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Chance
Lethcoe
Music
That Matters
by Brenda L. Madden |
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 Great
country music is about lyrics that touch
the heart and soul of the listener -- and
newcomer, Chance Lethcoe is tugging on those very
heartstrings with the  release of his initial single,
“Angie’s Song” and there’s
more to follow with an album on the horizon.
Although a relative newcomer to the recording
studio, Chance comes from an East Tennessee
family steeped in musical tradition. His
grandfather, Clayton Slagle is well known for
hosting the Slagle’s Pasture Bluegrass
Festival, a premier bluegrass event that ran for
over thirty years. Clayton passed on his deep
rooted appreciation for music to his grandson and
was also responsible for introducing Chance to
the fiddle. Although not very excited at first,
Chance learned to play with private lessons from
renowned bluegrass fiddler, Benny Sims, who
worked with Flatt & Scruggs. Catching that
musical fever would lead Chance to learn to play
the guitar and try his hand at songwriting as
well.
By age ten, Chance was playing fiddle with the
Tennessee Bluegrass Four, a group filled with
enthusiastic child virtuosos. Working with that
band and performing at his grandfather’s
Slagle’s Pasture Bluegrass Festival,
afforded Chance the opportunity to play with such
legendary artists as Alison Krauss, Keith
Whitley, Ricky Skaggs and Jim & Jesse.
 Those early
lessons, influences and experiences paid off and
sparked a fire that still burns strong in Chance
today. Now he is combining that inherited passion
with his natural talent and songwriting skills
and recording his debut album. Generating song
ideas from real life situations and emotions,
Chance has written several tunes for the new
project including the first single,
“Angie’s Song” - a deeply personal
anthem about the struggles of a single mother and
what she may have to do to support her children.
With his words, he touches on a subject too often
overlooked or misunderstood. The lyrics were
written with a particular dancer in mind –
having met her while on the road, she shared her
life story of working two jobs and going to
college at night -- all in order to support her
two children and a deadbeat boyfriend. At the
time her words touched his heart and he knew
there was a song there and once pulling that
conversation from his memory, the song came  quickly. Now finally recording this
composition, he hopes that the message in this
true tale will resonate with listeners.
The CD will also include some cover tracks which
Chance will deliver with a traditional country
music flavor and his own unique style. He
comments, “I want to create something good
… create a good song that a lot of folks can
relate to and ... I want touch them in a positive
way ... and have them sing along with my
songs.” As Chance begins this new chapter in
his musical journey, he plans to have fun, meet a
lot of new friends along the way and to create
music that matters! |
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