Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Pryor Baird performs during Top 10 night on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

And during a conference call with the media following his elimination from The Voice, Pryor expressed gratitude for the hometown support he was shown.

“Oh, my gosh,” he said, “my hometown has been like home base. It is where everything has started and everybody there — it’s gone crazy. I mean, there are signs everywhere all over the town. And, you know, it’s a small town. There’s only two stop signs in it so everybody knows everybody.

“Every day, I see people have got their Pryor Baird hats on and their shirts. And they’ve got posters up in every one of the stores and there’s big billboards everywhere. And everybody has been absolutely beyond supportive. It’s so moving, and it’s so refreshing. I can’t wait to get home to go see everybody.”

Pryor was eliminated from The Voice during the semifinals last week, finishing in the Top 6. Along the way, he scored three Top 10 hits on the iTunes singles chart. His cover of Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” was one of the most successful of Season 14, climbing to number four on iTunes.

But that wasn’t Pryor’s favorite performance. Here’s what he told Voice Views about his time on the show and his music moving forward.

Voice Views: What’s next for you musically?

Pryor: Well hit the ground running. I’ve got gigs lined up. I’m actually playing on the 27th in Avila Beach for the Avila Beach Blues Festival with Shemekia Copeland and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. I’ve got gigs lined up to play at some of Blake Shelton’s Ole Red one in Tishomingo and one somewhere else.

I also have my band back home in Nashville as well here in California. I’ve got quite a few gigs lined up. We’re going to hit the studio. We got songs ready to go and just go ahead and take this platform, move forward, and strike while the iron is hot and just keep going.

Voice Views: You took your music in more of a country direction on the show. Do you expect to conitnue with that sound with the music you release after the show?

Pryor: Absolutely. I think I can speak for everybody, you know, when you hear a band and you hear their albums, it’s like, “Oh, man, they’re so good. I can’t wait to see them live.” And you go and see them live it doesn’t sound anything like they did on the record.

My sound will always be me, who I am, and that’s something I stand by firmly. So it will be the same country blues with the little bit of rock thing to it, but still very traditional to the country blues style.

voice Views: What was your favorite performance on The Voice and why was it your favorite?

Pryor: One hundred percent, no doubt about it, my favorite was the last duo that Kaleb (Lee) and I did — the “Hillbilly Bone”/”Hillbilly Deluxe.”

Actually, I would go as far as to say that that might be one of my all-time favorite performances of all time that I’ve ever done. I’ve got to play with Vince Gill and to share the stage with Blake Shelton. But that one with Kaleb was — that was special. That was the most fun for sure that I had on this show, 100%, bar none, no questions asked.

Voice Views: Can you talk about something you gained from The Voice experience that’s going to affect you music moving forward?

Pryor: “Something that I’ve definitely gained on this was a best friend. It’s very rare that when you’re my age — I’m 35 years old, that you find somebody that’s going to be a close brother. Those are mostly people that you find when you’re younger.

And Kaleb and I definitely have that bond. We will be friends forever. But something that I learned on the show that I’ve never really even considered was doing a duo thing with anybody.

I was, like, “Man that’s not my style. I would never do anything like that.” Now after that last performance that he and I did together … I mean, a lot of people don’t realize how much fun it is to be up there and to do that and to sing and to be able to share it with somebody and not just somebody but somebody that you love, and you care for, and, you know, who’s got your back. It’s a powerful thing man.

And I learned a lot about myself, and my music and that I would definitely like to continue on making music with Kaleb and doing a duo thing because I don’t think I’ve ever had that much fun.

Editor’s Note: Pryor was 35 when he auditioned for The Voice and had taken a job as project manager with a home restoration company in Nashville before The Voice came calling. For more on his pre-show music, head here. His social media links follow.

Instagram
Twitter: @BairdPryor
Facebook

See also …
Ranking the Top 4 on The Voice
Britton Buchanan’s Voice performances
Brynn Cartelli’s Voice performances
Kyla Jade’s Voice performances
Spensha Baker’s Voice performances
Tuesday’s guest star lineup