‘Catch of the Day’ – Brett Eldredge – “The Long Way” [AUDIO]

Today we take a look and listen at the latest from a singer and songwriter who has become almost as well known for his "happy go lucky" approach to life as he has for his music. An artist who got his break writing a track for Gary Allan, and who's debut single may have been about one of the darkest subjects in country music history.

Brett Eldredge has become as well known for his approach to life as he has for his approach to music. The cousin of Terry Eldredge of the Grascals, Brett grew up around music, born and raised in Paris, Illinois, performing locally and by age 15 he was an in-demand performer at local functions. Influenced by artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Ray Charles to Ronnie Dunn, Eldredge knew his path would lead him to Nashville.

After graduating high school, Eldredge moved on to studying at Elmhurst College in Chicago, and while he focused on his performance and developed his songwriting, allowed his musicianship to slip somewhat, so that after graduating college and moving to Music City to focus on songwriting, he found himself behind the other writers when it came to performing at local songwriter nights. While he may have been a better singer, they had their own accompaniment, while Brett had long ago set his guitar aside.

So Eldredge locked himself inside a room and began to practice. And practice. And practice some more. Eventually Brett started feeling comfortable to write complete songs on his own, and once he did, he was hooked. And so were others, including the legendary "Whispering" Bill Anderson, who taught Eldredge one of the true tricks to good song writing was to "just keep writing." And keep writing he did. One of Eldredge's big break's was the song "I Think I've Had Enough" which landed on Gary Allan's 2010 Get Off On The Pain album.

The song also caught the attention of Atlantic Records, who signed Eldredge in late 2010. The label would release his debut single "Raymond" in September, seeing it debut at #52 on the country chart in October and peak at #23. The song, written by Eldredge, tells the story of a maintenance worker at a nursing home, and his relationship with a woman suffering the effects of Alzheimer's. Brett wrote the song based on his personal experiences with his grandmother, who battled the disease for several years. While failing to crack the top-20, the song was one of the most critically acclaimed songs of 2010, getting the youngsters name on country fans minds.

The song would appear on Eldredge's debut album, Bring You Back, which would not be released until 2013. By the time the album was released, it seemed Eldredge had almost become an after thought, but the next single from the album re-ignited his career. "Don't Ya" would go on to sell over a million copies and become not only Eldredge's first top-10 hit, but also his first #1. The album would go on to feature 2 more #1's and Eldredge was on his way. In 2015, Eldredge paid tribute to his home state by releasing Illinois, which would 4 more top-10 hits, 3 number 1's and a number 2. And 2017 has seen the release of Eldredge's third album, a self-titled project, who's first singled topped out at #21.

We have the second single from the album in our spotlight today. Brought to you by All American Super Car Wash of Lawton, Brett Eldredge and "The Long Way" is our Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.

Text today’s key word to 580 353-1013, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a $25  gift card from All American Super Car Wash of Lawton, presenting the Catch of the Day on Oklahoma’s Best Country KLAW101.

Today’s Key Word: “LONG”