photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/103562673141013/photos
photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/103562673141013/photos
loading...

Its Thursday, and as per our habit on Thursday, today we bring you one of the best young, unsigned or indy label artists that Nashville has to offer. Today's artist has recorded duets with Jon Bon Jovi and Jon Popper of Blues Traveler, and has worked as a back-up singer to rockers like Bruce Springsteen, Rob Thomas and Cyndi Lauper.

Lisa Bouchelle found her love of music at a very young age, and hasn't stopped singing since. She found at an early age that music could be her port in a storm ridden childhood. It seemed the only peace that could be found in her parents' home was when she would sing. So Lisa would sing as often as she could, trying to put smiles on everyone's faces. Her parents were working class people, her father holding down three jobs just to keep their heads above water. There wasn't a lot of money for entertainment, so instead he would take them on rides in the country, singing to the radio to pass the time.

photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/103562673141013/photos
photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/103562673141013/photos
loading...

Lisa's father had a powerful singing voice, and she tried as hard as she could to keep up with him during these rides. Then at age four, she was entered into a local talent show, dressed up an American flag costume and singing "America The Beautiful". It was at this contest she found her ability to make people other than her parents smile with her voice. It was her first real stage experience, and she won the contest, beating contestants much older than her.

As she grew, her desire to perform grew as well. She would often sing with her father as her voice developed, and was set to make her debut as a teenager, she was going to perform a duet with her father, which they practiced for weeks. Then just days before they were scheduled to perform, he took ill. He was rushed to the hospital and went in for open heart surgery. The surgery did not go well and Lisa's father passed soon after the surgery.

photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/103562673141013/photos
photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/103562673141013/photos
loading...

Now alone in the world (her mother had passed away just a few months before her father), Lisa set her sights on making her musical dream come true; her biggest goal was to make her father proud. She played every chance she could, from small coffee houses to roadside bars, sometimes performing seven nights a week for weeks at a time. The hard work paid off, as a local writer invited Lisa to join him at a local benefit that featured Jon Bon Jovi, where she would end up on stage with the New Jersey rocker. This led to Lisa recording her debut album, Bleu Room With A Red Vase, just a few months later in Jon's home studio. The album featured the single "Paint Your Dreams", which would top the indie chart, and lead to a tour with Blues Traveler.

A successful indy debut led to her second album, Lipstick Tomboy, which was released late last year. The first single from the album is in our spotlight today. Lisa Bouchelle and "Only The Tequila Talkin'" 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