Today we’d like to introduce you to Truett.
Truett, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started playing music at 11 when I received my first guitar. I was making money and gigging by 14. I was always intrigued by the electric guitar. My neighbor and close family friend had one and I would always go over to his house and beg him to teach me how to play. He would let me hold the guitar and strum it but didn’t agree to teach me until I was old enough. He agreed at 11 that I was old enough and started teaching me from there.
He would show me chords and songs slowly and I would pick them up fairly quickly. I would take home what I learned from him and practice for hours every night. Once I got to the point where I was comfortable playing chords and could play a few songs, I would practice in my room every day after school for 3 hours a day. This went on for several years. I never really got into sports much and I tried several, but nothing stuck with me as much as the guitar did. The guitar was definitely an outlet for me at that age, I would play all the time constantly and listen to records that my dad would introduce me to. Mainly southern rock bands and blues artists that he was in to.
After a couple years of lessons with my neighbor, he agreed that I needed a more formal teacher, so I started taking lessons from a local music store. My teacher Dan really helped me advance as a player and gave me a lot of tips on how to pick out songs on my own. From there I started to learn more by ear and eventually moved on to learning on my own. When I was 14, I booked my first show at a restaurant nearby and it turned into a weekly gig for me. I made a little money and realized quickly it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. From 15 to 18 I was playing local bars, restaurants, parties, and festivals with a band pretty regularly. Sneaking into clubs and bars, I wasn’t allowed in late on weeknights to listen to and learn from the older players I looked up to. I would make it home just in time for a few hours of sleep before I had to get up for school.
My family supported me greatly in music and would help me pay for my equipment and drive me to shows before I could drive myself. By the time I was 19 I had been playing the blues circuit in Atlanta heavily and actively trying to make a name for myself in the music scene. By 21 I had a weekly residency in Marietta at a blues club called Darwin’s. I was there every Monday night honing my skills and developing my own style amongst some of Atlanta’s best musicians. Just a few years after I had only been allowed to sit on the front porch and watch from the window. I cut my teeth there and it helped me develop greatly as an artist. From then on I was playing 5-6 nights a week consistently all over Georgia and some of the southeast.
In 2016 I signed with an Indie Label based out of Nashville called Brooklyn Basement Records owned & operated by longtime friends of mine Ron Pope & Blair Clark. I had known Ron for a long time and watched him progress into a very successful musician. He had always looked out for me and was there to help me with advice on the industry. When they started the label and signed me as one of the first artists, I was ecstatic to work with him and Blair. Ron has produced both of my records and I have been working closely with him and the team ever since. I was fortunate enough to go on tour with him in 2016 across the US and Europe for three months and kickstart the project.
Since then I have been touring 100+ dates a year all over the United States and looking forward to a busy schedule in 2019.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been a long and very not smooth road, to say the least, haha. The music industry as a whole has become extremely difficult to earn revenue in. Over the years the digital aspect has taken over and made it difficult for artists to make money just on music sales. At the same time, it has made it easier for you to be heard. So it is a bit of a catch 22. The only real way for independent artists to make money is to tour constantly and play lots of shows. This also has to be done all by yourself. Your average active independent artist has to quickly become a travel agent, booking agent, finance manager, marketing consultant, social media manager, songwriter and performer all in one. All the while usually having to still work a day job to fund your project.
That has been the biggest struggle for me. I get a lot of help from the label I am with and it is still a full-time job to promote yourself, create content, write songs and handle all of the business sides that is involved.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
My music is a mash-up of all the artists that have influenced me over the years. It’s a heavily blues-influenced rock and roll with a slightly southern edge. I have worked really hard and many years to get to where I am today as an artist. It’s never enough and I’ll never be satisfied with what I create because I believe in music you can always push yourself to learn more and create more.
I think what sets me apart from other artists would be what I bring to the stage in a live performance. Playing music in a live setting is like breathing air to me. It is essential for me to survive. It has kept me alive, brought me happiness, anger, and sadness all in one. No matter how frustrated I get with music or the industry itself it always sucks me back and makes me crave it. Whether its ten people or 1,000 people that are watching, they are going to get 100% of what I have every night.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There is so many people that have helped me along the way. Foremost my family has been my number one support system. My mother and sisters listened to me play the same three songs every night before bed at ear-splitting volume, very rarely complaining haha. They have always helped in any way they can to further my career, whether it be financially or physically, they have always been there for me no matter what, which I am eternally grateful for. My father has driven me to hundreds of gigs, bought equipment and guitars, introduced me to so much music and has always supported me and encouraged me in all of my music endeavors. He is currently my tour manager and we have traveled all over the country together and are still at it.
My old neighbor Marty was the first person that taught me to play guitar and believed in me as a guitar player. I owe a lot to him for being patient with me and getting me started. My second teacher Dan Manning is a phenomenal teacher with an absolutely incredible ear that taught me so much. He would sit and listen for our entire lesson and break down a song for me that he had never heard before. I was mesmerized that he could do that from nothing but his ear.
My electronics teacher, Al George at Wheeler High School, was a huge mentor to me. He was a really great guitar player and frontman for several bands and had toured with Michael Twitty for many years. He taught me so much about reading a crowd and catering to an audience. Not to mention all the licks I stole from him. If it wasn’t for him and two other teachers there, I would never have graduated High School.
There have been so many people along the way that have helped me and encouraged me. I appreciate all of the support especially from the Atlanta community and music scene.
Contact Info:
- Website: TruettOfficial.com
- Phone: Management: Brian O’shea 573 208 0529
- Email: info@truettofficial.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/truettofficial
- Facebook: facebook.com/truettofficial
- Twitter: twitter.com/officialtruett
Image Credit:
Randolph Infinger, Blair Clark, Pedro Rocha
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