He’s a passionate singer with a unique sound, who grew up in Appalachia, and you’ll be hearing a lot more of MORGAN WALLEN before 2017 is over. Currently out supporting Florida Georgia Line’s explosive DIG YOUR ROOTS TOUR, followed by select dates on THE SMOOTH TOUR 2017, he is climbing Country radio with his Top 30 “The Way I Talk” on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and has racked up over 7 million Spotify streams (and counting). Offering up the first real taste of his Big Loud Records EP – also titled THE WAY I TALK – Wallen’s drawling, fun-loving anthem penned by hit-makers Ben Hayslip, Chase McGill and Jessi Alexander, plays off the young star’s dynamic vocal delivery and features a sound straight out of the modern South, combining elements of both country and rock   Back when Wallen moved to Nashville in July 2015, he was not sure what he would find, but convinced that he should at least give his dreams a legitimate shot. Less than a year later, he’d already been signed to Big Loud Records, recorded some initial tracks with producer Joey Moi (Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen) and hit the road on his first radio promotion tour.   It might appear that Wallen’s on the fast track, but it took him a while to get there. Born in Sneedville, Tennessee (a town that also lays claim as the birthplace of bluegrass pioneer Jimmy Martin), to a hard-rock-lovin’ preacher and contemporary-Christian-devoted teacher, he showed his musical interests early, singing in front of the local congregation at age three and asking for a violin for his fifth birthday. He would soon switch to piano and later add guitar to his arsenal, though he never really imagined it was possible to make a career of it.   “I didn’t think that was realistic because I had no clue about how the music business worked,” Wallen admits. “Even living three hours away, I had no idea about Nashville.”   Instead, he focused his efforts on baseball and he was pretty good at it. Playing shortstop and pitcher for Gibbs High School in Corryton – the same school where Kenny Chesney graduated. Wallen earned an offer to continue playing at a major college.   But fate intervened. While pitching during his senior year, he felt a pop in his right elbow and would undergo a tendon replacement procedure. While he was able to continue playing guitar and piano, it proved to be the end of his baseball career.   “Looking back, I’m glad it happened the way it did, because I really actually loved music more than I ever did baseball,” he shares.   The kind of music almost didn’t matter. Rock, hip-hop, country – he loved it all, particularly the emotional connection that it created between the musician and the listener. But when he wrote, the music was invariably country.   “Writing music was a way for me to get my feelings out,” he explains. “I don’t really express my feelings very much and I guess it was just a way for me to let some of that go. It’s my safe place.”   During extended time in California, Wallen met Sergio Sanchez, the lead singer and writer for Jive Records’ hard-rock band Atom Smash. While Sanchez initially served as Wallen’s vocal coach, they hit it off and started co-writing regularly back in Knoxville. Sanchez brought the music to the attention of producer Paul Trust and partner Bill Ray, who in turn produced an initial batch of songs. From there, things moved quickly. Wallen’s managers, Dirk Hemsath and Mike Bachta of Working Group Artist Management, set him up to play for William Morris Endeavor’s Kevin Neal, agent for Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line. Neal signed him on the spot. Hemsath and Bachta next sent demos to Big Loud Shirt’s Seth England, hoping to land some co-writing opportunities with songwriters at the publishing company. England was so impressed that he brought Wallen in to audition for his partners in Big Loud Records: Craig Wiseman, Clay Hunnicutt, Kevin “Chief” Zaruk and Joey Moi. They signed Wallen to both the label and the publishing company.   Wallen started woodshedding as a songwriter, working with the likes of Wiseman (“Live Like You Were Dying”), Rodney Clawson (“Dirt”), Chris Tompkins (“Drunk On A Plane”), the Warren Brothers (“Highway Don’t Care”), Tommy Cecil (“Home Alone Tonight”) and Matt Dragstrem (“Sippin’ On Fire”). Meanwhile, Big Loud Records proved that it was big-league – while Wallen worked on his own music, the label’s first-ever single, Chris Lane’s “Fix,” shot to #1, an unheard-of start for a brand-new label.   Wallen hopes to build a similar story. His end goal is to continue to be onstage, making that emotional connection with his distinctive sound, as well as releasing his anticipated forthcoming debut album of Big Loud Records.  “We’ve just really been trying to get the focus on the music,” he concludes. “If we don’t have that, then there’s no point in playing.”

Six-time CMA Award nominee and ACM New Female of the Year 2022 winner, Lainey Wilson has earned the enthusiasm of the industry, having been named to nearly every “Artist to Watch” list, being crowned Billboard’s “Top New Country Artist of 2021,” and earning CMT’s “Breakout Artist of the Year” award for 2022, the Louisiana native is one of Nashville’s hottest and most buzzed-about new artists. Landing her first No. 1 with her PLATINUM Certified ACM Song of the Year “Things A Man Oughta Know,” nearly 10 years to the day after leaving her small farming community in a camper trailer to chase her dreams, she has won over legions of fans with her signature Bell Bottom Country sound and aesthetic, which blends traditional Country with a modern yet retro flare. A prolific and sought-after songwriter (having co-writer credits on songs by artists including Luke Combs, Flatland Calvary and more), Lainey is a fresh, fierce voice in Nashville, delivering CMA nominated album of the year with her label debut, Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’. With a rockstar stage presence, her artistry has taken her across the globe, performing for sold-out crowds throughout the US, UK, and Germany with notable names like Jon Pardi, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, HARDY, Jason Aldean, Ashley McBryde, and more. After topping the country radio charts for a second time with the two-week No. 1 hit, “Never Say Never” with Cole Swindell, her current single “Heart Like a Truck” is Top 25 and climbing, with the HARDY collaboration “wait in the truck” sitting close behind in the Top 35. She will release her hotly anticipated album, Bell Bottom Country on October 28, just before making her acting debut on the hit series Yellowstone on November 13.