The Revival of Song
From dark-lit stages in unexpected places, an artist has emerged who echoes the soul of the music we loved before we started to settle. Tracy Temple has gained mass appeal, not by writing imitations of what is being played today, but by capturing melodies that will be remembered forever.
Tracy began his musical study with the piano when he was very young and began performing and competing at 11. He continued with music through school, becoming an accomplished pianist, acclaimed trombone soloist and student director of his high school band. In 1991, he shelved the music and decided to pursue a pharmacy education at Ohio Northern University. Tracy stuck it out through the toughest three years of the program, switched to Sociology with a year left to go and earned a BA in sociology in 1995.
“That was a rough lesson in doing things for the wrong reasons. I loved music, but thought pharmacy would provide a more stable and comfortable life. It was miserable and I was miserable going through it. I finished my degree in Sociology so I could walk away from college with a degree, but music never left my thoughts.”
After graduation, Tracy decided to chuck the comfortable path and follow his heart. He enrolled at Ohio State University to get the practice and education he needed to follow a career in music.
Tracy excelled at Ohio State earning his way into the “Chorale”, Ohio States traveling graduate performance choir, as a freshmen and earning a spot in Opera Columbus. A vocal performance major, Tracy attended classes and traveled with the company while getting a formal education in music theory and voice. After three years, he decided that he had learned what he had set out to learn, packed his guitar and keyboard, and headed to Nashville to begin writing and performing the music he truly loved.
Tracy grabbed the attention of Nashville almost as soon as he got there. Within his first three months in the city, he had won or placed in two of the biggest songwriting competitions in the country, the "IN THE BEGINNING A songwriter's tribute to Garth Brooks" songwriting contest and the Tin Pan South 2000: A Celebration of Songs and Songwriters. He also earned the respect of some legendary country music musicians as he quickly earned his way into the most acclaimed singer/songwriter performance venues. He collaborated with Loretta Lynn's band to develop his first CD and within a year had a list of critically acclaimed songs and a regular performing schedule. In 2002, Tracy decided that it was time to hit a bigger audience and began performing shows across the country. Three years and ten states later, Tracy continues to play to an ever-growing number of loyal fans.
When he is not on the road, Tracy returns to his hometown, Celina Ohio to write and record. He has recently finished his first CD set for national distribution, “Some Start Fires” and is anxiously awaiting its release on May 7 th .
“I have put so much into this CD and had so many people supporting me in the effort. I hope the release goes well for them as much as me. I'm a little nervous about it. Ultimately though, I am really happy because the CD turned out the way I had wanted it to sound.”
“Fires” was released in Europe on April fourteenth and the North American release party will be in Ohio in early May. Please see the schedule portion of this website for future show dates.
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