John Williamson by John Williamson

From Ralph Emery's four-in-the-morning radio show to Saturday night's Grand Ole Opry, John immersed himself in the music he had come to love.

John Williamson wrote his first song when he was eighteen, working in the tobacco fields. He ran to his pickup truck to write down the lyrics that were pouring into his head, nearly losing his job in the process. From that point on, John wrote about what he knew best. He started to travel in his early twenties, adding a new dimension to what had already become a solid foundation of good country songs. After several years of hiring himself out as a carpenter and camping across the United States, playing his music for the rivers, prairies, and anyone else who would listen, John decided to try his hand at the business end of music. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2000, and began writing and recording in earnest, completing his first album in June of 2002.

John's self-titled debut album establishes him firmly as the type of writer Nashville needs, rooted strongly in tradition, but with a unique perspective from living life his own way. His first single, "The Man Who Let a Memory Take Him Down", is supporting evidence of this fact. The song relates the tale of a broken-hearted lover whose inability to forgive himself for past mistakes threatens to bring him to his knees. The lyrics paint a picture of a desperate soul, while John's soft, melodic guitar playing and smooth, easy-timbred voice soothe the pain the listener is sure to feel.

Other tracks on the album give credit to John's interesting take on life, both happy and sad. "Where Does a Cowboy Go" is a bouncy romp through the day to day adventures of America's last free spirit. "That's All I Ask" lists the simple pleasures that make a country boy smile. And "Handouts, Hopes and Prayers" is an inside look at what takes place in the mind of a less fortunate person forced to live on the street. Backed by the enormous talent of Johnny B. on dobro, Marc Kunkel on harmonica, Tom Striker on drums, and Sam Weedman on keyboards, mandolin and electric guitar, John's songs and the characters in his stories come to life like never before.

John Williamson writes, plays, and sings with feeling about things he knows and understands. He continues to live the way that he chooses, experiencing all that life has to offer, both good and not so good. He believes everyday is a gift, and music is a part of the gift that can touch a person so deeply the effect goes on forever.

In John's own words:

"When I was a kid I thought I'd never leave South Georgia. All I wanted to do back then was take over my Grandaddy's farm. Well, I still dream of tractors and rows of cotton and corn occasionally, but I'm about as far from the settled life of flatland farmer as I can be. As I write this, I have just returned from two weeks on the road and I'm leaving tomorrow for two more. By the end of the month I will have crossed the Rockies twenty times in everything from a jumbo jet to a 1929 Ford race car.

"I've slept in my truck or on the ground in about forty states, playing my music when I could and swinging a hammer when I had to. Traveling has become the source for my songwriting. Change of scenery is what feeds my muse and I think my lyrics are undisguised proof of that. I write about the simple life I've led with the perspective of deep thought and deeper feeling. I love to live and I can't wait to see what lies around the next bend. Listen to my music and you'll see not only me, but the people and places I've seen and the experiences that make me who I am. This album is a page from my life. I hope you enjoy it."

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