Go Behind-the-Scenes of Teddy Robb's New Video as He Finds His Own Piece of 'Heaven on Dirt'

I’m so excited to take you behind the scenes of the video shoot for my new single, "Heaven on Dirt." Over the last few months, I've been lucky enough to connect with veterans through my work with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and they've told me this song really reminds them of home when they're stationed overseas. After hearing their stories, we decided we wanted to include Nashville VFW Post 1970 in the video.

The post's exterior has a massive flag mural, painted by artist Scott LoBaido, who's created similar murals at veterans' posts in all 50 states. When I'm back on the road touring, I'll definitely be visiting other posts, and I'll look forward to seeing more of these murals.

All visitors at a VFW post have to sign a guest book. This post's book dates back to its opening in 1970, and it even has Johnny Cash's signature in it. It felt so special to trace the footsteps of one of my heroes, and I'd like to think his spirit was in the room when we were making the video!

Country music has such a deep history with the military. So many of my favorite artists served, and so many more have lent their support with their time and talents. Army vet Kris Kristofferson is at the top of that list for me – I even named my new puppy "Bobby McGee" after his song – so playing a small part in this continuing tradition is such an honor. I’ll be working with the VFW all year, raising money for Unmet Needs, a financial-aid program for service members, vets and their families. 

It took so many hands to make this video happen, and we all had an unexpected reward at the end of the morning, thanks to the great folks at the post. They surprised the crew with homemade peach cobbler baked in the post's kitchen while we were working. When we stepped off set, it was waiting for us, piping hot. Some of the best cobbler I've ever had!

After lunch we moved to a new location: an old farmhouse outside Nashville. We picked it because it's surrounded by hundreds of acres of farmland, hills and forests. I love getting away from the city, even for a little while. With everything shutting down this past year, I've gotten to spend a lot more time connecting with the outdoors — hiking almost every day — and this song really speaks to that.

I couldn't resist exploring the property in between takes. I think the crew probably got tired of calling me back into the house for every interior shot. Being there reminded me of my childhood home back in Ohio. I grew up on a farm, and that used to be my mom’s job – calling me back inside at sundown. It was great to bring a little of my own story into this video.

The high point of the video — literally! — has me standing on a hilltop not far from the farmhouse. I had a spectacular view, and it was definitely worth the wait. We'd originally planned to shoot the video in mid-February, but we woke up that day to five inches of snow, which basically brought the Nashville area to a standstill for almost a week. The shoot was rescheduled for mid-March, and it turned out to be a picture-perfect day.

The sky changed colors about a hundred times in the hour we were on the hilltop. This was one of our last shots. It was hard to believe the bright lights of Nashville's honky-tonks were just a few miles away. I played those bars for so many years, just trying to get my music heard. To stand up there and look out just made me think about how far I've come.

I'm so proud of this song and the story that this video tells. I released the single during the pandemic, so I've gotten to perform it in front of a live audience only a few times. I know many more opportunities will be coming soon enough, and until then, I hope the song and the video remind you of the special places in your life that feel like "Heaven on Dirt."