Podcast: country music band Redneck Gentlemen talk about their single Apple Pie Whisky

The wisecracking and full-of-fun musicians admit many of their songs revolve around alcohol.

But bass player John Lee - who claims to be the group's "eye candy" - says women were his real motivation for forming a band. "I just wanted to be a rock star, I wanted women in front of me, looking at me. That's all I've ever wanted in life," he laughs.

Behind the jokes, the trio boast some serious musical ability and a long history together.

Lee has been in the industry for more than 30 years. He joined the Royal Australian Navy with a scholarship to be a trumpet player when he was 16 and during his time in the force gained a Bachelor of Music degree.

In 2006, Lee built his own recording studio in his backyard. Over the years leading artists such as Beccy Cole, Casey Chambers, Shannon Noll and Ross Wilson have all recorded there.

Rob Bennic started on the drums when he was about 6, playing in marching, school rock and concert bands during his school days in Tamworth.

He formed the band Shift with Alison Forbes and Mark Pauling, playing at gigs across the north-west of NSW, before joining up with the Redneck Gentlemen.

Jared Scott has been playing guitar and fronting bands since he was aged 11 and says the friendship between the three extends well beyond the stage.

"There's a lot of love in the band. We're all good mates," Bennic confirmed.

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These thoroughly respectable yet larrikin chaps have been gaining a steady reputation as the latest sound in country rock.

Forming as a cover band about 10 years ago, fans convinced them to start performing their own music.

That decision was confirmed in 2016 when their first single, Apple Pie Whisky, reached No.1 on radio charts across Australia. Their second single, Four Shots Down, is on track for similar success.

The inspiration for Apple Pie Whisky came after a visit to the United States, Scott said.

"I was on holiday and went to a few moonshine distilleries, where I bought myself some bottles of apple moonshine. I brought it back to share with the fellows and John became inspired enough to write a tune."

After time spent writing and recording in the studio during COVID lockdowns, the Redneck Gentlemen are keen to get back to live performance.

They were scheduled to play the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January, until it was postponed due to surging coronavirus cases. The festival has been rescheduled to April 18-24.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic Tamworth Country Music Festival, ACM (publisher of this website) created a new podcast, Celebrating Aussie Country.

The podcast was recorded and released before the recent surge in coronavirus cases that forced the festival's postponement. We are sure you'll still enjoy the interviews and the music. Just bear in mind any references to performance dates are no longer current.

In the 10-part series, available only on Spotify, you'll hear from established and emerging artists and their music.

To listen, you'll need to download the Spotify app on to your mobile phone and search for Celebrating Aussie Country. If you already have Spotify - and you're reading this story on your mobile - click on the banner below and your phone will take you direct to the podcast.

Each podcast episode includes an interview with the artist and some of their music. People with free Spotify subscriptions will hear a 30-second snippet of the song, while those with premium Spotify subscriptions can enjoy the full version.