Pete Schlegel

Raised on a dairy farm in Paulding, OH, Pete Schlegel grew up listening to country music while he milked the cows. He received his first guitar when he was in the fourth grade, and music became his passion. Soon he was participating in musicals, school choirs, and the local karaoke circuit. Following high school he became an Ohio State police officer for a time, then an EMS helicopter pilot in Pittsburg, PA. Moving back to Ohio, he continued as an EMS pilot in Toledo while working on his music. Schlegel formed a seven-piece band, Tru South, based in the Defiance, OH, area, and became a regular on the northwest Ohio bar circuit. In 2002 he headed for Nashville to work with producer Clyde Brooks on a self-released album, Strong Stuff, which was eventually picked up for national distribution by V-Tone/Infinity Records. In 2004 three singles were released from the album, "Short for Gone," "Leaving Ain't as Easy as It Sounds," and "It Takes a Whole Lotta Liquor to Like Her," which had been previously recorded by Hank Williams, Jr.