Steel Magnolia Singer Thumbed His Way to Music Career

Life wasn't always Top 5 songs, ACM nominations and national TV appearances for Steel Magnolia's Joshua Scott Jones. Before meeting Meghan Linsey, the other half of Steel Magnolia and Joshua's girlfriend, his life had more of a vagabond feel.

Rumor had it that Joshua was homeless, but he shares the real story with The Boot. "I was homeless for a day," he clarifies. "I found an apartment real quick. I hitched a ride to Los Angeles on a Semi, it's something out of a movie, I'll tell ya. I was playing my guitar on the street and some guy named Ken from Kansas City, Mo., I'll never forget that, walked by and started playing with me. He was also a comedian, and he said, "Man, you can drop your bags at my place if you want." I thought, 'Here's my in.'" [laughs]

While we definitely wouldn't recommend this path for aspiring singers, songwriters or starlets, it did seem to work out for Joshua. "I walked in, dropped my bags off and we got to know each other," Joshua continues. "He let me spend the night and I went out the next day and got two jobs, one at the Gap stocking the shelves and one at this pizza place on Hollywood Blvd. I did that, and I was like, "Hey Man, if you want to split the rent, I'll do it with you.' So I slept on the floor for three-and-a-half months with no blanket. I had a towel I laid on, no pillow."

Thankfully, for Joshua, it didn't last long. "Four months in L.A. is long enough when you don't have a car, you drive the bus everywhere," Joshua says. "Luckily, I moved to Nashville and met Meghan and it all worked out."

Once he got to Nashville, Joshua learned quickly how to "borrow" things he needed to hone his craft. "I used to practice piano at Belmont University, that's where I learned to play piano, actually," Joshua admits. "I'd sneak over there and go in the piano practice rooms for hours. I wrote quite a few songs on piano in there. People would come in and I'd be like, 'Hey, I'm a teacher here' or I'd say something ridiculous so they'd leave me alone. I used to live across the street from campus, that was really a perk."

So what's it like for Joshua to come from homeless hitchhiking to a successful career he's created with Meghan? "It's a dream come true," he gleams. "We're thankful everyday for what we're doing and that it's catching on fire. We just take it day-by-day."

The duo is currently on the road, performing tonight (November 12) in Allen, Texas, and tomorrow (November 13) in Greenville, Miss. Find out more here.