Starring Kent Eugene Goolsby. Photo by @jasonmyersphoto

NASHVILLE SINCE BIRTH

Kent Eugene Goolsby has more than earned his Nashville stripes. Now, he’s putting the pieces together for an exciting new chapter.

“I’m from Cookeville, so I’ve been in and out of Nashville my whole life,” the artist and songwriter says. The singer-songwriter began his music career long before his official move to Music City.

“Back in the day I use to tour with a band,” he says. The Americana-leaning The Only Sons opened for acts like Jason Isbell and Lydia Loveless. It was there that he cut his teeth on the road, the grind, and the passion that comes with a job in the music industry.

““No one should ever feel discouraged by anyone being like, ‘This isn’t gonna work out,’” he says. “When I was in Cookeville, my band always came in like, second place at Battle of the Bands, so we were never the coolest people around town. But if you just keep doing it, you might not ever be some sort of a superstar but eventually it becomes a career for you.””

On that journey, Kent has certainly paid his dues. “I worked for Dollar General, Sir Pizza, Lowes, Home Depot, I sold tractors,” he says. Then he got a job at publishing company Sony ATV, and now works for BMG. “It’s do that by day and try to do some co-writing, write around, still play around regionally, tour a little bit,” he says.

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His life is music 24/7. At BMG, he splits his time between handling paperwork for newly signed writers, preparing the announcement of their signing, and booking co-writes for writers signed to the company. When he’s not at work, he’s writing by himself or in a co-write, recording his music, playing writers’ rounds around town, or taking his sounds on the road.

“There’s definitely times where we’re starting a co-writing session at like seven and I’ve been working since seven,” he says. “But if you give it some time and it links up then it’s worth it. If it’s working you don’t really feel that time."

He recently recorded an EP, a five-song project due later in 2018, featuring four solo writes and one co-write. He’s continuing to co-write more and take his brand of singer-songwriter pop-country to eager listeners this year. “I think the most important thing,” he says, “is just keeping that hustle going and keeping that fire as long as you can.”

Learn more on his website, and connect with him on Instagram. Hear his single “Throwin’ Stones” on Spotify.