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Ash Bowers

Country singer and songwriter Ash Bowers, born in Jackson, Tennessee, was eight years old when he saw the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire and the rest, as they say, was history. The young Bowers knew that performing music was what he wanted to do with his life, and he never abandoned that dream. He practiced on an old keyboard until his mother brought home an out-of-tune and retired church piano for him to play on. Studying various country performers he saw on television, Bowers made the switch to guitar, and was soon playing on any local stage or open mic he could find. He formed his first band at the age of 20, snagged a Pacific tour through Armed Forces Entertainment a year later, and after a month and a half of playing military bases in Korea, Japan, Guam, and the Marshall Islands, Bowers and his band, dubbed Forty5 South, returned to the States as a tight and polished unit, garnering gigs from California to Alabama, working some 200 dates a year. Forty5 South released a debut album, Too Much, Too Fast, in 2003, and followed it with the Bret Michaels-produced We’re Country So We Can. As a solo artist and songwriter, Bowers signed with Stoney Creek Records, and released Shake It Off in the spring of 2013. – Steve Leggett, Rovi

Jack Ingram

Jack Ingram is a Texas-born country singer known for his critically acclaimed records and hit singles that have topped the Billboard Country charts. In the 1990s, he started his journey with multiple well-received albums but gained major recognition in 2005 with the release of the chart-topping single “Wherever You Are.” His subsequent hits like “Love You,” “Lips of an Angel,” and “Barefoot and Crazy” solidified his presence in the Country music scene. Transitioning to independent work, he collaborated with artists like Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall, achieving chart-topping success in 2021 with “The Marfa Tapes.”
Ingram’s early career was marked by performances in bars and roadhouses, leading to tours with his band and opening for iconic artists like Merle Haggard and Mark Chesnutt. Signing with Warner in 1996, he saw a reissue of his indie albums and the release of his major-label debut, Livin’ or Dyin’. His journey continued with albums under labels like Sony’s Lucky Dog and collaborations with producers like Frank Liddell. Notable releases include Electric and Live at Gruene Hall. Moving to Big Machine Records, Ingram achieved his first number one hit with the title track of his live recording, ‘Wherever You Are.’ Post-Big Machine era, his independent releases like ‘Midnight Motel’ and ‘Ridin’ High…Again’ showcased his diverse range and honed craftsmanship.

Rodney Crowell

Rodney Crowell is a prominent figure in the country music scene, known for his contributions as a leader of the new traditionalist movement in the mid-’80s. His roots and ambitions extend far beyond the movement’s perimeter, blending the Texas singer/songwriter community’s sensibility with a rock & roll punch. Crowell’s musical journey began as a writer and sideman, spending time with Emmylou Harris & the Hot Band and penning hits for artists like Rosanne Cash, Crystal Gayle, Bob Seger, and Highway 101. His commercial breakthrough came with the album Diamonds & Dirt in 1988, leading to a successful career with insightful releases like Tarpaper Sky, Triage, and The Chicago Sessions.
Born in Houston, Texas on August 7, 1950, Rodney Crowell’s musical talent emerged early on in high school when he formed his first band, the Arbitrators. Moving to Nashville in 1972, he connected with fellow singer/songwriters like Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, setting the stage for his successful career. Crowell’s journey includes pivotal moments like joining Emmylou Harris & the Hot Band, releasing hit albums, and collaborating with renowned artists. His musical evolution led to personal and introspective albums like Life Is Messy, The Houston Kid, and Tarpaper Sky, showcasing his versatility and artistry over the years.

Jennifer Nettles

Singer and songwriter Jennifer Nettles is best known as half of the successful country-pop duo Sugarland with Kristian Bush. Following early work in the ’90s, Nettles gained widespread acclaim with Sugarland, winning three Grammy Awards, two of which were for the song “Stay” off 2006’s Enjoy the Ride. On her own, she has issued several highly regarded solo albums, including 2014’s That Girl and 2016’s Playing with Fire, all of which showcase her mix of earthy country, R&B, and pop. Nettles stretched herself with 2021’s Always Like New, a collection of covers of Broadway standards.
Born in Georgia in 1974, Nettles began singing in earnest at age four. As a teen she played in local bands; her influences ranged from gospel and pop to classic rock and even grunge. She began her recording career as part of another duo, Soul Miner’s Daughter, with songwriter Cory Jones. The pair recorded two albums: 1996’s The Sacred and Profane and 1998’s Hallelujah. They received widespread critical notice and their albums sold respectably. They played some major festival dates, including 1999’s Lilith Fair. After the band broke up, Nettles created her own band and recorded three solo albums: 2000’s Story of Your Bones and 2002’s Gravity: Drag Me Down and Rewind. The Jennifer Nettles Band’s recordings received major market airplay, and at the debut Independent Music Awards, she received the award for Independent Artist of the Year.
In 2003, she co-founded Sugarland with Bush and songwriter Kristen Hall; the latter left after the group’s 2004 debut album Twice the Speed of Life. After five studio albums and one live recording with Sugarland, Nettles took a break from the band, had a child, and recorded a solo album titled That Girl with producer Rick Rubin and an all-star cast. It was released in January of 2014, debuting at number one on the country chart and five on the Top 200. Nettles switched to Big Machine Records for 2016’s Playing with Fire. Her first holiday-themed album, To Celebrate Christmas, arrived later that year. She was back with Sugarland for 2018’s Bigger, which reached number two on the country charts. In 2019, she issued the solo I Can Do Hard Things EP.
Nettles moved to Concord Records for 2021’s Always Like New, a collection of covers of Broadway standards featuring arrangements by Alex Lacamoire and a duet with Brandi Carlile on “It All Fades Away.”

