Part 2 of Chasing Country on THV11 featuring Matt Stell...
Singer/Songwriter Matt Stell is from Center Ridge, Arkansas. Just 18 miles southwest of my hometown of Clinton. So when someone told me to check out this new artist from Center Ridge, I was already interested. And then I heard "Prayed For You" and knew it would be a hit. The song is climbing quickly up the country charts. Matt just signed a deal with Arista records. It looks like this guy from a town with a population of about 1,000 is on the right track to make a name for himself in Nashville. And I feel a sense of pride, even though I have just recently met Matt.
THV11 gave me the opportunity to chat with Matt Stell for a 3-part mini series called Chasing Country. I highlight 3 country artist from Arkansas that have begun to pave a way for themselves in the country music world. You can see my Chasing Country stories on Adam Hambrick and Heath Sanders, too.
Back to Matt.... Not only is he a guy from right up the road with a great song, but he has a really interesting past. Matt is 6'7" and played college basketball at Drury University in Springfield, MO. He obtained his Master's Degree from the U of A. He was then accepted into the pre-med program at Harvard, but decided to pursue his passion of music instead.
So now, Center Ridge will not only be known to me as the place you get the most amazing, homemade spaghetti dinner at Catholic Point every June. Or the place that we would go to for beer runs, because Center Ridge had the closest liquor stores to Clinton. Or home of Clifton Clowers on Woolverton Mountain. (See below) It is now also the hometown of country artist Matt Stell. A guy that just made his Grand Ole Opry debut. We're proud of you, Matt!
See my full-length interview with Matt Stell and his soundcheck performance of Prayed For You at Stickyz below.
You may have heard of Clifton Clowers in the song Wolverton Mountain. Well, Mr. Clowers actually lived on Woolverton Mountain (note the difference in spelling) near Center Ridge. The song was written in 1959 by Clowers' nephew, Merle Kilgore.
Kilgore was the personal manager of Hank Sr when he passed away. He co-wrote "Ring of Fire" with June Carter Cash. Kilgore was Johnny Cash's Best Man at their wedding.
Below you will see a video of Kilgore telling the story of visiting Clowers on Woolverton Mountain, writing the song, touring with George Jones and finally finding someone interested in recording the song. Claude King released "Wolverton Mountain" in 1962 and it spent nine weeks at the top of the Billboard country chart. It was also a huge crossover hit, reaching number six on the pop chart and number three on the easy listening chart.