Country singer-songwriter Ben Gallaher doesn’t hide the fact that he’s an Eagle Scout.
He includes those 10 letters in his Twitter bio, on his Facebook page and on his official website.
He also lives those 10 letters every day as he tours the country playing music in front of screaming crowds. Life on the road requires “leadership, with leading my guys, my band,” he says. “It’s very much like a patrol. If the leader goes down, then everyone’s going to follow suit.”
Gallaher, who lives in Nashville, Tenn., has a Sony Music recording contract. The Pennsylvania native performs as both headliner and opening act. He has opened for Neal McCoy, Lee Brice, Big & Rich, Lynyrd Skynyrd and others.
With his beat-up Ford baseball cap and tattered blue jeans, Gallaher looks the part of the next country star. And that’s before you hear him sing.
His gravelly voice and dexterous guitar playing make his performances a joy to watch. It’s no wonder he caught the eye of a professor at Belmont University who asked to hear some of his music.
I was lucky enough to interview Gallaher and hear him sing last year during a trip to Nashville. You can watch the video above.
More to the story
Read about Ben Gallaher in the Summer 2016 issue of Eagles’ Call magazine. By the way, anyone — not just Eagle Scouts — can receive the quarterly Eagles’ Call magazine. It’s normally $10 a year (four issues), but I’ve secured a special discount code for blog readers that cuts that price in half.
Use the promo code EGCBLG16 to get Eagles’ Call for $5 a year for the first year.
Read an excerpt from Mark Ray’s story below and find the entire Gallaher profile in the Summer 2016 issue.
Eagles’ Call: What lessons from Scouting help you in your career?
Ben Gallaher: Number one probably is leadership, with leading my guys, my band. It’s very much like a patrol. If the leader goes down, then everyone’s going to follow suit.
E.C.: Anything else?
B.G.: Being prepared. We leave Nashville with 2 ½ hours of extra time in case something happens. We travel with much more equipment than we need in case two guitars go out, three guitars go out, all the amps go out on stage. When you’re not expecting it to go bad, that’s when something happens.
E.C.: What kind of reaction have you gotten from fans who learn you’re an Eagle Scout?
B.G.: I definitely have gotten tweets, messages and emails about that, so it’s so cool that, besides the music, that’s another aspect I get to connect with people on.
E.C.: So what’s the significance of the Eagle Scout badge for you?
B.G.: Say, for instance, your high school sports team won the state championship in football or any given sport. The next year, you’re no longer the champions. But once you’re an Eagle Scout, you are always an Eagle Scout. I think that’s pretty cool.
Photos by W. Garth Dowling/BSA
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