Adam Craig remembers Saturday Song Day, a weekly meeting of Nashville friends during which they'd sit around, pick guitars and sing songs they'd written. He and his pals were obscure names amongst dozens of other Music City hopefuls. Five years later they're anything but anonymous.

Jon Pardi and Tyler Farr would frequently join Craig at Cole Swindell's house for these get togethers. In Nashville friends often find success together, and the story is finally coming full circle for this Washington native. He's been here 10 years so — pardon the cliche — he's literally a 10-year overnight success story.

"If 10 years ago me looked at me now it’d be like, 'Oh my God!'" Craig jokes. The "Reckon" singer reckons he'd have been a prima donna had he signed upon moving to town. Now he's willing to do the work with the graciousness of someone who knows how fleeting chances at fame and fortune can be.

"I would have messed it up, definitely," he says, laughing. "I would have messed something up."

While Craig has penned hit songs for other artists ("Close Your Eyes" for Parmalee, "Church Pew or Bar Stool" for Jason Aldean), he didn't write "Reckon." The song appealed to him because it reminded him of a thick Eric Church, four-on-the-floor country rocker and because he knows that story of heartbreak. His has one major difference.

"She didn’t come back, I know that," Craig says, laughing. "That whole ‘Reckon she’ll come back some day'? She didn’t. She did not."

As the frontman for the Adam Craig Band, Craig learned those awkward newcomer lessons without much punishment. His live show is dependable, and his social following large and loyal. Those things are important for a new artist hoping to hook onto a bigger tour or one-off show.

"I remember being out with a couple of really big artists," he recalls, "and you’d have your set length … when you’re an opener you don’t usually get more than 45 (minutes). I remember one time we did like 46 minutes and got screamed at."

Craig reckons he'll finish three minutes early before finishing 10 seconds late from here on out. Doing anything else would be wreckin' his career.

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