Singer-songwriter and Macon Sense salesman Jay Baird, along with his wife, avid country music fan Tammie, had the extraordinary opportunity to be featured in a Cody Jinks music video filmed in Chattanooga, Tenn., this past June. The couple was randomly selected from a lottery of loyal fans to participate as crowd extras in Cody Jinks’s music video for his new song, “The Others.” The song is featured on his latest album, “In My Blood,” which was released July 25. To most fans, the music video filming would be their first meeting with the famous country singer, but not for the Bairds.
Jay Baird is no stranger to the country music scene, locally and nationwide. He has worked and played in the country music world for more than 20 years. At the age of 39, he picked up a guitar and began learning how to play bluegrass music. The emergence of bluegrass music is historically accredited to the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. As he became proficient in his guitar picking, Baird formed a local bluegrass band called Limited Distance, with whom he played for nine years.
Living in Western North Carolina proved to be the ideal spot for Baird to collaborate with local and nationally recognized bluegrass musicians. As a result, Baird found himself as vice president of the Southeast Bluegrass Association for eight years, which helped bring talent to Macon County.
“Talented guys came out from the mountains, they came out of the woodwork, and we had monthly meetings, jam sessions, and live events,” said Baird. Tammie, added, “It’s amazing to see all the phenomenal talent that is in this area … all the artists and songwriters.”
Musically like-minded
Tammie and Jay first met at Songbirds, a concert hall in Chattanooga, while attending an Alex Williams concert in 2018. The couple began dating in 2020, after another encounter at a house show in Georgia. During the 2020 pandemic, “all the music was shut down, so sitting by the fire one night, we came up with a brilliant idea to start bringing artists into houses that had enough room,” said Jay.
Many well-known artists in the singer-songwriter genre, like Josh Morningstar, Casper McWade, and Billy Dzon Burns, headlined the house shows that Baird helped organize. His now wife, Tammie, was one of the first to purchase a ticket. Tammie enjoys country and singer-songwriter music, and has traveled around the nation attending concerts. To her, live music is like therapy.
Winding up in a music video
In early 2018, Jay met country singer Ward Davis’s tour manager, Greg Jones, at a merchandise table after a show at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Ga. The two shared a heartfelt conversation, which led Jones to offer Baird an opportunity to drive Ward Davis’s tour bus for his 2018 nationwide tour with his friend and collaborator Cody Jinks.
Baird traveled extensively throughout the country, visiting such states as Oregon, Washington, California, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Virginia. For Baird, one of the most iconic locations along the tour was a spontaneous gig at the famous Troubadour, a Rock N’ Roll nightclub in Los Angeles, Calif. Baird’s experiences on the road led to the formation of many meaningful friendships with artists and curators, which eventually enabled him to organize house shows during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Baird met Cody Jinks while driving around the concert venue before a show in Augusta, Ga., in 2017. After finding Jinks taking a break beside the tour buses, Baird asked him to sign his guitar. Jinks signed Baird’s guitar, and the two talked music over beers.
The next encounter between the two took place in Central Ohio at a concert, where Ward Davis was opening for Jinks.
Then, on June 1, 2025, the Bairds traveled to Chattanooga to meet Cody Jinks once again. For Tammie, this was far from her first time seeing and meeting Jinks, as she had previously traveled to eight different states to attend 30 to 40 of his concerts. Tammie followed Jinks from his early stardom, often catching him in the back of concert venues after a show to snap a photograph and exchange a few words.
The music video filming set was in an old machine shop with no air conditioning. The couple spent the entire day in front of Jinks while filming different takes. Jinks and his band pretended to play their instruments, while the song track played in the background.
“From going to shows, we knew how to act,” said Jay. “We had been in the front row of concerts so many times that it just came naturally.” After the filming, the couple was able to chat and take a photo with Jinks, and he immediately remembered Jay from their other encounters.
The Bairds continue to share their mutual passion for music and community. Jay plays, writes, and performs cover songs at local venues with friends and as a solo act. He also organizes events for local artists to perform at various local venues, including Eagle Fork Winery, Brews and Cues, Currahee Brewing Company, and Rathskeller Coffee Bar and Pub.
Baird enjoys helping local talent find a platform to grow, develop, and become recognized. As a subtle glue behind Macon County’s music scene, he meets new people, explore new places, and seeks extraordinary opportunities.
You can find the Bairds in Cody Jinks’s new music video, “The Others,” on YouTube at 3:17 minutes.