Paul Cauthen Opens Up About Cancer, Fatherhood, and Montana

Outlaw country, Americana, soul, and gospel artist Paul Cauthen called into The Daily Drive With Ace Sauerwein on Tuesday ahead of his performance in Kalispell this Saturday. 

We dove into his cancer diagnosis, his wife expecting their first child, his new album, The Book of Paul, Montana, and Dallas Cowboys football.

Ace: What's been going on in the life of Paul Cauthen?

Paul: Well, I'm counting down the days of becoming a father. My wife and I are expecting a baby boy May 12th. It's a big, big, epic moment in our life.

A: Was last year the most eventful of your life? I mean, with a health diagnosis and a baby on the way, what was this last year like for you, Paul? 

P: Man, it was just another building block in the puzzle of Paul, I guess. You know, you just keep trucking. But yeah, it was ups and downs and all around. But the best gift of all is coming. 

A: For those who, just to fill people in, last March, Paul announced via social media that he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. So I guess I should ask too, how are you doing health-wise? 

P: Doing great. I've been taking a different approach and taking a lot of supplements and been shrinking this tumor in my thyroid, and you know, it's all contained, and I do a watchful eye kind of thing, go and get sonograms every few months, and it's contained and calcified and looks like it's getting smaller. Honestly, it kind of put me in a, put me in a mindset, a different perspective on life, and just thankful for every day. 

A: How many times have you been to Montana? What do you know about the state? 

P: I haven't been enough. I've been probably a dozen times and it's not enough. Montana is my second home. Like I, Johnny Shockey and the guys at Outriders and the people that put on all those great shows up there, some of my dearest friends and they have been so kind to keep me in the loop and help me build my fan base there from you know, the old saloon to, you know, playing under the big sky and playing, you know, playing in, you know, all over. I've played Billings. I mean, you name every Missoula, we played the Elm there. It's the Wild West, you know, and I love Montana. 

A: The Book of Paul, the album you released here in 2026, you know, what was the inspiration behind it? What was the process of recording it? 

P: Man, we started, I started with one producer, and then it ended up being about 5 producers and about a dozen writers and a whole team that just started really understanding where I wanted to go and how I wanted to get back to the roots of what brought me to the dance, really. And I just want to continue to give the fans what they want. And I wanted to be honest and unapologetically myself. 

A: Is that normal? To have, you said you started with one producer, and it grew to 5 and about a dozen writers. 

P: Well, it's just kind of like using different chefs for different cuisines, right? Like, you know, I've got my country, country fried producers. I've got my rock'n'roll producers. I've got my heavy metal and hip hop style producers. I've got my beat makers. I just put them through different filters of humans.

A: I got to ask, you're from Texas. High school football is that Bible to you? Are you into sports?

P: Man, I love, I mean, Dallas Cowboys got me hooked in the 90s. I'm loyal, but man, it's hard to be a Cowboys fan sometimes. 

For our full conversation, check out The Daily Drive podcast below.