Merle Haggard wrote the song "Mama Tried" in 1968. As one may suspect from the title and the year, it's a classic country song about not listening to your mother.

Well, UW-River Falls student and rising country star, Hailey James, listens to her mama, especially when it comes to "shooting your shot."

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take," said the 21-year-old Marketing and Mass Communications major that graduated from Baldwin-Woodville High School. "My mom always tells me, 'the worst they can say is no,' and moms are always right, right?"

Hailey James grew up in Cottage Grove, Minn., and she's been playing and performing music since she was 14 years old when friends knew her by her 13-letter last name of "Trzebiatowski" (pronounced Treb-a-towski).

"I guess that's what Polish people like to do," said James sharing a giggle. "They like their last names long and crazy."

Hailey James isn't kicking her roots off her pink boots with the stage name. Not even close. The "James" name is the middle name of her father and grandfather and the first name of her great-grandfather.

"It has a nice ring and my dad and I picked it out together," said James of her nearly 7-year-old stage name.

Finding the way to the big stage can be a lot like sanding and polishing rocks until they're smooth and refined. Like Andy Defresne in the movie "Shawshank Redemption," all it takes is time and pressure. Oh yeah, and a boat load of talent. Hailey James looks as comfortable on a big stage as a mustache does on Magnum P.I.

Speaking of guys that look like Magnum P.I., current country mustached mega-star Riley Green may have just provided an extension cord to help provide the electricity to Hailey James' shining bright light.

After 37 years of being called "Country Fest" in Cadott, Wis., the name was changed to "Hoofbeat." It's the same organizers, same 7,500 campsites, and the same three-day country music festival. It just has a rebranded name. Organizers say the new name reflects Wisconsin's roots with a fresh perspective for the future. Others say the name "Country Fest" became a marketing term called genericization, like asking for a Kleenex instead of a tissue. There are numerous "Country Fests" all over the country.

Hailey James knows all about marketing. She's majoring in it at UW-River Falls and will graduate at the end of this coming fall semester.

"I've been able to get feedback from my professors (about marketing her music career)," said James, "so that's been clutch."

James was scheduled to open for Riley Green on Thursday, June 26, but two days earlier on Tuesday, June 24, country star Ella Langley had to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances, according to her press release. Langley co-wrote the song "You Look Like You Love Me" with Aaron Ratiere and wanted to sing it with Riley Green. Green wrote the second verse and the song went to number one on the country charts in 2024.

Hailey James was already opening for Riley Green and his expected 25,000-person audience. James figured since Langley couldn't make it, maybe she could help out.

"I thought, I'm going to make a video," said James. "I'm going to sing 'You Look Like You Love Me' and I'm going to shoot my shot. I had no expectation at all."

James' video started gaining traction right away on social media.

"It started to blow up a little bit and people were tagging Riley Green," said James.

James knows PT from 102.9 (KMNB) The Wolf in Minneapolis (Paul Thomas). "PT and Thunder" (Greg Malban) had James on to talk about the video and "Hoofbeat." After the radio interview, James received an email from Riley Green's agent.

"Are you still interested?" asked Green's agent.

"Of course I'm still interested," replied James.

The agent gave James' cell number to Riley Green's manager and he called.

"The manager said, 'we saw your video and we loved it," said James, "so he gave me the band leader's cell number and said they'd be in touch (to sing Ella Langley’s part in “You Look Like You Love Me").

James had just finished her two sets at Hoofbeat and was waiting for a call or text from the band leader. She had the patience of a power "G-Cord." If Hailey James wants something, she's not sitting down and waiting for luck to happen. Hailey James makes her own luck.

"I hadn't heard from the band leader, so I thought I'd send him a text and let him know I was backstage," said James, "and that I would love to make something work for a rehearsal, if possible."

The band leader replied immediately with a text that read, "Meet us in the green room in five minutes."

"So, I hurried my butt over to his green room," said James. "It was the weirdest experience. You see these celebrities on TV and it's in a different light, but the way he (Riley Green) presented himself was so normal and chill. That's what I loved about him. He was just a normal dude."

Green was born and raised in Jacksonville, Ala., and played quarterback for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks' football team in college.

"I kind of fan-girled a little bit, I'm not going to lie," said James. "I was a little star struck and was thinking this isn't fake, it's really actually happening."

Riley Green, the band leader/guitarist, and James ran through the song one time.

"When I was walking on stage," said James. "I told myself I need to play it cool, I need to be confident, and I need to go out there and just be Hailey James."

Click on the Pierce County Journal Facebook page (The Journal), scroll down to see Hailey James rocking her gold leather pants and cowboy hat, and you can see the performance for yourself.

Hailey James didn't look like she was renting time on that big stage; she owned it. Her own songs on streaming platforms received a jolt in listening numbers post Hoofbeat. One song in particular, "Country The Same," sounds like it's ready to take off. It's a song James co-wrote with her writing partners Kelly McKay and Kyle Jackson-Rachky.

The inspiration for “Country The Same” was when country singer Kelsea Ballerini was receiving some backlash for being "too pop."

"There are so many different versions of country," said James. "What makes country music so amazing is it has this awesome opportunity to fit into other genres. Country to me is an authentic story telling vibe and the roots and where you're from."

James went from singing on stage in front of thousands of people two weeks ago at the Hoofbeat Festival to singing in Webster, Wis., last weekend in front of close to 500 people at Pon-Tunes on Little Yellow Lake. She was on a dock singing her heart out. The little kids were still swimming and jumping off foam lily pads tied up to their parents’ pontoons, but everyone else in attendance from college kids to the silver-haired gray foxes were fixated on her. From stage presence to dock demeanor, it was country the same in Webster last weekend.

James has a jam-packed summer schedule.

"I'm opening up for some people this summer and I plan to keeping shooting my shot," said James. "They could totally say 'no' and that's fine, but they could say 'yes,' so why not try?"

"Shoot your shot" and "Trzebiatowski" each have 13-letters. Just like Mama Trzebiatowski drew it up. Listen to your mama; especially if you're Hailey James.