A singer and songwriter out of Carthage, Texas, Brandon Rhyder grew up singing in church, where his voice, even then, stood out. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Texas at Tyler, earning a degree in industrial technology, and in his senior year he discovered the guitar and began writing songs. He moved to Austin in 1999, quickly becoming part of the Red Dirt scene. His first album, Because She Loves Me, appeared in 2001, with his second, Behind the Pine Curtain, released in 2003. The Walt Wilkins-produced Conviction was issued in 2005, and by then Rhyder was firmly established on the Texas scene. Arriving in 2007, Live, on Apex Records, delivered Rhyder's first charting Texas single, "Before I Knew Your Name." Radney Foster produced Every Night, which appeared in 2008, while Rhyder went back to Wilkins as producer for 2010's Head Above Water. Live at Billy Bob's Texas appeared in 2011, with That's Just Me following in 2013. After a four-year break, Rhyder returned with a self-titled album in July of 2017. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi