“CHRIS BLAIR” READY TO EXPLODE INTO WORLD OF COUNTRY MUSIC

Having spent his last several years dedicated to his songwriting and performing, Chris Schoessel, known to his audience as Chris Blair,” decided it was time to make the next steps and move to Nashville, Tenn.  This decision was largely in part to the advice Blair received after meeting with the head of A&R at one of the top major labels in Music City.  So, taking the advice given, Chris drove back home to St. Louis, Mo., quit his job, sold his house, packed up his truck and moved to Nashville in September of 2003.  "I was ready to go for it, and the encouragement from the label just helped me take that leap," Blair says.  Although new to Nashville, he has been paying his dues for many years.  

Blair stepped into the independent radio spotlight with Who Do You Think You Are, a debut that describes what almost everyone has encountered... not looking for that special someone until it smacks you right in the face.  He released this single to independent country radio in October of 1998 and caught the eye of many as he moved up the independent charts.  

"I've been singing and performing since the age of six and have no desire to do anything else," Blair explains.  "I spent my entire childhood in music groups and musicals.  It's what seemed natural for me. I would live to be on stage, singing, performing, and doing whatever I could to make others enjoy the entertainment.  When my grandpa died, I saw someone play the guitar and sing at his funeral and told my parents that day that I wanted a guitar.  It was my senior year in high school and that's been the best gift I've ever gotten.  I immediately spent every spare minute that I could dedicated to my guitar playing and song writing.  There's nothing that has frustrated me more, nor excited me more. The more I do it, the more I learn."  

Blair has been around music his entire life.  From church choirs and school choirs to select groups and bands he has always had a tune in his head.  Raised by a father and mother who supported his music and did everything they could to help him, he learned at a young age not to be scared to chase his dreams.  "My parents are absolutely the best I could ask for.  They have always supported me and have done everything they could to help me find new places to sing and perform."  

"I have several idol's, I guess. I like some for their music, some for their performing abilities, and some for both, but I don't think I can name just one. I just love country music. It is in my blood," Blair admits. "I actually didn't grow up listening to country.  I was a product of the 70's and 80's listening to the tunes of the Eagles, Billy Joel, Poison, Skynard, etc.  I love all types of music now because of the broad spectrum of things I listened to growing up.  But the thing about country is the lyrics.  It's real.  It's about feelings and emotions.  I write songs that I feel and sing songs that I can relate to. The emotion, more than anything, is why I love to do what I do."  

Travel is also not foreign to Chris. While attending Southeast Missouri State University, he was chosen as one of 25 singers in the entire state of Missouri to tour with a group called The Missouri Ambassadors of Music (1997) and performed as a soloist during the concerts they gave in seven different foreign countries.  "It was a tour of a lifetime," Blair explains.  "I had the opportunity to perform in many different settings and for different types of crowds.  The overseas experience was very cool."  Having his own band for a while during college, Chris began writing more songs and learned how to "play with the crowd," as he describes it.  "It was one of the hardest thing I've done - putting a band together by myself from scratch, managing it, acting as a booking agent, running practices and attending school full time, but a great experience also.  I learned how to keep the crowds into the music, how to play with them I guess.  I would try to make sure that every single person there was having a good time and try to somehow make everyone feel like I was looking and singing directly to them. I love it... it's my passion."