Eric A. Darken is an American percussionist, composer, and programmer.

Biography

Drawing inspiration from his grandfather, a band leader. Darken began playing drums at age 12, and played timpani and mallets in high school. Darken attended

Brevard College Brevard College is a private college in Brevard, North Carolina, United States. The college grants Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Master of Science degrees. History Brevard College was named for Ephraim Brevard, a teacher and one of ...

Brevard, North Carolina Brevard ( ) is a city and the county seat of Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 7,609 as of the 2010 census. Brevard is located at the entrance to Pisgah National Forest and has become a noted tourism, ret ...

, then transferred to

Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a Private university, private Evangelicalism, evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian preacher Oral ...

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

. Darken was also a part of the ORTV Richard Roberts television show. Darken has participated in recording sessions for

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

, Jewel,

Luke Bryan Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan (born July 17, 1976) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Bryan is a five-time "Entertainer of the Year", being awarded by both the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Count ...

Darius Rucker Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carol ...

Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005, returning as a judge beginning with the twenty-third season. Underwood's f ...

, and

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

. Darken has toured in support of

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He played in a number of local bluegrass music, bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention after ta ...

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She began her music career in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the mid-1980s. Grant has been referred to as "Honorific ...

Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American Country music, country singer. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold almost 50 million albums worldwide ...

Take 6 Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group integrates jazz with spiritual and inspirational lyrics. Take 6 has received several Grammy Awards as well as D ...

, and

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System throu ...

. Darken toured with

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

and The

Coral Reefer Band The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett (until Buffett's death in September 2023). The band's name alludes to both coral reefs (in line with Buffett's tropical-themed music) and "reefe ...

up until Buffett’s death in September 2023. Darken has written underscores for TV shows, including

Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' (also known simply as ''Dateline'') is a weekly American television news magazine reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on ...

, 20/20,

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

NFL Network NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League NTP and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and N ...

, and

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

, and for the film, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Darken created percussion samples and loops for various digital collections, including the Organic Percussion library of samples, loops, and presets, and the Eric Darken collection for Discrete Drums. In 2008, Darken won an

Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...

award for Musician of the Year in the "Specialty Instrument" category. Darken won the

Gospel Music Association The Gospel Music Association (GMA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of gospel music. As of 2011, there are about 4,000 members worldwide. The GMA's membership c ...

Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...

for Instrumental Album Of The Year in 1996. Darken's first solo album, ''A Drummer Boy's Christmas'', was a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

Christmas album released in 1993. It was reviewed positively by the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'', whose Nancy Stetson said that it "shows the genre at its best" and "there is nothing cute or gimmicky". '' Cashbox'' magazine also reviewed the album with favor, stating that it "is sure to be a favorite in living rooms and store stereos alike with classic- yet-pop-inflected interpretations of your favorites. There's even a few new tunes to make this album worth a second look."

Discography

Solo albums

* 1993: ''A Drummer Boy's Christmas'' (

Warner Alliance Warner Alliance was a contemporary Christian record label and a division of Warner Music Group. It was founded in 1989 with headquarters located in Nashville, Tennessee. Albums associated with the label are now controlled by Word Entertainment. ...

) * 1995: ''Cappuccino Afternoon'' (Unison) * 1995: ''Rhythm of the Night'' (Unison) compilation * 1999: ''Through the Highlands'' (Unison)

With The Players

* 1996: ''The Players'' (Warner Alliance)

Also appears on

1991–1999

* 1991: Wes King - ''Sticks & Stones'' ( Reunion) * 1992: 4Him - The Basics of Life (Benson Records) * 1993:

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is known for performing a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country", as well as writing many of his own songs. Jackson has recorded 21 studi ...

- '' Honky Tonk Christmas'' (Arista) * 1993:

Steve Taylor Roland Stephen Taylor (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, music executive, film maker, assistant professor, and actor. A figure in what has come to be known as Christian alternative rock, Taylor enjoyed ...

