Randy Houser Credits Divine Inspiration on New Tune

Randy Houser enjoyed a trip overseas earlier this year, when he participated in a USO tour with good buddies Jamey Johnson and Kellie Pickler, as they visited the troops in Iraq. But the Mississippi native, who performed an exhausting 30 shows in 11 days while sweltering in the intense heat, says the sacrifices were well worth it.

"From the minute I walked onstage that afternoon, the soldiers were on their feet, cheering, singing along at the top of their lungs," Randy tells Guideposts magazine of the first of the many shows he performed at the remote base. "They never once sat down. I've done hundreds of concerts, in packed arenas. But this was like nothing I'd ever experienced. Their energy practically lifted me off the stage. Looking into the smiling faces of these soldiers -- some of them only teenagers -- I felt pure joy surge through me. It reminded me of when I was first starting out, just me and my guitar, the sheer wonder of playing in front of a few appreciative people."

Randy used his time on the USO tour to perform a new song he had been working on while still in the states -- a song he says came to him with the help of a little divine intervention. "From out of nowhere, words popped into my head: 'Baby, there's more stars out here than I could count,' I grabbed a pen and paper, the lyrics coming almost faster than I could write. 'But if I could I'd pull them down ... and paint your face across the skies ...' An entire first verse and chorus to a song flowed across the page. I've been writing and performing country music since I was a teenager, but lines never really just come to me like that."

It wasn't until he sang the song for the eager crowd -- some of whom had been away from their loved ones for a year or more -- that the impact of his song hit him. "A few words into the first verse, a hush fell over the crowd," Randy says. "You could have heard a pin drop when I got to the chorus, 'And you'd be there on a cold night in Georgia. And you'd be there when it's raining in Tennessee.' Cheers rang out as I sang the name of each state, like amens punctuating a church revival. I could see some of the soldiers choking up. I hadn't meant the song to be a downer. I made my way through the second verse ... and this time some of the soldiers joined in when I got to the chorus. I finished to thunderous applause ... It dawned on me that the song wasn't about me, that it was, in fact, a gift for these servicemen and women. I played it in every concert after that, always with the same incredible reaction."

Randy, who had not been happy with the second verse when he sang it live, re-wrote the lyric after returning back to the States -- and now says he credits the One who inspired him to write the song in the first place. "I was almost done when I realized there was still something that needed to be sung. This time I knew just the words: 'But I know God can hear me way up there, sending up an old familiar prayer.'"

The song, titled 'Here With Me,' will be available to fans soon. "It's on my album coming out in September," says the singer. "You'll see my name listed as the songwriter, but the real credit goes to the One who hears the prayers of our men and women in uniform and gave me the words to thank them."

Randy's new album, 'They Call Me Cadillac,' will hit stores September 21. His latest single, 'I'm All About It,' is steadily climbing the charts.

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