Leith Loftin describes himself as “a simple country boy from Mississippi—what you see is what you get.” And what you get is knockout music from one of the most talented artist-songwriters on the Nashville horizon today. Equally at home with Southern rock, rhythm and blues, outlaw and traditional country, Leith’s soulful, honest vocals and electrifying guitar playing have earned him fans from the Mississippi to Montana, and as far away as Germany, Australia and California.
A native of Vaiden, Leith was born into music, the son of local music hero Kenny Loftin (“Magnolia Blue”), who began teaching Leith guitar licks as soon as he could hold the instrument. Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, The Allman Brothers, B. B. King, and Muddy Waters were among the many early influences that helped shape his sound. During his youth, Leith played in churches, county fairs, barn dances, porch parties— “anywhere somebody could get up a crowd”—and began earning a reputation for dynamite acoustic shows that boasted both skillfully rendered covers as well as promising original material. After high school, Leith earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi and went to work for global chemical giant Ecolab in Memphis.
But Leith couldn’t get music off his mind, and in 2005 he quit his job and moved to Nashville, where he found work tending bar at the world-famous Wildhorse Saloon. Less than six months after moving to Nashville, he opened the country stage of northern Alabama’s famous Big Spring Jam, performing ahead of Craig Morgan, Travis Tritt, Gary Nichols, Billy Dean, and Buddy Jewell. He opened the festival again the following year, appearing on the same stage as Blake Shelton, Sugarland, John Anderson, Tracy Lawrence, and Gary Allan. Later in 2006, Leith won the Mississippi Colgate Country Showdown, earning himself $1,000 and critical accolades for his live performance and original songs. In early 2007, he opened for George Jones at the prestigious Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
In addition to being a dynamite performer, Leith is also a talented songwriter, writing both alone and collaboratively. His work with songwriters J. R. Hammond, Adam Brooks Dudding, Don Sullivan, and Michael Scott has produced some of his most popular songs to date, including “Walk It Off”, “Can’t Get Out”, “She Can’t Make Up Her Mind”, “Blue Collars”, “Don’t Pull It Out”, “You’re Still Around”, “Inside”, and the regional smash “Good Mississippi Times”. He has been featured on Nashville Channel 5’s “Words and Music” and recently played the renowned Bluebird Café by invitation for the first time.
Leith continues to write and perform, honing his craft and continually striving for excellence. “Everybody has their place in the world, and I feel this is what I’ve been given to do”, Leith says.
If the rest of us are lucky, he will be doing it for a long time to come.
-Studio 238, July 2008
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