The Nashville Knack: Ryan Griffin

From the coast of Florida, Ryan Griffin is one of the fastest growing country artists in the industry. With the recent album release of Sake of Summer, the rise of fame for Ryan is taking off like a rocket. This undeniable success did happen overnight, as his story stretches back to his childhood.

Raised on Vince Gill and George Strait, Ryan took an early interest to country music. His parents were open to Ryan learning to play music. His dad did not know much about the music industry, but as Ryan says, "He did what any good dad would do. He helped me in any way that he could." At 12 years old Ryan Griffin picked up his first guitar.

Ryan took his lessons after getting his guitar, wrote a song not too long after starting, and continued to grow by finding his sound. While Ryan learned to play at an extraordinary pace, he put down his guitar for few years. Ryan spent more time with his brother and friends observing every experience.

Ryan picked his guitar back up in high school for a number of reasons. One of those reasons was to impress girls, but it was not the main reason. The passion Ryan Griffin has for country music is like an Olympic torch that never burns out. During Ryan's freshman year, he was invited to Nashville to play his EP, recorded in a friend's garage, in front of an executive member of MCA Records, at the time.

Ryan reflected on his experience saying the executive member said to him, "You have a good voice. There is something unique and distinct about it, but you are just too young. You need to hone your craft, cut your teeth a little bit, and I recommend that you go to Belmont." That is what Ryan Griffin did after graduating high school. His journey back to Nashville was a learning experience during his four years in school.

Ryan auditioned for the prestigious music program after being accepted in 2002, and was later announced one of the few people to be picked for the program that year. After a year of being in the music program, Ryan transferred to the music business department to expand on his understanding of the industry. He felt that this would provide some security for a very unpredictable career in music.

Ryan graduated in 2006 taking a job in valet while continuing his songwriting career. "My heart is so big for all of the songwriters that wait tables in Nashville or are do valets in Nashville" says Griffin. He understood how much time and energy it took to recognized in Nashville as a singer/songwriter.

Some of the experiences that Ryan had early on were with Jason Aldean. He was a tour manager for eight months doing anything and everything that needed to be done. With all of his understanding under his belt, Ryan was able to find his voice as a songwriter.

When Ryan found his voice, he went straight into writing his latest EP Sake of Summer. His song "Woulda Left Me Too" went viral on Spotify's top viral playlist. Other songs like "Back Seats and Burnt CDs" and "Young Love" truly encapsulates all of Ryan's thoughts and feelings. He poured his heart into every song from heartbreak to better times. With the time and effort put into every song, the nature of his album is both genuine and relatable.

Ryan Griffin is not to be forgotten in the overly saturated market of country singers. I would not be surprised to see him on a headline tour soon. Yes, his music is that amazing, and you should hear it for yourself here----> Spotify