With sand still in his shoes, country music singer Rick Tanksley has crossed the desert and is headed for a promised land of simple things. After a lengthy touring hiatus, Tanksley is singing a different song these days with his debut release, The Desert. "A few years ago, my empty search for money, stardom, and things came to an end. The lyrics to one of the songs on my album are the words of my testimony set to music. You're the Best Thing was written by Mississippi songwriter Jim Weatherly and was made popular back in the late seventies by Gladys Knight. I wanted to sing it country-style and put it on the album. The lyrics say exactly what I wanted to say about my experience...'If anyone should ever write my life story/ You'll be there between each line of pain and glory/ (Lord) You're the best thing that ever happened to me.' It has taken me a long time and a lot of dry places to find my way back to what really matters," Tanksley said.
Following the same road to stardom as country superstars, Bryan White and Alan Jackson, Tanksley's rise to fame and fortune took a downward slide. Tanksley spent his early years as a musician playing clubs on weekends. His big break came when he met Glen Campbell's manager, who also managed White and Jackson. Tanksley moved to Nashville and shared an apartment with White. Putting together a hot band with some of the best pickers in Nashville, Tanksley hit the road -- touring from one side of the country to the other.
Tanksley finally began to realize his life-long dream of living the celebrity life only to watch it transform into a nightmare of drinking and drugs. Like a huge siphon, the road drained Tanksley of his family, friends, money, and coveted career as a country music performer. For almost two years, his drinking was out of control. Tanksley later found his drug of choice, quit the music business, and came home with no money, no future and no way out. His free-fall landed him in a drug addiction center where he received a letter from a former rock-and-roll musician. The born-again bass player had found what he was searching for when he found Christ. Now a minister, he encouraged Tanksley to seek God for help. "I was sick, and I knew I needed someone or something to save me from myself. I knew that the life I was living was destroying everything and everyone around me that I loved. I was tired of all the waste, and with the Lord's help, I was determined to be that one-percent who made it." Tanksley confessed.
Now, the forty-year-old Mississippi native is back in Sebastopol, Mississippi, with his wife of nineteen years, Shellie, and his three children, Natalie, Zach, and Nick. He found his place - a record contract with Giant Records, a country album appropriately entitled The Desert, and a life in Christ. "It's hard to believe that someone singing in front of thousands of people can be in such a lonely place. It is a desert. I guess I always wanted to be 'untouchable.' But that's not what God wanted. God wants me to reach out to people who might be walking that same lonely road. I can truly thank the Lord for His salvation, life's simple things, and the sand in my shoes."
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The Desert
| 2. Angels Don't Walk |
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| 7. Best Thing That Ever Happened ... |
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| 8. Shelter From The Storm |
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..:: Rick Tanksley Online
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| New Comp disk Released July 1 2010 |
Terajay Music Group is proud to announce the release of their first comp disk of 2010... It has been a long time coming but is well worth the wait... this disk has a great variety of music from "country gospel","christian country", and "Positive country" music..
Including releases from Deryl Dodd, Gene Watson, Cross Country, and new-comers Hunter Erwin and Marlon Sharp just to name a few..plus much more.
If you are a broadcaster and would like a copy of this disk for bradcast purposes, please e-mail us at terajaymusic@cableone.net.... |
| Hunter Erwin releases new album with Terajay |
Louisiana's very own Christian Country Cowboy has released a new project under the Terajay Music label entitled "Back to You"... Produced by Terajay's own Chip Bricker, this is a top-40 country sounding project that has the home-spun country vocal attitude that Hunter is known for.. this album is a must have for pure christian country fans..
You can order the album by calling Terajay @ (903)-223-6671... or u can download the project from the following website www.cdbaby.com/cd/HunterErwin
Listen for Hunter's new single "Back to You", at radio now..
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| Marlon Sharp has new album that every man needs to hear |
Marlon Sharp is one of those artists that writes, sings and plays guitar equally as well... and he does it all with believable class and understanding on his new album "That's Where I Stand"..
In this album he explains where he came from, where he is, and where he is going..as well as describing some of life's issues that he has encountered along the way..
The new album has a Traditional Country flair with a top-40 quality that shows off all of Marlon's talents and let's you know right where he stands..
To order Marlon Sharp's "That's Where I Stand", call the Terajay distribution office at (903)-223-6671 or log onto www.cdbaby.com/cd/marlonsharp for a digital download..
Listen for Marlon's new single, already getting played in over 100 markets, entitled "Cowboy Church".. |
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