Ashton Shepherd
Ashton Delilah Shepherd (born August 16, 1986)[1] is an American country music singer-songwriter. She was first signed to Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA Nashville division in April 2007. Her 2008 debut album Sounds So Good produced two top 40 hits on the Hot Country Songs charts: "Takin' Off This Pain" and the title track. In 2011, she released her second album, Where Country Grows, which includes the top 20 hit "Look It Up".
Ashton Shepherd | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ashton Delilah Shepherd |
| Born | August 16, 1986[1] Coffeeville, Alabama, United States |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, acoustic guitar |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | MCA Nashville |
Biography
Ashton Shepherd was born in Coffeeville, Alabama, United States. She began singing at an early age, and started writing songs at age five.[1] By age eight, she had entered her first talent competition, where she sang Patsy Cline songs, and soon afterward, she began performing at various local venues as well. Her parents helped her finance a self-titled CD, which she released independently at age fifteen.[1] In June 2006, she entered and won a talent contest in Gilbertown, Alabama. The prize was being the opening act for Lorrie Morgan in concert. Shepherd won the opening slot, and while performing as Morgan's opener, she was spotted by a representative of MCA Nashville Records, who then signed her to the label in April 2007.[2]
Her debut single, "Takin' Off This Pain," was released in September 2007, the same month in which she made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry.[3][4] The song, which peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, was the first single from her debut album Sounds So Good, which was produced by Buddy Cannon and released on March 4, 2008.[1] She also appeared on CMT's Unplugged at Studio 330 television program and subsequent interview March 5, 2008.[5] The album's second single, its title track, was released in May 2008 and peaked at No. 21.
Shepherd's third single, "Look It Up," was released to country radio on January 3, 2011, as the lead-off single to her second album for MCA Nashville, Where Country Grows. It debuted at number 56 on the country charts for chart week ending January 15, 2011.[6] The song entered the Top 40 of the charts in its third week and became her second Top 20 hit on the chart, reaching a peak of number 19 in May 2011. The title track was released as the second and final single from the album, and reached a peak of number 42 on the charts, becoming her first single to miss the Top 30. Shepherd parted ways with MCA Nashville in mid-2012.[7]
Shepherd also performed backup vocals on "Tailgate Blues", a track on Luke Bryan's 2011 album, Tailgates & Tanlines.
After ending her relationship with MCA Nashville, Shepherd started her own company to pursue releasing music independently.[8] Her third studio album, This Is America, was released on August 16, 2013, via Shepherd's own Pickin' Shed Records. The title track was released as the lead single in July 2013.
Shepherd released her fourth studio album, Out of My Pocket, on June 14, 2016.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [9] |
US [10] | ||
| Sounds So Good |
|
16 | 90 |
| Where Country Grows |
|
11 | 37 |
| This Is America |
|
— | — |
| Out of My Pocket |
|
— | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
Extended plays
| Title | Details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country [9] | ||
| Look It Up |
|
71 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [11] |
US [12] | |||
| 2007 | "Takin' Off This Pain" | 20 | —A | Sounds So Good |
| 2008 | "Sounds So Good" | 21 | —A | |
| 2011 | "Look It Up" | 19 | 95 | Where Country Grows |
| "Where Country Grows" | 42 | — | ||
| 2013 | "This Is America" | — | — | This Is America |
| 2014 | "Seventeen Again" | — | — | |
| 2016 | "With Us Tellin' The Truth" | — | — | Out of My Pocket |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
- A "Takin' Off This Pain" and "Sounds So Good" did not enter the Hot 100, but peaked at number 16 on Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Takin' Off This Pain" (version 1) | Shaun Silva |
| 2008 | "Takin' Off This Pain" (version 2) | Danny Clinch/Becky Fluke |
| "Sounds So Good" | Roman White | |
| 2011 | "Look It Up" | Michael Salomon |
| "Where Country Grows" |
Other appearances
| Year | Song | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Polyrically Uncorrect" | Cledus T. Judd | Polyrically Uncorrect |
References
- Leggett, Steve. "Ashton Shepherd biography". Allmusic. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
- "Universal signs Ashton Shepherd to deal". Country Standard Time. April 1, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
- Pickard, Kathryn F. (2007). "Leroy resident to appear on Grand Ole' (sic) Opry". The South Alabamian. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
- "Ashton wows Grand Ole Opry with her premier performance". The Clarke County Democrat. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2007.
- "Ashton Shepherd offers up CMT Exclusive interview". Country Music News Blog. March 2, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
- "Chart Highlights: Pop, Rock, Dance/Club Play Songs & More". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
- "Label Roster Changes Involve Lee Ann Womack And Other Female Acts". MSN. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- "Welcome to Ashton Shepherd | Ashton Shepherd". Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- "Ashton Shepherd Album & Song Chart History – Country Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- "Ashton Shepherd Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- "Ashton Shepherd Album & Song Chart History – Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
External links
- Ashton Shepherd at UMG Nashville