Born in Greenwood, South Carolina, Keith Harling grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, developing an affinity for new traditionalist country sounds. Shaped by the styles of Lefty Frizzell, Conway Twitty, and Keith Whitley, he assembled a homemade drum kit at age ten and practiced by copying television musicians; in high school and college he broadened his range to bass, saxophone, and trumpet across multiple local rock ensembles. After time in Florida, he moved to Nashville, encountered an unyielding industry, and came back to Chattanooga six months later. There he spent the next seven years sharpening his songwriting and live performance abilities in regional clubs. In 1996 he secured a songwriting agreement with MCA’s publishing division, and a showcase appearance six weeks afterward yielded a recording contract. His first album, Write It in Stone, appeared in 1998, followed by Bring It On the next year.
