till then but we’d been singing together since 1988. I don’t want to be called a liar.

Oh, and I’ve been singing since I was seventeen, starting out in the choir of my Pawpaw’s church, which he helped raise money to build.

💬Jay Aldridge: I don’t remember much from my childhood except my parents made sure I had a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food on the table.

They were the best parents any child could have. I knew I was loved, they really cared about my welfare and my education.

I didn’t have much friends growing up until I got into my late teenage years. The friends I made became members of our band.

They were my first of many best friends in my band. Unfortunately they all died within 18 months of each other. Due to natural causes, cancer, two from automobile accidents and one from ending herself.

That was a bad time in my life.

I tended to my momma for 18 years after my Daddy died. She took my Daddy’s death badly.

I wasn’t going to put her in a nursing home.

I lost her in 2005. We became best friends more than mother and son. She supported me in my wanting to continue singing and then going out to perform, which I did every now and then for the 18 I took care of her. Our neighbor would check in on her when I had to go for my shows which then wasn’t that far from home.

💬Jay Aldridge: Well, the thing I wished they’d learn that I did learn growing up was having respect for my elders. What is an elder? It’s anyone who is older and wiser than you. And today’s educational system doesn’t teach you the necessities they will need when they go out into this world after high school and/or college. They need to teach them how to write a check, teach them about not getting into debt, and how to cook, clean, and manners since they aren’t getting this from home. I’m not saying every teenager is like this but it is a growing problem.

What I want them to learn what I didn’t learn is history the real history of the country not what they are teaching today. Learn a trade you don’t have to go to college or go to a technical school to learn to be a nurse, a pipe welder. We have enough doctors and lawyers.

💬Jay Aldridge: It has giving me a look into my own life.

💬Jay Aldridge: I don't think I'm there yet. I wrote what comes to my mind and heart right now.

💬Jay Aldridge: I’d like to go back and listen really listen this time to my PawPaw (grandfather) stories about his life, we take for granted our grandparents stories. Sit down really listen to them. They are like great history teachers. They lived through the greatest time in history and through the most horrific time in history.

Then I’d want to go back in time to talk to some of the greatest minds in history. Like Plato, Socrates, William Shakespeare, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Audrey Hepburn, Mayo Angelou, Moses and yes even Jesus Christ.

💬Jay Aldridge: Basically I live a small insignificant young life, I didn’t have a lot of friends, my friends were then one I saw in TV. (laughs) Cartoons of the 1970s and 1980s Dallas I loved J.R. Ewing my hero. (laughs again) Star Trek Captain Sisko is my now favorite Star Trek Captain, but growing up it was Captain James T. Kirk. But my favorite character from all of Star Trek has to be Dr. Leonard “Bones McCoy.

My Dad took me to one of his bricklaying jobs one summer. I really got to know my daddy that summer.

I loved playing my Atari 2600 more than my Nintendo NES. Basically, I can’t recall all details of my childhood. Just the sporadic things.

💬Jay Aldridge: My era of the biopic would be my shows because my life growing up is uninteresting but they would have to pick up a child that kind of resembles me to play me as a child. I wouldn’t stay in my childhood in the biopic film that much. It would go directly to my singing in my shows. And the person I would want to play me in singing would be Jeff Bates. He almost sounds like Conway and he looks a little like Conway, but… if they couldn’t get him, I would say Trey Twitty. He is the grandson of Conway Twitty.

💬Charlotte Nightstar: I love that!

Thank you, Jay, for taking the time to answer these questions for me. Your story means a lot to me and the world. And it doesn’t matter if your childhood is what you think as insignificant. I’m sure a lot of us would think and say the same thing. But it’s still something that molds us into the person we are today. And I will say this, Jay, that what you’ve went through all your life was worth every single moment, including the misfortunate ones. You are good man, Jay, and I can’t wait to have you on my show again, as you are always on my show when I’m livestreaming.

💬Jay Aldridge: I look forward to your shows. I'm honored to be invited to come on. You are a brilliant, beautiful, gifted, talented person. And I'm honored to know you and call you my best friend.

Thank you for all that you do for your viewers and listeners, and I personally thank you for all you've done for me with my songwriting.

____________________________________________________________________________

You can find Jay Aldridge’s songs on my YouTube under this playlist of his songs, and on Spotify and other platforms among my music album profile. His dream is to have his music as a full album release. I’m looking forward to making his dream come true.

👉My YouTube playlist of his songs: Jay Aldridge Released Songs on my YouTube Channel... Always more to come. Stay tuned.

Thank you for reading this article about a man who has lived a fairly fulfilling life of ups and downs. A man who is humble, and has gotten the joys of meeting Conway Twitty himself. A man who has braved so much throughout his career as a Conway Twitty impersonator to keep a country music legend’s legacy alive, and is now building his own legacy in the songs he writes, and the Star Trek fan stories he writes (canon to the Star Trek universe), and hopes one day to have them published like other true-blooded fans have gotten the opportunity to accomplish.

Jay has so much potential and I can’t wait to see where he goes on his songwriting journey, as well as other endeavors he puts his endearing mind to.

Please do subscribe so you never miss an article for more interviews and stories as this one. I write a variety of topics, from interviews, pop culture at times when it gets absurdly crazy, the advocacy for free speech, and so much more.

Thank you again for checking out this article. More to come in the future.