Scotty Emerick   -  Biography

Scotty Emerick was raised in Vero Beach, Fla., a self-proclaimed "redneck beach bum." His father listened to Hank Williams Sr., Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris and bought Scotty a guitar when he was 6. He learned Williams' songs first and Nelson's entire Red Headed Stranger album by age 10. He also sang Bobby Bare and Glen Campbell songs on the bus on trips to summer camp, then started performing in VFW halls and lodges in the area, usually without a band.

In high school, he started writing his own songs but enlisted in firefighter school after graduation. However, he moved to Nashville at age 19. Through some connections, he befriended the country singer Bryan White and later toured in his band. Emerick also eventually landed a publishing deal and scored a Top 5 hit when Sawyer Brown cut "I Don't Believe in Goodbye."

Yet, his collaborations with Toby Keith have proven the most fruitful. After meeting at a jam session backstage at the 1997 CMA awards, Keith invited Emerick on the road to write. It wasn't until 1999 that the writing session took place. Only one of their songs ended up on Keith's How Do You Like Me Now?! album, but Emerick landed five cuts on Keith's follow-up Pull My Chain, including the single "I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight." On Keith's next album, Unleashed, Emerick scored seven cuts. One of them, "Beer for My Horses," quickly rose to No. l and earned two Grammy nominations.

Spending a lot of time on the road with Keith, he and Emerick became well-known for their "bus songs," with titles like "The Taliban Song" and "Weed With Willie." Nelson also recorded "I Didn't Come Here (And I Ain't Leavin')," for his Live & Kickin' album. Keith and DreamWorks label head James Stroud co-produced Emerick's debut album, The Coast Is Clear, to be released in June 2004.