Artist Information
His Martin guitar has been with him through thick and thin since he was 16 and is his most prized possession. It's already nearly as beat up as Willie Nelson's from being played eight hours a day for years, and he keeps signed photos of two of his heroes, Guy Clark and Kris Kristofferson, on the back of it. "I really love that guitar," he says. "It never talks back, it never pisses me off, it never gets mad — it's so neutral and apathetic, but it cares for me, in a sense. I love it. And I can beat it up all I want," he adds, laughing.
After high school, Austin went to Atlanta and played gigs up and down the East Coast. He worked 25 different odd jobs during his pursuit to make it as a singer/songwriter, including working on the line building cars at a BMW plant. "I've always had to work hard for everything" he says. "Nothing was ever handed to me. My family is not very rich, they're just regular people, so I had to do a lot of things for myself. I've always had a pretty good work ethic."
Following a bad breakup, Austin impulsively made his first trip to Nashville. On his way back home he stopped at a Waffle House, put Patsy Cline on the jukebox and met a charming older couple. The husband turned out to be Opry member Charlie Louvin, (another influence of Austin's) and the two became fast friends. Louvin invited him to play onstage with him that night at the Smokehouse in Monteagle, TN, and when he introduced him he told the crowd Austin reminded him of Kris Kristofferson. Austin kept in touch with Louvin up until a week before he died in 2011.
Austin moved to Nashville and his demo made its way into the hands of renowned producer Byron Gallimore, who immediately offered him a publishing deal. On November 9, 2013 he played the ultimate stage — the Grand Ole Opry.
"Being asked to perform at the Grand Ole Opry is the highest honor I've ever known,” says Austin. “I'm blessed, humbled and grateful to have had the opportunity."
Austin describes his music as "country soul." "It's therapeutic," he adds. "I try to stay as honest and relevant as possible in the lyrical content. And when I write, I'm writing about things I believe in."
Austin Webb is signed to Streamsound Records, the Nashville-based label founded by Grammy award-winning producer Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sugarland) and veteran industry exec Jim Wilkes.
