PURCHASE Brice's debut album at itunes
Brice moved to Nashville permanently in 1993 after finishing college at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Through his growing network of connections, Brice landed his first paid songwriting job at a publishing company, Starstruck, owned by Reba McEntire.
His reputation as a writer grew and Music Row started to take notice as John Michael Montgomery, Josh Turner, Randy Travis and others put their imprint on tunes he had written. Gary Allan turned Brice's "Nothing On But the Radio" into Brice’s first cut to reach 1 on the charts. Gary also recorded "Sorry," which Brice now revisits on his own debut.
In 2004, Brice was signed by Columbia Records, which teamed him with award winning producers Mark Wright (Gretchen Wilson/Brooks & Dunn) and Keith Stegall (Alan Jackson) for his debut project. Brice co-wrote eight of the eleven songs on the album. Brice continues to tour and write. Brice Long is a native of Hopkinsville, KY. He’s had charted singles with “It’s Only Monday” and “Anywhere But Here”. His self titled album is available From Columbia Records on Itunes or wherever digital music is sold.
As he gears up to promote his new album and head out into country's fast lane, Brice admits his roots are never far from the surface. The words and work ethic of his father, and the lessons of the family farm, are still very much instilled in him. They got him through more than ten frustrating years of struggle, subsistence-level living and success by agonizingly small increments. They saw him through to where he ultimately wanted to be -- a recognized, successful singer-songwriter with his own record deal. And he knows they'll be with him as he continues to grow his career.
The way he was raised, says Brice, "taught me if you were gonna do something, it was gonna take a lot of work, and the only way to get it done is to do it. Get in there and roll up your sleeves and get after it.”
"This business is that way -- no matter how tough it gets, you stick with the job until you get done. No matter how hot it was out there in the tobacco patch, you couldn't quit; that was just something you couldn't do. You had to keep going until you got it done.
"I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse," he says with a smile. "But maybe I'm just hard headed enough to have to prove to somebody that, 'You know what? This is what I wanna do.'" He pauses. "And this is what I'm gonna do."
I'm just trying to do something that stays true to what I am. And I'm just as at home in a pair of jeans and boots as a hip, stylish suit." "I love all that, the whole cowboy lifestyle. But, there's more to me than just that, especially as an artist."
Country's hardcore honky-tonk and suave cosmopolitan textures find a natural fit in Brice, who grew up digging the entire spectrum of country's Top 40 of the '70s and '80s, when radio shuffled the gritty barroom balladry of Gary Stewart with the smooth sensuality of Conway Twitty and the rollicking R&B fire of Charlie Rich.
"I love the soulful side of country--Charlie Rich, Gary Stewart, Conway. And I love R&B music--Al Green and the blues. So when you entwine all that together, I feel like what we've got is more a presentation of me as an artist, instead of 'Here's another hat act.'"
Brice hopes listeners of his album will feel a certain "soulful" connection with his music--and feel like they're listening to someone who can connect, in a personal way, to the songs he's singing.
"I feel like this record captures my personality in a lot of the songs and represents me in a lot of ways," he explains. "It captures the fact that I love to have fun at what I'm doing. But there's also a serious side that realizes how important it is to have love and family, to enjoy all the times that you spend, be it with your wife or your friends in a bowling alley."
"I've learned, especially from writing songs, that you have to live and you have to love to really touch people," he continues. "You have to take a shot; you have to take a chance at just about everything that comes along. Because if you don't, when it's all over, you look back and say, 'I wish I'd done that,' or 'I wish I had just called her' or 'I wish I'd gone swimming that day.' All those things come together to develop a life, and that's where great songs come from."
Brice is currently signed to EMI Music Publishing. He’s had cuts with John Michael Montgomery, Josh Turner, Gary Allan, Darryl Worley, Tracy Byrd, Chris Young, Steve Holy, Randy Travis and Porter Wagoner. Including the 1 single “Nothing on but the Radio” for Gary Allan. Currently he has a single climbing the country charts with Universal Records South newcomer Randy Houser on “Anything Goes.”
