October 9, 1946
Born, Louisville, Kentucky

1946-64
Formative years in Louisville/ Meridian, Mississippi/ Hopkinsville, Kentucky At age thirteen, family returns to Louisville area. Grows up obsessed with records of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly and others. Hears Bo Diddley Roy Orbison, Frankie Lyman and others live at the Middletown Hop, Middletown, KY , a suburb of Louisville. Graduates Eastern High School after excelling in drawing, painting, literature, track and field

1964
Awarded full scholarship to Louisville Art Center Association School

1965
While attending college, joins Louisville rock'n'roll band, The Kingspades, as vocalist, harmonica player, performing the songs of the Rolling Stones/ The Beatles/ The Animals/ Chuck Berry and others

1965-68
Takes up acoustic guitar, rack-mounted harmonica learning folk, blues and country songs from records, and musician friends

July 1966
Travels to New York City, hears Jose Feliciano/ The Rolling Stones/
Hamilton Camp, Patrick Sky in concert.

March 1967
First public appearance (1 song, "House Of The Rising Sun") at The Shack, Louisville, KY plays open stages and co-bills at The Round Table Theater , formerly known as The Shack (1967-1968)

February 2, 1968
Graduates art college with a major in painting

February 22, 1968
Gives first solo concert at opening of first one-man art exhibition Port O' Call Gallery, Louisville, KY singing songs of Leadbelly/ Hamilton Camp/ Bob Dylan/ Jimmie Rogers and Gordon Lightfoot

July 1969
Starts first song "My Kentucky" while in Berkeley, California. Plays open stages at Freight & Salvage and other venues in San Francisco, and Berkeley area.
Travels to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Stays in Canada and obtains Landed Immigrant Status.
Takes job as layout artist for Simson-Sears Retail Advertising Dept.

August 1969 - April 1971
Joined by family in Vancouver. Plays open stages at famous folk/blues club,
The River Queen in Vancouver. Hears and meets Jesse Fuller, John Hammond, Jr. and the Reverend Gary Davis. Continues writing and performing original material at open stages and coffee houses.

Meets singer-songwriter and MCA recording artist, Russell Thornberry who recommends Alan to CBC's In The Round, which lands him a national TV guest appearance as well as securing Alan as a cast member of Music ' 70 - ' 71 series hosted by Thornberry for CTV, Edmonton, Alberta. Performs first major solo engagement at The Crypt Coffee House in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Meets then upstart manager and college DJ, Holger Peterson in Saskatoon. Later after performing in Edmonton, receives first major press review in The Edmonton Journal

May 1971 - April 1973
Moves with family to Toronto, Ontario, works as advertising artist as he did in Vancouver while becoming part of the Toronto music scene

Becomes regular performer at famed folk club, Steele's Tavern in Toronto as well as performing at legendary club, The Riverboat.

Forms duo with bass player, Byron Stoehr (later trio w/ Jerry Wagoner, lead guitar) performing all over Ontario.
Makes transition to full-time music career

Releases two singles for London Records produced by Thornberrry.
("My Kentucky", the B side of the second single continues to get airplay for the next 20 years)

August 1973 - December 1975

Makes more appearances on Canadian national television, CBC - CTV, including The Ian Tyson Show, opens for Jesse Winchester, Leon Redbone

Returns to U.S.

April 26, 1976
Signs songwriting agreement with Tree International Publishing Co., Inc.
(Now Sony / ATV / Tree Music Publishing, LLC)

1976 - 1977
While Alan is still living in Toronto, first covers of his songs, "Tuesday Night Local" by Ronnie Prophet (RCA Canada) and "I'll Be True To You" by gospel group,The Oak Ridge Boys, making their first country album, "Y'all Come Back Saloon"

Relocates with family to Nashville, Tennessee

June 1978
The Oak Ridge Boys take "I'll Be True To You" to #1 on the country charts and it crosses over into the pop charts, establishing Alan as a hit songwriter in Nashville

1978 - 1986
Alan's fresh mix of folk, country, rock and blues yields many hits and album cuts while at Tree Publishing. He is also introduced to the concept of co-writing for the first time, meeting and writing with some of the best in the business such as Curly Putman, Red Lane, Bobbie Braddock, Harlan Howard, Keith Whitley, Bill Caswell, Bruce Channell and others. In addition to "I'll Be True To You", which goes on to become a standard by the late eighties ringing up more than four million in sales and eventually over one million airplays, other hits and cuts at Tree include:"Love Busted" (w/Red Lane) - Billy "Crash" Craddock / "Family Man" - The Wright Brothers / "Just When" (w/Bill Caswell) - George Jones / "Somebody To Care" (w/Bill Caswell) - Tanya Tucker/ "Christmas To Christmas" (w/Ron Hellard) - Toby Keith, Tanya Tucker, and Lee Greenwood (please see discography)

Releases first full length solo album Stop The Rain (1981) on his own Headless Horseman Records label

Performs on 23-date cross-Canada tour with RCA artists, The Good Bros.
Receives encores at 7 of the concerts as the opening act

Appearances on CBC's The Family Brown Show and CTV's Sun Country with Ian Tyson

Assembles and tours U.S. with several band projects: The Alan Rhody Band, Alan Rhody and the Rear View Mirrors and others that included some of Nashville's and Louisville's hottest players: Mike Alger, Larry Colburn, Gary Hurt, Rick McEwen, Roger McVey, Eugene Moles, Mark Paden, Michael Rhodes, Danny Rhodes, Tommy Stribling, Jim Dant, and Jim Haswell.

