Ricky Lynn Gregg

More than six years separated Ricky Lynn Gregg's second album, Get a Little Closer, from his third, Careful What You Wish For. The extended interval stemmed not from an absence of record-label proposals but from the absence of any proposal that matched what Gregg sought. Early in his country career, Jimmy Bowen of Liberty Records, the Nashville arm of Capitol, guided his progress. Bowen's evident dedication during the early 1990s, paired with Gregg's own abilities and determination, produced the self-titled 1992 debut, the follow-up two years later, and six music videos, five of which reached the Top Ten on Country Music Television. Nightclub play in 1993 propelled singles such as "If I Had a Cheatin' Heart," "Can You Feel It," and "Three Nickels and a Dime." That year Billboard ranked him fourth among its Top New Country Artists, while Performance magazine nominated him for Best New Country Act. The partnership with Bowen and Liberty concluded in 1995 when Bowen was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, withdrew from the industry, and relocated from Nashville's Music Row to the beaches of Hawaii. Gregg returned to Texas.

Only in 1997 did Gregg encounter a comparable level of support when he signed with manager Eddie Rhines, whose roster already included Confederate Railroad and George Jones. Rhines arranged a tour pairing Gregg with Jones, which restored momentum and expanded his audience. Alongside producers Eddie Gore and Barry Beckett, Gregg began recording again; Beckett's prior work encompasses projects with Hank Williams Jr., Lorrie Morgan, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Michael Bolton, and Kenny Chesney. Executive George Collier assured Gregg of a recording contract even though his label had not yet launched. Trusting that assurance, Gregg completed the album, and Collier's new imprint, RMG Records, issued the ten-track Careful What You Wish For in 2001.

Born in Longview, TX, the youngest of five sons, Gregg moved at age nineteen to Dallas and joined the rock band Savvy. His résumé also lists tenures with Head East and the Ricky Lynn Project. In 1983 the Texas Music Association nominated him for Musician of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year, while two of his compositions reached the Song of the Year finals. Tracing ancestry to Native Americans, he established the Trail of Hope charity, which has delivered more than a million dollars in goods and supplies to underprivileged Cherokee, Choctaw, and Sioux communities. He additionally organized a golf tournament benefiting elderly residents of Texas. His voice appears on the Save the Eagle project, and his guitar work features on Hog Wild by Hank Williams Jr.