Jo Dee Messina & Collin Raye
Jo Dee Messina is a survivor. From the moment she decided to make music her career, she dug in her heels and got to work, never wavering from her goal. That determination has paid off time and again for the feisty red-head, most recently with the completion of I'm Alright, her second Curb Records album. Her innate determination, desire for quality, and her patience for songs that she believes in, has resulted in an album that both she and her fans can be proud of. I'm Alright was 18 months in the making, but her concerts provided a platform from which she could "road test" the newer songs. In this way, Messina was able to experience the belief and support of her fans, as well as select the ten best songs with which to convey those feelings on her new album. Jo Dee's success is rooted in her ability to relate to her audience, her ability to be "real" to them. As a younger artist, Messina made inroads in the Nashville music community. In doing so, she got her start in a realistic, yet optimistic environment. Instead of the same old broken-hearted, cryin'-in-your-beer country song, Jo Dee sings tunes, that when taken as a whole, could be a musical interpretation of today's "everywoman."

With three platinum albums under his belt, Collin Raye comes by his convictions honestly. Since "Love, Me," from his critically acclaimed All I Can Be debut, spent three weeks at #1 Raye's songs have hit people in a deeper place than what one often hears on country radio. From the get-go, Raye's music has been about something more than stock romance. And that commitment to songs that touch and heal continues with I Think About You, an astounding project that looks to surpass the singer's already impressive success. Upon its release, Raye's fourth Epic album debuted at #6 on Billboard Magazine's Top Country Albums Chart, making for the strongest out-of-the-box album of his career. For Raye, it's clearly the heart and soul of the song the shapes the album.

Sons of the Desert
Initially formed in the late '80s in Waco, Texas, the Sons of the Desert played country songs with bluegrass instrumentation. The band modernized their sound with some personnel changes and gigs six nights a week in clubs scattered around Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. The band moved to Dallas in the early '90s, and again, played five or six nights a week, enabling them to further tighten their sound, as they packed 'em in the Dallas nightclubs. Feeling enthusiastic about their playing, the Sons made their first trip to Nashville. This turned out to be a very good idea. Not only did they entertain the two-steppers at the Wildhorse Saloon, but they fell into some especially good luck in performing a private showcase for Epic/Nashville executive, Doug Johnson. And sure enough, Epic came through with a recording contract. That was good luck indeed! Time in the studio resulted in their first album, entitled, Whatever Comes First, released in June of 1997. "We're loving the new album at this point. We've just accomplished a goal we strived for all our lives, and we're ready for the next stage." After time off the road, the Sons Of the Desert have been eager to play consistently again. In addition to radio appearances and a return to the club scene, they will be opening selected shows for arena head-liners. And they loved the Bahamas!

Billy Dean
Billy Dean started playing guitar with his father's band, The Country Rocks, when he was only eight years old. He continued playing and singing through his teens and built up his own following, separate from his father's band. At 19, Dean came to Nashville. Soon he found work as a jingle singer and backup vocalist. More importantly, he made his mark as a writer. The Oak Ridge Boys, Les Taylor and Shelley West all cut Billy Dean songs. Randy Travis recorded "Somewhere In My Broken Heart," a song Dean co-wrote with Richard Leigh, at the same time that Dean got a record deal. His first single, "Only Here For a Little While" shot up to the #2 on the country singles chart. Since Travis had never released his cut of "Somewhere In My Broken Heart," Dean made it his second single. It reached #1.