Jamie Richards is not a man who fears the machine or cares what “they” think. With boldness, Jamie dares to go where most have drifted from: traditional, honest, downright real country music. With his third release, “Drive”, Jamie has come to a crossroads where his raw talent meets his maturity as a songwriter. These two forces have met and created a masterpiece of real country music.
After eight years of getting his musical education in Oklahoma honky-tonks, Jamie ventured out east to Music City. Jamie quickly learned that Music City doesn’t always welcome “real country singers” with open arms. Every day Jamie watched great singers leave town, discouraged by the corporate nature of Music Row and the pop influenced sound that was being made mainstream. Still, Jamie forged on, unaffected by the manufactured nature of Nashville, relying on his bulldog mentality, his perseverance paid off. His mastery of the songwriting craft caught the attention of Curb Records, who offered him a position as a staff writer. For almost five years, Jamie played the part of the prolific staff songwriter for the mega publishing company, securing cuts with major label artists and several motion pictures. During his tenure, he was offered several record deals. All of the opportunities started out with the same promise, but always ended with the fear that Jamie was “too country.” Never one to compromise his beliefs, he dismissed their ideas of turning him into another cookie cutter country act.
At the same time that Nashville was turning up its nose at traditional country music, a legendary record label in Texas was looking for the next voice to bring back the roots of country music. In 2000, Wes Daily reactivated D Records, hoping to follow in his grandfather’s footstep. “Pappy” Daily, the founder of D Records, was famous for launching the career of George Jones. Jamie fit what Wes was looking for: straight up, life telling, soul stirring country music. Jamie’s debut album, “No Regrets”, was an instant hit, producing two Texas Music Chart top ten singles. He found his home in the camaraderie of other Texas/Oklahoma artists, collaborating or performing with artist like Kevin Fowler, Walt Wilkins, and Cooder Graw. Kevin Fowler co-wrote and recorded “Loose, Loud and Crazy” with Jamie.
In the fall of 2003, Jamie began to work on his album “Between These Lines.” This album has a range of honky-tonk tunes like “Wasted” to his ballad “Last Call.” Both “Wasted” and “Last Call” reached 4 on the Texas Music Chart.
His third release, “Drive”, is a mosaic of sounds that all come together to create a seamless, timeless classic. Jamie had two songs on the album that have hit a note with Texas Listeners: “Drive” and “Any Way You Want Me To” has reached 1 and 3 respectively on the Texas Music Charts. The album mixes drinking songs with the touching ballads; all with an unmistakable beat that drives people to the dance floor in droves. Especially touching is the last track on the album “Julia’s Table”, a tribute to Jamie’s mother who passed away in 2005, the woman who introduced him to his greatest love: music.
