Heartland

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H e a r t l a n d
JASON ALBERT: Lead vocalist
CRAIG ANDERSON: Rhythm guitar
TODD ANDERSON: Drummer
CHUCK CRAWFORD: Fiddle/background vocals
MIKE MYERSON: Lead guitar
KEITH WEST: Bass guitar/background vocals

 

All it takes for a popular regional act to be catapulted into the national spotlight is one special song. Suddenly home-town-heroes find themselves climbing the charts and enjoying that first brush of stardom. That is exactly what's happening to Heartland, a talented band of Alabama musicians who are rapidly becoming the most talked about new act in country music.

The catalyst for the group's current success is the poignant ballad "I Loved Her First," which is becoming one of the most added new songs in country radio. Though one hit song can serve as a launch pad, it takes talent, hard work and an arsenal of solid material to build a career. Heartland has those things in abundance.  "We just all love music," says lead vocalist Jason Albert as he begins chronicling the band's early days.  "The core of the band was me, Craig and Todd starting out. Then we added Mike and Keith. Chuck's not been with us that long. We've known him for a long time, but he recently joined the band and he just fits like a glove. It's been wonderful”.  Collectively, Heartland encompasses a variety of musical influences including Johnny Cash, Alabama, Van Halen, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, AC/DC, Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. Each member of the band grew up absorbing a rather diverse musical diet and those varied influences have helped shape the full-bodied, robust sound that defines Heartland's musical persona. Like all young bands, Heartland practiced, performed and dreamed of stardom. In 1997, they got their first taste of that dream becoming a reality when they performed at the final June Jam, an annual concert held in Ft. Payne each year by country music legends “Alabama”. When they took the stage in front of more than 20,000 screaming fans, they were surprised and elated to see people holding up Heartland signs and shouting their name. It was an especially poignant moment for Todd Anderson. "Alabama had been such a huge influence," he says. "Alabama was the first concert I went to when I was six-years-old and they are the greatest band in country music history. When we were fortunate enough to play the June Jam, that really summed it up. There were no other career options after that."  Lead singer, Jason, nods his agreement to Todd's statement  then adds, "We always knew we wanted to do it, we dreamed about it, but that was one of the defining moments. We've played some big shows. We've played with a lot of big people. When you actually get up there and get a taste of it, it tastes GOOD! " 

Heartland became known for delivering a great live show. "I heard somebody say 'If you take some Beach Boys and a little bit Alabama and put them in a cup and shake them up, you get the Heartland sound,'" Keith West says. "We like putting on a very lively show that might make you think back to the 80's rock days--maybe not as crazy, but we do like to move around and entertain the people."