Spotlight On
Heartland

JASON ALBERT: Lead vocalist
CRAIG ANDERSON: Rhythm guitar
TODD ANDERSON: Drummer
CHUCK CRAWFORD: Fiddle/background vocals
MIKE MYERSON: Lead guitar
KEITH WEST: Bass guitar/background vocals

All it takes for a popular regional act to be catapulted into the national spotlight is one special song. Suddenly home-town-heroes find themselves climbing the charts and enjoying that first brush of stardom. That is exactly what's happening to Heartland, a talented band of Alabama musicians who are rapidly becoming the most talked about new act in country music. The catalyst for the group's current success is the poignant ballad "I Loved Her First," which is becoming one of the most added new songs at country radio. Though one hit song can serve as a launch pad, it takes talent, hard work and an arsenal of solid material to build a career. Heartland has those things in abundance. "We just all love music," says lead vocalist Jason Albert as he begins chronicling the band's early days. "The core of the band was me, Craig and Todd starting out. Then we added Mike and Keith. Chuck's not been with us that long. We've known him for a long time, but he recently joined the band and he just fits like a glove. It's been wonderful." Collectively, Heartland encompasses a variety of musical influences including Johnny Cash, Alabama, Van Halen, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, AC/DC, Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. Each member of the band grew up absorbing a rather diverse musical diet and those varied influences have helped shape the full-bodied, robust sound that defines Heartland's musical persona. Like all young bands Heartland practiced, performed and dreamed of stardom. However in 1997, they got their first taste of that dream becoming a reality when they performed at the final June Jam, an annual concert held in Ft. Payne each year by country music legends Alabama. When they took the stage in front of more than 20,000 screaming fans, they were surprised and elated to see people holding up Heartland signs and shouting their name. It was an especially poignant moment for Todd Anderson. "Alabama had been such a huge influence," he says. "Alabama was the first concert I went to when I was six-years-old and they are the greatest band in country music history. When we were fortunate enough to play the June Jam, that really summed it up. There were no other career options after that." Jason agrees. "We always knew we wanted to do it," he says of pursuing a music career. "We dreamed about it, but that was one of the defining moments. We've played some big shows. We've played with a lot of big people. When you actually get up there and get a taste of it, it tastes GOOD! "Heartland became known for delivering a great live show. "I heard somebody say 'If you take some Beach Boys and a little bit Alabama and put them in a cup and shake them up, you get the Heartland sound,'" Keith West says. "We like putting on a very lively show that might make you think back to the 80's rock days--maybe not as crazy, but we do like to move around and entertain the people."

"There's six guys in the band and we like to give everybody six different things to look at," says Jason. "Everybody has their own little thing and everybody is very good at what they do. And as opposed to having one focal point, then you have seven. There are a lot of different things going on. When we get up there, we like to really give people something for their money. It's not like they are just listening to the CD, they are getting the whole package."

Seeing that whole package earned the band an enthusiastic legion of fans. In addition to headlining their own shows, they've opened for Kenny Chesney, Gretchen Wilson, Neal McCoy, Diamond Rio and many others. After steadily building a regional following around Huntsville, Alabama, the group signed with Lofton Creek Records, a scrappy Nashville indie venture headed up by country music veteran Mike Borchetta. It was Dan Hollander, longtime country music program director, that brought Heartland to Borchetta's attention. "I've known Dan for 25 years," says Borchetta. "Dan's a very dear friend, but in the whole 25 years that I've known him, he's never picked up the phone and called me to say, 'Mike you have to listen to this group.'"

Needless to say, Borchetta liked what he heard and signed the band. The members of Heartland soon found themselves in the studio working with hit songwriter/producer Walt Aldridge, a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. That association led to the group's fast-rising single, "I Loved Her First," which was penned by Aldridge and Elliott Parks. "We heard it at a songwriters showcase that we were at with Walt," recalls Craig Anderson. "We heard him play it and it was a no-brainer that somebody needed to do that song."

The song is becoming one of the most reactive singles country radio has embraced in a long time. "It kind of starts off leading you in the direction of thinking that the song is going to be about this guy watching this girlfriend dancing with another man," explains Chuck Crawford, "but then as you get into it, you understand that it's actually a man seeing his daughter grow up and another guy coming and taking her hand. He thinks 'Yes you love her now, but I loved her when she was eight pounds.' It just really touches people."

Working with Aldridge in Muscle Shoals' Fame Studios, the band has put together a potent collection of songs defined by the inimitable Heartland sound. Jason says the band takes pride in that fact that there's no one else that sounds quite like they do when they get together. It's a unique sound forged from years under hot spotlights in sweaty clubs with audiences on their feet screaming for more. 

It also comes from years of friendship, camaraderie and a shared musical vision. When one spends any amount of time around these guys, their respect for each other and their friendship is obvious. After all they've been through a lot together. "There's a lot of stuff that we have on each other and you kind of get that when you've known someone since the 5th grade," says Craig.

Just then Chuck feels compelled to share a juicy tidbit from the band's past. "These guys had the biggest mullets, except for Jason," he says with a laugh. "There were some serious mullets in this band. If the mullet nation had a currency, these guys would have been on the $100 bill." 

Talent, drive and a great sense of humor-country music fans are connecting to those qualities and so much more with Heartland. Like the image their name evokes, this group of young men personify the best of America's country lifestyle, and they connect with audiences because their music reflects the hopes, challenges and dreams of everyone out there in the heartland and beyond. "The reason we want to do this is the genuine love and respect we have for each other," says Todd. "If the good Lord blesses us enough to allow us to make a living out of it, that's wonderful. If we start playing arenas with 20,000 people each night, that's great, but no matter where we are or what we're doing this a true brotherhood."

Thanks for the Music!