Russell Dickerson Takes “Blue Tacoma” to #1
Getting out on the open road to explore has been known to be challenging, inspiring and downright fun for people all over the world. The United States has approximately four million miles of roadways to explore, which means there’s always somewhere to go and something incredible to see. Tennessee native and country music artist Russell Dickerson found his way to his second #1 hit single, “Blue Tacoma”, in October after taking a drive down the scenic Pacific Coast Highway in California. We connected with Russell to learn more about what inspired him to write this song, why being on the road is special to him, where his wanderlust spirit came from, and what Airstream has to do with it.
Where did “Blue Tacoma” come from and what inspired you to write it?
This song was inspired from a road trip that Kailey (my wife) and I took from L.A. to Big Sur in California. It just sort of pieced itself together after we were thinking how amazing it would be to take that trip in a Tacoma. One of the song’s co-writers was dating a guy that just recently bought a Tacoma and everybody was excited about it, so when we actually went out to L.A. and had the chance to head up the highway, it blended perfectly into what we were feeling. The trip itself was unbelievable because we had never seen anything like that before. We had been to the beaches of Florida, but we knew this was something special. We took the original song idea back to the drawing board and ended up with lyrics that were inspired by what we were feeling during that trip.
What does your lyric, “If heaven is anywhere, it’s right here” mean to you?
The song definitely hits on the big points, but the message that means the most to me and what I hope other people get from the lyric is that no matter where you go or what you’re doing, there is beauty to be found. There are other lyrics in the song that were inspired by a moment on that trip where we literally pulled the car over and got out just to take it all in because it was overwhelming. The views where you see the mountains going straight into the ocean, the waves crashing, the sun, and the people you share those memories with are where heaven is.
Where did your wanderlust spirit come from?
While I was growing up we used to go camping and I really enjoyed it. I was also in Boy Scouts so I was constantly spending time outside learning how to do things with my hands. One thing about me is that I’ve never been afraid of getting out on the open road to find something new. There’s always been a strong desire to go do something exciting, see something I haven’t seen before, and it’s unlikely that I would be traveling around living my dream unless I took a few risks out on the road. Kailey also grew up camping so it’s really fun for us to be able to share that passion for escaping for a bit and recharging.
Is there somewhere you would like to visit that you haven’t been to yet?
There’s no organized list anywhere, but I would definitely like to visit Jackson Hole or Lake Tahoe soon. For me it’s all about getting out of town to enjoy nature as much as possible. We travel a lot for work so it’s refreshing to go camping and wake up to see a waterfall or mountain top. We’re really up for going anywhere.
Do you think you might be a 'Streamer' one day?
I’d definitely love to own an Airstream someday. I have the opportunity to travel a lot now and it’s really great, but it’s work travel. With an Airstream, it would be like bringing your home with you wherever you go. It wouldn’t matter if it’s a week or a month, having that connection to nature that allows you to escape from the stresses of work is really important to Kailey and I. The newer ones are awesome, but I’m really into DIY (do-it-yourself) projects and am hoping to restore a vintage Airstream sometime in the future. While we were shooting the “Blue Tacoma” music video we actually found an Airstream Airbnb on top a hill which was the most beautiful view. We captured a few video takes of it and actually ended up staying in it for a night, so that was a really cool experience.
? by Kailey Dickerson
You can find Russell’s music on all major music streaming platforms.