- ''

Squint Squinting is the action of looking at something with partially closed eyes. Squinting is most often practiced by people who suffer from Refractive error, refractive errors of the eye who either do not have or are not using their glasses. Squint ...

'' (Warner Alliance) * 1994:

- '' House of Love'' ( A&M) * 1994: 4Him - ''The Ride'' (Benson) * 1994: Idle Cure - ''Eclipse'' (Salt) * 1995: Whiteheart - ''

Inside Inside may refer to: Film * ''Inside'' (1996 film), an American television film directed by Arthur Penn and starring Eric Stoltz * ''Inside'' (2002 film), a Canadian prison drama film * ''Inside'' (2006 film), an American thriller film starri ...

'' (

Curb A curb (American English) or kerb (British English) is the edge where a raised sidewalk/pavement or road median/central reservation meets a street/other roadway. History Although curbs have been used throughout modern history, and indeed ...

) * 1996:

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow ( ; born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer with a career that spans over sixty years. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Brandy (Scott ...

- '' Summer of '78'' ( Arista) * 1996: Sarah Masen - '' Sarah Masen'' ( re:think) * 1996: Charlie Peacock - ''Strangelanguage'' (re:think) * 1996:

Steven Curtis Chapman Steven Curtis Chapman (born November 21, 1962) is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist. Chapman began his career in the late 1980s as a songwriter and performer of cont ...

- '' Signs of Life'' (

Sparrow Records Sparrow Records is a Christian music record label and a division of Universal Music Group. History Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then artists and repertoire (A&R) director at Myrrh Records. Barry McGuire was the fi ...

) * 1996: 4Him - ''The Message'' (Benson) * 1997:

Switchfoot Switchfoot is an American rock music, rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drum kit, drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (g ...

- '' The Legend of Chin'' (re:think) * 1998: Van Zant - ''Brother to Brother'' ( CMC International) * 1998:

CeCe Winans Priscilla Marie Love, known professionally by her stage name as CeCe Winans, (born October 8, 1964) is an American gospel singer who has garnered 17 Grammy Awards, the most for any female gospel singer; 33 GMA Dove Awards, 19 Stellar Awards, ...

- ''Everlasting Love'' (Pioneer) * 1998:

Michael W. Smith Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian music, contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when "Place in This Worl ...

- '' Christmastime'' (

Reunion Records Reunion Records is a contemporary Christian record label based in Brentwood, Tennessee, that operates under the Provident Label Group. It was founded in 1982 by Dan Harrell and Mike Blanton. History The label was formed by Amy Grant's manager ...

) * 1999:

John Elefante John Elefante (born March 18, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. From 1981-1984, he was lead vocalist of the rock group Kansas and is currently touring with several groups that have featured members from clas ...

- ''Defying Gravity'' (Pamplin) * 1999:

Crystal Gayle Brenda Gail Webb (born January 9, 1951), known professionally as Crystal Gayle, is an American country music singer widely known for her 1977 hit " Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Initially, Gayle's management and record label were the same ...

- '' Crystal Gayle Sings the Heart and Soul of Hoagy Carmichael'' ( Platinum Entertainment) * 1999:

- '' Breathe'' (

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

) * 1999:

Lonestar Lonestar (formerly known as Texassee) is an American country music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Drew Womack (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar), Michael Britt (lead guitar, background vocals), Dean Sams (key ...

- '' Lonely Grill'' ( BNA) * 1999:

Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and relocated to Nashville, T ...

- '' White Christmas'' (RCA) * 1999: Charlie Peacock - ''Kingdom Come'' (re:think) * 1999: Martin Taylor - ''Kiss and Tell'' (Columbia) * 1999:

Carman In Celtic mythology, Carman (Carmán) or Carmun was a warrior and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with her three sons, Dub ("darkness"), Dother ("evil") and Dian ("violence"). She use ...

