Derek Sholl

1997 Nominee – Country Western Artist of the Year – 7th annual LA Music Awards

Born in Southern California, Derek Sholl showed an early affinity for playing baseball, and spent his childhood on ball diamonds, developing his skills until he was good enough to be drafted by the Kansas City Royals. Sholl spent a couple of years in the Royals’ minor-league farm system but a series of injuries cut short his professional baseball career. Luckily, Sholl discovered country music during this same time period, and was pleased to find that he actually had a feel for singing it. Teaching himself to play guitar, Sholl began performing gigs at local bars, and for ten years or so, while driving a bread truck to pay the bills, he learned his new craft, developing a fun and professional stage show. He began playing high-reward, high-pressure sets for the Station Casinos in Las Vegas, and eventually found himself opening shows for Jay Leno at the Mirage. Choosing to base himself out of Dallas, TX, Sholl released Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time on B-E-G Records in 2006, and the album yielded a couple of regional hits. Signing with Dallas label Salt Creek Records, Sholl issued Here, recorded at Rosewood Studios in Tyler, TX, in 2008.