-~HEARTLAND'S 9 Loved Her First' reached No.1 in its 17th week on a Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.

EARTLANI IFIALUES

for songs that it could record and pitch to labels, the band the old days, you can cut a record for a few hundred dollars It's tempting to describe wen =to a songwriter showcase. It was there that it first heard and have a hit," he says. Heartland's emergence on the national country scene as an "I Lc.'ed Her First," a look at love through the eyes of a father Lofton Creek took the song to radio. A cadre of veteran pro- overnight success. The Huntsville, Ala. -based band signed a at his daughter's wedding ( "I prayed that she'd find you some- moters that Borchetta dubbed "the Over the Hill Gang," began recording contract with Nashville independent Lofton Creek in day, but it's still hard to give her away "). The singer that night mining their longstanding relationships at radio. Instead cf was Aldridge, who had written the song with Elliott Park. a hard sell, they simply asked programmers to give the song May, and less than six months later it had a No. 1 Billboard "Our eyes just welled up with tears," Albert says. "Whether some airplay and see what happened. The single sold itself; chart single-"I Loved Her First" -and a top -selling album by you I- ave kids or not, that song is special." as overwhelming listener reaction grew, so did the band's story. the same name. But, as with most acts, Heartland's success is Af er the show the group asked Aldridge to send it material. "We built it block by block by block," Borchetta says. anything but overnight. "It took us 12 years to be an 'overnight He agreed. "When we got a CD in the mail, that song was on DJ /music director Shadow of WWKA in Orlando, Fla., says says wryly. success,' " lead singer Jason Albert it," A bent says. "We couldn't believe that nobody had recorded the potential was evident from the start as calls for the song There are thousands of bar bands and church :hoir singers it. Cane to find out, they'd pitched it around [Nashville] for came from every demographic. "It wasn't so much the re- across America that have as much, if not more, talent than several years. Everybody passed on it because they didn't want quests, but that so many of the callers wanted to know where what regularly pours out of your car radio. The difference be- anybody to think that they were old enough to have a child who they could buy it," Shadow says. "That's pretty good passion." tween those folks and today's stars, in many cases, is the right was getting married. But we thought, 'A good song's a good The single reached No. 1 in its 17th week on Billboard's connection, the right break, the right set of ears to hear their song. You're just telling a story when you do it." Hot Country Songs chart, which by today's slow -climb stan- talent. A few years ago, that might have exclusively meant a The group eventually went into the studio with Aldridge dards is impressive. That same week, the group's album, also major label. In Heartland's case, it meant crossing paths with prodtci-tg a four -song demo. One of the demos ended up in titled "I Loved Her First," sold 61,000 units, according to songwriter /producer Walt Aldridge, DJ Dan Hollander and the hancs of Hollander, who works at WLLX in Lawrenceburg, Nielsen SoundScan, which was good for a No. 3 debut on the veteran record executive Mike Borchetta. Tenn. After listening, Hollander called Hot Country Albums chart and a No. 1 slot on the Top Inde- The band, made up of Albert, Craig Ander- Borchetta. "I've known Dan for 25 years," pendent Albums chart. Since its release in October, the band son (rhythm guitar), Keith West (bass guitar, ** Borchetta says. "He has never called me up and has sold 170,000 units. background vocals), Chuck Crawford (fiddle, NASHV ILLE'S said, 'You got to hear this.' "Heartland came out of the box extremely strong for us," background vocals), Todd Anderson (drums) INDIE "Why don't these guys have a major label says Brian Smith, VP of store operations for Value Music Con- and Mike Myerson (lead guitar), kicked around SU CCESS deal? They're incredible," Borchetta recalls cepts. "I was concerned that some of the enthusiasm might the Southeast playing clubs, hoping for some- STO RY OF thinking when he first heard the demo. The have died offdue to the fact that it took a while to get the album thing bigger for at least a decade. "The core of 2006 DIDN'T wheels were set in motion. "He listened on Fri- to the street, but the first month's sales proved me wrong." with Monday," Albert says. Lofton Creek didn't discount Heartland's album at re- the band was me, Craig and Todd starting out," H day and met us on APPEN "We put it out at $7.99 or $9.99," Borchetta says. Albert says. "Then we added Mike and Keith." NIGHT; Soon after the act was signed to Lofton Creek. tail. didn't OVER A veteran promotion man whose career "This is a have -to -have record. They just don't come around Crawford joined the band after he answered an IT TOOK ad on a local Internet site. "He just fits like a dates back to the '60s, Borchetta was confident that often." glove," Albert says. T HEM 12 that "I Loved Her First" was a hit. "I've worked Now Heartland is touring nonstop while juggling national In addition to regional gigs, the band made YEA RS TO enough No. 1 records over the years, going back TV appearances and other media opportunities. "We're just Albert says, noting its share of trips up I -65 to Nashville, where, like CLI MB TO to the Beach Boys, that I know what one feels trying to hang on to the wave," the band's countless other acts, it hoped to find fame and THE T OP OF like," he says. "I knew what I had." that the group has gone from two to three shows a month to fortune but instead found rejection. "We've had THE C HARTS. Interestingly, what Borchetta had was a four or five shows a week for increasingly larger crowds. our share of doors slammed in our face," and demo cut for roughly $500. Based on his ex- The band's next single "Built to Last," also written by Park, hearing "thanks, but no thanks," Albert says. perience with '60s records like "Chick-A-Boom" will ship to radio in January. But the seeds of Heartland's current success by Daddy Dewdrop, Borchetta resisted going "We're just happy to have a record deal," Albert says. "All were planted a little closer to home. Looking back into the studio to rerecord the song. "Like we ever wanted was a chance." -Ken Tucker

28 DECEMBER 9, 2006

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