With one of the most powerful and distinct voices in country music, the expressive edge of Ryder’s singing is immediately recognizable and wrought with emotion. A skilled and polished performer, Ryder honed his stage presence over the course of a decade on the road as the front man for three-time ACM nominated group and Billboard chart fixtures The Lost Trailers. But after years of radio success and thousands of dates, Ryder found himself increasingly longing for the chance to create his own sound. The situation came to a head in the winter of 2010. “There I was opening arenas for Tim McGraw and Lady Antebellum, and I was miserable. It was supposed to be a career highlight, but the music just wasn’t me; I was an empty vessel, and had been for so long.” So Ryder left the group, began writing profusely, and eventually found new musical vitality with writer / producer Ross Copperman. “We just clicked,” says Ryder. “I felt the rush of music running in my veins again for the first time since I could remember.” With Copperman and support from Joe Galante at Sony Nashville, Ryder began a recording project that was finally reflective of him as an artist.
Born and raised in coastal North Carolina, Ryder’s musical foundation is rooted in traditional non-secular influences and popular music. He began composing on the piano (his first instrument – he later picked up guitar), at a very early age and credits his mother with the creative song spark. “She was always singing and making up songs about anything, mostly us kids.” The eldest of four musical siblings, the household always embraced the performing arts. “I don’t have a memory growing up that’s not connected somehow to music; it’s all smells and songs,” Ryder reminisces with a smile. Country music was a relatively late discovery for Ryder. “Even though I grew up in the rural south, I really didn’t discover country music until the Garth Brooks tipping point; then I started digging in and country became an integral part of the soundtrack of my formative years.” Country became such an influence that after high school Ryder based his college decision on access to a thriving scene. “I went to Vanderbilt just so that I could be in Nashville; close to the musicians and the culture. I didn’t study music there because I didn’t want to learn to hate it, but I played constantly over my four years and, most importantly, fell in love with Nashville.”
In his music now Ryder says he strives to hold true to what he believes are the enduring traditions of the genre. “To me country music is the last bastion of the sacred lyric of real life; it’s love & heartache, joy & pain...the story. I always try to keep that in mind, but sonically I don’t betray the more modern and pop influences that influenced me and continue to shape me. The resulting sound is my own for sure.” The event that most profoundly affected his musical gravitas was the premature birth of his daughter, Vivian. “She came three months early and weighed only two pounds five ounces. As a parent, after you live through that fight and come out on the other end with a healthy toddler, it’s hard to sing about some things. I want everything I do to have meaning.” The weight of songs like “Glass” and “Mistakes” sits masterfully with the powerful inspiring lift of “Run.” “Love You Like That” and “How To Break A Heart” explore the dichotomy of simple true love and pure devastating heartache respectively. And “Countdown” rolls you down the highway with a smile. All the while, despite riding the edge in the production, Ryder’s radio-proven voice pulls the listener back into the center lane of the genre.
While most of Ryder’s album to date is composed of outside cuts, he is a prolific songwriter. He estimates having written nearly a hundred songs over the ten-month period of recording the project. “I promised myself I’d record the best songs, period. Sometimes they’re mine, sometimes not. I think I’ve got a few more of my own to put on the album, but trying to write within the confines of what the album needs or to what I think someone might want to hear can be tough.” Ryder says for the first time in his career, he’s proud of his music. “My father always told me the secret to happiness in your work is to do something you’re proud of and, if you’re lucky, gives you goosebumps. I’ve finally found that in this music; I’m proud of it, and with the live performance I always get goosebumps.”
Following his heart, the path he’s started down so far seems like the right one. “This time around I’m just going to be me and tell the truth for better or worse. People know when you’re not; they can hear it in the music.”
So back to why you clicked on the "about" button...
I'm about family. I'm about good friends. I'm about real music. I'm about true love. I'm about balance. I'm about health. I'm about honesty. I'm about integrity. I'm about the resurrection of the gentleman. I'm about aesthetic. I'm about tradition. I'm about innovation. I'm about giving. I'm about creativity. I'm about not wasting time. And in all things, esse quam videri.