- ''Passion for Praise'' (Sparrow) * 1999: Steven Curtis Chapman - '' Speechless'' (Sparrow) * 1999: Michael W. Smith - '' This Is Your Time'' (Reunion)

2000–2002

* 2000:

Chad Brock Chad Brock (born July 31, 1963) is an American country music singer and disc jockey. Before beginning his musical career in the late 1990s, he was a professional wrestler in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), until an injury forced him to retire ...

- '' Yes!'' (Warner Bros.) * 2000:

Billy Ray Cyrus William Ray Cyrus ( ; born August 25, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Having released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, he is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs cha ...

- '' Southern Rain'' (

Monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

) * 2000:

John Wesley Harding ''John Wesley Harding'' is the eighth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on December 27, 1967, by Columbia Records. Produced by Bob Johnston, the album marked Dylan's return to semi-acoustic instrumentation and ...

- ''The Confessions Of St. Ace'' (

Mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus.'' They lived from the late Miocene epoch (from around 6.2 million years ago) into the Holocene until about 4,000 years ago, with mammoth species at various times inhabi ...

) * 2000:

Richard Marx Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Marx's first number one success as a songwriter came in 1984 with " What About Me?", which was recorded by Kenny Rogers ...

- ''

Days in Avalon ''Days In Avalon'' is the sixth studio album by singer/songwriter Richard Marx, released independently in 2000 on the now defunct label ''Signal 21''. This was the only release on the label created by Marx and Blood, Sweat, and Tears drummer Bo ...

'' (Signal 21) * 2000:

Allison Moorer Allison Moorer (born June 21, 1972) is an American Country music, country singer-songwriter. She signed with MCA Nashville in 1997 and made her debut on the U.S. Billboard Country Chart with the release of her debut single, "A Soft Place to F ...

- '' The Hardest Part'' (MCA Nashville) * 2000:

Wynonna Judd Wynonna Ellen Judd, known simply as Wynonna ( ; born Christina Claire Ciminella; May 30, 1964), is an American country music singer. She is one of the most widely recognized and awarded female country musicians in history. She has had 19 No. 1 s ...

- '' New Day Dawning'' (Mercury / Curb) * 2000: Terry Radigan - ''Radigan'' (

Vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. ...

) * 2000: Michael W. Smith - ''

Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

'' (Reunion) * 2000:

Lee Ann Womack Lee Ann Womack (; born August 19, 1966) is an American singer and songwriter. She has charted 23 times on the American ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts; her highest peaking single there is her crossover signature song, " I Hope You Dance" ...

- '' I Hope You Dance'' (MCA Nashville) * 2000: 4Him - ''Hymns: A Place of Worship'' (Benson) * 2001:

Brooks & Dunn Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1988 through the suggestion of songwriter and record producer, Tim DuBois. Before thei ...

- '' Steers & Stripes'' (Arista Nashville) * 2001:

Peter Cetera Peter Paul Cetera Jr. ( ; born September 13, 1944) is a retired American musician best known for being a frontman, vocalist, and bassist for the American rock band Chicago from 1967 until his departure in 1985. His career as a recording artist ...

- '' Another Perfect World'' (Victor) * 2001: Billy Gilman - '' Dare to Dream'' (Epic) * 2001: Jewel - '' This Way'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

) * 2001:

Hal Ketchum Hal Michael Ketchum (April 9, 1953 – November 23, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. He released eleven studio albums from 1986 to 2014, including nine for divisions of Curb Records. Ketchum's 1991 album ''Past the Point ...

