A true southern gentleman, who grew up on Amelia Island, right on the Florida-Georgia border, Mott began singing in youth choir at church. Every summer he would hop on a bus and sing on choir tour in churches all over the Southeast. He explains, “I remember always wishing it could last all year—I loved singing and traveling.” The summers also meant plenty of time to rip and roar at his Papa and Nana’s house in the country and with that meant having to shell butter beans and peas from their garden. “I remember sitting underneath that old oak tree shelling and watching airplanes fly by, the airport was about 15 miles away, and I remember thinking one of these days, I’m going to be on one of those planes to Nashville.”
Sealing up those desires to be opened at a later date was not easy. But, he knew his parents’ desire for him to attend college was something he must do because they never had the opportunity. So, being accepted to Belmont University’s Music Business School was exciting and tempting, but an invitation Mott would have to later decline due to its high costs. Instead, attending in-state University of Florida, he earned a degree in Broadcast News. Yet, singing was nothing he had totally tucked away. Mott sang in groups and led music on Sunday nights at his college-town church.
Knowing he must secure a job before he could make the move to Nashville, Mott accepted a former high school teacher-turned principal’s plea to teach school back home. “I knew teaching was something I could probably get a job doing in Nashville, so I worked hard earning my credentials to make the move.” Before long, he left the classroom in his hometown to take a teaching job right outside of Nashville in Brentwood. “This jumpstarted me and helped me unseal that forever-long dream of moving to Nashville and work on making my dream a reality.”
Soon after moving, trying to meet people and get connected, Mott met a friend named David Fanning who would later spearhead and produce his debut EP and get him pitched songs from hit songwriters and introduce him to his recording band with Rich, Kurt and Tully. (Rich Redmond, Kurt Allison and Tully Kennedy of Jason Aldean’s band). Fanning also secured Gary Morse, one of the most in-demand steel guitarists (Brooks and Dunn, Dierks Bentley) and Lee Turner (Wynonna, Nashville Star) on keys.
“The first time I heard one of the Jason Sellers songs I was pitched, Big Windshield, I knew that Jason somehow must’ve had my life in mind when writing it, even though he never knew me. “ From the song: “…I’ve been down every street, know everybody’s name, they watched me grow up, I watched them stay the same. Stared up at the sky, watching airplanes fly by, wishing I was on one. Is there greener grass, I just had to know…”
The songs Mott chose envelop a genuineness of lost love, begging to not give up, and a lesson learned of ‘never say never’ again. The EP’s opener is a riveting, transparent ballad where the desperation of this man’s story can be really felt in Mott’s gritty baritone voice in Don’t Give Up On Me, penned by Lee Brice (Garth Brooks’ More Than a Memory). Big Windshield shows the variation in Mott’s style with this up-tempo song about having to leave to get somewhere in life. Another Love written by Ashley Gorley (You’re Gonna Miss This) and Kelly Lovelace (He Didn’t Have to Be, The Impossible), hones in on the variation in Mott’s baritone voice.
Mott is thrilled to have had powerhouse Engineer, Christopher Rowe (Keith Urban, Jewel, Taylor Swift, Dixie Chicks) of Love Shack Studios mix and master his entire EP. Rowe also plays an electric guitar solo on Don’t Give Up On Me.
“While others were into cartoons and Star Trek, I grew up religiously watching the Grand Ole Opry, Hee Haw, and Nashville Now, carefully watching my favorite artists like Keith Whitley, Ricky Skaggs, Alan Jackson, The Oak Ridge Boys, Diamond Rio and Joe Diffie. I would like to think that a little bit of each of these legends have influenced my sound and who I am musically today.”
From the opening notes of Mott Braddock’s EP, one hears that combination of melodic irresistibility and incisiveness that are becoming his hallmarks. Mott doesn’t just sing the songs—he inhabits them and you believe them, making them multi-dimensional in the most powerful of ways.
Mott is currently shopping his EP to major labels in hopes of signing a record deal.
