The bandmates of Emerson Drive have been friends since childhood. They emerged from Canada in 2001 and were immediately signed to DreamWorks Records.
Feb. 26, 2007 — Emerson Drive is truly a band of brothers. The country group, together for a large part of their young lives, has experienced extreme career highs and lows and have come out on the other side more determined than ever to succeed.
Friends since childhood, the group built a following in Canada even as they set their sights on Nashville. "Starting out in Canada, we found out very quickly that it is difficult to make a living and tour the way we like to tour," says lead singer Brad Mates. "We love to play, and there are just not as many markets in Canada as there are in the U.S. So Nashville has been a goal of ours from day one. We wanted to create music on an international level so that we could keep creating our music for a lifetime."
The band emerged from Canada in 2001 and was immediately signed to DreamWorks Records. Their self-titled debut garnered two Top 5 hits, ("I Should Be Sleeping" and "Fall Into Me") and earned them the ACM Top New Vocal Group award and accolades from Billboard magazine as the No. 1 Top Country Artist of the Year.
Shortly after a second album was released, the band experienced their first major setback: a corporate merger left them without a record deal.
"It was difficult when we lost our deal with DreamWorks, but we've been in tough spots before," says Mates. "I think that as a group, because we live with each other day after day and year after year, it's those tough times that bring us closer and make us want to work even harder to achieve success."
Fast forward to 2006. The group signs with Midas Records and releases Countrified, an album produced by Alabama's Teddy Gentry and veteran producer/songwriter Josh Leo, two producers well suited for capturing Emerson Drive's live sound in the studio.
"We've always been unique in our sound in that we don't allow any outside musicians on our records. We play and sing all of our music so that what you hear on the CD is what you hear at one of our concerts."
The band's current single, "Moments," is impacting fans with its emotional message of hope against all odds. The ballad's video remains on GAC's Top 20 Country Countdown (9 pm ET, Friday, March 2).
Mates is well aware of music's healing properties. "Helping people and making them forget about their problems for a while is the bigger and better part of what music can do for people."
(Ronna Rubin, a 21-year veteran of the music industry, can be contacted at ronna@gacmusicbeat.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)