 There are times in our lives that we feel lost in the path we are walking. Keep your eyes on the Lord and He will show you the way. Performing at the age of 11, Joey Canyon, Country Music Senior Songwriter Performer Actor and Founder of Canyon Star TV Network has graced the stage with his songs and his video compilations alongside the likes of Hank Williams Jr., George Strait, Laurie Morgan, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, and Reba McIntyre. But there was a time in his life that he felt lost with no direction, and one day he made a decision that changed his life. This is his story. This is today's Nashville. This is faith. Joey, you are one busy guy. That's an understatement, Tara. Thank you for inviting me into your home this morning. I am so excited to hear what God is doing in your life. You have been from California to Colorado to Nashville. It's been quite the journey. From acting to Country Music to a television network. Take me back to where it all started. Third grade, eight years old, and I was asked to sing for the school. Before that, of course, I loved music listening to the radio back then. At eight years old. At eight years old, and I really liked it. So I just kept singing, and I always sang to all the songs on the radio at the time, the top 40 back. Even at that young age? Oh, yeah. I could sing. The other little friends of mine really didn't have that concept, but it just kind of came out of me. So I really enjoyed singing. Were your parents musical? They were musical that they could play a really good record player and a real good radio, but not musically, not instrumental or singing. Were you always drawn to Country or was it all kinds? Well, in my early years, the top 40 was the rock and roll of late 50s and then 60s. And then towards the back end of the 60s, when the Buffalo Springfields of the world came around and the Crosby Stills and Nash, the country rock type groups, I really liked them. And then my dad was a huge country fan. I mean, he had all the vinyl records and things like that. So when I heard them playing all the time through the house, it subliminally got into my head and I just kind of gravitated towards it. So did you grow up in California? I grew up, yeah. I grew up in California in a small town north of LA about 40 miles, which isn't a small town anymore. At 23, I moved to Colorado. I had a baseball career. That's what I originally wanted to be. Oh, in Colorado? No, in California. I was a big baseball pitcher back then. And I wanted to play pro ball. Through the 60s, when I started in Little League, I started the same time playing guitar, learning guitar. And so baseball took precedence, but I always kept up on my singing and things like that. When I injured my rotator cuff, that ended my aspirations for a baseball career. And that's when I moved to Colorado. And I just said, well, then I'm going to make music, my career, my living, what I want to do. So of course, back then in Colorado, in 1976, you start playing for free, just to get in front of people. So that's how that started. So from Colorado, you also got into some acting also. Well, yeah. I actually did some modeling and some acting. There were some, in the mid-80s, they had some TV series from Hollywood like Perry Mason and Father Dowling, which I worked on. I also did some things for Universal and PBS. I was fortunate to do all of those things. Did you ever think about acting as a full-time career or did? No, acting was just something that I wanted to do. It wasn't in the forefront. I had a mother that said, like many people out there, had a mother or a father that said, you can be anything and do anything you want to do, and I believed them. And so that's what I did. So everything that came along, I wanted to do in the entertainment industry. Music was at the forefront, but in the mid-80s, I wanted to learn about the production business. And so I was fortunate to learn from a very good friend of mine, Sam Helen. And I would work for him behind the camera, he taught me sound and assistant director. All these positions. And then I started out on my own after that. I learned every position behind the camera. And this was in Colorado? That was in Colorado. And I also, through that all, I worked for NFL Films. I was assistant to Sam, the cameraman, and also a loader. And so I learned a lot about film there. And then in 1990, when music videos were very hot for country music, I produced directed, scripted, starred in my own music video on 35 millimeter film. Everybody else was doing video, but I knew film. Those days, Terry, of working in music in those days, and then, of course, production, I look back on it as the Lord educating me to run a network that I have now. And that's how I looked at it. I had to go through all the bumps and grinds and everything. And little did I know he was grooming me for this. Were you a follower of Jesus at this time, or were you? Well, even as a child, we believed in God. OK, and the Lord and all that. But I was not a devout Christian back then like I am. That came later. So in your 20s in Colorado, doing all these things, what happened that got opened