JACK INGRAM BIOGRAPHY
Jack Ingram's newest record, THIS IS IT, have taken things to a new level for the rising country star.
He achieved a Top 5 Album for sales of this new record, he's appeared on national television with ELLEN, CNN, FOX, CBS Morning, he won a fan-voted CMT Award (with other nominees being Sheryl Crow, Jimmy Buffet and Johnny Cash), continued a string of radio hits, three #1 CMT Videos, had his own hour-long CMT TV-special along with Miranda Lambert, and national tours with Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow (who also sang on the new album), Dierks Bentley, Martina McBride, Brooks & Dunn, and Toby Keith - which have had him regularly playing to crowds between 6,000 and 20,000 people per night.
"So much in my career has led up to this next chapter of my career," says the acclaimed Texas-born singer-songwriter. "Now, I'm just feeling like, well...this is it."
Indeed, it appears to be. Ingram's first single for the Big Machine label, "Wherever You Are" landed at #1 on Billboard's and every other country singles chart. That accomplishment was quickly followed up with the hilarious, "Love You," which also ascended into the Top Ten. Then, just like that, millions of country fans heard what Ingram's hardcore have enjoyed for years: the power in his voice, the unending energy in his live shows, the clever wit in his lyrics and the razor edges in his melodic hooks.
"Wherever You Are," and "Love You," showcase sweeping romanticism and barbed wit, respectively, underscoring Ingram's range as an entertainer. The two songs were included as bonus studio tracks on his LIVE - WHEREVERYOU ARE album. They're now at the heart of THIS IS IT, along with additional radio hits "Lips of an Angel", "Measure of a Man", and the current single rising the charts "Maybe She'll Get Lonely", Ingram's first full studio album for Big Machine, and his first studio album in 5 years.
At this point, Jack Ingram knows a thing or two about what is and isn't country music. While he's a new face to some, he began his career over a decade ago in the hardscrabble honky-tonks and dancehalls of Texas. He quickly earned the respect of his peers -not to mention his heroes.
Waylon Jennings called him "an incredible talent," while Billy Joe Shaver pronounced him "one of the best performers around."
Nonetheless, Ingram bounced between independent and major labels, none of which exposed him to the masses. A critic's and musician's favorite he mostly remained until Ingram partnered with manager George Couri of C.S.E. who recognized the power of Jack's appeal and continually-growing fan base. Together, they made the decision to sign with Scott Borchetta and Big Machine in mid-2005, which completed the team - and the hits started coming.
"All the label situations I've been in before, I don't think everyone at the company believed it could work," he figures. "This time, there was no question."
It was a question, however, that took five years to answer. Ingram's last studio album, Electric, hit stores in 2001. During the subsequent process of building his audience, and finding a new home at Big Machine, Ingram went through significant changes in his life, reflected now on This Is It.
"It's been a whole life cycle since I put out a studio record. I've become a father, three times over, and have experienced the seismic shifts associated with that - coming to terms with yourself, the central figures and the defining moments in your life." he says. "My records in the past paralleled my growth and maturity and This Is It is a further reflection of that. This is what I've been going through and what I've been doing."
Except now, there's quite a few more ears wanting to hear what those things are. Ingram insists that the high expectations being placed on him didn't affect how he approached the writing and recording of the new album.
"I know what the stakes are, but I'm not nervous," he says. "I feel like now is my opportunity to do what I've been working toward for 15 years. I'm fully prepared."
For the recording, Ingram turned to Doug Lancio and Jeremy Stover, who both produced tracks on the album. "Those guys are pretty drastically different," says Ingram of the ace producers he trusted to bring out the varied facets of his own personality. "Jeremy's got more of a
seek-and-destroy type of production, while Doug is much more of a 'Come over to the house and play me a song' kind of person."
This Is It features a mix of Ingram originals and carefully chosen outside material from stellar songwriters like Radney Foster, Trent Summar, and Tom Littlefield.
"If it makes me sad or happy on an extreme level, if it's something I can relate to, and something I feel like I can deliver, then that's the kind of song I want to play," he says. "It really comes down to emotion for me."
Whether self-penned or not, Ingram says the songs that made the cut for This Is It are simply "the ones that stuck with me. These are the songs that I wanted to play for years to come."
"It's been a blessing to be able to walk that line musically, where I can appeal to hardcore country fans as well as rock and roll fans," he says. "I know why I enjoy Sheryl Crow and her influences, and I know why I enjoy Brad Paisley and his influences. It's not that much of a stretch for me."
Bringing his music to so many new listeners has been thrilling for Ingram - and he's ready to keep all those new fans for a long, long time.
"I've spent the last year introducing myself to a brand-new audience," he says. "And now it feels like it's beginning to take hold. I'm telling you. This Is It..
