Derek Sholl's journey from pro baseball hopeful to a fast-rising country star is a true-to-life tale of man with two big talents.
"Growing up, Sports totally dominated my life," Derek says. "My mom told me my first words were 'the ball.' Anything with a ball, I would pick it up and I was hooked. But I was also the guy who knew the words to every song on the radio, I was singing in the dugout, singing in the huddle, singing in the outfield, just singing because I liked it. I first started listening to country music when I got drafted by the Kansas City Royals," Derek recalls. "I'd come into the clubhouse singing Randy Travis and Alan Jackson in my "new" country voice. I was half kidding, but everybody would always say, 'Hey, that's really good.' I was learning a lot of songs, but baseball was my first love. I still thought I was going to be a professional ball player."
He still likes Baseball, but these days Derek is singing his way into the country music big leagues as he embarks on a multi-state radio tour in support of “Here” his breakout single. With southern California good looks, an athlete's energy, an unforgettable Soulful country voice and a stage show that never fails to leave the audience wanting more, Derek is currently on a fast track to the national stage. Not bad for a guy who literally got his start singing in the shower.
What stopped his fledgling baseball career was a series of injuries ending with a torn Achilles tendon. "It was a real bummer," Derek says. "It's hard to work your way all the way into the starting lineup and then boom, you break a bone and you're right back to the bottom of the totem pole. Derek's climb back up began almost immediately when he started picking guitar and singing requests at his local watering hole.
"I don't have a musical background, and I've never taken lessons," he says. "I learned to play guitar by listening to records and putting my fingers where they needed to be to make that sound. His singing voice is another story, and Derek has used his regular gigs to hone his God-given country baritone into an instrument that packs emotion into every song he sings. It wasn't long before the acoustic, sing-along format "got old" for the singer,so backed by a full band he was soon packing them into those same local clubs growing from "singer" to "entertainer" and attracting the kind of professional management that would introduce him to a bigger music world.
Derek while making regular trips to Nashville to write and record was offered an opportunity too good to refuse."We'd been pitching our music to The Station Casinos in Las Vegas," Derek says. "They have a state-of-the-art sound, lights, and production, and we got an opportunity to come to Vegas and audition for their bigwigs. After a successful audition, Derek made the move to Vegas and spent the next three years perfecting his act in front of some of the toughest audiences in the world. "In a honky tonk, everybody's talking loud and yelling," Derek says. "But in this type of venue, it's theater seating and all eyes are on you. You're playing to a very diverse crowd that could be from all over the world, and you have to get up there and prove yourself every single night, but it's an excellent environment for getting your original material across. It's a test, but we pulled it off."
Word of Derek's energetic shows eventually made its way down the Vegas strip to the Mirage, where Jay Leno was searching for the perfect opening act for his regular appearances. Soon Derek was sharing the stage with the late night TV icon, who remains a friend and devoted fan of the singer. While in the studio, recording "Here" with producer Chris Estes, the singer found the perfect balance.
Today, Derek finds his current single, "Here" making noise on the regional Texas chart and the national Music Row chart."This is the kind of radio-friendly stuff I want to be recording," Derek says. "It also turned out to be one of the best vocals I've put on anything to date Currently touring in support of the single throughout Texas and the southwest region, Derek has ramped up his live show even further to accommodate His rowdy Lone Star fans. "I take a lot of pride in our live stage show," he says. "What I'm doing up there is not an act. On a big stage or in a small bar, it's high energy and it's exactly who I am”. It's taken a few years and about a million gigs, but Derek's country music career has been both a steady climb and a trial by fire. And while he's managed to keep the injuries to a minimum, the athlete in Derek is bound and determined to give 110 percent night after night, delivering a riveting and energetic live show whether he's playing a huge festival or a Texas honky tonk.
Derek’s story is continually evolving, stay tuned for more to come!
Derek Sholl
