Meet the man who brought the energy to PBR stampede days in Nashville

Folks at home might call him a rodeo clown. And, sure, he's been that, too. But Professional Bull Riding (PBR) doesn't consider itself a rodeo. Rodeo is entertainment. PBR is an athletic competition. And Brinson James is an entertainer - a hype man.

James still laughs about his old moniker. 

"Nobody knows who 'Brinson James' is in Florida. Everybody there calls me Boogerhead," he said. "I love it. That's my name for sure."

That family legacy runs deep. His father performed at the PBR World Finals in 1994, and Brinson grew up staring at his dad's World Finals buckle. 

He fulfilled that dream last year, earning his own buckle at just 30 years old.

By 12, James was performing alongside his dad. At just 17, he got his first chance to run the show on his own. 

"PBR Canada hired my dad and I to come and do all of their events in 2012," he explained. "Richard Jones, our music director, was actually in charge of all of that at that time. He had seen my dad work a thousand times and wanted to use us as a team up there, but my dad had a broken leg and couldn't make it. So, my dad told Richard he thought I was ready."

He was. That break launched a career that's taken him from "Boogerhead the Rodeo Clown" to one of PBR's premier entertainers. It was an adjustment, but he made it happen.

"There's a difference between a rodeo clown and a PBR entertainer," James said. "So it took a little bit."

Now 31-years-old, James has checked every box on the entertainer's bucket list - from debuting at the PBR World Finals to performing across Canada and the U.S., to carving out his own identity, following in the footsteps of his dad.

And if there was ever any doubt this was a family business, even Brinson's dogs have become part of the act. Re-Ride and Cheddar ("the Wonder Dogs") have wowed crowds over the years with frisbee tricks and barrel climbs in between rides.

For James, it's a thrill that never gets old.

That's why he never hesitates when asked what this career means to him. 

"It's definitely the only job I ever had, and probably the only job I ever will have. This is amazing."