Ryan Baysden

I'm 32 years old and grew up in a small commercial fishing village, on the Southern Outer Banks of North Carolina, called Salter Path. Even though it is the "Beach", the only music I heard as a child was Country and Southern Gospel. As I got a little older, I fell in love with Southern Rock (The Allman Brothers, Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker, etc.). I started out singing in the youth choir at church, then the Morehead City Middle School choir. After that, I sang in the elite West Carteret High Singers and Small Ensemble, where we won the East Coast Championships.Following High School, I moved to Greenville N.C. to go to college, where I spent more time playing guitar and singing than I did studying and actually going to school. That led me to having to bust my butt as a mate on a deep-sea fishing boat, The Capt. Stacy. Then one day, a friend of mine talked me into entering the “True Value Country Showdown” where she got 1st. place and I got 2nd. A few months later, we entered another contest, "Carolina Calling", which was produced and hosted by Arthur Smith (Dueling Banjos). We both did very well and were aired for 13 weeks on UNC-TV.After that, I decided to move to Nashville, TN. to pursue my dream of being a Country Music Singer. I sang in all of the downtown bars, bartended at a local bar, where I sang Karaoke 3 nights a week and set up the “Open Mic Night" once a week.One year later, I got a call from home informing me that my father had put his eye out. So, I immediately put my dream on hold, packed my stuff and moved back to run his construction business until he recovered. When he returned to work, I got my building contractors license and started my own construction company and have been doing that since 2003, but I still couldn't let go of the dream.When I heard that the American Idol Auditions were going to be in Greensboro, N.C., I got my stuff together and went for it. I received great reviews from Paula and Randy, but, Simon gave me the best one saying, "first Ryan I've met with talent”. I went to Hollywood, where I also did well but, was told in a roundabout way that I was too “traditional country” for American Idol. To me, that was a compliment.That led me to where I am now. I have recorded my first CD and am playing as many gigs as possible, advertising and promoting myself with help from family, friends, fans and the independent label, Sonic Records; and chasing the Major Label.... “The Dream”! travel layout @ HOT FreeLayouts.com
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