BIOGRAPHY:

Alan Rhody is one of today's more effective and respected solo acoustic artists in that great expanse known as the singer-songwriter.

"Boxcars Of Memories", the latest of his eight album releases, showcases his "pull you in" story telling, his uncommon honesty and poetic tenderness, as well as his deepseeded kick-out-the-jams side. His emotive guitar playing and wise and rugged vocals also demonstrate why this collection is destined to further validate his already solid reputation. Whether singing the disc's six new originals (including a co-write with Tom Russell) or the four covers by Paul Siebel, Bob Dylan, Freddie Pompeii and Kris Kristofferson, his singing, playing and message all shine.

In the Kentucky native's thirty-year career, he's played virtually every kind of venue, be it festival, listening room, concert hall, night club or workshop. Rhody or his music have also been featured on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered as well as CBC and CTV Networks in Canada, AAA, Americana and satellite radio.

After an eight-year Canadian residency, plenty of road work and two singles on London Records he returned to the U.S. in 1977 and settled in Nashville. His original songs were immediately picked up by other artists in country, folk, and bluegrass as he continued to travel and perform. He put out his own debut album, Stop The Rain in 1981, introducing his music to new audiences across Canada and the southeastern and midwestern U.S.

Other albums of originals followed and in 2003 his Journey which features guests, John Prine, the late John Hartford and Irish songbird, Maura O'Connell drew great critical acclaim, introducing his music to a wider audience.

Though Rhody quickly established himself in Nashville for his songwriting (Kevin Welch, Oak Ridge Boys, Del McCoury, Lorrie Morgan, George Jones, etc.) by the late eighties he returned to his folk roots concentrating on solo touring and writing on a more personal level. A New Folk finalist at The Kerrville Folk Festival in 1993, he has since been a mainstage performer numerous times and a member of their songwriting faculty as well. Other festivals in recent years have included the The Stan Rogers Folk Festival, Summer Folk, Live From The Rock Folk & Blues Festival, The Kentucky Folk Festival, The Shelter Valley Folk Festival, Kentucky Homefront and The Trout Forest Music Festival.

"This album creates a gripping atmosphere where the listener feels like they are within an Alan Rhody performance. Each song exemplifies the Rhody trade- mark : a seamless mix of grit and softness with engaging lyrics and striking melodies."
--Louisville Eccentric Observer

"The robust melodic rumbler, Tryin' to Find A Feelin, that kicks off the new CD, sounds much bigger than it actually is, thanks to his relentless acoustic guitar, emotional singing and solid harmonica work."
--Robert K. Oermann

" It's Rhody's heart-stopping songs and uncluttered playing
  that will grip you and make you stick around. And fall in love."
      --Performing Songwriter magazine

" Always solid, tough, trim and clear as a bell. He is consistent-
  ly head and shoulders above the pack. I'm a confirmed fan and
  always have been."
      --Kevin Welch, writer / artist / Dead Reckoning

" You can at once laugh out loud and a few seconds later be put in
  the most somber of moods."
      --American Songwriter

MUSIC AWARDS:

• PLATINUM RECORD AWARD (over 1,000,000 sales),
  GOLD RECORD AWARD (over 500,000 sales) "I'll Be True To You"
  LP/CD "Y'all Come Back Saloon" Oak Ridge Boys 1977-'79

• BMI AWARD - "I'll Be True To You" Oak Ridge Boys
  50 MOST PLAYED COUNTRY SINGLES LIST, 1978-'79

• BILLBOARD STAR AWARD - "I'll Be True To You" Oak Ridge Boys
  #1 Country Hot 100 Singles Chart, 1978

• GOLD RECORD AWARD - "I'll Be True To You" Oak Ridge Boys
  LP/CD "Room Service" 1980-'81

• GOLD RECORD AWARD, AUSTRALIA - "Ain't It Time You Tried Love"
  Kamahl, Single, (50,000 sales),1983

• DOUBLE PLATINUM RECORD AWARD /
  PLATINUM RECORD AWARD / GOLD RECORD AWARD -
  "I'll Be True To You"
  LP/CD "Greatest Hits", Oak Ridge Boys, 1983-84

• GOLDEN TREE AWARD, Tree Intl. Publishing - I'll Be True To You",
  (Reaching #1) 1978

• PLATINUM RECORD AWARD / GOLD RECORD AWARD -
  "Wild-Eyed   Dream" Ricky Van Shelton
  LP/CD, 1989-91

• PLATINUM RECORD AWARD / GOLD RECORD AWARD - "Trainwreck   Of Emotion" Lorrie Morgan
  LP/CD, 1990-92

• BMI MILLION-AIRS AWARD - "I'll Be True To You", Oak Ridge Boys
  (Over 1 million domestic spins) 1978 -2003

Alan Rhody plays ELIXIR strings

 

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