your eyes to some things? There was a number of circumstances. I was not immune to a substance abuse problem in 1983. And that was a very tough time, lost everything, which that's what happens when you do that. I look back at it now, and the Lord saved me from that. You know, Joey, we're going to talk about it. You know, God, you started wondering, or wondering, what, well, both. And God was going to take you down a whole new path, and we're going to talk about it right after. Joey, you were talking about your trials and challenges with substance abuse. A lot of people deal with that. Can you share a little bit more about what you went through? Thankfully, it wasn't a real long period. But, hey, you know, when you're 30, 31 years old, and that was what was going on at the time, and that was what was happening. And, you know, I always kind of did stupid things like we all do. And I was captured with cocaine for about a year and a half. And I lost everything. It was really dear to me, you know. The only thing I didn't lose was my car. And that was going to be repossessed. But it was very tough. Did you have family around you supporting you, or? I did not. Did you hide it from? Well, I hid it from those that needed to be hidden from. But after a while, it was just that kind of life is no life. You're captured, and you're living for that. I was very fortunate to tarry on this regard. The rehab thing and all of that was relatively non-existent at the time, if I remember correctly. And you either die from stuff like that, or, you know, you recover. But I just had had it with that life, and I was going nowhere. And so I literally quit cold turkey. Was there a moment in your life where you just, like you said? Yeah, the night before, I was in bed, and I was mad at God. And I was shaking my fist at Him. In my bed, it was dark. And I was crying, and I just, you know, why me? Well, we all know why me is because that's the will. He gives us free will, and I did what the heck I wanted to do. But I was mad at Him. But the next day, I woke up, and I had resolution in my head, and I just was done. I even had some of cocaine left, and I gave it away. I just, I gave everything away that was anything to do with that. And I never looked back. So that was one of the trials, you know, of my life, a big, big deal, because I was going to die from it. What happened after you made that decision? Then I just, you know, then I just worked through, you know, the 80s, and, you know, when you do, I'm fortunate to do a lot of things, but I wasn't truly successful, of course not monetarily, but I did other things. Still, I was still struggling with, okay, I work for NFL Films, I do all of these other things, I sing, I do, you know, my own music video, I do all these things and people would think, wow, well this guy is, you know, accomplished and successful, no. Because we got into the, as I got into the 90s, you know, I had some success there nationally with some music compilation videos that were done that I was a part of as an artist. But you know, I got tired of jumping through the hoops, trying to get a record label, trying to make my music career happen. So I was just really wondering, okay, what am I going to do? What is it? I was just wondering, where I was going to go? What, you know, is this what I should be doing, music, or this, or that, or maybe should I just work at a gas station or something? How old were you? I was in my 40s, I was in my 40s and then, you know, in the later 90s, I was probably January of 2000 was the whole change for me. So tell me about that, because even in the midst of all these things that were going on and all these challenges, you weren't really seeking God in the midst of it. No, I was not. I was not. I was, you know, running on my own fuel, you know. I was leaning on my own understanding, you know, like I always did. When did you come to that point where it's like, I've got to figure this out? It wasn't so much that. It's just that I woke up. I was working for a friend of mine in the electronics business and, you know, music stuff. Called him up and I said, you know, I don't even, I don't have a job waiting for me, but I don't want to do this anymore. I didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't know I was going to pay rent and everything and I quit. And I remember like the next day, I woke up early in the morning, which I never did. And back then I had that big yellow book, yellow pages book and I started looking for churches. Now I knew I didn't want to go to a denominational church. I'd already had that and never worked for me very well. So I was flipping through these pages and this one little ad kept kind of looking at me. And I'd flip around and go back this way and then here's this ad again flipping at me. I went about four times. And that ad was from Marilyn Hickey Ministries and the church was Orchard Road Christian Center. So I guess, well, okay, I guess I'm supposed to go there. So the next night was the service and they had a Wednesday night service and I went and I sat up in their balcony where nobody was other than the sound man because I didn't want to be influenced by