Rick Monroe
BornClearwater, Florida
GenresCountry music
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • Songwriter
Labels
  • Divorce Records
  • Thermal Entertainment
Websitewww.rickmonroe.com

Rick Monroe is an American artist that does country based music in Nashville, Tennessee. He has released four albums, three EPs, and several charted singles.

Life and career

Monroe was born in Clearwater, Florida. He grew up in California, Connecticut, Kansas, North Carolina, and England.[1] He started off playing the drums at age nine but then switched over to singing.[2]

His music career started with hard rock, and he was the lead singer for a hard rock bar band before learning guitar and songwriting, which sent him off in a solo direction. Monroe started working the coffeehouse circuits, but then he formed his own band and developed a touring schedule of over 100 dates a year.[3] He established his own record label, Divorce Records, in 1996. He would later release all his four albums on the imprint.[3] In 1999, when he was based in Los Angeles, Monroe recorded his album Shame at CAM studios in Bulverde, Texas.[4]

He covered the song "Midnight Rider" in 2005 as the lead single from his album Against the Grain. Calling him a "musician's musician", Billboard commented that his "warm, supple" voice brought "an edgy energy" to the song.[5] In 2007, Monroe moved to Nashville.[2] His "Crazy Not To" single, released in the summer of 2012, reached top-40 radio and chart status.[6]

It’s A Love Thing, his EP from 2014, included the song "Fires Out", which debuted at #52 of Billboard's Country Indicator,[7] and was a Top 40 Music Row hit,[8] and "Great Minds Drink Alike," which debuted at #58 and has remained his most popular song on YouTube with a video featuring fan footage.[2][9][10]

In 2017, Monroe toured the country promoting his new work.[1] He released his six-track EP Gypsy Soul on May 12, 2017.[11] The first single was "This Side of You", which made the Music Row Country Breakout Chart.[12][13] The song went to the charts during the second week of its release. Monroe was one of the few independent artists given a spot on a sanctioned CMA stage during the 2017 CMA Music Festival.[14]

Monroe has performed in 17 countries, and every U.S. state except for Oregon.[15] He played with artists such as Lee Brice, Aaron Lewis, Eric Church, Charlie Daniels, Dwight Yoakam, Montgomery Gentry, Patty Loveless, Trick Pony, Emerson Drive, Pat Green, Randy Houser, and Josh Thompson. In 2016 alone, he traveled over 100,000 miles and played over 120 shows.[14] He was the Brand Ambassador at seven consecutive Jägermeister Country Tours.[8]

Monroe writes most of his own songs.[2] He has been described as playing "fast and loose country music about cars and beers, tinged with a big rock 'n' roll sound"[16] and singing with a "memorable blues-infused vocal."[17]

Private life

Monroe lives in Nashville with his wife Darci Monroe and dog Gator. He is active in humanitarian causes such as Safe Haven Family Shelter, the Frank Foundation, St. Jude, and the Children's Miracle Network.[2]

Discography

Rick Monroe released five studio albums, one live album, two EPs, and several singles. He has also composed for other singers.[18][19]

Albums

Year Title Label
1997 Legend's Diner Divorce Records
1999 Shame
2005 Against the Grain
2012 Crazy Not To

Singles

Year Title Album/EP
1997 Day by Day Legend's Diner
"Rainy Day"
2005 "Midnight Rider" Against the Grain
2008 "Honky Tonk Road Trip (Radio Edit)" Get Loud Get Lit
2010 "Get Ur Country On"
2012 "Part One" Crazy Not To
2013 "Just the Same"
2014 "Fires Out" It's a Love Thing
"Small Town"
2016 "Here's To Us"
2017 "This Side of You" Gypsy Soul

Extended plays

Year Title Label
1997 Life Goes On in L.A. Divorce Records
2014 It's a Love Thing MRG Records
2017 Gypsy Soul MRG Records

Composer

Year Song Artist
2002 Stars of Texas Winsor Harmon
2012 Here We Go Again Emily Randolph
2013 A Moment Like This Gary Ray
2016 New Country Rock Box Petruta Kupper

Music videos

Year Video
2005 Midnight Rider
2014 Just The Same
Fires Out

References

  1. 1 2 "Country artist Rick Monroe visits Grand Strand". WBTW. May 18, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "S&E is listening to Rick Monroe". Sports & Entertainment Nashville. September 10, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Rick Monroe: Biography". AllMusic.
  4. ↑ "Texas: San Antonio". Billboard. March 20, 1999. p. 40.
  5. ↑ "Singles". Billboard. June 4, 2005. p. 53.
  6. ↑ "Rick Monroe To Support & Emcee The 2013 Jägermeister Country Tour With Headliner Aaron Lewis". Music Match. April 23, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Country Update" (PDF). Billboard. March 16, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Rick Monroe: 'I'm just trying to have a good time'". AXS. August 31, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Country Update" (PDF). Billboard. June 22, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Rick Monroe - "Great Minds Drink Alike"". YouTube. September 14, 2015.
  11. ↑ "First at Four: Country music artist Rick Monroe embraces his 'Gypsy Soul'". WECT. April 15, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Country Breakout Chart" (PDF). Music Row. June 8, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Hear Rick Monroe's Sultry 'This Side of You' [Exclusive Premiere]". Taste of Country. March 6, 2017.
  14. 1 2 "Loaded with talent: Nashville-based country music artist, Rick Monroe is taking off as one of the country's most successful independent artists". Life Is Loaded. May 22, 2017.
  15. ↑ "About Rick Monroe". MRG Recordings.
  16. ↑ "'Shawshank Redemption' and more Iowa City entertainment best bets: Jan. 12-18". Iowa City Press Citizen. January 11, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Rick Monroe's 'Gypsy Soul' Streets May 12". Grateful Web.
  18. ↑ "Rick Monroe: Discography". AllMusic.
  19. ↑ "Rick Monroe". iTunes.
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