Introducing the 2007 Georgia State Colgate Country Showdown Winner! Yes, this is the same show won by Toby Keith just a few years ago. Plus, the Showdown has brought the talents of Garth Brooks, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Neil McCoy, and many more country superstars to the forefront!
Jeremy Lesley has been performing and writing music since he was 4 1/2 years old. By the time he was 10 years old, he had recorded his 2nd album on a Nashville label and was touring over 250 dates per year.
His soulful, bluesy voice is one of conviction and power. He sings and writes the tunes that are making The Jeremy Lesley Band a household name among bikers, cowboys, and country music and rock fans around the world. His songs tell the stories of life, pain, heartbreak, joy, love, and partying like there's no tomorrow. Jeremy plays keyboards, guitars, and Native American flutes and drums.
Jeremy has played with Clint Black, Tracy Lawrence, Little River Band, Sister Hazel, Billy Ocean, Darius Rucker, Foreigner, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Earl Thomas Conlee, Kenny G, and performed at the 2009 World Special Olympics in Boise, ID with Vice-President Joe Biden and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger present.
Since he showed up in the country music world in 1996, Trace Adkins has been a relatively quiet but absolutely undeniable force in country music. At times his career has seemed to be almost under the radar. But with strong, memorable foundational hits plus subsequent #1 singles like 2006's "Ladies Love Country Boys" and 2007's "You're Gonna Miss This," Adkins, with minimal fanfare but a considerable range of triple-strength music, has evolved into a bona fide country music superstar.
When speaking of his fans, Adkins says there are "Badonkadonk people" and then there are "'Every Light in the House' people." The first group, named for Adkins' 2005 monster hit "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk," respond most readily to his songs that are big, bold, witty, fun -- the kind of high-impact, scrupulously well done productions that immediately, within their opening bars, announce themselves as modern country music extravaganzas.
The second group are more likely to rally around Adkins' first top-five hit, from 'Dreamin' Out Loud', his platinum-selling 1996 Capitol Nashville debut. These people love the way a song can more deliberately present itself over the course of three-and-a-half intense minutes soaked in the stylistic verities of country music traditions. But Badonkadonk people and Every Light people usually get along fine: With his commanding voice singing everything into a compelling whole, Adkins has no trouble seeing to that.
At 46, Adkins remains the same guy from Sarepta, Louisiana who, after singing in a gospel group and attending college and working on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, moved to Nashville in the 1990s and eventually made a name for himself in the country music business with that memorable '96 debut. There is no question, though, that since 2008, when he appeared as a contestant on NBC's 'The Celebrity Apprentice' and wound up one of two finalists, Adkins and his music have become more widely known.
"I'm glad now that I did it," he says of his appearances on 'The Celebrity Apprentice.' "I went into it reluctantly. The only reason I did it was because of the food allergy situation, and because that's such a personal cause for my family." He is referring to how he chose The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network to receive any winnings of his from the show, and how his 6-year-old daughter is one of the millions of children and adults who must contend daily with potentially life-threatening food allergies. "The last gasp of every entertainer whose career is in the crapper is to do reality TV, and I certainly didn't want my appearance there to be viewed that way. But, happily, it hasn't turned out be like that."
In late 2007 Adkins released the second best-of collection of his career, following 2002's 'Greatest Hits Collection, Volume 1.' It was entitled 'American Man: Greatest Hits Volume II.' Where the first set featured smashes like "I'm Tryin' (2001) and other songs that had come after his #1 masterstroke of groove and grit "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing,' (1996). 'American Man' featured songs for the Badonkadonk people and the Every Light people like 2002's "Chrome," not to mention the "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" lollapalooza itself. The set also featured 2005's "Arlington," which moved Adkins into the realm of current events and history.
Also in late 2007, Adkins wrote a book. "A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Freethinking Roughneck," it was called. Although he spelled out his political-social views, the book made sense for Adkins, an artist-entertainer who says he "abhors" show business "soapboxes."
"I've just got this pet peeve about artists in general," he says, "whether they be actors or writers, painters, singers, whatever, who think that because of what they do that they're more enlightened in some sense, that they're more in touch with that deeper spiritual side than everybody else. I resent that. I don't agree with it. I think that it is a pious attitude. I don't like to go to a concert and hear someone get up there and preach his or her political opinions. It's not what I came for. If you want to do that, write a book." So Adkins did just that.