anything. I just wanted to see and observe and look at it and then Pastor Wally at the time came out, gave the messages and then the band came, it is there and there's a chorus and I go, oh, that's nice. I like that. That's cool. They have music and they're playing music. And then the second song was a song they had the two big, big screens up there where the lyrics were. And I'm leaning over the balcony like that and the song Jehovah Jhara comes on, okay. My provider, he is my provider and they start singing this song. And the lyrics from the video screens just started leaping out to me, coming at me. And I was just, I was slain by the spirit. I bowed my head and said, Lord, I give up, I said, I'm yours. I'm going with you. And Joey, your life has never been the same. Never ever been the same. And we're going to talk about it after the break. Here I am, the last man that I, you'd say that I may be, by your grace and mercy, Lord. Here I am, breaking all the sacred that I know, by your grace and mercy. Was there something left in, was your plan for you, my faith? Thank you, Terry. You know, the Lord has really changed your life. And He was using you and preparing you for what you're doing now. Absolutely. I see it that way. I really do. And He does that for those that, that He believes in and that believe in Him. He'll do that for you. He'll do that for you. And you don't even know it's happening until boom. And boom, you are here in Nashville. I'm here in Nashville. And what is God doing now in your life? Well, before I left Colorado, I had the idea to do a country music variety show. And it took me a few years to put that together. But I did. And it aired on national television, the Joey Canyon show. And that was, we'd bring in all the big stars from Nashville and be on my show. And we just have a great time. And so after that, I did something which most people wouldn't do. I pulled a very successful television show off the air to start a television network called the Canyon Star, called Canyon Star TV. And that took me five over five years to do. And I finally, with the help of others, because you'd never do it by yourself. But with the Lord, first of all, it would have never happened without the Lord. So my new network, along with my president, Kelly Cantz, who's been fantastic. We launched January 27th of this year, 2023. And it is just being accepted all over. Well, tell me more about it. What is Canyon Star Network? Canyon Star TV is a family-friendly television network where you can put the whole family in front of the television and not worry about sexual situations, language problems, horror, gore, just any of that. And just be, it's a safe haven for families to watch television from country music, other music too, movies and cooking and faith shows, which you are on and we're so blessed to have you on the network among other faith, faith shows that you know there, history, podcasts. We're even going to have a Canyon Star shopping channel. So there's something for everybody, documentaries, just everything. Why is this so important to you? It's so important because I felt a duty, a responsibility to bring back family television and programming to those out there that have been crying for it. And we're doing that. We're doing that. And we're holding on to, you know, really the network belongs to the Lord, okay? I'm just running things for him and we just want to bring those morals and family standards and the Lord's principles and everything out there for people to really watch and enjoy. So we only have a few minutes left. What would you say to somebody out there that's listening that has gone through something similar or doesn't know the Lord? What would you say to that? I would say this, most people shy away from talking about the Lord or accepting the Lord in their lives because they think they're going to lose their lifestyle, okay? They think they're going to lose something, all right? And I am here to tell you that, yeah, you're going to lose something. You're going to lose all those things that don't do anything for you, that have never done anything for you, but you're going to gain so much more. Give the Lord a shot. Give him a chance wholeheartedly, and your life will change like you never thought would happen before you will have joy in your life, not happiness. Happiness is of the world. You'll have joy and joy is of the Lord, and that's something that you need to experience and understand and feel and be a part of, and you will be, when they say born again, you are born again, you're born again into a new life, you'll just be so happy and guess what, you'll have eternal life. Joy, you are such a blessing. I can't wait to see what God is going to do with the new network and all the people that is, you know, is going to be impacted by your shows. Well, Terry, I'm so, so very happy for you and your crew here to visit me and talk with me. I'm blessed with you and we love your show. Thank you, Jeremy. My friend, are you wondering what to do with your life? Jesus is saying, I am right here. Take a hold of His hands. Your life will never be the same. This is today's Nashville. This is faith.