How many of you either played Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be” at some point during your wedding, or heard it at someone else’s wedding?
Bet everyone is raising their hands.
It’s not hard to believe that Dr. Phil called it “The Best Wedding Song Ever.” It’s simply beautiful – as is “Could Not Ask For More” and every other one of Edwin’s love songs. What IS hard to believe is that the song was released 18 years ago – time is seriously flying!
So what is Edwin McCain up to now?
We had the exciting opportunity to interview him last week – and the answer might be slightly different than what you would expect.
He’s restoring boats.
Talk about a man of many talents! Amidst working on new music, Edwin found another passion when he came across an old boat in a warehouse and decided to rebuild it. That hobby turned into him launching Boats Have Souls, a “restoration shop dedicated to bringing life back to vessels and customizing them to perfectly fit their new owners.”
So neat, right?! It was clear when talking to Edwin that this is not just a business to him, but truly a passion – and that he pours a lot of time into each individual boat. “They all have stories. The reason people save these old boats is because they have some kind of memory that’s attached to it, and they don’t have the heart to throw the boat away. So they just sit. I think people think it costs too much money to fix a boat, but it costs a lot less money than buying a new boat – and you end up with a boat fully customized for you.”
That unique customization of boats is part of what landed Edwin a television show “Flipping Ships,” which recently completed its first season on Animal Planet. He said now that the show is over, he might even begin building ships from scratch!
Edwin said that part of the reason why he launched “Boats Have Souls” is so that he could be at home with his family more often instead of always on the road. So sweet! Maybe his kids will dance to “I’ll Be” at their weddings? ;) We asked Edwin about the inspiration behind that song:
“There was a girl I dated who was on her way to being an actress and it was one of those things where it was never going to last, but I remember I used to always tell her I’d be her greatest fan. That and I overheard a drunk guy at a bar fumble over his words about being a shoulder to cry on or crying shoulder and I remember writing it down on a bar napkin because that phrase sort of hit me the right way, and I went home and wrote it all down, and there you go.”
Hearing the story behind a song (similar to the story behind each individual boat) is one of the coolest things for us. Edwin recently released a new EP, “Phoenix” and is touring to promote it.
Even more exciting? “I’ve got a lot of songs I haven’t recorded yet. I’m actually warming up to the idea of making a full-length album again.” Yes, please!
One of the many things we loved about talking to Edwin was his sense of humor. He announced that his favorite quote is Voltaire’s “Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.” Laughing contagiously, Edwin said “I have that thought in my head when I walk on stage every night. The angry French poet Voltaire thinks I’m a fool!”
Edwin is clearly not a fool, but he sure seems like a lot of fun. Edwin said his favorite food is pizza, favorite hobby is wake surfing, favorite sport is football, favorite ice cream flavor is rocky road, and favorite date idea is… “My wife took me horseback riding on one of our first dates – that was a disaster. I fell off; it was a joke.”
Edwin is seriously one of the coolest, most down-to-earth artists ever. We are thankful for the opportunity to have interviewed him!
Photo Credits: Zach Arias
