TRAILER CHOIR
MONDAY, JULY 18

With titles like "Rockin' the Beer Gut" and "In My Next Five Beers," it shouldn't take long to figure out the Nashville-based trio Trailer Choir sing of good times, better whiskey, and the best American nightlife has to offer. With members Crystal, Butter, and Vinny -- the 400 pound man who is known to dance the worm in the middle of their shows -- Trailer Choir started out as a cover band, playing everything from the barroom standard "Friends in Low Places" to the disco favorite "I Will Survive." As they began adding original songs to the mix, their audience grew. One night, impressed by their whimsical tunes and energetic stage show, country music superstar Toby Keith introduced himself to the band. A showcase for Keith and his label Show Dog Nashville in the spring of 2007 found Trailer Choir leaving with a signed contract. Then, the band -- who listed their influences as Garth Brooks, Tammy Wynette, Oprah, Elvis, and the Sonic chain of fast food restaurants -- began recording their debut album with Keith as producer. They previewed the album in the spring of 2008 with the single "Off the Hillbilly Hook," which was also the title of a six-song EP that appeared in 2009. The album itself, entitled Tailgate, was finally issued in the summer of 2010.~ David Jeffries, Rovi

TRACY LAWRENCE
WENDESDAY, JULY 20

Born on Jan. 27, 1968, in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in tiny Foreman, Ark., Tracy Lawrence drew from a rich musical heritage that included such Southern rockers as Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top, as well as country traditionalists George Strait and Merle Haggard. He earned his performing stripes by touring the area's bars, honky-tonks and jamborees when barely old enough to drive. Though he recalls the circuit as a "tough road" for a young performer, he says it also taught him some valuable lessons about being an entertainer.

Lawrence landed a recording contract just months after arriving in Nashville. His first album, 1991's Sticks and Stones, catapulted him to the top of the charts, yielding three No. 1 hits (including the title track) and one Top 10 hit. When his debut album went platinum, it set the tone for the rest of his career. Lawrence has had two platinum records and two double-platinum records (1996's Time Marches On and 1993's Alibis. ). Lawrence was named the Academy of Country Music's top new male vocalist in 1993.

Lawrence has devoted much of his energy to develop his writing skill. Encouraged when his self-penned "If the World Had a Front Porch" went to No. 1 in 1994, he wrote songs for each of his subsequent releases. He also opened a music publishing company and began producing other artists' albums in addition to co-producing his own projects.

In 1994, Lawrence fired a handgun during a dispute with some teenagers in Wilson County, Tenn. Charged with reckless endangerment and possession of a firearm, he was placed on probation -- with the charges eventually dismissed for good conduct. Lawrence also was convicted of spousal abuse in January 1998 and received a misdemeanor and a fine. His label, Atlantic Records, suspended him from recording until he got his personal life in order. He later remarried and settled into life as a husband and father.

In 2000, he released Lessons Learned, his first album for the label in more than two years. When Atlantic closed its country division, several of the label's artists -- including Lawrence and John Michael Montgomery -- were transferred to Warner Bros. Records. Lawrence exited Warner Bros. following the release of a self-titled album in 2001.

After leaving Warner Bros., he reunited with James Stroud, who produced Lawrence's early hits before becoming the chief of DreamWorks Records' country division. Stroud signed him to the DreamWorks artist roster in 2003, and purchased an unreleased Warner Bros. album to become Lawrence's first release for the label. That album, Strong, was released in 2004 and included the hit, "Paint Me a Birmingham." He re-recorded his hits in 2005 for his final project on the DreamWorks label.

Lawrence launched his own label, Rocky Comfort Records (RCR), in 2006 as a partnership with his manager, Laney Lawrence. For the Love, his first album for the label, was released in 2007. The project's first single, "Find Out Who Your Friends Are," was a collaboration with longtime friends Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw. The track reached No. 1 on the Billboard country chart and was later named the Academy of Country Music's vocal event of the year. He also released a holiday album, All Wrapped Up in Christmas, in 2007. Lawrence's third album for Rocky Comfort, an inspirational album titled The Rock, is scheduled for release in June 2009