photo courtesy of brookeeden..com
photo courtesy of brookeeden..com
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Today our focus is on a young singer and songwriter who grew up in Florida, as she says "somewhere between sands of West Palm Beach and the swamps of Okeechobee." And while she may not be so clear on where she is from, there's no doubt where she is heading.

Brooke Eden does not hesitate to let people know what her principles are: work hard and never rely on someone else for your success. The credo has served her well as she has never had to count on others to open doors for her: she simply kicked them in herself.

photo courtesy of brookeeden..com
photo courtesy of brookeeden..com
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The daughter of a drummer for a country band that made ends meet as a carpenter, Brooke learned early on that you don't have to be born into money to reach your goals. Her scrappy underdog mentality has opened doors that otherwise might have been closed, and you can hear it in the bluesy style of country that she sings. Her parents taught her early on that not having money doesn't make you any more or less than anyone else, it just means you have to work a little harder to get where you want to go.

Eden learned the lesson well. She began performing around her home town at age 13, and by the time she got to the University of Florida, she was opening for acts like Brooks & Dunn and Alan Jackson, all the while working on a marketing degree. After she graduated she took whatever jobs she could to support her singing career, including a job bartending, where she was fired for singing. Her boss smiled and told her that someday she would thank him for it.

photo courtesy of brookeeden..com
photo courtesy of brookeeden..com
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Brooke then decided to dive in the deep end of her career, moving to Nashville and making a bee-line to the legendary Tootsies Orchid Lounge. She landed a regular spot working their stage, and was soon writing and performing her own material under the tutelage of Greg Humphries, Tootsie's band leader. It was obvious to Humphies early on he was working with a diamond in the rough. "This is a honky-tonk school," he told her, "but if I'm right, you've already been through honky-tonk school."

Humphries would introduce Brooke to songwriters and local musicians, and Eden took it from there. She began splitting her time playing gigs in Florida and Nashville to make her way. Brooke has written more than 100 songs in the past year, furthering the mindset of independence. Her songs tend to push her belief that self-respect is the key, especially for women, and she exudes that belief, without flaunting it.

photo courtesy of brookeeden..com
photo courtesy of brookeeden..com
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Brooke is currently in the studio, working on her debut album. The first single from that project, tentatively called American Dreamin', is in our spotlight today. "Daddy's Money" is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.

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