Country Thunder USA - Day 3 on April 11, 2015 in Florence, Arizona.
Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Country Thunder USA
loading...

Today we focus on a duet that has been brought together by record company ties, with both artists signed to Curb Records, but a friendship that goes back a lot further. Both artists got their Nashville breaks as songwriters, with one finding success as a solo artist after writing a string of songs for other artists, and the other hopefully finally finding a label home, and some steady footing in Nashville.

Lee Brice & Jerrod Niemann have been friends for a long time. In 2012, Niemann's tour bus caught on fire and it was Brice that got Niemann off of the bus in time. They often traded ideas on songs, talked about writing and recording together, but the timing was never right for a joint effort. Niemann first came to Nashville from Kansas in 2000, signing a developmental deal with Mercury Records Nashville, which really didn't develop anything. Niemann didn't release a single or album before parting ways with Mercury. But he did concentrate on his songwriting, with three of his songs, "That Girl Is A Cowboy", "Midnight Sun" and "Good Ride Cowboy" being recorded by Garth Brooks for his 2003 box set.

Country Thunder USA In Florence, Arizona - Day 3
Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Country Thunder USA
loading...

Niemann would then form the band Kane with actor/singer Christian Kane, touring Europe and playing small venues in the states with his own band. In 2006 he signed with Category 5 Records, releasing the single "I Love Women (My Momma Can't Stand)" before the label closed, leaving his debut album Behind This Microphone on a shelf to collect dust. In 2010 he would sign with Arista Records, who would assign his contract to their Sea Gayle Records division. Later in the year Jerrod would release his first #1 single "Lover, Lover", which would be the lead for the album Judge Jerrod and the Hung Jury, would would also feature the top-10 hit "What Do You Want". Niemann would go on to release 3 more albums for Sea Gayle/Arista. His only other top-10 hit, the #1 single "Drink To That All Night" was released in 2013. In January he parted ways with Arista, signing with Curb in March.

Lee Brice In Concert - Nashville, TN
Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images for Shore Fire Media Nashville
loading...

Lee Brice also got his break writing for other artists, including Garth Brooks. Brice was a co-writer of the Brooks mega-hit "More Than A Memory", the first song in music history to debut at #1 on a singles chart. The success of the song led to Brice signing with Curb Records in 2007. He released 3 singles preceding his debut album Picture of Me, but when the singles failed to crack the top-30 on the single charts, the album was shelved and has never been released.

In 2009, Brice released the single "Love Like Crazy" as the lead single and title track from what would become his debut album. The single peaked at #3, but broke two country chart records in the process. It's 46-week journey to the top-10 set the mark for longest climb to the top-10, and on September 25th of 2010, Brice broke the mark for the longest chart run in history, eclipsing Eddy Arnold's "Boquet of Roses" and finishing with an astonishing 55-week run. Billboard Magazine would name the song the #1 song of 2010, the first time a yearly honor was bestowed on a song that failed to make it to #1 on the weekly chart. Brice has released 3 albums with Curb Records, with 8 top-10 singles and four number 1 hits.

CBS Radio Presents Stars & Strings
Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for CBS Radio Inc.
loading...

The old friends have finally come together in the studio, and the resulting project, the lead single for Niemann's debut Curb LP is in our spotlight today. Jerrod Niemann and Lee Brice with "A Little More Love" is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.

More From KLAW-FM