Releases Border Crossings, an all acoustic collection of early material recorded in the mid-seventies in Toronto with Byron Stoehr, Jerry Wagoner, and Tom Lockwood

Parts ways withTree Publishing, re-activates Headless Horseman Music

Appearances on The Nashville Network

1987 - 1990
Releases single "She Dreams", co-written with Pat Alger (Evergreen Records)

More hits and covers including "Wild-Eyed Dream" - Ricky Van Shelton / "Trainwreck Of Emotion" (w/Jon Vezner) - Lorrie Morgan in country / Del McCoury in bluegrass (please see discography)

1990
Signs songwriting agreement with Bluewater Music Corp

Kevin Welch records "The Mother Road" co-written with Alan,
on his debut album for Warner/Reprise

1991
"Trainwreck Of Emotion" nominated for Song of the Year at I
nternational Bluegrass Music Assoc. Awards, as performed by Del McCoury.
McCoury wins Best Male Vocalist Award.

1992
Releases "Dreamer's World" (Taxim Records) in Central Europe, United Kingdom

Signs new songwriting agreement with Double J Music Group

1993
Produces and sings two original songs on avant-garde visual artist/songwriter project, double XX posed, put together by sculptor-songwriter John Heric of Tucson, AZ. Project also includes the songs of world famous painter,Tom Wesselmann, multi-media artist, Fritz Sholder, and sculptor, painter, instructor, Jim Leedy of Kansas City, MO

Meets and collaborates with award-winning Canadian songwriter, Ron Hynes

Performs at the Kerrville Folk Festival, Kerrville, TX for the first time, as a "New Folk" winner

1994
Produces and sings track of "The Mother Road" for the acclaimed compilation The Songs Of Route 66 (Lazy SOB) - Alan's cut is later featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered and Morning Edition

Appears on CBC Radio's "Swingin" On A Star" hosted by Canadian folk legend,
Murray McLauchlan

Strikes up lasting friendship and writing collaboration with McLauchlan

Featured on MUCH MUSIC TV network's Outlaws and Heroes across Canada

1995
Toby Keith and Tanya Tucker each record "Christmas To Christmas" (please see discography)

Extensive touring includes main stage at The Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, The Everly Bros. Homecoming Festival in Central City, KY with John Prine, Chet Atkins, Tammy Wynette, dates in Maryland, New York,
West Virginia, Indiana, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky

Releases fourth collection of original material From A Real Good Home (ARCD) to great reviews - CD includes live cuts from 1995 Kerrville Folk Festival and guest appearance by Gillian Welch partner, David Rawlings

Profiled onTNN News / guest appearance on TNN's Prime Time Country

1996 - 2000

Releases Pieces Of Essence (Ashwood Recordings) a collection of selected tracks from four previous releases

Writes and sings two songs for the new film Mi Amigo (Azalea Films) with writer/producer/director Milton Brown

Writes "Ambitious Life" for stage musical, "Eddie" with Murray McLauchlan. "Eddie"
makes its debut May 26, 2004 at the Village Theatre in Hudson, Quebec.

Headlines Kentucky Folk Festival in Bardstown, KY along with John Hartford, Emmylou Harris, Roger McGuin and others

Produces and sings "Christmas To Christmas" for Elixir Strings Holiday Collection CD

2000 - 2002

Continual touring, writing, painting

2003 - 2006 Highlights:

August, 2006
Trout Forest Folk & Blues Festival, Ear Falls, ONT
Summerfolk Festival, Owen Sound, ONT
Shelter Valley Folk Festival, Grafton, ONT

June, 2006
Kentucky Homefront Concert Series, Kentucky Theatre, Louisville, KY

Sept 2005
Alan Rhody Songbook published

August, 2005
Summerfolk Festival, Owen Sound, ONT
Live From The Rock Folk Festival, Red Rock, ONT

July 2005
Released "Rhody In Black & White" a 21 song retrospective of
his best known compositions plus new and previously unrealeased material.

June, 2004 (also '93, '95, '96)
Kerrville Folk Festival, Kerrville, TX

June, 2004
Central South Art Exhibition, Nashville, TN (juried)
Harold Miller Award in Watercolor

Oct. 2003
"I'll Be True To You" earns BMI Millionaire's Award for over 1,000,000 airplays in the U.S. market

July 2003
Released "Journey" on Ashwood Recordings. Garners substantial airplay on
Sirius Satallite Radio in U.S. and Galaxie Satallite Network in Canada, as well
as charting for over 6months on both. "Journey also chosen for Top Twelve Independent
Releases of summer, 2004 by Performing Songwriter Magazine.

July, 2003
7th Annual Stan Rogers Folk Festival, Canso, Nova Scotia

May, 2003
51st Annual Florida Folk Festival, White Springs, Florida

Feb. 2003
Woody Guthrie 90th Anniversary Celebration, Nashville, Tennessee

Jan. 2003
Concert for Nashville Peace and Justice Center, Belcourt Theater, Nashville, Tennessee with John Prine, Tim O'Brien, Darrell Scott, Maura O'Connell,
Beth Neilson Chapman and others.