JERROD NIEMANN Country Music Singer
Call A to Z Entertainment, Inc. today for free information about how to hire or book country musician Jerrod Niemann. With over twenty years of successful experience, we are your best agent and talent agency for booking and hiring country music singer Jerrod Niemann! If you like, we also help you plan and produce your show or event, so call us today at 888-655-4575 and we’ll be happy to help you.
Steeped in the tradition of Lefty Frizzell, Conway Twitty and Keith Whitley, Jerrod Niemann possesses a voice of honesty and power that turns his songs into riveting stories. In his music, country music’s history collides with modern life to create something unique, yet familiar. Not only is Jerrod among Nashville ‘s most respected songwriters, he is also one of country music’s most anticipated new artists.
Jerrod Niemann grew up in the small town of Liberal, Kansas. Like many rural communities, the economy relied on agriculture, and the weekend entertainment revolved around high school football. With the nearest major city almost three hours away, live music came in the form of a county fair once a year.
His parents worked hard to provide Jerrod, and his siblings with a stable and loving home environment. For most of his childhood, his parents owned and operated a roller skating rink, which offered Jerrod his first real introduction to music.
“It was like a playground every day” he recalls. “I learned to cuss by listening to the older kids do it, and that got me into trouble, but I was exposed to music there as well. They played all kinds of music there, and I loved it. I think that was what got me into music.”
As a child, Jerrod was instinctively aware of the imagery and structure of a song. He began writing songs at an early age, and continued to develop as a writer throughout his high school years. “I would sit in English or Algebra class and write. I wrote songs all the time.”
Jerrod’s mother entered a contest and won a $150.00 acoustic guitar, autographed by Tracy Lawrence. “She said, ‘If I win this guitar, you’ve got to promise to learn how to play’. When she strolled in with that guitar, I could not believe my eyes.” Jerrod kept his end of the bargain and learned the instrument.
Eventually, Jerrod began entering talent competitions, and his successes there led to a scholarship from SouthPlainsCollege in Levelland , TX . He enrolled in the commercial music program, with an emphasis on country music. “When I got to college I took a song-writing class and basically, you play a song and they pretty much slap you in the face,” he explains. “They said ‘oh, I bet that’s your mom’s favorite song.’ And I said ‘well yeah it is.’ And the professors would say, ‘well it sucks.’
Jerrod Niemann focused on learning the fundamentals of songwriting: verse structure, chorus, hooks and bridges. He worked constantly,
writing song after song until the process became instinctual. Meanwhile, he began to immerse himself in traditional country music, developing a deep affection and appreciation for the songs of GeorgeStrait , Bob Wills, and Willie Nelson among others. After college Jerrod moved to Ft. Worth , Texas where he discovered writers, such as Dean Dillon, Whitey Shaffer, and Paul Overstreet.
“I learned so much as I got into older country music. I thought, ‘I want to spend my life writing and performing this stuff.’ Soon I started to realize that the same guy – Whitey Shaffer – wrote all my favorite songs – different artists, same writer – and it sparked my curiosity.
“The coolest thing about song writing” he explains, “is that you don’t have to pay for your education. You learn through other songwriters. By listening to their songs you can learn how they think, how they work and what they believe. They become an influence, and over time you develop your own style.”
After a period in Ft.Worth , Jerrod made the move to Nashville. It was as if his education had just begun. “Nashville is full of great writers and musicians. When you come here, there are dues to pay, even if you’ve been playing in the honky-tonks for 10 years” Jerrod explains. “The day you get to Nashville is like the first day of another level of school.”
Once he settled in, Jerrod did what so many artists do when they move to Nashville – he waited tables. “I tried to get meetings around town, but at first no one would listen to me. They did suggest that I buy a book on making it in the music business, but I didn’t buy that book.”
One contact that Jerrod was able to make was with songwriting legend Whitey Shaffer. Jerrod recalled a story of how a young Whitey Shaffer, in an effort to get his songs into the hands of his hero, Lefty Frizzell, tracked the singer down in Nashville and put three song demos into his hands. The next day, Lefty recorded two of those songs. Inspired by that story, Jerrod found Shaffer’s phone number and called him at his home. “He was pretty freaked out” Jerrod laughs, “I told him what a big influence he had been on my music, and apologized for bothering him, since he didn’t know me at all.” After a few phone conversations, Shaffer invited Jerrod to his home, and the two forged a lasting friendship. Later, when Jerrod performed his first showcase forNashville labels, he sang a song that he’d written in honor of Shaffer.
