It's Thursday, and is our practice around here on the fourth day of the week, today we bring you another of Nashville's great unknowns...singers and songwriters who are unsigned or who are singed to smaller, independent Nashville labels. Today we feature an artist born and raised in Florida, whose while his love of music has been evident from early in his life, he got a late start on his professional career.

photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/Hoythughesmusic/
photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/Hoythughesmusic/
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Hoyt Hughes grew up playing and singing on his front porch in Lakeland, FL. He was a favorite around the neighborhood, but it wasn't until his then fiance, Wendy-Lynn heard him singing in the backyard and convinced him to start singing with a local band. With Hoyt's family backing him, he nervously took the stage, backed by his brother's band to perform a rendition of Keith Whitley's "Don't Close Your Eyes". After receiving a standing ovation, Hughes was hooked.

Hoyt began performing in talent contests across Florida, with him winning one of the first contests he entered, and heading to Tennessee for the national finals. Once arriving in Pigeon Fork, TN, the site of the finals, Hughes knew he was on the right path. Once he won the National Finals, his step-father loaded him in his truck and drove him to Nashville. He got up on every stage in Music City that opened its doors to him, and by the end of that first trip, he was performing on the Grand Ole Opry stage.

photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/Hoythughesmusic/
photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/Hoythughesmusic/
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Hoyt would return home to Lakeland, and to his job at the local power plant, but began putting money aside every week to go towards studio time. He began recording every chance he got: sometimes in a studio, sometimes in the garage of a producer who had a song to record. Hughes soon put together his own band, and began playing barbeques, festivals, bars and rodeos. As Hoyt expanded into writing, his popularity grew, and a demo of his songs found its way to a Los Angeles television producer, who sensed Hughes' potential and began searching for a music producer to help record one of the performer's original songs.

Enter producer Kevin Savigar, who has worked with artists like Rod Stewart and John Mellancamp. The trio became Production Partners, Inc. forming Cowboy Records in 2016 to release Hughes' music. The first single from this partnership is in our spotlight today. Hoyt Hughes with a cover of the classic "Walking In Memphis" is our Unsigned/Indy Artist Thursday Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.

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