Nicole June Reporting
njune@clarksvillenow.com

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – ClarksvilleNow.com and 5 Star Radio recently received a visit from David Alford, who plays Bucky (the manager of Rayna James) on the hit ABC series ‘Nashville’.

I was fortunate enough to sit down with David and ask him about the show, his lengthy career, and his insights into the business. Right away, I could sense he was passionate about his craft and dedicated to constantly bettering himself.

David was raised on a large farm in Adams, Tenn., a hop, skip, and a jump away from both Nashville and Clarksville. He dove into the world of performing at a young age, singing and playing music frequently. While attending Austin Peay State University, he played in a country band called ‘The Red River Boys’.

During this time, David thought music would become his career path of choice, and almost left the university to pursue it. However, after his vocal professor suggested he switch up his twang, he opted to change his major to theater. “I needed to sing through my nose because I was in a country band,” he joked.

He spent many years performing in, writing, and directing productions in Clarksville and Nashville, and has made quite a name for himself among the locals. His admiration for the performing arts was inspired by his father, who was a preacher. By watching his sermons, David learned that performances come in many forms, but no matter the element, “It’s about telling the truth all the time,” he said. “He (his father) never seemed fake to me. There was a kind of integrity and veracity to it. I always believed he meant exactly what he said…it has to feel genuine, no matter what. I have to make it believable for me. I have to buy it.”

Though his love for theater will forever remain, he said he wanted to take a chance and transition into film and television. In 2000, he and a close friend created their first TV pilot. “It was an insane thing to do and we know that now, but at the time we were just really ambitious and young,” he said with a shrug.

The risk paid off, and ‘On Music Row’ was featured as a movie of the week on VH1. David went on to play a part in many other films, including ‘Stoker’ starring Nicole Kidman, released in 2013. (See a full list of David Alford’s credits)

David’s local affiliations did not score him a spot on ‘Nashville’, however. Like any other actor, he went through a series of auditions and meetings before landing the part of Bucky, for which he is very grateful. “It was a great project and I loved the script,” he said. “I feel really fortunate to not only have gotten the pilot, but that they kept the character around for the entire first season. I kept being surprised, saying ‘Oh, I’m in the next episode!’” he told me with a huge laugh.

He said he felt he had reached a new level in the world of show business. “It felt like a stamp of approval…it was really nice to feel like I was thrown back into the mix.”

David gave a shout-out to his co-stars, Connie Britton (Rayna James) and Hayden Panettiere (Juliette Barnes). “They work harder than anyone else. They are constantly working, recording, doing interviews, putting in long hours. It was a great learning experience for me; to see not just how hard they’re asked to work, but how hard they DO work.”

Being from the area, I asked David how he felt about the accuracy of the show’s depiction of the city, its music, and flair. “I think it’s the most accurate portrayal of Nashville that I’ve ever seen, at least of the music industry,” he said. “What they’ve tried to do is make Nashville look like a hip, modern, exciting urban area, which it actually is. There is a feeling of humility that comes with the country music industry that’s different, part of the culture; but make no mistake, the people that do it are all excellent at what they do, and I think they capture that.”

Season two of ‘Nashville’ begins filming this summer, and David hopes his character will remain. He said he will stay with the show as long as he can. “I am on the Nashville train until they kick me off. I love being part of the show. They’ve treated me very well and all the people have been fantastic, from the executive producers all the way down. There’s a great attitude. I want to continue working there as long as they’ll have me,” he said.

His advice to anyone aspiring to break into show biz? “Courage. Be bold. The worst thing that could happen is they could say no. Eventually you will get a shot, and what you do with that shot is everything. The most important thing is to show up on time, do your job, and then ask what else you can do.”

‘Nashville’ premieres its second season later this year on ABC. I personally will be looking for David’s character and frantically pointing at the screen, shouting “I know him, I know him!”

For more about the show, visit ABC’s show site.