- ''Lucky Man'' (Curb) * 2001: SHeDAISY - '' The Whole SHeBANG'' ( Lyric Street) * 2001: Steven Curtis Chapman - '' Declaration'' (Sparrow) * 2002: '' ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - '' Source Tags & Codes'' (

Interscope Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

) * 2002:

Art Garfunkel Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, actor and poet who is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, Garfunkel became acquainte ...

with Maia Sharp and Buddy Mondlock - '' Everything Waits to be Noticed'' (

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

) * 2002: Amy Grant '' Legacy... Hymns and Faith'' (Word) * 2002: Faith Hill - '' Cry'' (Warner Bros.) * 2002: Montgomery Gentry - '' My Town'' ( Columbia) * 2002:

Joe Nichols Joseph Edward Nichols (born November 26, 1976) is an American country music artist. Between 1996 and 2001, he held recording contracts with the Intersound and Giant Records (Warner), Giant labels. In 2002, he signed with Universal South Records, ...

- '' Man with a Memory'' (Universal South) * 2002:

Beth Nielsen Chapman Beth Nielsen Chapman (born September 14, 1958) is an American singer and songwriter who has written hits for country and pop music performers. She was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016. She is a two-time Grammy Award ...

- ''Deeper Still'' (Artemis) * 2002:

Michelle Williams Michelle Williams or Michele Williams may refer to: * Michelle Ann Williams (born circa 1965), American public health scholar * Michelle Williams (singer) (born 1979), American singer, previously a member of Destiny's Child * Michelle Williams (actr ...

- '' Heart to Yours'' ( Columbia)

2003–2004

* 2003: Gary Allan - '' See If I Care'' (MCA Nashville) * 2003:

Larry Carlton Larry Eugene Carlton (born March 2, 1948) is an American guitarist who built his career as a studio musician in the 1970s and 1980s for acts including Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. One of the most sought after guitarists of his era, Carlton has ...

- ''Sapphire Blue'' (

Bluebird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous passerine birds in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. Bluebirds lay an ...

) * 2003:

- '' Next Big Thing'' (MCA Nashville) * 2003:

Los Lonely Boys Los Lonely Boys are an American musical group from San Angelo, Texas. They play a style of music they call "Texican Rock n' Roll", combining elements of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown-eyed soul, country music, country, and Tejano music. The ...

- ''

'' (Or Music / Epic) * 2003:

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

- ''

Vicious Cycle A vicious circle (or cycle) is a complex chain of events that reinforces itself through a feedback loop, with detrimental results. It is a system with no tendency toward equilibrium (social, economic, ecological, etc.), at least in the short ...

'' (Sanctuary) * 2003: Cerys Matthews - '' Cockahoop'' (

Blanco Y Negro Blanco y Negro Records (Spanish: "White and Black"), a subsidiary of WEA Records Ltd., was established in 1983 by Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records and Mike Alway of él Records. Michel Duval of Les Disques du Crépuscule was also involve ...

) * 2003:

Stacie Orrico Stacie Joy Orrico (born March 3, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. After signing to ForeFront Records, Orrico recorded her first album, '' Genuine'' (2000). Her second studio album '' Stacie Orrico'' (2003), released by ForeFront and ...

- ''

'' (

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

) * 2003:

Brad Paisley Brad Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His first success came in 1997 as the writer of David Kersh's "Another You (David Kersh song), Another You". After this, he signed with ...

- '' Mud on the Tires'' (Arista Nashville) * 2003: Josh Turner - '' Long Black Train'' (MCA Nashville) * 2003: 4Him - ''Visible'' (Word /Curb/ Warner Bros.) * 2004: Jimmy Buffett - '' License to Chill'' (Mailboat) * 2004: Melonie Cannon - ''Melonie Cannon'' (Skaggs Family) * 2004: Mary Chapin Carpenter - '' Between Here and Gone'' (Columbia) * 2004: Peter Cetera - '' You Just Gotta Love Christmas'' (Viastar) * 2004:

- '' My Own Best Enemy'' (

) * 2004:

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

- '' The System Has Failed'' (

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

) * 2004: Montgomery Gentry - '' You Do Your Thing'' (Columbia) * 2004: Bebo Norman - '' Try'' ( Essential) * 2004: Laura Turner - ''Soul Deep'' (Curb) * 2004:

Phil Vassar Phillip George Vassar Jr. (born May 28, 1962) is an American country music artist. Vassar made his debut on the country music scene in the late 1990s, co-writing singles for several country artists, including Tim McGraw (" For a Little While", ...

