Bryan Ragsdale
9th Annual Country Album Nominee
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Genre: Country
Wyoga Records
www.bryanragsdale.com
HOMEBASE/COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
ALBUM NOMINATED: Where Cowpokes Grow
ARTISTS ON THIS ALBUM:
Bryan Ragsdale – Guitar, Lead Vocals
Steve Lemmon – Guitar, Background Vocals, Percussion
Ryan Tilby – Bass, Banjo, Mando, Dobro
Ryan Shupe – Fiddle
Eric Maness – Background Vocals
WHERE WAS THIS ALBUM RECORDED? Spiral Studios in St. George, Utah.
WHERE IS YOUR MUSIC AVAILABLE? Amazon, iTunes, CD Baby, Amie Street, www.bryanragsdale.com.
WHICH GENRES BEST DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC? Country, Americana, Cowgrass.
WHAT’S THE SONG “MODERN DAY MOUNTAIN MENT” ABOUT? “Modern Day Mountain Man” is about a man from New York City and his journey west to Wyoming in search of freedom and open spaces. It is not what is on the outside that makes a man. It is the mountain man within.
WHAT UNUSUAL INSTRUMENTS OR TECHNIQUES DID YOU USE ON THIS ALBUM? Throughout my album, Where Cowpokes Grow, we tried to create a new sound. Bluegrass meets Country meets Western meets Folk. We call the sound we created COWGRASS.
DID FANS HELP FUND THIS PROJECT? Sure they did. Without the money generated from previous records and 200 shows a year, Where Cowpokes Grow would not have been possible.
WHO IS SITTING IN YOUR AUDIENCE? All ages. People love the real life undertones in my music. My music speaks to the values that are overlooked in mainstream music today, the same values I teach my own children. My music is the music that kids listen to with their parents and grandparents. Hopefully, my music gives parents an opening to say “I love you, you are great, let’s go fishing!”
WHAT MAKES YOUR FANS UNIQUE? I have fans all over the world. If I had to nail down one thing they all have in common, it would be their love for wide open spaces and the freedom that those spaces provide. The greatest gift I have been given is the Rocky Mountains. My fans enjoy the same gift.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PLACES TO PLAY? I love to play for folks that are need of music to help them deal with other circumstances. We have donated thousands of CDs and free performances for school kids, cancer survivors, and military personnel. If you cannot play for those in need, why play music at all?
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE ACHIEVEMENT TO DATE? Writing a song for my granddad, who passed away this year and singing it at his funeral. A war hero and legend in my home town, my granddad was the kind of man that made this country what it is. Grandpa will be on my next album.
WHAT’S IN THE WORKS FOR 2010?
Release special military edition of Where Cowpokes Grow.
- Donate over 50,000 CDs to service members across the globe
- Donate free MP3 of “What Heroes Do” to every firefighter, police officer, and service member in the USA
- Play numerous free concerts at bases and hospitals nationwide
- Release “What Heroes Do” nationwide on radio, video and Internet
-Tour throughout the country playing over 200 shows in 2010.
-Record next CD, Mountain Blue, for release in November, 2010.
-Continue to grow, maintaining my roots and values.
FINISH THIS SENTENCE: THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS…Finally ready for a guy like me.
WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF SUCCESS? A nice truck so I can get away. Enough cash so I can pay my bills, put my kids through college and retire before I am dead if I want to. Create as many relationships with as many people as humanly possible. I want my handshake to mean something to people. I want to be the guy that represents the small guy in Country music.
WHAT’S ON YOUR IPOD THAT WOULD SURPRISE YOUR FANS? Glen Miller, Frankie Lane, Dave Mathews, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin and Baxter Black to name a few.
NAME SOME ARTISTS YOU ARE CHAMPIONING: John Denver meets Chris LeDoux with a touch of Willie thrown in for good measure.