::BIOGRAPHY::
Many artists toil around to establish their musical identity, painstakingly trying on different musical styles like a piece of clothing, looking to find what fits. But there are others that emerge fully formed, in full command of their craft, their identity and their music. Mott Braddock fits firmly in the latter category. His new self-titled EP is a captivating and moving debut that heralds the arrival of a gifted and significant new country talent, one whose music feels familiar in the best possible way, while striking out on its own territory.A true southern gentleman, who grew up on Amelia Island, right on the Florida-Georgia border, Mott began singing in youth choir at church. Every summer he would hop on a bus and sing on choir tour in churches all over the Southeast. He explains, “I remember always wishing it could last all year—I loved singing and traveling.” The summers also meant plenty of time to rip and roar at his Papa and Nana’s house in the country and with that meant having to shell butter beans and peas from their garden. “I remember sitting underneath that old oak tree shelling and watching airplanes fly by, the airport was about 15 miles away, and I remember thinking one of these days, I’m going to be on one of those planes to Nashville.”
Sealing up those desires to be opened at a later date was not easy. But, he knew his parents’ desire for him to attend college was something he must do because they never had the opportunity. So, being accepted to Belmont University’s Music Business School was exciting and tempting, but an invitation Mott would have to later decline due to its high costs. Instead, attending in-state University of Florida, he earned a degree in Broadcast News. Yet, singing was nothing he had totally tucked away. Mott sang in groups and led music on Sunday nights at his college-town church.
Knowing he must secure a job before he could make the move to Nashville, Mott accepted a former high school teacher-turned principal’s plea to teach school back home. “I knew teaching was something I could probably get a job doing in Nashville, so I worked hard earning my credentials to make the move.” Before long, he left the classroom in his hometown to take a teaching job right outside of Nashville in Brentwood. “This jumpstarted me and helped me unseal that forever-long dream of moving to Nashville and work on making my dream a reality.”
Soon after moving, trying to meet people and get connected, Mott met a friend named David Fanning who would later spearhead and produce his debut EP and get him pitched songs from hit songwriters and introduce him to his recording band with Rich, Kurt and Tully. (Rich Redmond, Kurt Allison and Tully Kennedy of Jason Aldean’s band). Fanning also secured Gary Morse, one of the most in-demand steel guitarists (Brooks and Dunn, Dierks Bentley) and Lee Turner (Wynonna, Nashville Star) on keys.
“The first time I heard one of the Jason Sellers songs I was pitched, Big Windshield, I knew that Jason somehow must’ve had my life in mind when writing it, even though he never knew me. “ From the song: “…I’ve been down every street, know everybody’s name, they watched me grow up, I watched them stay the same. Stared up at the sky, watching airplanes fly by, wishing I was on one. Is there greener grass, I just had to know…”
The songs Mott chose envelop a genuineness of lost love, begging to not give up, and a lesson learned of ‘never say never’ again. The EP’s opener is a riveting, transparent ballad where the desperation of this man’s story can be really felt in Mott’s gritty baritone voice in Don’t Give Up On Me, penned by Lee Brice (Garth Brooks’ More Than a Memory). Big Windshield shows the variation in Mott’s style with this up-tempo song about having to leave to get somewhere in life. Another Love written by Ashley Gorley (You’re Gonna Miss This) and Kelly Lovelace (He Didn’t Have to Be, The Impossible), hones in on the variation in Mott’s baritone voice.
Mott is thrilled to have had powerhouse Engineer, Christopher Rowe (Keith Urban, Jewel, Taylor Swift, Dixie Chicks) of Love Shack Studios mix and master his entire EP. Rowe also plays an electric guitar solo on Don’t Give Up On Me.
“While others were into cartoons and Star Trek, I grew up religiously watching the Grand Ole Opry, Hee Haw, and Nashville Now, carefully watching my favorite artists like Keith Whitley, Ricky Skaggs, Alan Jackson, The Oak Ridge Boys, Diamond Rio and Joe Diffie. I would like to think that a little bit of each of these legends have influenced my sound and who I am musically today.”
From the opening notes of Mott Braddock’s EP, one hears that combination of melodic irresistibility and incisiveness that are becoming his hallmarks. Mott doesn’t just sing the songs—he inhabits them and you believe them, making them multi-dimensional in the most powerful of ways.
Mott is currently shopping his EP to major labels in hopes of signing a record deal.