Easton Corbin photo by James Minchin, courtesy of UMG Nashville.

By Bob Doerschuk
© 2010 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.

Easton Corbin looks back warmly at Gilchrist County, Fla., where he spent his boyhood fishing in the Suwannee River, participating in FFA and 4-H activities and aspiring to a career in Country Music. As a child, he nurtured that dream through hours spent watching “Hee Haw” and “The Grand Ole Opry” with his grandparents and playing vintage Country albums he discovered there while exploring the collections his father and aunt had assembled in their early years. By his late teens, he had developed his guitar chops through lessons with former Nashville session player Pee Wee Melton and was opening for national acts as they passed through his area.

2006 was a milestone year, as Corbin graduated from the College of Agriculture at the University of Florida and, five weeks after marrying his sweetheart Brinn, moved with her to Nashville. Both found day jobs but Corbin also used his contacts to set up an audition with Joe Fisher, Senior Director of A&R, Universal Music Group Nashville. That led quickly to a recording contract, an introduction to producer Carson Chamberlain and work on his self-titled debut album, set for release March 2 on Mercury Nashville.

On these 11 tracks, four of them co-written by Corbin, the feeling is deep Country, from the twang of his guitar to the raw appeal of his vocals. His writing draws from that same well; when he baits his lady’s hook on “The Way Love Looks,” which he penned with Chamberlain and Mark D. Sanders, you know it’s a sign of his affection. But the message rings clearest in his first single: Written by Rory Feek, Don Poythress and Wynn Varble, “A Little More Country Than That” combines an easy-going beat with a melody woven around a catchy motif that lends itself to a litany of images both rustic and romantic. Add that to Corbin’s relaxed way with a tune and you’ve got more than a good song — you’ve got a vivid intro to this promising artist.

IN HIS OWN WORDS Q&A

CDS IN YOUR STEREO
“Keith Whitley and Merle Haggard.”

DREAM DUET PARTNER
“Merle Haggard.”

GREATEST PERFORMANCE TO DATE
“The Suwannee River Jam. It was just me and my guitar in front of thousands of people. It was an awesome feeling.”

JOB IF NOT AN ARTIST
“I would probably be doing something in the agricultural sector.”

WHAT YOU HOPE PEOPLE WILL SAY ABOUT YOU 50 YEARS FROM NOW
“That I was an artist that recorded music that was pure and timeless for all ages.”

On the Web: www.EastonCorbin.com

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