Ashton Shepherd

Born August 16, 1986, in Coffeeville, Alabama, Ashton Shepherd displayed prodigious talent early as a country songwriter and vocalist. She was already singing the moment she learned to speak and had filled notebooks with original lyrics by the time she turned five or six. At eight she entered her first country competition performing Patsy Cline material, which soon led to steady appearances at regional fairs, benefits, and local functions. Guitar lessons began at fifteen; that same year her parents funded a self-released disc she sold at her own shows. Winning a 2006 talent contest in Gilbertown, Alabama, secured her an opening slot on a Lorrie Morgan bill. A Nashville producer in attendance arranged a recording session in the city, resulting in a contract with MCA Nashville and work on the album Sounds So Good under veteran producer Buddy Cannon. The project’s lead single, the striking “Takin’ Off This Pain,” reached radio in September 2007, and Sounds So Good itself appeared the following year, climbing to number 16 on the country albums chart. Shepherd slightly refined her Americana approach for the 2011 follow-up Where Country Grows, which improved on its predecessor by peaking at number 11.