Eric Heatherly is not one to live in the past. But with his deep appreciation for all things retro, he is clearly inspired by it. His latest project demonstrates that a musician’s connection with his roots can not only put him ahead of this week’s music trends, but also give him a solid artistic future.
Heatherly creates an authentic Rock-A-Billy/Country/Blues-Rock sound as well as a visually fascinating spectacle. His typical set features everything from his hit originals to classic covers to deep blues. All presented with a veteran showman’s invitation to enjoy and celebrate the moment with a wide array of audiences.
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"The closest thing to Sun Records meets the Grand Ole Opry that I've ever seen."
~ Billy Bob Thornton, director/producer/
actor/musician
Writing/recording/producing his latest release on all analog equipment inside a run-down, historic 1930's pharmacy building in Nashville, the tracks and his live show have garnered Heatherly interest and exciting opportunities from some unexpected sources. Mike Wolfe of the History Channel’s “American Pickers” is a fan. Legendary actor Morgan Freeman books Heatherly's unusual act at his Mississippi blues joint regularly. The Smithsonian Institute asked him to perform for a tribute to Princess Grace.
Even the world of fashion has clamored for a taste of his American authenticity. World-renowned fashion designers have flown Heatherly around the globe to pair his performances with their latest runway sensations, placing him in such exotic locales as Morocco and the Royal Château de Fontainebleau in the south of France. The latter is where the French royal court, from 1528 onwards, entertained the body of new ideas that became known as the Renaissance. This is quite fitting, since New Orleans Living magazine has coined Heatherly as a modern day Renaissance man for inventing the world's first "Drum-O-Phone" and for designing and patenting the "Seat-Belt Guitar Strap." This item, the best selling guitar strap in history, is distributed world-wide by Levy's Leathers in Canada and sold at every Guitar Center in America.
“This is very rich music. Timeless music with eternal values. Eric knows it all from the roots up. He's done this record himself. He's the company A&R guy peering over his own shoulder. If you care about country music's past but fear for its future, you need to hear this project.”
~Colin Escott, respected pop music historian and author of Good Rockin' Tonight: Sun Records & the Birth of Rock & Roll, Hank Williams: The Biography and The Grand Ole Opry: The Making of an American Icon.
Over a decade ago, Heatherly stormed the country charts with his rockabilly-inflected revival of the Statler Brothers classic hit, “Flowers On the Wall.” The original recording had been featured in the film Pulp Fiction.
A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, he had paid his dues playing nightly for meager tips at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge on Broadway in Nashville for a decade. Shania Twain was sufficiently impressed with his chops to hire Heatherly to play lead guitar for her first world tour and to appear with her on the 1997 Country Music Association awards show.
His years of dedicated effort were rewarded with a major label deals with Mercury Records, Dreamworks & Universal. His take on country with a surf-rock feel found its way to radio and TV, showing up on CMT, “Austin City Limits,” and “Grey's Anatomy.” Other laurels include receiving Music Row Magazine’s "Critic's Pick" award and being named in Playgirl Magazine as “sexiest singer.” After being disillusioned with the "over-produced," auto-tuned new Nashville sound, Heatherly took to International audiences and charted several hits in nineteen European territories as well as landing in the #1 i-Tunes slot in Japan.
Heatherly has won acclaim from countless fans and from entertainment notables such as guitar legends Duane Eddy and Tony Joe White, and Hollywood types including William Shatner and Robert Rodriguez. His lyrical talents even landed his work on the USA Today best seller list when an author used the words to several of his new songs in her novels.
Record deals, chart positions, and fame come and go (often quickly). But Heatherly is in it for the long haul. He continues to develop his craft and strives to be a faithful steward of his God-given talents, directing his energies toward creating and sharing the music he loves for the people who love his music.
© Copyright 2017 by Eric Heatherly