Though known predominantly for his country singer/songwriter status, Jack Ingram is also staking his claim in the pop stratosphere. Ingram has opened for Brooks & Dunn and secured his first No. 1 single (“Wherever You Are”), and the 37-year-old has opened for Sheryl Crow and covered Hinder's smash rock single, “Lips of an Angel.”

The well-traveled Ingram, who has lived in Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, will get back to his country roots on Thursday, Feb. 7, when he participates in the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo's “Stars of Texas” acoustic set. Before the set, which includes Mike Eli, Kevin Fowler and others, Ingram talked to 210SA about country's broad spectrum, covering Hinder and his allegiance to all three Texas-based NBA franchises.
 

The “Stars of Texas” is such an intimate show, one that happens to take place in front of a capacity crowd at AT&T Center. Are you concerned that a low-key show won't translate to such a large audience?

No, because for me, I grew up listening to guys who played intimate songs in front of big crowds, guys like Lyle Lovett and Willie Nelson. Those are guys that can play loud and raucous, and take it down to pure form as singer-songwriters. For me, it's about the ability to write and play good music in front of 10 or 10,000.

What was it like covering a rock track like Hinder's “Lips of an Angel?”

First of all, it's a great song ..... and a good song can be taken down to its purest form and built back up in any number of ways. The best rock songs can be played acoustically, and the best country songs can be rock. ..... When I did that song, the response was phenomenal. ..... I did a great song that I thought I did a great job with, and the only people who had a problem with it were 13-year-old Hinder fans.

The band didn't seem to like the cover all that much either. Did that bother you?

It bothered me, but the thing about it is the band, in hindsight, has come out to shows and we've become acquaintances. It's just about me understanding where they're coming from, where it's not necessarily the coolest thing in the world to be a fan of country music. They're very young, and honestly, I don't think they knew how to respond. ..... These young guys were saying, “S**t, this country music is giving away our street cred.” I understand that.

How has your fan base changed since branching out into rock and pop circles?

They're getting bigger, but they haven't changed that much as far as what they look like. I thought that would happen ..... but I get the feeling most people are like me. If you checked out their iPods or CDs, you'd see a bunch of different styles and genres, not just country or rock or whatever.

You lived in Dallas for a while and sang the national anthem during the 2006 NBA Finals (in which Dallas was involved). Are you a Mavs fan?

Well, I'm a Texas fan. I grew up in Houston, so I'm a Rockets fan, but I lived in Dallas so I'm a Mavericks fans as well. I lived in San Antonio for two years, and even sang the anthem at the first Spurs game of this (season), so I'm a Spurs fan as well. It's OK for a guy like me to be a fan of all of them, because I'm basically from the state.

CLINT HALE | 210SA