Craig Hand

......In an industry that revels in illusion, newcomer Craig Hand is refreshingly free of pretense. Most young recording artists ride the crest of their emerging careers by affirming the music biz hype machine that heralds them as the second coming of, well, somebody. However, Hand is disarmingly frank about the decade of hard work that now has him poised for, well, another long run of hark work."Whenever you're talking about musicians there are going to be egos involved," Hand says, referencing his first move to Nashville more than 10 years ago. "I was never that way. If someone was a better singer or player than I was, I figured I should just shut up and learn something”. That first attempt at Music City fame and fortune was quite an education, one that eventually convinced him to return to his native Florida and get better. A lot better. And that's exactly what he did. No excuses. No complaints about the system. He simply decided to develop as a recording artist. And then, just as Craig was getting ready to take another shot at his big break, a funny thing happened. His first break found him. You might even say a force of nature led not just to a record deal, but to his signing as the debut artist for Nashville label, Category 5.But there's more to Craig Hand's story than hard work. There's talent, of course, because all the work in the world can't pull that out of thin air. And then there's an unwavering love of country music. Both can probably be traced back to Craig's mother.Born and raised in St. Augustine, Florida, Craig heard plenty of traditional country music growing up. "My mother loved Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Marty Robbins, Dolly Parton and all kinds of classic stuff," Hand says. "So early on, that's what I heard”. She also played guitar and introduced her son to the instrument when he was just 6 years old. Continuing to play guitar throughout his childhood, Craig started playing in bands at age 15 while pursuing another passion -- bull riding in local rodeos. The two quickly converged. "I was fine playing guitar, but I was always too shy to sing in front of anyone," he says. "But, I started playing and singing at the rodeos and people would gather around telling me that I was really good. I have actually played as the entertainment in exchange for not having to pay my entry fee”. He also began to develop a taste for country apart from his mother's influence. "I liked Garth Brooks and remember being really fascinated with how big of a star he was," Craig says. “I was also listening to a lot of Hank Jr., Marty Brown, Ken Mellons and Randy Travis”. After finishing high school, Hand worked at a local Country Music Opry opening for classic country music artist’s. Soon, Nashville beckoned."I wouldn't say moving to Nashville was culture shock for me, because I knew most musicians there were going to be good. But I didn't know that they were going to be THAT good”. Craig served a two-year apprenticeship writing songs, singing demos and learning about the music business. "I was a sponge," he says. "I left there really motivated to work on my craft”. Returning to Florida, he poured himself into performing with his band, and also as a solo acoustic act. "I’ve always managed to make a solid living doing those shows up and down the coast” he says.Determined to try his luck in Nashville again, he called songwriter and producer Charlie Craig. "I had a bunch of my old demo tapes, but nothing that I thought was commercial album quality" Hand explains. "Finally I decided to put together some investors and record a whole album”. A Long Way From Town was finished in July of 2005, and quickly drew interest from a few of Nashville’s labels. Three of which asked him in to perform live for some of their staff. A week before the last label meeting, Mother Nature intervened. Raymond Termini, a New England entrepreneur, was called to Florida to move his boat from the path of an oncoming hurricane. The executive just happened to find safe harbor in St. Augustine, and the diner he stopped in for a bite just happened to have a hometown performer booked that night. "This guy comes up to me after the set and asks what I'm doing with my career," Craig smiles. "He told me that he'd been thinking about opening a record label in Nashville”. “I remember thinking, Ohh Here’s this song and dance again." But, primed with a copy of the album, Termini returned to Florida showing Hand a detailed business plan and a hired team of seasoned label execs. In November of 2005, Termini signed the singer as the first artist on the aptly named Category 5 label. Shortly there after, Category 5 signed platinum-selling artists Travis Tritt and Sammy Kershaw.By late January of 2006, Hand had already begun a national radio promotions tour in preparation for his debut single release. Hand then teamed up with actor/director Rick Schroder and shot the video for Hand’s self written single ‘Direct Connect’, which later aired on GAC & CMT. Upon signing on with Monterey Peninsula Artists as his booking agency, Hand was offered (and accepted) the opportunity to be the opening act for label-mate Travis Tritt. In March of 2006, Hand’s first and only single to date, ‘Direct Connect’, was released to radio as the first single from Category Five Records. Eight short weeks after that release, Category 5’s radio promotions staff underwent a complete turnover as Hand’s single entered the top 50 of the Billboard Country Music Charts. Category Five promptly replaced their Radio Promo staff but continued to have turnovers and found it very difficult breaking into the top 30 with their single releases. A year and a half later, Hand was able to exit the label just before for the label owner (Ray Termini) closed the doors due to legal and financial difficulties."I made some new fans, and I was able to learn a bit about what is expected of an artist in today’s market.”Since departing from Category 5, Hand has been staying busy. Some of this years past agenda has included performing several charity events, such as opening up for Montgomery Gentry in Daytona during Speedweek, The Quail Unlimited Celebrity Quail Hunt in Albany Georgia, Country Goes Huntin’ in Dothan, Alabama, and Cops and Jocks Celebrity Softball Tournament during CMA Fest. Hand currently performs three to four nights a week in Florida and invites folks to check out his myspace page for the schedule of where he will be playing next. www.myspace.com/craighandIn February of 2008 Playgirl Magazine approached Hand about doing a photo session and story for the upcoming (July/August 2008) Country Issue of the magazine. Just two weeks after the photo shoot with Playgirl, Hand learned that not only was he going to be featured in the magazine, but that he had landed on the cover of the magazine as well. When Hand was asked how he felt about receiving the front cover of Playgirl Magazine, his response was that he was “pleasantly surprised”. This issue is due out June 3, 2008.Hand recently signed a record deal with newly formed Bling-a-Billy Records and will be releasing his new single “Satisfy You” to radio July 14, 2008. Hard copies of his debut album ‘A Long Way From Town’ can be purchased from his myspace page. Digital downloads can be purchased from I-Tunes, or at Wal-Mart.com. Craig also invites everyone to stop by and leave a comment on his message board at CMT.com.