Jamestown native Joe Galbato and his band — The Joe Galbato Project — will perform an hour-long set on Tuesday as part of a “Franklin on the Fourth” celebration. Franklin, Tenn. is a suburb of Nashville. Submitted photo

There’s a big world waiting for me

Just need a break, someone to believe

But right now I’m just trying to survive.

— Supertramp’s “It’s a Hard World”

Joe Galbato has always enjoyed being part of a team.

Submitted photo

When a photo of Diethrick Park was recently posted to Facebook, the Franklin, Tennessee resident and Jamestown native offered the following in response:

“Field looks in great shape. Brings back very happy memories. … Played a lot of games in that park.”

He sure did.

Joe and his brothers, Chan and Greg, were among this area’s best baseball players in the late 1970s into the mid-1980s.

Chan, in fact, played professionally for the Jamestown Expos in 1985 and was a teammate of Hall-of-Famer Randy Johnson that season.

Submitted photo

Joe, meanwhile, was nearly signed to a professional contract by Philadelphia two years later after making a favorable impression in spring training. But one day after belting a home run in batting practice at the Phillies’ complex in Clearwater, Florida, Joe was released. Upon receiving the news, he hopped in his car and drove to Fort Lauderdale where he was planning to stay with his aunt and uncle.

He cried the entire five-hour trip, knowing that his baseball career was over.

Joe is literally singing a different tune these days. In fact, he is the lead singer/songwriter of a band based in Nashville, Tennessee.

His “teammates” in the band — called The Joe Galbato Project — are all-stars in their own right. And from all reports, Joe and company are hitting figurative “home runs” when they’ve taken to the recording studio or to the concert stage.

He hopes to do it again on the Fourth of July.

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By day, Joe is the deputy commissioner and chief financial officer of the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Prior to that, he worked in banking and the hospital/health care industry. Those are/were his vocations since graduating from Jamestown High School in 1979 and SUNY Fredonia in 1983.

His avocation?

Well, it has always been singing.

So in 2010, Joe and some buddies, who included a guitarist, drummer, keyboardist and bass player, formed a band. Once a month, they’d play at a barbecue place in greater Nashville that featured a big stage that faced an outdoor patio.

The group — known then as “4gone” — played songs from Billy Joel, Tom Petty, ZZ Top, John Mellencamp and the Beatles. The band was also writing its own material, but it wasn’t ready to play it publicly.

A lot has changed since then.

“In 2013, I got tired of sitting in my garage for four hours every Tuesday (with the band), so I started writing,” Joe said. “It was really cathartic.”

By 2015, he had released his debut album, “Dreams,” followed two years later by “One Night.” The third album, “The Grand Farewell,” was released earlier this year. Joe has quite a “team” of musicians behind him, one that includes connections with some of the industry’s biggest names.

Joe’s “starting lineup” now includes: Denny Hemingson (lead guitar, Tim McGraw); Dow Tomlin (bass guitar, Wynonna); Kevin Mason, rhythm guitar (Nashville session player, singer/songwriter); Dwain Rowe, keyboard (Brooks and Dunn, Clint Black); Chris Nole, keyboard (Faith Hill, John Denver); Randy Leago, saxophone (Beach Boys); and Peter Young, drums, percussion, producer (Loretta Lynn).

“I write the lyrics and I write the music,” Joe said. “Peter and Dwain take it from there. I’ve learned to listen to them. These guys are professionals. … It’s magical.”

Young, a Saratoga Springs, New York native, describes Joe’s writing and singing style this way:

“Joe has a lot of points to his lyrics. The writing comes from his feelings,” he said. “He’s got songs that everybody can feel when we’re in the studio and we know Joe has a lot of passion.

“He’s got a tender side. (His voice is) not overpowering, but it’s smooth and he’s got range. To me, when I’m working on a song, I want the singer to sound just like we’re talking. … Joe’s sound is good, it’s smooth. He’s got a great story.”

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Joe has found success in every step of his professional journey.

But when he decided to move to the “Music City” suburbs years ago, he was not necessarily a huge fan of country music. Then his uncle reminded him that he would find the best musicians in the world there, regardless of genre.

Decades later, Joe recognizes how “fortunate” he is to have “six of them on the stage with me.”

The Joe Galbato Project will perform an hour-long set on Tuesday — as part of a “Franklin on the Fourth” celebration.

“The town has several festivals each year that attract thousands from all over,” Joe said. “It is a tourist destination for many. I’m hoping to push our music to new folks.”

Joe also wouldn’t mind doing the same back “home” to Jamestown someday, too.

“The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away,” Joe said. ” … I definitely have the fourth album (in my mind). We’ll pick up on some of the thoughts I had in (the “Grand Farewell”) album. … For these guys it’s just another day at the office. For me, when we go to Peter’s office at RCA, I’m like, ‘I just went to Yankee Stadium.'”

The Joe Galbato Project albums have enjoyed success on Spotify and iTunes, and the band’s performance at the Mockingbird Theater in Franklin in March played to a huge crowd.

“It sold out quick,” Joe said. “People were all standing everywhere. It was really humbling.”

The musical journey that Joe has traveled for more than a decade has left him humbled, too.

For all the right reasons.

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During the course of a phone interview and many text messages that Joe and I exchanged in the last month or so, he referenced lyrics, including the one at the top of this column, from Supertramp, a British musical group.

The last verse of “It’s a Hard World,” which debuted in 1997, probably describes Joe’s passion for music best.

I’m going to reach for the moon

And all the stars, too

I’m gonna get there real soon, I know I will.

I’m not going to bet against him.