I’m 28, born and raised in North Platte, Nebraska. I grew up on country music, listening to Merle Haggard, George Jones, Patsy Cline, but I also enjoyed listening to a lot of the “big hair bands” of the 80's and 90's. I began singing when I was about 5 years old. In 2004 I performed with "LiveWire" during Cheyenne Frontier Days and later that year with Kenny Bradberry. In 2005 I was a Semi Finalist for the Americas Rising Stars. This past summer I placed at the Galaxy of Stars at the Nebraska State fair. I was invited to tour Nebraska in the Summer of '07. My biggest influences are Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, and Chris Leduex.

Russ Bio

I’m 28, born and raised in North Platte, Nebraska. I graduated from North Platte High in 1996 and have been a member of the Air Force for 10 years and currently serve full-time with the Wyoming Air National Guard in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I am married to my junior high sweetheart and have three children ages 5, 4, and 2. I grew up on country music, listening to Merle Haggard, George Jones, Patsy Cline, but I also enjoyed listening to a lot of the “big hair bands” of the 80's and 90's. But, I’ve always enjoyed country music and the stories it told. I began singing when I was about 5 years old. I’ve participated in church choirs and other music programs through my school years. I also participated in Swing Choir when I was in junior high and earned many solo performances during school programs. After joining the Air Force, I was asked to sing the National Anthem for various ceremonies and perform at the Wyoming National Guard awards banquets. I began writing songs just over a year ago and now have quite a few songs in my catalog. In July 2004 I placed second in the local Colgate Country Showdown. That same month I won a singing contest at a local bar where I got to perform with the band Live Wire during Cheyenne Frontier Days. In December 2004 I performed with Kenny Bradberry after placing 3rd in another local competition. In May of 2005 I won the weekly contest at the Americas Rising Stars Country Competition in Seymour, TN. The following month I placed in the quarter finals qualifying me for the semi-finals before signing with Music City Network. Most recently placed 4th in the Galaxy of Stars competition and was invited to go on tour in Nebraska in Summer 2007. Some my biggest influences have been George Strait, Merle Haggard, Kenny Chesney and Chris LeDeux. My dream is to be able to perform for audiences all over the world and end each show knowing that everyone had the time of their life.