By the time Brad Martin launches into the second regret-laden verse of his heartfelt single, "Before I Knew Better," the talented newcomer leaves little doubt he's paid his dues and earned his shot at next in line behind heroes like Haggard, Paycheck, Cash, and Jones. Not that those aren't mighty big shoes to fill, and he knows it. It's just that it's been his lifelong dream to follow their lead. And with the release of his Epic Records debut, Wings of a Honky Tonk Angel,he finally has his chance.
    With smoldering good looks and the authenticity and soul of a Haggard or Jones, Martin is blazing a new trail on the country scene, forging a link between the genre's hardcore, retro roots and its high-tech, hybrid future. And as co-writer on eight of the ten cuts on Wings of a Honky Tonk Angel, he's doing it with music that he's lived.
    A prolific writer with over 400 songs in his catalog, he strives more than anything for believability and sincerity in his music. "If I'm not true to myself, I don't feel like I could even convince anyone to listen to my music. I would lose all basis for why I'm here. You've got to live life, but be true to yourself while you do it."
    Brad first whet his appetite for stone country as a small boy, listening to his father plunk out tunes on his guitar while rehearsing in the family den in the tiny four-stoplight town of Greenfield, OH (also the hometown of Johnny Paycheck.) His dad was such a huge influence on him growing up that the first time Brad heard Haggard on the radio he thought, "Hey, I thought my dad did that song!"
    By age 5, Brad was already tagging along to dates at fairs and festivals around the county and soaking up all he could absorb about the life. "There was always music around when I was growing up," he recalls. "Dad would set up in the dining room or rehearse in the garage. I'd watch him write out the lyrics to a Haggard song and work it up on his guitar. It was always there, always around us, and always part of our lives."
    His father eventually traded his musical aspirations for a blue-collar job at the local factory to focus on his family responsibilities, but the seed had already started to take root in his young son. "My dad led by example, and I hope I never fail him in that."
    Though a healthily mischievous kid who also had an interest in sports and other things besides music, ("I was outgoing, rambunctious - Mom had to keep her eye on me, I guarantee you that!"), Brad continued to find outlets to perform, in the school choir, or musicals, and even in marching band as a drummer. Though he was also certified in carpentry as a young teen and toyed with the idea of building houses at one point, after high school he elected to attend Hocking College and pursue a degree in Telecommunications/Broadcast Engineering.
    "I've always loved building; it's a creative outlet for me, another means of inventing, and I always liked to work with my hands. I learned that from my Dad. I had always been interested in cameras too, so that's why I chose to study broadcasting. And it actually served me well 'cause I worked as a freelance grip in Nashville for some video companies for a while when I first got to town. But I would still travel home on the weekends from school to sing with my family at jamborees," he recalls.
    After graduation in 1994, Brad made a beeline for the Tennessee state line and his dreams of becoming a star, and was soon performing five nights a week in Printers Alley at a club called Barbara's. Ask him what he considers his first big break, and he'll laughingly tell you, "Paying my first month's rent."
    It wasn't long before his talent caught the eye of respected artist manager Joe Carter who directs the career of Tracy Byrd. Carter saw potential in Brad but felt he needed some "seasoning" before he was ready for a record deal. He advised Brad to write songs, sing demos and learn everything he could about the business of music. Brad took the advice to heart and spent the next several years honing his chops and developing his own unique style as a singer and songwriter.
    He soon signed with the company and not long after inked his first co-publishing deal and was on his way to realizing his dream. When Sony Music execs Blake Chancey and Allen Butler heard his demos, they recognized the young artist's originality and respect for tradition, and gave him a chance to make his mark.
    Brad's first move after getting the greenlight to record his music was seeking out the right producer, and he struck up a musical kinship with Billy Joe Walker, Jr. (Travis Tritt, Pam Tillis, Mark Chesnutt, Tracy Byrd). The two talked at length about Brad's goals musically and then set out to make them reality. He is infinitely pleased at the result and feels Walker, Jr. captured the essence of his music. "Recording this album was a soulful experience, and I think that all of my influences - including my dad - are on this record, from honky tonk to great love ballads. And each song has a different take on each subject. Most of the songs I've written are me. There's an element of testimony in this album as to who I am. And when we were looking for outside material I was looking for those angles I may not have captured yet as a writer. I like the honky-tonkin', lovin', cheatin', and losin' songs, because that's real life - that's what I feel anybody can relate to or in some way has been through at one point in their life. I've had some experience with most of these topics - good and bad."
    Through the entire recording process, Brad has continued to hit the road criss-crossing the country performing everywhere he can. The band he put together over a year ago is as tight as any on the circuit, and they take as much pride in delivering Brad Martin music as he does himself.
    Like his debut single, "Before I Knew Better," the survival anthem/ode to experience being the best teacher that tells the tale of a wild young guy who goes off half-cocked most of the time, until his pride causes him to lose the love of his life one day. "That song is just the truth," admits Brad. "And everybody has made mistakes, everybody has a past and things they have to admit to one day, so we felt like just about anybody could relate to this one because everyone has something in their life they'd like to fix. It's about life lessons, and learning, and mending fences."
    Some of those lessons come hard, as in the scenario in "The Fifth," a hardcore country tearjerker about the age-old battle between a man and the bottle. Penned by Kenny Beard, Tony Mullins, and Don Pfrimmer, the song has the kind of retro feel you'd expect to hear at a long ago Texas dancehall at closing time while the couples swayed to and fro to the last dance of the evening. "It's a waltz, ¾ time song," says Brad, "and many people have been down that road and can relate to it."
    On "Rub Me The Right Way," Brad channels a bit of Paycheck's rough and rowdy style. "He's had a rough week, the bossman's been riding him hard, but he knows he has someone special at home. It's kind of your working man's blues, woman-friendly composition, about a guy who goes out and makes a living and works hard - kind of a 'take this job and shove it' sentiment." The seed of that song came from watching his dad struggle to balance work, family and music all the while benefiting from the constant encouragement of his wife.
    Though Brad often pays homage to his heroes in concert, taking songs like Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again," and adding his own unique modern-day twists, he hopes his own songs will be remembered and someday revered in much the same way as those of his musical heroes. "My main goal is longevity with my music. I'm still hoping to write that song that can be recorded 20 times over and never get old," states Brad. "I want to still be making great music 20 years from now like a lot of the greats did. When I came to Nashville I didn't come down here to leave. I came down here to make it. And to stay."
    And with such heart and conviction, there is little doubt Brad Martin is sure to do just that.