The Castellows

Neo-Traditional Country music trio, The Castellows, bring a literal meaning to the phrase, “family tradition.” The band comprised of sisters Ellie (lead guitar), Powell (banjo) and Lily (vocals), hail from small rural Georgetown, Georgia, but now call Nashville home. The Castellows’ sound is traditional, yet modern. Authentic, yet harnessed. The common thread among the trio, other than their DNA, is their masterful three-part harmonies which blend together to create one singular, almost angelic, voice. The Castellows’ craft as songwriters is as robust as their voices, which is evident across the trio’s debut EP, A Little Goes A Long Way, which released worldwide on February 9, 2024.
The band began turning heads of music industry insiders in January 2023. When spring arrived, The Castellows had signed a record deal with Warner Music Nashville & Warner Records, collectively. Wasting no time on pleasantries, The Castellows immediately got to work writing, recording, and performing live. Tapping veteran producer Trina Shoemaker (Sheryl Crow, Nanci Griffith, Queens of the Stone Age), the first fruits of labor to be harvested from 2023 is the debut A Little Goes A Long Way. One year later, the three sisters from a cattle farm in Georgia are still turning heads, touting their first major award-nomination for CMT Digital-First Performance of the Year at the 2024 CMT Music Awards while also being named a SiriusXM “Highway Find” artist for The Highway (Ch. 56) the very same week.

Jon Wolfe

Country artist Jon Wolfe is part rebel and part traditionalist — his songs are upbeat and tuneful enough to get crowds dancing, and loaded with plenty of rock & roll swagger, but that doesn’t get in the way of his allegiance to classic honky tonk themes. His deep, resonant voice is versatile enough to mesh with thoughtful ballads or raucous, anthemic material, and he’s established himself as a star in the Southwest with plenty of live work and by releasing his own music. 2010’s It All Happened in a Honky Tonk was the album that first exposed Wolfe to a nationwide audience, 2017’s Any Night in Texas spawned the hit “Boots on a Dance Floor,” and 2021’s Dos Corazones was an ambitious project that added bigger production and atmospheric touches to his sound.
Born and raised in Miami, Oklahoma, a small town 90 miles from Tulsa, Wolfe’s first experience with singing came in church, and while he grew up with a taste for classic pop (most notably Frank Sinatra), he was introduced to country music by his stepfather, who played bass with the house band at a local country venue. (One of the other members of the band was Joe Don Rooney, who went on to play with the group Rascal Flatts.) The tremendous success of fellow Oklahoman Garth Brooks inspired Wolfe, and as he began digging deeper into classic country, he first considered making music his career. For a spell, he lived in Chicago, working as a commodities trader — “I was the only guy on the trading floor in cowboy boots,” Wolfe once told a reporter — but in time he made his way to Texas, regularly playing in Houston before settling in the Austin/San Marcos area. As he became a regular on the Lone Star honky tonk circuit, he was soon sharing stages with the likes of Dwight Yoakam, George Strait, Merle Haggard, and Asleep at the Wheel.
In 2005, Wolfe self-released his debut album, Almost Gone, and a 2006 show in Nashville led to a deal with the independent Midas label; he cut some material for the label, including a version of the song “She Won’t Be Lonely Long,” but Midas went out of business before releasing anything by Wolfe, while Clay Walker recorded “She Won’t Be Lonely Long” and saw it become a hit. Despite his frustrations, Wolfe kept performing and writing songs, and he released the album It All Happened in a Honky Tonk, another self-distributed title, in 2010. The album became a regional success in the Southwest, and in 2013 it was reissued by Warner Bros.

Kolby Cooper

Living in his small hometown of Bradford, Texas, Kolby Cooper started selling out shows & clocking millions of streams using only his songs as muscle, earning streaming numbers competitive with household names. Now, at only 25 years old, having amassed over 420 million on-demand streams, Cooper released his label debut album Boy From Anderson County To The Moon via BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville in partnership with Combustion Music. A prolific songwriter known for his cut-throat, highly relatable break-up anthems & uncensored lyrics, “Cooper has already made quite the name for himself” (American Songwriter), writing songs that fans sing back to him from the very first note, including just-released tracks. “Blazing a trail to stardom” (People), “there’s one thing for certain about Cooper…the man is versatile as all hell. He can have you hyped up through the roof or have you crying in your beer at the corner of a bar on a Friday night” (Whiskey Riff). Now, “Country Music’s Newest Badass” (People) is giving his rabid fanbase exactly what they demanded with his latest “Hate You Too,” the stirring “Running Away,” the homesick honesty of “Hello From The Road” & the fiery anthem “Kill Me,” introducing a fresh, pumped-up new sound that’s been commanding his electric live shows. Continuing his strenuous tour schedule throughout 2024, catch Cooper headlining sold-out shows all over the country, bringing with him his signature blend of wailing electric guitar and stadium-level anthems.