After all of this, Adkins returned to the music – the very thing that communicated, along with his concerts, all the articulate passion and views and charisma, whether they were specifically on the table for millions of listeners or not -- that made him Trace Adkins, country star, to start with. He has recorded a new collection of songs. X, his tenth album, does indeed collect songs for the Badonkadonk people and the Every Light people. These are songs like "Sweet," which turns a common national expression into a tight and particularized country tune, and "I Can't Out Run You," a vocal tour de force about the weight of romantic obsession in which Adkins records a haunting country soul song, in 2008, Sinatra-style.
"I'm not afraid to do stuff like that," Adkins says of the song, "and we've done stuff like that live, we've just never recorded that starkly. I told Frank that on this one I wanted the vocal to do the work, and carry the entire load, that's the way I want to cut this and put my voice out there and let the chips fall where they may."
It is the highlight of a collection teeming with other highs. There is “Hillbilly Rich,” a brilliantly fun song about how country stars live it up materially like rap stars, but with perhaps less blinding bling, and there are gospel- and bluegrass-sired songs such Adkins' 2008 "Muddy Water" single, as well as "Sometimes a Man Takes a Drink." These songs show how both sides of Adkins' music work with a great stylistic co-cooperation: “Hillbilly Rich” wouldn't be nearly as good without the rooted center of Adkins' steady, nuanced baritone, and “Sometimes a Man Takes a Drink” could be tradition merely without his ability to infuse heritage styles with modern tensions and vibes. And the album features as well a song like "Till The Last Shot’s Fired," which looks at military history and personal sacrifice and in which Adkins' vocal is augmented by the rare presence of the West Point Cadet Choir. "We had to go all the way to the Pentagon," Adkins says, "to get permission to record with them." An energetic tune built around a heavy guitar lick -- Adkins introduces the song as "a little funkabilly" -- called "Better Than I Thought It'd Be" and a thoughtful orchestrated ballad, "All I Ask For Anymore," round out the album.
When he travels these days, Adkins says, he gets recognized more than he used to be before he performed so well on 'The Celebrity Apprentice'. Along with the consistent accumulation of his signature music over the years, Adkins' television appearances have further revealed him as the smart, articulate singer his recordings have always indicated that he is. Of course, the “Badonkadonk” people and the “Every Light” people already knew.
What’s clear now, though, is that a dozen years into his career, Trace Adkins is not just an undeniable country music force. With his larger-than-life personality, steely determination and proven ability to compete in other medias, he’s a force that will continue to come.
From small-town Son of the South to hot new artist to bona fide country star, Billy Currington has seen it all. In 2003 he burst onto the Nashville scene with his self-titled debut album, and proceeded to burn up the charts with Top Ten singles “I Got a Feelin’” and “Walk a Little Straighter”. It wasn’t long before the legendary Shania Twain tapped him to be her duet partner in their smash hit “Party for Two”. In the accompanying video, Currington swung from an enormous chandelier and straight into the hearts of Americans everywhere.
Currington got his start in Nashville after some of his songwriting work found its way to producer Carson Chamberlain, who promptly put one of Billy’s songs on hold. A few weeks later, Carson and Billy ran into each another at the Longhorn Steakhouse; as a result of their conversation that night, the boys got together and started penning songs. A handful of Currington-Chamberlain demos landed on the desk of Universal Music Group Nashville’s (UMGN) Chairman Luke Lewis, and Billy Currington’s dream of landing a record deal finally came true. In 2001, he signed on as an artist with Mercury Nashville, a division of UMGN. Billy’s latest effort, Little Bit Of Everything, is just what it claims to be – a little bit of everything. The album showcases his talent for country with influences from R&B, pop and rock ’n’ roll over the span of eleven tracks, all produced by Currington and longtime collaborator Chamberlain. “Carson and I have been together since the beginning. We’re just a great team, and we work well together. He’s given me the opportunity to grow as a singer, songwriter and producer.”
Currington’s skill as an artist has definitely evolved. It’s evident from the album’s upbeat attitude, soaring vocals, and spot-on production that Billy has truly hit his stride, and the timing couldn’t be better. “I’d been on the road touring so much, I hadn’t had the chance to record anything. When a window of opportunity finally opened up earlier this year, I felt like it was the right time to go in and start making a new record.”
