How Jamey Johnson Went from the Marines to Music Row
Jamey Johnson has called Nashville home for half his life, but he was raised in Montgomery, Alabama, in a family where pretty much everyone either played an instrument or sang. His grandfather was said to be a great singer, too, with a deep rumbling baritone, and Jamey learned his craft performing with his father’s band, the Down Home Boys. From there he eventually joined the Marine Corps Reserves, an experience that delivered lifelong friendships, but it also left him with some emotional scars that have informed his songwriting. Last year, he channeled some of those memories into his first album in 14 years, called Midnight Gasoline, and these days he has plenty to celebrate. In 2025, he got married at a rock quarry in Tennessee—a story you’ll want to hear—celebrated his 50th birthday with a show at the Grand Ole Opry, and acted in an upcoming movie with Megan Moroney called A Grand Ole Opry Christmas. Sid talks to Jamey about his tribute to the Greatest Generation, the new song he just recorded with Ronnie Dunn, and the organization he and his wife started called the Give It Away Fund, which supports disaster relief and other important causes.
For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam
Biscuits & Jam is produced by:
Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living
Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living
Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer
Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer
Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
40:48
--------
40:48
John T. Edge Goes Searching for Home in a Powerful New Memoir
f you’re a Southerner who’s interested in food, you probably know John T. Edge from his work as the founding director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, as the author of the Potlikker Papers, or as the host of True South, a TV show about Southern food and culture on the SEC Network. It’s hard to find someone who’s been more influential in shaping the conversation around Southern food and telling the stories of its unsung heroes. Well, now John T. is telling his own story with a powerful new memoir called House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home. Sid talked to John T. about his complicated and sometimes violent childhood in Clinton, Georgia; his fraught relationship with a mother who struggled with alcoholism; and the wild journey that finally led him to a career at the University of Mississippi. A note: This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Southern Living offices in Birmingham, Alabama.
For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam
Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living
Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living
Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer
Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer
Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer
Isaac Nunn - Recording Producer
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
43:43
--------
43:43
Josh Mancuso May Be the Funniest Guy In College Football
Josh Mancuso has been rooting for the Tennessee Vols since he could walk, but he’s also an actor, filmmaker, and director who knows how to tell a story. In 2020, with few prospects in the film business, he made a video on Instagram about an imaginary middle school coach who was taking over to the top job at Tennessee, and it went viral. After that, he started a series on the absurdity of college mascots, from the Delta State Fighting Okra to the TCU Horned Frogs, often playing multiple characters in the same video. Now Mancuso has almost 300,000 followers on Instagram, and he’s always got something new to say, especially in the middle of football season. Sid talks to Josh about his recent collaboration with country singer Walker Hayes, the hours of writing it can take to make a good video, and the high school coach who had a major impact on his life.
For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam
Biscuits & Jam is produced by:
Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living
Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living
Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer
Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer
Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
39:03
--------
39:03
Lainey Wilson, Southern Living Cover Star, Is Keeping Her People Close
This week Sid talks to one of the biggest and brightest stars in country music – Lainey Wilson. Back in May, he drove up to Nashville and got to have this conversation in person at Lainey’s farmhouse outside of town. The occasion was a Southern Living cover shoot, and Lainey and Sid sat down on a pair of comfortable chairs in her speakeasy-style basement, which is where she writes a lot of her songs. Lainey couldn’t have been more welcoming as a host, even though she’d been touring nonstop for her latest album, Whirlwind. She’s also hosting the CMA Awards in mid-November, and she’s appearing in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel Reminders of Him early next year. But Lainey has clearly not forgotten her small-town roots in Baskin, Louisiana, or the importance of good friends, family, and her faith. She talked a lot about how she stays grounded, how she keeps holding on despite a wild few years in Nashville, and the importance of keeping her people close. She also told some funny stories about her fiance, Devlin Hodges, who goes by Duck, and how she and her family celebrate Thanksgiving.
For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam
Biscuits & Jam is produced by:
Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living
Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living
Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer
Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer
Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer
Isaac Nunn - Recording Producer
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
--------
31:56
--------
31:56
Tiffany Derry Is the Best Thing on Food TV
Texas-born Chef Tiffany Derry is quickly becoming a fan favorite in the world of food TV. She was raised in Beaumont, Texas, though most of her family came from nearby Port Allen, Louisiana, which meant the culture of both states had a big influence on her. She had about 50 cousins, so she was used to huge family gatherings and potlucks where everyone had to pitch in. Her interest in food took a professional turn when she got a job working at the International House of Pancakes when she was just 15, and that’s where she got her first taste of how restaurants work. Now, after traveling the world and expanding her food horizons, Tiffany is running a small empire of restaurants, including Radici Wood Fired Grill, that combine her Southern heritage and her obsession with international flavors. She’s launched the Shef Food & Wine festival in Grand Prairie, Texas, which is focused on women in the culinary arts, and she’s also become a popular judge on Fox’s MasterChef. Sid talks to Tiffany about her legendary fried chicken recipe, the hardest part of judging young chefs in a cooking competition, and her upcoming role as a presenter at Southern Living’s Illumination Charleston.
For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam
Biscuits & Jam is produced by:
Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living
Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living
Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer
Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer
Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the South, food and music go hand in hand. They define much of what we think of as Southern culture, and they say a lot about our past, our present, and our future. Each week, Sid Evans, Editor in Chief of Southern Living, sits down with musicians, chefs, and other Southern icons to hear the stories of how they grew up, what inspires them, and why they feel connected to the region. Through honest conversations, Sid explores childhood memories, the family meals they still think about, and the intersection of food and music in their lives. Always surprising, always engaging, Biscuits & Jam is a celebration of the South—and the people who are moving it forward every day. New episodes every Tuesday.
USA