Rockie Lynne   -  Biography

Rockie Lynne grew up in Statesville, N.C., with a strict Southern Baptist upbringing. As a young man, he bought his uncle's guitar and later purchased a record player and two albums from a yard sale at the First Baptist Church. However, he had to hide in the closet to listen to the albums -- by Jimi Hendrix and KISS -- so his parents wouldn't hear the music. In high school, he joined his school's jazz ensemble, then began playing in bands.

Soon, he joined the Army and was stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C. When his active duty ended, he moved to Hollywood to enroll at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles, on the GI Bill. After numerous failed auditions, he relocated to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and learned the ropes from local entertainer Mike Shane. When Shane went to Nashville in the early '90s to do some recording, Lynne came along and stuck around for a few years, playing guitar for some touring country acts.

By the mid-90s, Lynne decided to quit the sideman gigs to concentrate on his solo career. After moving to Minnesota (because of its central location), he built a regional fan base with constant touring and self-recorded CDs. One night, at a show in Prior Lake, Minn., an employee of Warner Bros.' sales and marketing division named Bruce Larson heard Lynne's set and sent a CD to the executive vice president of Universal Records. Lynne and Larson immediately flew to New York City, where Lynne signed to the label.

Lynne released a self-titled album on Universal South in May 2006.