Pete Schlegel

In Paulding, Ohio, Pete Schlegel spent his boyhood on a dairy farm, where country music accompanied the routine of milking cows each day. His first guitar arrived during fourth grade, sparking a passion that soon drew him into school musicals, choirs, and the surrounding karaoke scene. After graduation he briefly served as an Ohio State police officer before training as an EMS helicopter pilot, a role he filled first in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and later in Toledo once he returned to Ohio, all the while continuing to develop his music.

Schlegel assembled the seven-piece band Tru South in the Defiance area and established a steady presence across the northwest Ohio bar circuit. In 2002 he traveled to Nashville to record with producer Clyde Brooks, resulting in the self-released album Strong Stuff, which V-Tone/Infinity Records later picked up for national distribution. Three singles followed in 2004: “Short for Gone,” “Leaving Ain't as Easy as It Sounds,” and “It Takes a Whole Lotta Liquor to Like Her,” the last of which Hank Williams, Jr. had previously cut.