‘Catch of the Day’ – Kane Brown – “Thunder In The Rain” [VIDEO]

Today we feature an artist who has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that you can build a following on social media and turn it into a career in country music. He started out as a youtube sensation, and within two years signed a recording contract with a large Nashville label.

Doing covers of songs by Jason Aldean, Brantley Gilbert, Alan Jackson and others, Kane Brown built previously unheard of numbers on the social media site for views of his versions of other artist's songs. He has come a long way, being born in Rossville, GA and raised by a single mother. They moved from Rossville to Ft. Oglethorpe, GA and then to LaFayette, GA. It was at Ft. Oglethorpe High School that Brown's path crossed with future American Idol runner-up Lauren Alaina, when the two performed in the school choir together. The family would finally settle in Red Bank, TN. It was here that Kane's focus changed from R & B music to country, when, while in the 11th grade, he won the school's talent contest, performing the Chris Young hit "Gettin' You Home".

After high school, he took a page from former classmate Alaina's playbook and auditioned for both American Idol and X-Factor. He was chosen for X-Factor in 2013, but dropped off the show when producers wanted to include him in a boy-band, deciding to take his act to the internet posting his version of hit songs to youtube. His cover of Lee Brice's "I Don't Dance", furthered his following on the site, while his version of George Strait's "Check Yes Or No" has received more than 7 million views to date.

His Kickstarter funded EP Closer was produced by Brantley Gilbert's guitarist Noah Henson, in his home studio. When the album was released on June 2, 2015, it would debut at number 22 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, an unheard of debut spot for a self-produced debut album in Nashville. When the single "Used To Love You Sober" was released in October, it would receive more than one million views on Youtube in just three hours, reaching over 11 million weeks in its first two weeks. The song would eventually reach #2 on the Billboard Digital Download charts.

Between Youtube views, digital downloads and play on satellite radio, Sony Records interest was piqued. The company signed Brown to their RCA Nashville label in January of this year, releasing the EP Chapter 1 in March. The EP featured "Used To Love You Sober", and debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200, and #3 on the Country Albums charts. The latest single from Brown is in our spotlight today. The possible lead single from a probable, unnamed debut album is in our spotlight today. Kane Brown and "Thunder in the Rain" are today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.