Billy’s record kicks off with an exhilarating song about one of those rare, perfect days at the beach. The bright lyrics of “Swimmin’ In Sunshine” floats on a breezy, upbeat melody, and the joyfulness of the tune pretty much sets the tone for everything to come. The album is optimistically reflective, and in “Life & Love And The Meaning Of”, Billy wonders “…how boring this ol’ life would be if we had the answers to everything.”
Little Bit Of Everything’s first single, “Don’t”, is a soulful, relatable song about falling in love and cherishing every moment you have together. It’s a tune that speaks to the heart. Billy gives it his all, and his expressive voice soars through the chorus and compliments the song’s R&B feel with grace and warmth.
While the album reflects a variety of musical styles, it’s still a classic country record, and nothing drives this home like “That’s How Country Boys Roll”. “I had to have a redneck song on here,” said Currington. “I for sure wanted a really rockin’ good country song.” And that’s exactly what it is, with lyrics about casting reels, singing in bars, and loving Mama and Jesus and Jones. It’s not hard to imagine cruising down the highway in a pickup truck with the windows down, this song blasting and singing along to the chorus.
The tracks Billy co-wrote, “Life & Love And The Meaning Of”, “Every Reason Not to Go”, “That’s How Country Boys Roll”, “I Shall Return” and “No One Has Eyes Like You” are all standouts in their own right, but “No One Has Eyes Like You” holds a particularly dear place in his heart. “The lyrics of that song mean a lot to me, and I feel it has a great melody. It was one of the songs I started playing acoustically in many different places. Whether it was on the bus, or at a show somewhere - it just seemed to always go over well. As time went on people started requesting that song, and I knew it was something special.”
Little Bit Of Everything showcases Billy’s many talents and his optimistic outlook on life. It’s evident that Billy is in a great place not only as a performer, but also as a songwriter and producer. “You know, I get asked a lot, ‘What’s your favorite thing to do? Writing the songs, going into the studio to record them, or doing live shows?’ And I can honestly say I love doing it all. They’re all fun. I can’t pick one over the others. I just feel so blessed and so lucky getting to do what I love.” When superstar Shania Twain heard Currington’s soulful Southern voice, she knew she had found the perfect partner for the country duet “Party for Two,” so Currington excitedly boarded a plane for Europe to work in the studio with Twain and legendary producer Robert “Mutt” Lange. Currington and Twain performed the song live on the 2004 Country Music Association Awards and a special Good Morning America show from Nashville.
His musical success brought national media attention, including People magazine and USA Today, which named Currington an “On the Verge” artist. Soon the media began celebrating the bachelor’s other attributes as well: Playgirl magazine featured a (clothed) Currington on its March 2005 cover and Nashville Lifestyles magazine named him one of its “25 Most Beautiful People.”
Despite the world traveling, magazine photo sessions and celebrity encounters, Currington adamantly refuses to live life in the fast lane. “The bigger and better is nice,” he says of the comforts success brings. “The hotels are nice and visiting different countries is great. But I always try to picture it at the end. When you are 80, what are you really going to want? What’s really going to matter? It’s not a lot of materialistic things for me. It’s just maybe a front porch, a couple of rocking chairs, a simple life.”
His music captures the lives of hard-working people who often live off the beaten path. The only luxury they can afford perhaps is time, so they relish the few moments they have off the clock, when their time is finally their own. Sometimes it’s the thought of Saturday night that gets them through an exhausting week, so when the weekend rolls around, it’s time to forget their troubles and celebrate.
I go to all of these small towns often and it seems like there isn’t much there,” he says. “That’s how it was where I grew up. You walked the railroad tracks or walked down to the store or sat in your backyard. It’s all a part of the slow life. You aren’t battling 20 red lights and horns and sirens and having to get from job to job.”
In his sophomore CD, Doin’ Somethin’ Right, Currington unveils a more mature Southern sound of blues-tinged country in songs such as the debut single, “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right,” “Why, Why, Why,” “Whole Lot More,” “Here I Am” and “She’s Got A Way With Me,” a duet with legendary singer Michael McDonald. “I wanted to make sure it was country,” he says. “After the Shania duet, people asked me, ‘Have you changed your direction? Are you going more pop?’ I don’t want anybody to be confused about where I am musically because in my heart I am the same.”
