Earl was just a 16 year-old kid with a guitar when it all started. With a song book in hand, Earl learned the basics of strumming to his favorite singers. A couple years later, Earl’s own songs began to take shape. Back then, the lyrics came from the everyday experiences of an 18-year old kid just trying to figure it all out. They were rough and unpolished, but his own none the less. In college, Earl joined up with some buddies and formed the Highway 84 band. The music for the band consisted mostly of cover songs, but it really stirred up the passion in him to perform in front of an audience. After years of playing open jams after college, Earl learned more about how he wanted to express himself through his music. His influences came from Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Robert Earl Keen, and the Americana sounds of Texas. After a couple of demo albums, the debut album Chasin’ a Dream was released in July 2002. Chasin’ a Dream did exactly what a debut album is supposed to do. He received recognition through radio play, CD sales, and live performances. The album ranged from happy to sad and good to bad feelings. “I spent about four years writing this album. My writing style changed as the album progressed. I felt it was a great album, but I also felt like the next one would be even better.” Earl is very proud of this album, because it’s a reflection of himself, especially at that time in his life. Chasin’ a Dream had a great deal of success when H.M.G. Nashville approached him about releasing one of the songs. It was played on over 270 radio stations throughout the U.S. and Europe. Help like this is what he needed to get the album outside of Texas. Two years later, in Dallas, TX at Crystal Clear Sound, Earl laid his guitar down and said, “It is what it is.” It stuck and became the title of the new project. Honesty is what the basis of the new record is all about. In all of Earl’s projects, he strives to better every song in the writing style and in the music. He feels that when a musician becomes satisfied with his or her style, a creative wall is built, and it becomes very difficult to venture into new territory. He believes that this album is a collection of songs that express goals, happiness, and risks. “I wrote with no inhibitions and no rules. They were simply songs that came from the heart and some of them, strictly off the cuff, and as a result, I am very proud of it.” He brought in all new musicians for this project because he was truly looking for a different sound than the last one, and different is what he got. Also, he had a peanut gallery like you wouldn’t believe. Anywhere from family to friends showed up to give support, and yes, some criticism. He took all of these opinions and combined them with his own style and well; you got it, It Is What It Is. It will make you feel good, bad, and somewhere in-between. Earl now resides in Nashville and continues to write songs and is currently at work on his third album.