CMT Blog: Andy Griggs

As I’ve blogged before, I am not a fan of flying. I’ll do it if I have to, but only short little flights to nearby hot spots like Nashville. But now I’m about to board a flight for California. A four-hour flight. If you know anything about aerophobia, you know there’s a strong correlation between the length of the flight and the increased risk of death. In my mind, anyway. Since I may not make it back, I wanted to put in writing how I’d like to be remembered. Basically, I just want country music to sing me home.

I know funeral services are usually steeped in religious tradition but I’d like mine to be steeped in a more twangy, banjo-rich tradition. With lots of fiddle and steel, too. Lyrically, I’d like for my services to tell the stories of my well-lived life, cut tragically short while on a family vacation. Which is why I think the mass should open with Kenny Chesney’s “Who You’d Be Today.”

Then Tim McGraw’s “My Old Friend” could bring my loved ones back around, telling them that “The love and the laughter/Will live on long after/All of the sadness and the tears.” While I’m sure the priest will say a few words about the final destination of my soul, I’d prefer a religious requiem from the lips of Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton, singing about what’s in store for me up there with “When I Get Where I’m Going.” Gary Allan’s “Best I Ever Had,” Andy Griggs‘ “If Heaven” and Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain” are must-haves, too. I’d probably want the day to end with “Prodigal Son’s Prayer” by Dierks Bentley. Even though I’m nobody’s son and have not led a particularly rebellious life, this gospel-bluegrass number sends a beautifully simple message that if you ask for God’s forgiveness, you can ask him to keep a spot open for you in heaven. Because my God is a devout country fan, He will have no problem welcoming me with open arms after a funeral like that.