Trent Tomlinson
Singer/songwriter Trent Tomlinson is one of those rare performers whose music is as straight-ahead and unpretentious as he is. “My songs,” he says simply, “are real-life situations with kick-ass guitar.” “It’s ‘open a beer, sit in a lawn chair, let’s have a party’ country,” he says of his music. “At the same time, the songs are saying, ‘I have the ability to love you, to understand,’ and at the end of the day all that matters is Mama and Daddy and going to heaven. That pretty much sums everything up.”Trent honed his music to perfection in countless demo studios over the years. “I’ve had five publishing deals,” he says. “I’ve practically lived in the studio, creating and honing a sound of my own. And it turns out that five of the songs on the album record are actually my demos — Lyric Street loved them so much as is that we just went in and re-sang and tweaked a little, instead of re-recording.”
In fact, Trent was involved in every aspect of song selection and production on his album which is unusual for a new artist. That level of involvement is testament to his ability to turn the long hard road to stardom to his advantage. Although, he had written songs for Emerson Drive and Blue County, among others, Trent’s career had amounted to a frustrating series of publishing deals until he had a breakthrough about two years ago. He was writing at Cal IV Entertainment, a Music City publishing company when, “I kind of found myself,” Trent says. “I basically admitted the truth about who I am and what I am, my demons and insecurities, and began putting them into my songs.”
“For me, the hardest part was letting it all out,” he says, “but that’s become my way for dealing with my darker side. Writing songs and singing help me to understand it and move on. Hopefully, the reception Country Is My Rock is getting means that other people are getting something out of it too.
Charlie Daniels Band
2009 Musician Hall of Fame Inductee
www.CharlieDaniels.com
“Few individuals have symbolized the South in popular culture as directly and indelibly as Charlie Daniels.”
Encyclopedia of Southern Culture
Charlie Daniels is partly Western and partly Southern. His signature “bullrider” hat and belt buckle, his lifestyle on the Twin Pines Ranch (a boyhood dream come true), his love of horses, cowboy lore and the heroes of championship rodeo, Western movies, and Louis L’Amour novels, identify him as a Westerner. The son of a lumberjack and a Southerner by birth, his music – rock, country, bluegrass, blues, gospel – is quintessentially Southern. In fact, even his bent for all things Western is Southern, because his attire, his lifestyle and his interests are historically emblematic of Southern working class solidarity with the “lone cowboy” individualism of the American West. It hasn’t been so much a style of music, but more the values consistently reflected in several styles that has connected Charlie Daniels with millions of fans. For decades, he has steadfastly refused to label his music as anything other than “CDB music,” music that is now sung around the fire at 4-H Club and scout camps, helped elect an American President, and been popularized on a variety of radio formats.
Joe Diffie
www.JoeDiffie.com
You know Joe. When you meet him, he’s the guy you thought he’d be. When you hear him sing, you can feel the honesty in his words.
Most people don’t know that long before Joe moved to Nashville and became the country star we all know today he was building the foundation for his career by honing his skills as a bluegrass artist. Along with his band Special Edition, he recorded three albums and was a favorite at bluegrass festivals throughout the dust bowl.
With his legacy as a world-class singer firmly established in the annals of country music history, Joe is re-visiting the music that set the wheels of his storied career in motion. With a deep respect for the pioneers of bluegrass and for the artists that continue to carry the torch today, Joe is excited to begin a new era in his career. He’s found the perfect home for his upcoming bluegrass projects at Rounder Records, arguably the most well-respected bluegrass label in the business.
Since he first topped the charts in 1990 with Home, Joe has remained on a steady course, staying true to his roots and delivering hit after hit totaling twelve #1’s, twenty top 10’s and four gold and platinum albums. When you attend a Joe Diffie concert, you’re not waiting for him to sing his hit – you’re waiting for him to sing your hit. Whether it’s Ships That Don’t Come In, Pickup Man, John Deere Green, or If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets), Joe’s music always makes you remember where you were the first time you heard it.
Joe’s success as a recording artist is matched by his achievements as a songwriter. In addition to the numerous hits he kept for himself, Joe’s songs have been recorded by Hank Thompson, Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, Tracy Lawrence, Conway Twitty, Doug Stone, and most recently Jo Dee Messina, who’s recording of My Give a Damn’s Busted became a #1 hit.
Vern Gosdin once described Joe Diffie as “the man with the golden voice.” He’s won a Grammy, CMA Awards, and been honored as Humanitarian of the Year by the Country Music Broadcasters. He’s a member of the Grand Ole Opry, recorded with George Jones, and toured the country numerous times. You would think that would be enough, but not for Joe Diffie.
He’s got a lot of great music left to make, and fans everywhere will be anxiously awaiting his first project for Rounder. You know Joe – he’ll deliver.