Eventually, Jerrod’s persistence paid off when his friend Perry Howard, son of Harlan Howard, introduced him to guitarist/producer Billy Joe Walker, Jr. Walker quickly signed Jerrod to a songwriting contract with Marathon Key Music. He soon found himself co-writing with writers he’d long admired, including Dean Dillon, Paul Overstreet and Aaron Barker. But Jerrod’s landmark achievement would come from another direction entirely.
“I knew a guy in college, Richie Brown, who was Garth Brooks’ biggest fan. He used to say that one day he would write songs with Garth. Everyone else just laughed it off, but I always encouraged him. I told him, ‘If that’s what you really want to do, then one day you’ll find a way.'”
Richie and Jerrod lost track of each other after college, until they met by chance in a Nashville nightclub in 2001. Richie told Jerrod that Garth was cutting his album Scarecrow in town, and suggested that they put together a few songs to see if they could get them to the super-star. “He had a studio where we could record some demos. He figured we’d just drop them off and be able to tell our kids someday that Garth had heard our songs.”
As fate would have it, Richie pulled up to the studio where Garth was working at the exact moment he had stepped outside for some air. He was able to put the demo directly into the hands of his hero, and got Brooks’ promise that he would listen to the songs.
A few days later, Jerrod’s phone rang and he was stunned at the words he heard on the other end: “Hey Buddy, it’s Garth.” Brooks had indeed listened to the two friends’ music, and had heard something he described as “magical.” The phone call led to a writing appointment for a very nervous Jerrod Niemann.
“Here I am, a young guy, going to write with this legendary guy and I tried to be confident. We went into his kitchen and for the first 15 minutes my head was in the clouds. I was pretty star struck.” Jerrod quickly found his comfort zone, and it was the beginning of a writing partnership that would yield the Garth Brooks hit singles “That Girl Is A Cowboy” and “Good Ride Cowboy,” a tribute to Brooks’ friend and mentor, the late Chris LeDoux.
Brooks called upon Jerrod and Richie to help him flesh out the idea for a song to honor the rodeo champion turned country singer who had been such an immense influence on Garth’s career. It was a daunting task.
“It was very emotional for him, and when you help someone write a song about one of their friends, it’s difficult. You want it to be the best it can be. You’re describing someone’s entire life in three minutes, and it’s not easy, especially when they did a lot of great things like Chris did.” “Good Ride Cowboy” would go on to garner a BMI award as one of the top 50 copyrights of the year.
Jerrod Niemann was thrilled to have realized his dream of becoming a successful songwriter, but his love of performing remained, and the road called to him. Jerrod shrugged off the comfort of Music Row for the rigors of life in a traveling band.
“I traded in my truck for a 12 passenger van that I still own and hit the road to make myself a better performer. We’ve traveled all over the country, and it’s been yet another education. We’ve played for empty rooms, and we’ve played for great crowds. When you sing for three weeks at a time and you only get two days off, your voice wants to retire. But I’ve figured out what songs work and what crowds like, and I’ve put together a great band.”
In 2006 Jerrod signed with Category 5 records. Ray Termini , the owner of the label had heard some of Jerrod’s demos, and was intrigued. “I was helping a friend move when I got the call. They asked when I could meet with them, and I said ‘right now’ and went straight over to the office, but I was looking pretty rough…I had just come off the road playing for weeks. I could barely even talk. Sure enough, the first this he does is takes the guitar off the wall and says ‘play me some songs.’ The next week he brought a bunch of folks out to see me play with the band.
“I’m really excited. I never thought I’d get to work with people who love real country music as much as I do.” Jerrod has come a long way from Liberal, Kansas, and the journey has just begun. His heroes would be proud if they could hear him sing a ballad drenched in heartbreak, or deliver a rollicking blast of pure honky-tonk with sheer, unbridled joy.
But Jerrod Niemann , first and foremost, is a songwriter with fascinating stories to share, and a burning desire to keep the country tradition alive and vital in modern times. “We always come back to our roots…the signature songs, the ones we all remember, are always true country songs.”
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