- '' Shaken Not Stirred'' (Arista Nashville) * 2004:

Gretchen Wilson Gretchen Frances Wilson (born June 26, 1973, in Pocahontas, Illinois) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She made her debut in March 2004 with the Grammy Awards, Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman", a number-one hit on th ...

- '' Here for the Party'' (

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

)

2005–2006

* 2005:

Trace Adkins Tracy Darrell Adkins (born January 13, 1962) known professionally as Trace Adkins, is an American country music singer and actor. Adkins made his debut in 1996 with the album ''Dreamin' Out Loud'', released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since t ...

- '' Songs About Me'' (Capitol Nashville) * 2005: Brooks & Dunn - '' Hillbilly Deluxe'' (

Arista Nashville Arista Nashville was an American record label that served as a wholly owned division of Sony Music, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specialized in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks ...

) * 2005:

Ashley Cleveland Ashley Cleveland (born February 2, 1957) is an American singer-songwriter best known as a background vocalist and Gospel music, gospel singer. Ashley Cleveland was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. Career She sang "We're Gonna Win This One" in 1 ...

- ''Men and Angels Say'' (Rambler) * 2005: Faith Hill - ''

Fireflies The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

'' (Warner Bros.) * 2005:

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music, country singer. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place ...

- ''

Kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...

'' (Epic) * 2005: Brad Paisley - '' Time Well Wasted'' (Arista Nashville) * 2005:

Randy Travis Randy Bruce Traywick (born May 4, 1959), known professionally as Randy Travis, is an American country and gospel music singer and songwriter, as well as a film and television actor. Active since 1979, he has recorded over 20 studio albums and ...

- '' Glory Train: Songs of Faith, Worship, and Praise'' (Curb / Warner Bros.) * 2005:

- '' Some Hearts'' (Arista Nashville) * 2005:

Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban ( né Urbahn; 26 October 1967) is an Australian and American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Recognised with four Grammy Awards, he has also received 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Jim Reeves Int ...

- '' Be Here'' (Capitol Nashville) * 2005: Van Zant - '' Get Right with the Man'' (Columbia) * 2006:

- '' Dangerous Man'' (Capitol Nashville) * 2006: Carolina Rain - '' Weather the Storm'' (Equity) * 2006: Matt Dusk - '' Back in Town'' (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

) * 2006: Jace Everett - ''Jace Everett'' (Epic) * 2006: Vince Gill - '' These Days'' (MCA Nashville) * 2006: Steve Holy - '' Brand New Girlfriend'' (Curb) * 2006: Cerys Matthews - '' Never Said Goodbye'' ( Rough Trade) * 2006:

Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American Country music, country music band formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background voc ...

- ''

Me and My Gang ''Me and My Gang'' is the fourth studio album by the American country music group Rascal Flatts, released on April 4, 2006 as their fourth album for Lyric Street Records. The album became the highest US debut of 2006, with 721,747 units and wen ...

'' (Lyric Street) * 2006:

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...

- '' Water & Bridges'' (EMI / Capitol) * 2006:

- '' Face the Promise'' (Capitol) * 2006:

- ''

'' ( Big Machine) * 2006: Josh Turner - '' Your Man'' (MCA Nashville) * 2006: Keith Urban - '' Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing'' (Capitol Nashville)

2007–2009

* 2007:

- '' Dangerous Man'' (Capitol Nashville) * 2007:

- '' Lost Highway'' (

Island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

/ Mercury) * 2007: Brooks & Dunn - '' Cowboy Town'' (Arista Nashville) * 2007:

Kenny Chesney Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country singer. With 30 million albums sold worldwide, he released his debut, '' In My Wildest Dreams'', in 1994, and has since released 19 follow-ups. His albums spawned 27 singles tha ...

