Artist to Watch: Matt Kennon

One look at newcomer Matt Kennon’s heavily tattooed appearance might cause you to believe his music is anything but country, but as they say looks can be deceiving.  And, just like heavily inked Gary Allan, Matt likes his country splashed with a little bit of rock and roll which Kennon draws from his early musical tastes – The Eagles and ‘80s rock group Survivor.  When he went to see Survivor in concert at the age of seven, it lit a fire inside of him and before long Matt began playing drums.

Meanwhile, Kennon’s interest in country music was inspired by his mother who would listen to Randy Travis and Lee Greenwood and soon he gravitated to the sounds of fellow Georgians Travis Tritt and Alan Jackson.  Two of those artists served to be stepping stones to Matt’s burgeoning music career.  After he moved to Nashville, Kennon ran into Travis Tritt’s former manager who introduced Matt to Randy Travis’ longtime producer Kyle Lehning.  When Randy cut “Turn It Around,” which was written by Matt, for his Around The Bend album, it lead to Kennon’s publishing deal.

When it came time for Matt to make an album for himself, Kennon felt that it was important for him to be a storyteller and inspire others in his songs and his debut single “The Call” is a perfect example of that.  The powerful song is a testimony for making a difference in someone’s life and the message is one that is connecting with fans.  Kennon's full-length debut album hit stores on Tuesday, May 11.

Image courtesy of Rick Diamond / Getty Images North America

Nikita Palmer for Citadel Digital © 2010

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