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Earning a degree in songwriting from Middle Tennessee State University, Hardy gained a stellar reputation in Nashville, penning hits <\/a>like Blake Shelton\u2019s \u201cGod\u2019s Country\u201d and \u201cSand In My Boots\u201d by Morgan Wallen. Inking a deal with Big Loud in 2018, the artist (whose real name is Michael Hardy) released his debut album, A Rock,<\/em> two years later. While Hardy certainly knows his way around a hell-raising, beer-drinking anthem, the Mississippi native isn\u2019t afraid to tackle more weighty materials in his work. Debuting a brand-new song during the Listening Room\u2019s 20th anniversary at the Ryman Auditorium Tuesday (March 3), the ACM Award-winning songwriter showed off his versatility.<\/p>\n Titled \u201cTommy Made the News\u201d, Hardy\u2019s new song chronicles the final hours of a school shooter: Tommy woke up for school this morning \/ Had everything he needed in his old backpack \/Ketchup and a fried egg waiting for him \/ And he pulled out the drive just to never come back<\/em>.<\/p>\n Once a terrifying anomaly, school shootings have unfortunately become commonplace in today\u2019s climate. In \u201cTommy Made the News\u201d, Hardy paints a picture that is sadly all too easy to envision: hollow-point bullets \u201crained like hell\u201d in the hallway before Tommy is discovered \u201con the bathroom floor.\u201d<\/p>\n Tommy\u2019s mama cried \/ Whole damn town did too,<\/em> Hardy sang. What a mess the devil made \/ What a hell they have to go through \/ Lord, ain\u2019t it a shame \/ That Tommy made the news.<\/em><\/p>\n [RELATED: Country Star Delivers a Touching Cover of \u201cHere Without You\u201d in Tribute to 3 Doors Down Brad Arnold at Ontario Show]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Before he became one of the most sought-after songwriters in Nashville, Hardy had to make a living somehow. During a recent episode<\/a>\u00a0of State Farm\u2019s\u00a0Neighborhood Beats<\/em>, the \u201cGive Heaven Some Hell\u201d singer, 35, revealed he previously worked as a gravedigger in his hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was really fun,\u201d he said. \u201cOther than this job, it was the most fun I\u2019ve ever had as a worker.\u201d<\/p>\n Hardy continued, \u201cI just had a great boss. Our departments were so small because our town was so small. It was the cemetery department\/animal control. So in the summer, when it would get really hot and all of the grass would die, we\u2019d just chase stray dogs around. But yeah, I was a gravedigger.\u201d<\/p>\n Featured image by Tim Mosenfelder\/WireImage<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nListen to Hardy\u2019s New Song \u201cTommy Made the News\u201d<\/h3>\n
Country Singer Shares Surprising Pre-Fame Occupation<\/h3>\n