Greater Vision

Since December of 1990, Greater Vision has inspired audiences with their rich vocal blend and their effective ability to communicate the message of the gospel. They have established a firm place at the pinnacle of Christian music, and have become the most awarded trio in the history of Gospel music.

Marty Stuart

Marty Stuart, a distinguished member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, a five-time Grammy award winner, and recipient of the AMA Lifetime Achievement award, embarks on a captivating musical journey with the release of ‘Altitude,’ his latest album after a five-year hiatus. In this new musical endeavor, Stuart delves into a cosmic country realm teeming with visionaries, wanderers, outsiders, heavenly beings, honky-tonk idols, and forlorn romantics. The music exudes a desert-like essence, evoking a vast and expansive atmosphere reminiscent of boundless horizons and never-ending stretches of rural roads. The album’s production is both unpolished and cinematic, drawing inspiration from the musical styles of Bakersfield and Laurel Canyon, skillfully blending shimmering tones with rustic melodies. Despite his extensive achievements, Stuart refuses to rest on his laurels; ‘Altitude’ demonstrates his unyielding quest for personal and artistic growth, underscoring his ambition, sharp intellect, and vivid creativity that evolve with each subsequent release.
Hailing from Philadelphia, Mississippi, Marty Stuart’s musical journey commenced at the early age of thirteen when he joined the renowned bluegrass icon Lester Flatt’s band. By the time he turned twenty-one, Stuart was already making waves in the music industry, collaborating in the studio and on tour with the legendary Johnny Cash. While his initial fame stemmed from supporting music royalty, Nashville quickly acknowledged Stuart’s individual brilliance, propelling him to stardom. In his illustrious solo career spanning over four decades, Stuart has produced more than twenty albums under major labels, achieving platinum sales, chart-topping hits, and a plethora of industry accolades, solidifying his status as a luminary in the realm of country music.

Jeremy McComb

Good things come to those who wait, but luck favors the bold. And for Jeremy McComb, the balance comes natural. A storyteller epitomizing “been there and done that,” McComb has explored nearly every facet of the entertainment industry, all on his own terms. From radio to tour managing, releasing five albums, growing an international fan base, hitting the Billboard charts and writing songs for projects selling over 6 Million copies … including a Grammy-nominated soundtrack (Blue Collar Comedy Tour – One for the Road). Proudly and fiercely independent in both spirit and style, The Average Joes Entertainment recording artist was born in Idaho as a sixth-generation musician. Music is in McComb’s DNA but he’s a distinct branch on the family tree. Obsessed with artists who share a gift for storytelling (and little else), he found inspiration in everything from Jim Croce to Tom Petty, and now bridges the canyons between country, rock and folk. For additional information, visit www.jeremymccomb.com

Ricky Van Shelton

Ricky Van Shelton, a prominent figure in the realm of country music, rose to fame as one of the leading male artists in the late ’80s and early ’90s. His velvety baritone voice captivated audiences, especially in his renditions of country-pop ballads. Hailing from Danville, VA, Van Shelton’s musical journey began in the quaint town of Grit where he honed his singing skills in church and discovered his passion for country music as a teenager. Transitioning to Nashville in 1984 marked a pivotal moment in his career, leading to a record deal with CBS. His debut album, Wild-Eyed Dream, launched him into stardom with hits like
Crime of Passion
and
Somebody Lied
topping the charts. Subsequent albums like Loving Proof solidified his success, spawning multiple number one singles and securing his position as a country music sensation. Despite facing personal challenges, Van Shelton’s musical prowess continued to shine through collaborations and solo projects, including hit singles like
Rockin’ Years
with Dolly Parton. As the country music scene evolved with the rise of artists like Garth Brooks, Van Shelton navigated through industry changes, releasing albums like
Greatest Hits Plus
and
A Bridge I Didn’t Burn
. His resilience and creativity led him to explore independent ventures, such as founding his own label and delving into children’s literature. Van Shelton’s enduring legacy in country music is a testament to his talent, perseverance, and lasting impact on the genre.

Colter Wall

Referring to his most recent record, ‘Little Songs,’ Colter said, “These songs were written over the last three years. I penned most of them from home and I think the songs reflect that.” With the album Little Songs, Colter’s music continues to carry on the traditional sounds of his prairie homelands, while connecting a contemporary world to the values, hardships, and celebrations of rural life. He sings, “You might not see a soul for days on them high and lonesome plains. You got to fill the big empty with little songs.”