Chris Tompkins

Artist Description

Hailing from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and influenced by the likes of Jackson Browne and Neil Young, Chris focused on developing himself as a professional songwriter, vocalist and piano player during his high school years in the marching band. Practice and hard work paid off, leading to full time keyboard work on demo sessions as well as co-writes with various writers in the Muscle Shoals area. Chris decided he and his songs belonged in Nashville, Tennessee.

In the summer of 2000 at age 22, Chris made the move and got his first publishing deal.

In 2004, Chris penned his first Top 20 hit single “ME AND EMILY”, co-written with friend and artist, Rachel Proctor. 2005 proved to be a promising year for Chris. American Idol winner Carrie Underwood recorded his song “BEFORE HE CHEATS” and it landed the 1 Spot on Country radio for 5 consecutive weeks. It won a Grammy for 2008 Country Song of the Year and it was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2007 ACM and CMA Awards and was named ASCAP's 2007 Country Song Of The Year. Some other recordings include Hank Williams Jr.’s “THATS HOW THEY DO IT IN DIXIE”, featuring country superstars Gretchen Wilson, Big and Rich and VanZant, and “BAMA BREEZE”, recorded by Jimmy Buffett. Chris is currently a staff songwriter for Big Loud Shirt Industries.