“If you’re big star bound let me warn you it’s a long hard ride.” – David Allan Coe “The Ride”
The ride has been a tough one for Carrollton native Bill Gentry, who is making a power play to break into the national country music scene. Following years of onstage experience at Wild Bill’s in Duluth, Gentry has recently targeted the Music Row offices in Nashville, but he still puts the live music performance first.
“I started playing in 1997 in ‘The Gentrys’ with my sister Mimi. We did a demo project, but after a while I started working solo with my band called the 35 Cent Rodeo,” the singer said during a phone interview.
Over the years Gentry recorded a few demo sessions, but never released anything commercially, instead using his studio work as a marketing tool. Working steadily across the state and building a solid fan base, by 2003 Gentry had developed a powerful stage presence that impressed the folks opening a new bar called Wild Bill’s in Duluth.
“It was sort of an ‘artist development’ program, as we had 10 singers over the years, and now three of them have record deals,” he said of the experience at Wild Bill's.
Performing three or four nights a week as either the headliner or opener for national touring acts was an education in itself.
“We took the opportunity of having a large stage, a huge crowd, and big production facilities to teach ourselves how to perform," Gentry said. "Also, seeing so many national artists play live we got to see the good and the bad – what worked and what didn’t.”
But translating that popularity from the stage to the recording studio has proven to be Gentry’s biggest hurdle. “I am more of a live entertainer, so getting into a studio and mastering that environment has been a challenge. In a live setting you have the visual presentation, but in the studio, it is all audio, and it has to be just right.”
One familiar publicity strategy Gentry has utilized is to go to radio stations in person. Even with this exposure, Gentry isn’t quite satisfied that he is getting his music out in the most effective manner.
“Playing acoustic versions of songs on the radio is one way to work a single, but the fans do not get to see what I can do as a live entertainer,” he said.
To date, Gentry has released two singles, last year’s “I Want What You Want”, and the recent “19”, which is loosely based on the story of former pro football player Pat Tillman, who quit the sport to fight in the war in Afghanistan, only to lose his life. The current single has found viral success on the Internet, but breaking into mainstream country radio is tough, especially for an independent artist.
“With seven or eight major labels all fighting for airspace, you are likely to get left out if you aren’t in the ‘circle’. It has taken me months to get comfortable with this, and we keep trying.”
Concert Preview
Martina McBride’s Shine All Night Tour featuring Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan and Bill Gentry. 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 1, 2010. $39.75-$49.75. 6400 Sugarloaf Pkwy. Duluth, GA 30097. 770-813-7500. www.gwinnettcenter.com
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