Interview with J.J. Lester of The Great Divide + Premiere of “Yesterday Road” - 2025 Week 24

Bar Talk Happy Hour

Thursday, June 12, 2025 - 27 minutes

This week on Bar Talk Happy Hour, we’re bringing you a special interview with J.J. Lester, drummer and founding member of Red Dirt legends The Great Divide. From trailblazing the Oklahoma country sound to inspiring rising stars like Evan Felker and Wyatt Flores, The Great Divide helped build the foundation for a musical movement—and they’re still going strong.

J.J. joins us to reflect on their early rise to national attention, the five #1 Texas singles off their comeback album Providence, and what it meant to play the Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium for the first time. He also shares the behind-the-scenes story of the Boys From Oklahoma concert series, where Cross Canadian Ragweed and Turnpike Troubadours reunited for a historic run of shows.

Plus, we’re premiering their brand-new live version of “Yesterday Road,” recorded at that very concert. It’s a powerful mix of Red Dirt history and what’s still to come—only on Bar Talk Happy Hour.