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The Atlanta Braves and country music are a match made in heaven.
Some members of the Braves recently sat down with us on the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast. Third baseman Austin Riley, utility player Kyle Farmer, and the voice of the Braves Radio Network, Ben Ingram, all carved time out of their 162-game schedule to talk about their favorite country artists, how the locker room is full of “Ella Fellas,” and how the Atlanta Braves and country music have always been intertwined.
Austin Riley talked to us about how convenient it is for him that baseball season ends right when hunting season begins, Kyle Farmer (a Georgia native) discussed how fitting it is for him to be a member of the Braves at this point in his career, and Ben Ingram also gave some insight on how he takes care of his golden radio voice.
During our time with the Braves play-by-play announcer, we really got to dive into country music and his love for the genre. We brought up that the Atlanta baseball team and country music have often crossed paths with one another, and mentioned the line in Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It” that alludes to Atlanta, and then most notably, Morgan Wallen’s “98 Braves” that compares the season that ended in heartbreak for the team to a failed relationship.
Ingram agreed that there’s definitely a connection between the southern baseball team and the southern genre:
“There is a crossroads there for sure. I grew up in the south. This is the only team in the region. It’s not lost on me.”
And like I said earlier, Ingram is a huge fan of country. He rattled off one heck of a list naming off his favorites (Colter Wall, Sturgill Simpson, Whiskey Myers, etc.), and said that what he looks for the most as a music fan is creativity:
“You like who you like, and some stuff that other guys listen to just isn’t for me. Other stuff is. I’m kind of critical when it comes to music, and it’s not just country music. I’m a big rock fan too. I love country music, and I love old country music. I like creativity.
I like people that are talented to write their own songs, perform those songs, master instruments, and bring that to an audience. I think one of the hardest things to do is create something out of nothing and bring that to a live audience.”
Ben Ingram knows a little something about bringing entertainment to a live audience.
He’s been the play-by-play man for the Braves radio network for 16 seasons, and if you are a Braves fan and listen to his work, you know he’s one of the best in the business. One thing that Ingram and his team often have to do during games is juggle the play-by-play with a mid-game interview.
Just recently, Ingram got a chance to talk to Jason Aldean in the broadcast booth, and he talked to us about how that came to be:
“That got thrown on us 24 hours before it happened. They said, ‘Hey, Aldean wants to come on the air.’ We’re all for some pub, so roll through. I don’t listen to any of his stuff, but I know who he is.”
That’s evidently how it often works out for the radio team, and Ingram noted that other artists rolling through, like Jason Isbell and members of R.E.M., are some of his favorite on-air interviews.
Conducting an interview while also calling a game can be a lot to handle at once, but Ben Ingram says he’ll welcome the opportunity anytime:
“We like it like that. I want our booth to be the hangout, and for people to roll in there and come on with us for an inning. It’s entertainment… it’s fun like that. It doesn’t have to be rigid. It doesn’t have to be the exact same thing, and I love having guests on there.”
That being said… there’s one “opportunity” that he’s still really holding out hope for:
“I said, ‘Look, I asked for Ella Langley and I got Jason Aldean.’ No disrespect, but she’s a little prettier. So if we can get her to the booth, that would be welcome by all of us.”
If Ben Ingram and the broadcast team can’t get Ella Langley to help call an inning, they’ll have to take solace in knowing that she will be at the ball park on June 13 for Braves Country Fest.
The celebration of country music is coming up, and it’ll feature a stacked lineup including Cody Johnson, Ella Langley, Ernest and Mackenzie Carpenter. The star-studded gathering of artists playing inside Truist Park makes for a can’t-miss event.
You can hear more from Austin Riley, Kyle Farmer and Ben Ingram of the Atlanta Braves by checking out the interview on YouTube or making sure to download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or by clicking here.
We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts.
Cheers, y’all.
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Play-By-Play Announcer, Ben Ingram, Weighs In On The Atlanta Braves’ Longstanding Relationship With Country Music – Whiskey Riff
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