Actor Charles Esten, currently appearing as songwriter-bandleader Deacon Claybourne on the new ABC series “Nashville,” comes by his character’s love of country music honestly.

“When your dad is a country music fan and you take long car trips, you become one too,” he says with a laugh. Esten, who goes by “Chip” and may also look familiar from his many appearances on the improv comedy show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and recurring roles on shows like “Big Love,” “The Office,” and “Enlightened,” says his dad raised him up on the classics: Waylon, Willie, and Hank.