- '' Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates'' ( BNA) * 2007: Toby Keith - '' Big Dog Daddy'' (Show Dog Nashville) * 2007: Miranda Lambert - ''

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'' is an American romantic musical comedy-drama television series that premiered on October 12, 2015, on The CW and ran for four seasons, ending on April 5, 2019. The series was created, written, and directed by Rachel Bloo ...

'' (Sony BMG) * 2007: Alan Morse - ''Four O' Clock and Hysteria'' (Dingwall) * 2007:

- '' Real Things'' (Universal South) * 2007:

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at the age of 13 and has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Christian, and o ...

- ''

Family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

'' (

) * 2007: Josh Turner - '' Everything Is Fine'' (MCA Nashville) * 2007: Carrie Underwood - '' Carnival Ride'' (Arista Nashville) * 2007: Van Zant - '' My Kind of Country'' (Sony BMG) * 2007: Gretchen Wilson - ''

One of the Boys ''One of the Boys'' is the second studio album by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on June 17, 2008, by Capitol Records. She collaborated on the album with producers Greg Wells, Dr. Luke, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Dave Stewart, Max ...

'' (Sony BMG Nashville) * 2007:

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American country singer. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single "She's in Love with the Boy", which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs ...

- '' Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love'' (Big Machine) * 2007: Steven Curtis Chapman - '' This Moment'' (Sparrow) * 2008: Trace Atkins - '' X'' (Capitol Nashville) * 2008:

Chris Cagle Christopher Norris Cagle (born November 10, 1968) is an American country music artist. He was first known for writing songs for David Kersh before signing to Virgin Records Nashville in 2000. Cagle made his debut on ''Billboard (magazine), Bill ...

- '' My Life's Been a Country Song'' (Capitol Nashville) * 2008: Julianne Hough - '' Julianne Hough'' (Mercury) * 2008: Jewel - '' Perfectly Clear'' (Valory) * 2008:

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

- '' Moment of Forever'' ( Lost Highway) * 2008: Brad Paisley - '' Play: The Guitar Album'' (Arista Nashville) * 2008:

Kellie Pickler Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country music singer, actress and television personality. Pickler gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of ''American Idol'' and finished in sixth place. In 2006, she signed to ...

- ''

'' (Sony BMG) * 2008:

Toby Keith Toby Keith Covel (July 8, 1961 – February 5, 2024) was an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and businessman. Keith released his chart-topping debut single, "Should've Been a Cowboy", in 1993. During the 1990s ...

- '' That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy'' (Show Dog Nashville) * 2008:

- '' Learn to Live'' (Capitol Nashville) * 2008: Taylor Swift - '' Fearless'' (Big Machine) * 2009: Toby Keith - '' American Ride'' (Show Dog Nashville) * 2009:

- '' Shine'' (RCA / Sony) * 2009:

David Nail David Brent Nail (born May 18, 1979) is an American singer/songwriter and country music artist. In 2002, he debuted the single "Memphis" from an unreleased album for Mercury Records Nashville. Five years later, he signed with MCA Nashville, fo ...

- '' I'm About to Come Alive'' (MCA Nashville) * 2009:

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the American Idol (season 6), sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. He ...

- ''

Battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...

'' (Sony Music) * 2009: Taylor Swift - '' The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection'' (Big Machine) * 2009: Carrie Underwood - '' Play On'' (Arista Nashville) * 2009: Hank Williams Jr. - '' 127 Rose Avenue'' (Curb) * 2009:

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, model, producer and dancer. She gained recognition as the first Black woman to win the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She would later Vanes ...

