“I’m Working On A Song, Daddy” – Evan Felker Says His Daughter Takes After Him, Turning Her Scribbles Into Original Tunes

Raising the next generation of Red Dirt artists.

Country fans are getting a rare glimpse into what fatherhood looks like for Evan Felker. The lead singer of the Turnpike Troubadours keeps a low profile when he’s off the stage, living a simple life on the farm.

After taking a hiatus from the band to get sober and focus on bettering himself, Felker has found solace in a slow, simple life when he’s not on the road. And you can hear the calmness of his life on Turnpike’s new record, The Price of Admission. The songs evoke a nostalgic feel, offering introspective views on life, growing up, and embracing the present moment.

Recently, Felker sat down for a conversation with Texas country legend and host of the Americana Podcast, Robert Earl Keen, to discuss the new album, life, and everything in between. In the early moments of the conversation, Keen shares that he loves the slow and relaxed feel of the album, to which Felker notes that this phase of life is much calmer for him than before he took time away from the stage.

One song in particular that Keen discussed with Felker was the fan favorite, “Heaven Passing Through.” Keen asked Felker who the song was about, questioning if it was about his father, to which Felker replied that it was about real-life people, but not anyone in particular. The song is more about “standing on the giants before you” and seeing the world from those who came before you, and then as a father, interpreting how he sees the world from his children’s POV, too.

“I kind of have this interesting back and forth of seeing the world through a little kid’s eyes, and then also seeing the world through my parents’ eyes, you know, when they had little kids and thinking about myself as that. It jars a lot of stuff loose.”

Keen then changes the topic of conversation away from “Heaven Passing Through” to his children.

Evan Felker has two children, a daughter named Evie (4) and a son, Everett (2). Robert Earl Keen says that those are two of his favorite ages when it comes to children, commenting that the way they view the world at that age is magical to witness.

“Oh yeah, how they see things. How they solve problems or don’t solve… cause problems maybe. They see it all. They have fun with everything. It’s a great time.”

Keen then asks if his children enjoy Felker’s singing or if they are aware of his career, and it sounds like, even though they are young, they are very mindful of their father’s career. In fact, Felker shares that his daughter, Evie, could be following in his footsteps as a songwriter.

“They tolerate it…mostly. But they love it. They will be messing around, learning something in the music room. My daughter will be in there pretending to…. She can’t, she’s four years old and she couldn’t write anything out to save her life, but she’ll have all these scribbles down, then walk over to the piano and (pretends to play the piano). ‘Oh, I’m working on this song, daddy.’ You know?”

Following in the footsteps of her father.

Circling back to how this conversation first started out discussing “Heaven Passing Through,” Felker opened up prior to this interview that his daughter inspired one of the verses:

“Me and my daughter, Evie, were sitting out in the driveway, a few miles north of town, looking at the stars and I was telling her where all the constellations were and she didn’t care in the least. I’m a lucky person that I get to have little kids right now, and I have those moments very often where I think this is as good as it gets. It got me to thinking about other moments that were as good as it gets throughout my life.”

So while his statement about it not being about certain people in particular might be true, it’s evident from this note that Felker cherishes the time he is able to spend with his kids, and Evie banging on the piano after “writing” her songs sounds like the definition of a “Heaven Passing Through” moment. Nothing bonds a daughter to their father and vice versa like a shared love of music.

Clearly, Evie loves what her dad does for a living. Recently, while Felker was performing at the Woody Folk Festival (or WoodyFest), Evie sweetly called out to her father right before he sang the verse she had inspired. Check it out:

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A post shared by Staci Felker (@stacifelker)

Before you go, fire up “Heaven Passing Through.”

The post “I’m Working On A Song, Daddy” – Evan Felker Says His Daughter Takes After Him, Turning Her Scribbles Into Original Tunes first appeared on Whiskey Riff.