For KING & COUNTRY Tell Hillary Scott They Are Working On A Film About Parents Migration Story
for KING & COUNTRY brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone join Country Faith Radio with Hillary Scott in studio to share their inspiring journey. From their youth in Australia, to overcoming family hardship upon arrival in the States, the duo recalls impactful life experiences that influenced collaborations with Dolly Parton and Hillary Scott. Listen to the episode in full anytime on-demand at apple.co/_CountryFaith.
Joel Reveals His Family is Working on a Film About His Parents Migration Story
We’ve been doing a deep dive because not only has mom written an autobiographical book from her perspective, called Behind the Lights, we’ve actually put together a documentary, but we’re also working on a feature film of our parents’ epic, tragic, faith-filled migration from Australia to the United States in the early ’90s. So it’s a ’90 film. It’s all the chaos of the ’90s. It’s the chaos of Australians getting dropped into not just America, but into the American South. So we’ve been working with screenwriters and producers. We’re going into production in October. So, got offers out to actors and the whole thing. The clincher is that I’m actually going to play dad in the film. So, talk about a family enmeshment. And for those of you who don’t know again, our dad is, he’s the silent third member of for KING & COUNTRY. He owns the band with Luke and I. He’s our manager and has got 50 years of musical experience under his belt, both in Australia and the United States.
Joel Shares His Family’s Migration Story from Australia to the US
We were wee lads, but Dad was a promoter in Australia. He’s always been a bit of a salesman, marketing, promoter type. So he’d bring over Amy Grant and Stryper and White Heart and Petra, the whole thing. Our first memories were looking at vinyl records, going to shows, and that’s where really we fell in love with music. Well, he lost a half a million dollars on a tour that went sideways. It’s a small music industry in America, but it’s even smaller in Australia, so he was disgraced. Came to America with mom, six kids, one on the way, in the early ’90s to start over again. We did whatever we could to put food back on the table as a family. It really knit us together as a family. We also would circle up and we would just pray for everything. We didn’t have a car, we didn’t have furniture, we didn’t have insurance. We just saw God miraculously bring all of these things to fruition. It was an incredible walk of faith. That’s really what launched our sister, Rebecca St. James, into music. Dad needed cheap labor. He saw he had five sons. We became the crew on the road, and really, again, that’s where Luke and I respectively fell in love with music behind the scenes.
Hillary Scott Discusses Growing Up Traveling on a Tour Bus with Her Parents
Because of my story, because of my mom and dad moving to Nashville from their hometowns, my mom’s career taking off. I was driver side, bottom bunk. Kindergarten and first grade, I was homeschooled. Lived on the bus. But it’s so amazing to sit here with two individuals that have that shared experience because it’s just been such an interesting head scratcher when I would talk to friends. Like, “what was it like for you in Kindergarten?” And I was like, “Well, I lived on a bus.” And it’s just such a fascinating, very unconventional way to grow up. My parents ended up touring as a backing band with Reba [McEntire] from the time I was five or six to 13. So those years weren’t the same for me with traveling touring wise. But you don’t forget it. And I feel like it imprints on your heart and on your creative being.
