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Blake Wise signs deal with Broken Bow Records

By Mike Conley | The McDowell News

Published: October 6, 2009

McDowell County's own Blake Wise is now the newest artist with Broken Bow Records in Nashville.

Benny Brown, president and chief executive officer of Broken Bow Records, recently signed Wise to a record and publishing deal on BBR and Magic Mustang Music. The independent label lists Randy Owen, the former lead singer with Alabama, and Jason Aldean as some of its artists. Aldean has had three No. 1 country hits on the label. Craig Morgan produced the first No. 1 single for the label in 2005, when "That's What I Love About Sunday" spent four weeks at the top spot on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.

Wise, a native of Nebo, is now working for the same label that produced all those hit songs.

"I'm real excited about it," said the 22-year-old. "They have a great track record. They definitely had a great radio promotion staff and know how to get the job done. We're just totally excited Everything has a good feeling."

"We absolutely love the energy and soul of Blake," said Benny Brown, president and chief executive officer of Broken Bow Records.

Brown praised the youth and excitement of Wise's vocals. "He just has the 'it' factor, he's larger than life on stage, he's got raw talent and a personality to match," said Brown.

Wise, who lives in Nashville, is currently hard at work writing songs for his upcoming project with the new label. Hallmark Direction Company manages him.

"I am writing some songs and listening to some other songwriters," he said, adding he doesn't yet know when the album will be recorded or its title.

He's also been playing a lot shows lately. He's scheduled to play a show on Saturday at the Caldwell County Fair and has another lined up on Thursday, Oct. 15 at the Columbus County Fair. He will perform in Atlanta during the weekend of Oct. 17 and 18.

When he plays in his native state, Wise is accompanied by his band the Wiseguys.

"We have a lot of fun together," he said. "Some of us have been together for five years or more. We definitely enjoy each other's company."

But in the next couple of months, he will focus more on his songwriting. His touring schedule will wind down during the holidays.

A 2005 graduate of McDowell High, Wise has worked for 10 years playing honky tonks, fraternity parties and other gigs. His live shows are influenced by such diverse acts as Kenny Chesney and the Rolling Stones.

He's learned to fire up a crowd with the right mix of simple chords and party tempos. But he also exhibits a sensitive side, an easy recognition of other people's pain that was shaped in part by his mother's role as a nursing-home caregiver.

"We would load the patients up and go fishing at a pond close to the nursing home," he said. "They were just the sweetest people. We'd get them out there catching fish, bait their hooks and throw the line out there for them, and sometimes hook a fish and help them reel it in. Then a couple of weeks later, they're gone. It's tough, but it was rewarding, too. They were the most appreciative people."

His father, David Wise, is also a country singer. Western North Carolina has bred such modern stars as Randy Travis, Eric Church, Bucky Covington, Jimmy Wayne and Kellie Pickler. Trailing two siblings by a decade, Wise was practically an only child, but he grew up rather quickly in some respects. At age 2, he already knew he wanted to play music for a living, and by age 13, he was a regular in local clubs. He picked up on plenty of older music — including pop and rock acts such as the Doobie Brothers, America and James Taylor, as well as such influential country performers as George Jones and Hank Williams Jr.

Still, Wise gravitated to the country sounds of his own generation. As a result, his songs routinely lean on ingratiating hooks delivered with a tone and phrasing that hint at Kix Brooks, Josh Gracin, Dan Seals and Diamond Rio's Marty Roe without specifically copying any one of them.

At age 15, his band recorded in Marion, where the studio owner was impressed with Wise's voice and put him in touch with a friend in Nashville. That led to an introduction to manager John Dorris, who's managed such artists as John Michael Montgomery, Blake Shelton, Montgomery Gentry. He saw the teen's potential and quickly signed on.

Wise has opened for the likes of Josh Turner, John Conlee, the Marshall Tucker Band and Confederate Railroad. He also got familiar with the camera, modeling for a Wrangler ad campaign. Despite the early attention, waiting for the right recording deal helped mature the eager singer.

"After high school, that was a tough crossroads for me, seeing all my friends go off to college and hanging out and waiting to move to Nashville," he said. "It was tough. I mean on more than one occasion I can remember just breaking down. You see all your friends go off to college and they're just getting started in their careers. Looking back I was, too, but it just wasn't as visual I guess with me being back home."

In Nashville, Wise has become a student of the music industry, writing with such A-list songwriters as Ashley Gorley, Kerry Kurt Phillips and Danny Wells, who've collectively penned hits for the likes of George Strait, Trace Adkins and Tim McGraw. Wells is co-producing the singer's album with Mark Bright (who's worked with Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts).

Wise said there's no better place than Nashville for musicians and songwriters. For him, the process of songwriting can vary depending on the type of song. The other day, he and Craig Morgan's producer together wrote a song.

"It's definitely a process," said Wise. "I really enjoy it. There's nothing better than going into a studio with something you created out of thin air."