The same, perhaps, but also better. Since he recorded his first CD, he’s spent four years on the road, performing five nights a week in clubs and concert halls. The dedication to his craft has resulted in a voice that is bigger and deeper and a performer who knows what works well with his audience during his raucous 90-minute show. “With every song, you’ve got to picture standing on that stage and singing to that audience,” he says. “All of these songs I sang on the first record, I quickly learned which ones work and which ones don’t work for a bar atmosphere or for a huge stadium. Before making this album, I made myself picture every song live in front of a crowd.”
Doin’ Somethin’ Right contains such crowd-pleasers as the up-tempo rocking “She Knows What To Do With A Saturday Night” and “Hillbilly,” a romping, three-chord country song that salutes the backwoods way of life. “It’s a part of me,” he says. “It says, ‘I wanna be a hillbilly,’ not, ‘I am a hillbilly.’ I’ve got so many songs to sing and things I want to say. It spans from love songs to my hillbilly side.”
While he may sometimes be romantic, rebellious or reflective, he’s always Southern, especially when he’s behind the microphone. You can almost hear the molasses slowly dripping off every note. “Southern means down home – fried chicken, my grandparents, my family and the way they raised me and the way we carry ourselves through life. My music is based on the life that a Southern boy has lived -- the way we do things. Music lives and breathes down there. The gospel lives there, and the blues and the steel guitars and the fiddles. They are definitely part of the Southern heritage.”
That love of all things Southern and country, especially the music, was instilled in him by his mother and step-father, who played records by Kenny Rogers, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and the Statler Brothers. “The first album I ever got was Kenny Rogers, which my mom gave me for Christmas when I was 10,” he says. “After that, I went out and bought every one of them and played them all the time. Then she took me to a concert and I fell in love with Kenny Rogers. He’s a guy who can sing it all and sell the song.”
To show his appreciation of Rogers’ music, Currington has included a cover of “Lucille” on the new album. “I’ve always wanted to cut a waltz,” he says. “And I just love the lyrics of the song, the whole feel of it; it’s such a great story.”
Currington began writing songs as a teenager and began playing guitar at age 17. “I still have my first guitar and the receipt for it,” he says. “I bought it at a pawn shop in Savannah, Georgia, for about $120.”
While he was a high school junior, he attended church with a friend and was overwhelmed by the church’s blend of gospel and country. When he complimented the preacher on the music, the preacher invited him back to sing the next Sunday. Blown away by Currington’s burgeoning talents as the two spent more time together, the preacher personally drove Currington to Nashville to audition for the Opryland USA theme park. Although he didn’t get hired, the trip proved life changing because Currington suddenly knew his destiny after graduation: he was going to move to Nashville and become a country singer/songwriter.
And that’s what he did. He took a lucrative day job at a concrete company to support himself while pursuing his musical dream. Unfortunately, the job took six days a week, 16 hours a day, so it left little time for dreaming, much less writing or singing. At the urging of songwriter friends, he quit his job and took a part-time job as a personal trainer so that he could truly focus on his music. As fate would have it, Currington met Gary Voorhies, a client at the gym who also worked for a music publishing company. The two got to know each other and Gary invited Currington to sing and play some music for him. Not long after that meeting, Billy got a publishing deal.
From there, a Carson Chamberlain-produced demo eventually found its way to Universal Music Group Nashville’s Co-Chairman Luke Lewis, who signed him to Mercury Records because he was impressed by the Georgian’s singing and songwriting.
Currington co-wrote four songs on Doin’ Somethin’ Right – “Why, Why, Why,” “Here I Am,” “Whole Lot More” and “She’s Got A Way With Me,” which he wrote with Michael McDonald at his Franklin home. “The Michael McDonald experience has been my favorite yet,” Currington says. “Having the opportunity to share whatever it was – the studio in his house where we recorded the demo, the small room we wrote it in, the conversations on the phone, the invitations to hang out together – all of those things are my favorite experiences of this year.”
Although he seems to be a long way from Rincon, Georgia, Currington regularly remembers his roots and the hard work it took to get him to Nashville. “I think about that all the time,” he says. “I’ve never been to a town where I didn’t see a concrete truck. I always remember doing that work and am so thankful that I don’t do that anymore. I’m not above it, it’s just not what I love. I love what I’m doing now. I am so thankful that I get to do what I love.”
