My name is Tyler Dickerson and I am 16 years old. I guess the first time I remember performing publicly was when I was five and got a supporting role in a church play. I wasn't satisfied until everyone was focused on me instead of on the leads in the play.
Just before my ninth birthday I met a group of country singers performing in front of our local K-Mart. My dad asked if I could get up and sing along. I sang the only country song I knew, "Little Bitty" by Alan Jackson. They liked it and asked me to sing with them at a fair later that night. I had to sing three songs, so I learned two others in the car on the way there. They also invited me to a fair where we'd open for David Lee Murphy. When he came on stage I went out front to watch his set. Some of the crowd noticed me and started asking for my autograph and taking my picture. Later a table was set up right beside David Lee Murphy's so I could sign autographs just like him. I remember looking at my dad that night saying "I like this. I think this is what I want to do."
My parents booked some solo shows for me, but we didn't have any equipment to play my karaoke-style accompaniment tracks. All I had was a set of Pearl drums my grandfather had given me for my ninth birthday. So we loaded them up on the back of the truck and traded them in for a small PA system made up of a CD player, mixing board, two speakers and two microphones which my dad set up in the dining room. It wasn't long before I had a steady gig at the local flea market, The Wagon Wheel in Seminole, Florida, singing every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for six hours straight. My dad worked the sound and my mom and little sister gave me breaks every so often by singing a few songs themselves.
When it looked like all of this was starting to work, we made a family decision that my dad quit his job to become my booking agent and manager. It was a difficult choice. We had to move out of our house because we couldn't afford it only on my mom's income. That's when my dad started booking me paying gigs. Soon I was performing at local pubs, mobile home parks, fairs, festivals and private parties. I also landed an annual gig in Martin County, Fla. where I opened for David Lee Murphy, Blackhawk and Trent Tomlinson. I've also been asked to perform for several years in a row at Charlie Daniels' benefit for The Angelus, a home for the severely handicapped in Tampa, Fla. At the benefit concert I've had the chance to meet and perform with great artists like Montgomery Gentry, The Marshall Tucker Band, Jason Aldean, James Otto, Lady Antebellum, Trick Pony, Confederate Railroad, and of course the sponsor, Mr. Charlie Daniels himself.
My career in country was picking up so I had to visit Nashville. I went in every bar and honky tonk on Broadway asking to sing. I was only 10, but I loved it. On the drive back to Florida, I wrote my first song, "Honky Tonk Junkie" which became a song on the first album I recorded a few months later.
But it still wasn't enough. I had to go back. So in 2007 my mom put in her two-week's notice, we sold what we could in a yard sale and loaded up everything else in a U-Haul for Nashville. Well, almost Nashville - we stayed with my grandparents in Clarksville, which is about an hour outside Nashville, until we found a house to rent. Then we hit yard sales to find furniture.
In Nashville, I went to Tootsies Orchid Lounge for open mic night. The first time I sang, the man who books the place was outside and didn't get to hear me. The next Saturday I made sure he did. After I finished my two songs he offered me a spot at Tootsies every Tuesday and Thursday. I was hoping for the weekend but at least I had my foot in the door. Pretty soon I got my wish - I was singing Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays on the front stage.
After performing at a John Rich talent search, John and his business partner Charlie had ideas for me. They offered me a five-song album, a publishing and management deal. And I started writing with some of the best songwriters in Nashville like Billy Lawson, Ed Hill, and Kim Tribble. I also got regular gigs in Nashville on Broadway at Legend's Corner on Thursdays and The Stage on Sundays.
I went into the recording studio in November of 2008 and the five-song album was ready in December. John called up a bunch of record labels to set up meetings where I could perform. A week later John called saying Lyric Street wanted to meet with me again. Kind of a "one-on-one" type meeting, he said.
So my parents, John, Charlie and I went to the label's office. Not exactly one-on-one. John tried to prep me on what to talk about, but I already knew what I was going to say: My family and I have struggled for the past six years trying to chase my dream. We have all given up a lot, moved so many times I lost track, and since February we have been living in a 26-foot camper because we couldn't afford a house and utilities. We no longer had privacy. I slept on the sofa and my sister turned the table into her bed at night. I wanted them to know what my family and I have been through. I wanted to show them how serious I am about making this my career. I said my peace and Lyric Street Records President Randy Goodman and Sr. Vice President A&R Doug Howard stepped out of the office for a few minutes and came back in. Then they asked me to be part of their family. The Lyric Street family.
So here I am. It's been a long road of hard work, dedication, sacrifices, and stress, but I'm living my dream. This means the world to me. It kind of feels like a miracle. And when I hear my song the first time on the radio my heart's going to drop. It's going to be amazing. It'll feel like heaven.
