Country Thunder — the largest Country music festival brand in North America — rolls along at full speed this fall with its popular podcast “On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer.” Streaming now, episode three of Season 3 notably welcomes none other than prolific Tennessee-born singer and songwriter Larry Fleet to the hot seat.

Country Thunder CEO and host Vollhoffer conducts a wide-ranging deep dive conversation about the artist’s unparalleled journey out of White Bluff, TN and to the verge of Country stardom. Fleet divulges the nitty gritty of attracting an audience one fan at a time and reflects upon his days gigging in bars. The discussion touches on his brush with fame at a hardware store, once grilling “300! burgers,” and how superstar Jake Owen serendipitously inspired him to call it quits at his day job and hit the road on the acoustic Down To The Tiki Tonk Tour back in 2020.

He details this particular encounter with Owen — which broke the gates wide open.

“I was playing at a barn for a wedding party, and Jake [Owen] just happened to show up,” Fleet recalls. “He was watching me play Merle Haggard songs or whatever, and he told me, ‘You should go after this.’ He thought I already had a deal, but I was pouring concrete for a living… The next day he told me, ‘I think you should quit your job.’ He invited me over to his house and we hung out all night, and I said, ‘I'll tell you what. You take me on the road and we'll see what happens.’ A few nights later, he called me and said he wanted me to run down to Florida with him to open for three shows. So, I went to my boss at work and told him I had to do this. He said I’d be crazy not to try.”

Among many highlights, there’s a nugget of wisdom from Fleet’s old man in the discussion. He goes on, “My dad would say, ‘Hey, if you learn a skill in life, then you'll always have a job.’ So, I learned how to do concrete and masonry work and thought that's what I would do. Then, one day I played a bar and made tip money in the tip jar. I was like, ‘Whoa, there’s money here.’”

Even in a crowded marketplace, he’s identified a key way to stand out. “You have to do your own thing,” he notes. “You don’t want to blend in. You want to stand out, and that’s how you build a fanbase. You want to have a song that impacts somebody. You don't have to have that record deal anymore. It was a big deal for me to get a record deal, and it helped me tremendously. Moving from Big Loud to being independent, I’ve realized it’s an awesome feeling to know I’m in control of everything.”

GRAMMY® Award-nominated, MULTI-PLATINUM Country star Cole Swindell appeared on the most recent episode captured during Country Thunder Wisconsin 2025. Prior, Season 3 launched in September with an episode featuring 23x No. 1 hitmaker Tyler Hubbard. Now, the podcast has steadily emerged as one of the premier Country music podcasts, elevating Vollhoffer as an industry tastemaker and sharp businessman. Over the course of its first two seasons, he sat down for insightful, revealing, and often hilarious interviews with the likes of Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, HARDY, Gavin Adcock, Koe Wetzel, Dierks Bentley, Bailey Zimmerman, Ashley McBryde, Marty Stuart, and many more. During Season 1, the podcast notably shook the charts and reached #1 in Music among Apple Podcasts in the U.S. Not to mention, the Dustin Lynch episode debuted in the Top 1% of all podcasts. Following its expansion to video in Season 2, the Jordan Davis episode remains the highest-performing YouTube video with nearly 100,000 views, while total channel views surpass 1.5 MILLION.

With cameras rolling and tape running, he engages in funny and freewheeling discourse with major Country talent as well as buzzing acts. The episodes are filmed from Vollhoffer’s tour bus and home studio, providing an unfiltered vignette into the lives of artists as they tell stories, recall memories, and share unwavering passion for music.

The podcast stands out as a must-listen for Country aficionados and music fans at large. Boasting an intimate format, exclusive content, and an elite lineup of all-star guests, there’s nothing quite like it.

 

 

ABOUT LARRY FLEET:
Tennessee-born troubadour Larry Fleet grew up on a stack of records spanning Merle Haggard, Otis Redding, Willie Nelson and Marvin Gaye. A thoughtful songwriter with a knack for a one-liner, an ear for a sturdy hook, and a powerhouse voice that strikes like a match, Fleet was working blue-collar jobs to make ends meet long before landing his recording contract with Big Loud Records. Seven years later and again working as an independent artist, the devout family man is turning heads among fans and critics as a songwriter (“Man Made A Bar” recorded by Morgan Wallen featuring Eric Church) alongside his own music, 2021’s tribute to the music that raised him, Stack of Records, his aptly titled 2019 debut, Workin’ Hard, 2023's Earned It, featuring the single “Things I Take For Granted,” and his latest, 2025’s independently-released Somewhere In The South EP. Saving Country Music puts it simply: “If you're looking for the future of traditional country music, then look no further.” 

ABOUT COUNTRY THUNDER:
Attracting nearly 625,000+ fans to its six multi-day events, Country Thunder Music Festivals boast unparalleled reach with a diverse demographic profile spanning the USA and Canada. Featuring top-tier Country artists, Country Thunder Festivals draw diverse crowds, fostering a vibrant atmosphere that celebrates the essence of Country music. The Country Thunder Music Festivals organization has a 21-year history which boasts five other major multi-day events in North America, including Wisconsin, Florida, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. 

ABOUT TROY VOLLHOFFER:
Troy Vollhoffer is an American entrepreneur from Nashville, TN and currently serves as the President of Country Thunder Music Festivals, Big Valley Jamboree, and Premier Global Production Company. One of the most beloved festival brands in the world, Country Thunder has seen tremendous success, receiving numerous awards including the ACM Festival of the Year for Country Thunder Arizona, Wisconsin, and most recently, Bristol in 2023. For his transformation of the festival, Vollhoffer was honored with the Academy of Country Music Lifting Lives Award and the Don Romero Talent Buyer of the Year Award at the ACM Honors in 2023. 
 
Vollhoffer played professional ice hockey from 1982-1992 and has served on the boards of the T.J. Martell Foundation, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, ACM Lifting Lives, ACM and CMA. His dedicated philanthropic commitment was recognized at the 2018 CCMA Awards, where he received the Slaight Music Humanitarian Award.

ABOUT ON THE BUS WITH TROY VOLLHOFFER:
Troy Vollhoffer, owner and founder of Country Thunder Music Festival, invites the biggest Country artists and industry giants to join him for a one-on-one celebrity interview “On the Bus.”  As Troy opens his home, his tour bus, and festival venues to his audience for behind the scenes conversations, he asks exclusive questions, discusses festival do’s and don'ts, and highlights the tracks fans will hear on stage at Country Thunder this summer. Guests include Dustin Lynch, Koe Wetzel, Tigirlily Gold, Dierks Bentley, Bailey Zimmerman, Jon Pardi, Ashley McBryde and countless other music industry legends, taking you backstage to share stories of their concerts, their careers, and their entertainment industry journeys. Be ready to be thunderstruck, "On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer." 

 

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