Chris Pierce

Possessing both a soulful singing voice that harks back to the masters of the style like Donny Hathaway and Bill Withers and a laid back, largely acoustic sensibility that fits in nicely with singer-songwriter contemporaries like John Mayer and Jack Johnson, Chris Pierce spans musical generations. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Pierce was a struggling local singer-songwriter until he met Seal at a living room gig in 2004 and was invited to be the opening act on the British singer's world tour. His debut album, 2005's Static Trampoline, was followed by a 2006 live album, Music in the Moment, that was released only in Japan. To help increase his public profile, Pierce started placing songs on various TV shows, including Grey's Anatomy and What About Brian, and in commercials, along with his steady live work and a growing buzz on the internet and on adult album alternative radio stations like southern California's KCRW. A second studio album, Walking on the Earth, was released in the spring of 2008.