Michael “Doc” Studard is a Southern storyteller, radio host, and frontman for the Americana rock band Stateline Saints. As the voice behind Mornings with Doc on Kickin Kountry 101, he brings humor, honesty, and heart to the airwaves—mixing interviews with rising country artists, music reviews, and stories from life below the Mason-Dixon line.
A lifelong writer and musician, Doc’s work blends grit and soul, covering everything from outlaw country to Southern rock legends and today’s independent trailblazers. He’s passionate about giving new artists a real platform and keeping authentic country music alive on the air and online.
When he’s not behind the mic or writing about music, Doc’s probably with his wife Leafy and their pack of rescue dogs somewhere in North Mississippi—proof that love, loyalty, and a good story never go out of style.
When you talk about real country, you’re talking about grit, scars, hard miles, and songs written because they had to be written.
That’s exactly what you get with Lower Alabama’s own Randy Cobb.
Born in Pensacola and raised on hunting, fishing, and figuring life out the hard way, Randy’s road has taken him from foster homes to factory floors, from the neon dreams of Nashville to running a successful trucking company, and back again to the music that never let go of him.
I sat down with Randy for our Indie Spotlight, and what came out was one of the most honest conversations I’ve had in a long time.
Growing Up Country
Randy lived in Pensacola until he was around 20 or 21. His dad was from Montgomery, his mom from Frankfort. No industry connections. No family pushing music careers.
Just life.
Country music fit who he was — the outdoors, the working man mentality, the independence. While his brother leaned rock and roll, Randy gravitated toward the songs that matched how he felt inside.
And he felt a lot.
Between ages 10 and 14, Randy moved through foster situations. With no one he trusted to talk to, he started writing.
Lyrics became therapy.
“I never had anybody to talk to, so I just put it down on paper.”
He didn’t even pick up a guitar until his early twenties. Before that, it was notebooks full of truth.
The Nashville Reality Check
Like so many artists, Randy headed to Nashville believing talent and drive would open doors.
Instead, he found what everybody eventually finds — it’s a grind, and encouragement doesn’t equal opportunity.
He played Broadway, networked, wrote with buddies. Partied some too, by his own admission. But the industry machine didn’t magically swing open.
“You better buckle down for 10 or 12 years before you even get a good shot.”
That kind of reality either breaks you or builds you.
For Randy, it built him.
Trucking, Survival & Keeping the Dream Alive
After Nashville, he returned to Alabama and in 2012 started a trucking company. It took off fast. Major contracts. Strong money. A real business.
But the songs never stopped.
Even when he was turning over a million miles, he kept writing, recording, and playing whenever he could.
Then COVID hit.
The auto market collapsed. His contracts dried up. He got sick. His brother died at 54. A few months later, he lost his mother.
His livelihood was wrecked.
That pain became music.
“Not All Me” – Saying What He Had to Say
Out of grief, anger, and survival came “Not All Me.”
Grassroots listeners grabbed it and ran. The song broke onto the Music Row chart and proved something Randy had waited years to hear:
He belonged.
For an independent, self-funded country artist, that kind of response is oxygen.
“Country Boy” – A Lifestyle, Not a Trend
The follow-up, “Country Boy,” wasn’t manufactured. It was lived.
Hunting. Woods. Backroads. The everyday reality Randy still walks in.
The track climbed to #3 on the CDX True Indie chart, a huge moment for him and a validation that authenticity still connects.
“Country is a lifestyle. It ain’t a fad.”
The Long Hold & The Birth of “The Sand”
Some songs wait for their moment.
Parts of “The Sand” were written more than a decade ago, sparked by a woman Randy loved deeply. He held onto one powerful bridge for years, trying again and again to build the right song around it.
Once radio traction started building, he went back to it with producer Jeff King.
This time, it poured out.
Those are usually the keepers.
Setbacks Don’t Quit Country
Right when Country Boy released, Randy herniated a disc in his back. Six weeks barely able to walk. Still dealing with it.
But he’s upright now, back in the studio, and booking dates.
Because that’s what lifers do.
They continue.
What’s Next?
New tracks are cut. Vocals are coming. Shows are lining up. Momentum is building.
And through it all, Randy gives credit where he believes it belongs.
“The man above gives you the strength. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without Him.”
Mornings With Doc 
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