Greg Trooper

Born and raised in New Jersey, Greg Trooper has written songs recorded by the likes of Steve Earle and Vince Gill. In the early '70s, Trooper left the folk clubs of Greenwich Village for the music scene of Austin, Texas, before moving to Lawrence, Kansas, where he entered college and continued to hone his guitar, singing, and songwriting skills. He returned to New York for the '80s and part of the '90s, where he recorded his first two records: We Won't Dance and the critically acclaimed Everywhere. The records caught the attention of Earle — who recorded Trooper's "Little Sister." In the early '90s, Trooper met fellow New Jerseyite and ex-E Steet Band bassist Garry Tallent, who like Trooper would settle in Nashville. Tallent produced Trooper's 1996 album Noises in the Hallway and released it on his D'Ville Records. Popular Demons followed in 1998. After the release of that album, he signed with famed Nashville indie Element Records, which released Straight Down Rain in 2001. He moved on to the esteemed Sugar Hill label in 2003 with the excellent Floating, followed by Make it Through the World in 2005.