ken mellons

Tennessee native, Ken Mellons, was born in Kingsport, but moved with his family to Music City, USA at the tender age of three. Raised in the country music heartland of Nashville, he frequently attended bluegrass festivals, the Grand Ole Opry, and the Porter Wagoner Show with his parents. Says Mellons, "In all the pictures of me as a little boy, I've got a guitar in my hand. I've always just loved music. All I can ever remember wanting to do is sing and play country music."

Mellons' first public performance was at the Hermitage Hullabaloo Talent Show in first grade. Throughout elementary and high school, he continued to pursue his singing career at talent shows and pep rallies, and even had a daily stint on the school intercom system singing country standards of the time.

After graduation, Mellons began his performance career in earnest at the local clubs in Tennessee and the surrounding areas, playing for free while adopting a series of day jobs to pay the bills. His sacrifices paid off in 1989, with a spot in the Country Music USA show at Nashville's Opryland Theme Park. The Grand Ole Opry's General Manager caught Mellons' performance and invited him to play the Grand Ole Opry, which led to a recording contract at Sony/Epic.
Mellons' self-titled debut album was released in 1994 to huge popular acclaim. The album generated four singles - "Lookin' In The Same Direction", "Workin' For The Weekend", "I Can't Bring Her Back" (a favorite with both fans and Mallons himself), and the smash hit, "Jukebox Junkie", which received both the ASCAP and BMI Million-Play Award. His 1996 sophomore record, Where Forever Begins boasted the charting single, "Rub-A-Dubbin"', and continues to showcase Mellons' soulful baritone voice on ballads soaring with raw emotion, as well as hard¬core honky-tonk tunes.

In 1977, Mellons signed his second major label deal at Curb Records, which unfortunately fell victim to label politics and personnel changes. Mellons asked to be released of his Curb contract in 2003 to regain control of his artistic direction with a move to an independent label.

On Sweet, his 2004 release on Home Records, Mellons accomplished just that, making the music he loves with what he feels is his best work to date. His passionate rendering of the hit, "Paint Me A Birmingham" highlights Mellons' rich mastery of traditional country at its best. The record also features a country music Who's-Who of guest artists including George Jones, Vince Gill, Rebecca Lynn Howard and Earl Scruggs.

Having honed the ability to combine a reverence for tradition with a contemporary twist, Mellons also lays claim to a highly successful songwriting career. Numerous high profile artists such as George Strait, Hank Williams, Jr., Dierks Bentley and Mark Chestnut have recorded his songs. Mallons continues to call Nashville his home, and when he is not on the road he spends his time there with the accomplishment closest to his heart, his son Kade.