- '' The Real Thing'' ( Concord)

2010–2012

* 2010: Lady Antebellum - '' Lady Antebellum'' ( Capitol) * 2010:

Peter Frampton Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English-American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who rose to prominence as a member of the rock bands the Herd and Humble Pie. Later in his career, Frampton found significant success as a s ...

- '' Thank You Mr. Churchill'' (A&M) * 2010: Jewel - '' Sweet and Wild'' (Valory) * 2010:

Jamey Johnson Jamey Johnson (born July 14, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to BNA Records in 2005, Johnson made his debut with his single "The Dollar (song), The Dollar", the title track to his 2006 album ''The Dollar (album ...

- '' The Guitar Song'' ( Mercury) * 2010: Toby Keith - '' Bullets in the Gun'' (Show Dog Universal) * 2010: Lonestar - '' Party Heard Around the World'' ( Saguaro Road) * 2010:

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...

- '' Bold as Brass'' (

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

) * 2010: Taylor Swift - '' Speak Now'' (Big Machine) * 2010: Josh Turner - '' Haywire'' (MCA Nashville) * 2011: Trace Adkins - '' Proud to Be Here'' ( Show Dog Nashville) * 2011:

- '' Tailgates & Tanlines'' (Capitol Nashville) * 2011:

Sara Evans Sara Lynn Evans (; born February 5, 1971) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is also credited as a record producer, actress, and author. She had five songs reach the number one spot on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboar ...

- '' Stronger'' (Sony / RCA) * 2011: Toby Keith - '' Clancy's Tavern'' (Hump Head) * 2011:

Diane Schuur Diane Joan Schuur (born December 10, 1953), nicknamed "Deedles", is an American jazz singer and pianist. As of 2015, Schuur had released 23 albums, and had extended her jazz repertoire to include essences of Latin, gospel, pop and country musi ...

- ''The Gathering'' (

) * 2012:

Dierks Bentley Frederick Dierks Bentley (; born November 20, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Bentley moved to Nashville in the late 90s to pursue a career in music, leading up to his releasing the self-funded and independent album Do ...

- ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

'' (Capitol Nashville) * 2012: Toby Keith - '' Hope on the Rocks'' (Show Dog-Universal) * 2012:

- ''Faith'' (Hump Head) * 2012: Taylor Swift - ''

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

'' (Big Machine) * 2012: Josh Turner - '' Punching Bag'' (MCA Nashville) * 2012: Carrie Underwood - '' Blown Away'' (Arista Nashville)

2013–2014

* 2013: Trace Adkins - '' Love Will...'' (Show Dog Universal) * 2013:

- '' Songs from St. Somewhere'' (Mailboat) * 2013: Kenny Chesney - '' Life on a Rock'' (Columbia Nashville) * 2013:

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...

- '' Feels Like Home'' (Warner Bros.) * 2013:

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...

- '' Now What?!'' (

Eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

) * 2013:

John Fogerty John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Together with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook, and his brother Tom Fogerty, he founded the swamp rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), for which he was th ...

- '' Wrote a Song for Everyone'' (Vanguard) * 2013: Toby Keith - '' Drinks After Work'' (Show Dog Universal) * 2013: Ashley Monroe - '' Like a Rose'' (Warner Bros. Nashville) * 2013: Cassadee Pope - '' Frame by Frame'' ( Republic Nashville) * 2013: Kenny Rogers - '' You Can't Make Old Friends'' (

) * 2013:

- '' True Believers'' (Capitol Nashville) * 2013:

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He holds ...

- '' Love is Everything'' (MCA Nashville) * 2014: Gary Allan - '' Set You Free'' (MCA Nashville) * 2014:

Dan + Shay Dan + Shay is an American country pop duo composed of vocalists and songwriters Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney. They are signed to Warner Records Nashville and have released six albums, '' Where It All Began'', '' Obsessed'', '' Dan + Shay'', '' ...

- '' Where It All Began'' (Warner Bros.) * 2014: Sara Evans - '' Slow Me Down'' (

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

) * 2014: Peter Frampton - ''Hummingbird in a Box: Songs for a Ballet'' (Phenix Phonograph) * 2014: Lucy Hale - '' Road Between'' (DMG Nashville) * 2014:

Neal Morse Neal Morse (born August 2, 1960) is an American singer, musician and composer based in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1992, he formed the progressive rock band Spock's Beard with his brother Alan and released an album which was moderately successful ...

- '' Songs from November'' (Radiant / Metal Blade) * 2014: Jerrod Niemann - ''

High Noon ''High Noon'' is a 1952 American Western (genre), Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, which occurs in Real time (media), real time, centers ...

'' (Arista Nashville) * 2014:

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

- '' Blue Smoke'' (Dolly) * 2014:

- '' Rewind'' (Big Machine)

2015–present

* 2015:

James Bay James Bay (, ; ) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. It borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and is politically part of Nunavut. Its largest island is Akimiski Island. Numerous waterways of the ...

- '' Chaos and the Calm'' (

Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...

) * 2015:

Clint Black Clint Patrick Black (born February 4, 1962) is an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. Signed to RCA Nashville in 1989, Black's debut album '' Killin' Time'' produced four straight number one singles ...

- '' On Purpose'' (Blacktop) * 2015:

Hunter Hayes Hunter Easton Hayes (born September 9, 1991) is an American multi-genre singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is proficient at more than 30 instruments. Hayes released his Hunter Hayes (album), self-titled debut alb ...

- '' I Want Crazy'' (Atlantic) * 2015:

Maddie & Tae Maddie & Tae is an American female country music duo composed of Maddie Font (née Marlow) and Taylor "Tae" Kerr (née Dye), both of whom are singers, songwriters, and guitarists. The duo was signed to the revived Dot Records in 2014. Their debu ...

- '' Start Here'' ( Dot) * 2015: Ashley Monroe - '' The Blade'' (Warner Nashville) * 2015: Darius Rucker - '' Southern Style'' (Capitol Nashville) * 2015: Carrie Underwood - '' Storyteller'' (Arista Nashville) * 2016: Vince Gill - '' Down to My Last Bad Habit'' (MCA Nashville) * 2016: Kaleo - '' A/B'' (Atlantic / Elektra) * 2016:

- ''Never Enders'' ( Shanachie) * 2016: Megadeth - ''

Dystopia A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmen ...

'' (Tradecraft / Universal) * 2016: Maren Morris - ''

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

'' ( Columbia Nashville) * 2016:

Band - '' The Similitude of a Dream'' (Radiant / Metal Blade) * 2016: Mo Pitney - ''Behind This Guitar'' (Curb) * 2017:

Niall Horan Niall James Horan ( ; born 13 September 1993) is an Irish singer-songwriter. He rose to prominence as a member of the boy band One Direction, formed in 2010 on the singing competition ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor''. The gr ...

- '' Flicker'' (Capitol) * 2017: Toby Keith - '' The Bus Songs'' (Show Dog Nashville) * 2017:

Mac McAnally Lyman Corbitt McAnally Jr. (; born July 15, 1957), known professionally as Mac McAnally, is an American singer-songwriter, session musician, and record producer. In his career, he has recorded ten studio albums and eight singles. Two of his sing ...

- ''Southbound: The Orchestra Project'' (Mailboat) * 2017: Jerrod Niemann - '' This Ride'' (Curb) * 2017: Carly Pearce - '' Every Little Thing'' (Big Machine) * 2017: Josh Turner - ''

Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion of the Southern United States. The term is used to describe the states which were most economically dependent on Plantation complexes in the Southern United States, plant ...

'' (MCA Nashville) * 2017:

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( ; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time and the best-sel ...

- '' Now'' (Mercury Nashville)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Darken, Eric Living people American rock drummers American session musicians 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 21st-century American drummers Coral Reefer Band members 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Year of birth missing (living people)