Her stepdad keeps her CD in his truck.
She’s chasing her dreams in the big city, but when he hears her voice, he knows she’s singing of home.
It’s a story straight out of a country song, and Jessie Lee Cates’ roots and musical talent make it ring true.
Indie country music artist Jessie Lee Cates is creating a worldwide name for herself by writing and performing music inspired and supported by her rural Tennessee roots.
“I sound country, but I sing about life,” Cates told the Collegian. “I sing about everything. I just want people to feel like they’re getting to know me whenever they hear my music.”
Early in her career, Cates opened for country music singer Jason Aldean after winning a karaoke contest.
“It was one of those times when I said, ‘Holy moly. I want to do this every day for the rest of my life,’” she said.
Her most recent single, the lighthearted anthem “Chick Night,” has been a surprise success for an artist who aims to create an eclectic country sound.
So far, Cates’ music has aired in 32 countries as fans discover her music through radio shows and Internet outlets like iTunes and ReverbNation. Her single “Scotland,” the only modern country song to feature bagpipes, reached the top five in Europe’s country music charts. A later single, “Behind your Back,” a twist on a classic country waltz, hit No. 1 on the Joyce Ramgatie International Country Music Chart in February.
In addition to her taking over the radio waves, Cates is also a huge hit as a performer. Last month, she made it to the top six out of 1400 groups competing in the Battle of the Bands in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
But Cates didn’t start out making so much noise with her music.
Before moving to Nashville, Cates worked 12-hour shifts at a factory in Morristown, Tennessee, writing songs in her head while making power pumps on the assembly line.
As she looked at her future, she remembers thinking, “‘I’m really going to wish I just took the plunge and did it.’ And so that’s what I did.”
Cates arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, with dreams of instant success.
“At first, I kind of had tunnel vision,” Cates said. “I had stars in my eyes. I thought I would get a huge record deal and rule the charts.”
However, Cates soon learned the difficulty of finding an “in” in an industry that depends largely on connections. She described walking 7 miles after her car broke down en route to a meeting one December day, dressed in high-heeled boots and a leather jacket.
As Cates met with more people, she discovered that Nashville wasn’t going to allow her to make her own kind of music.
“I remember going into one co-write thinking, ‘I already wrote this song,’” Cates said.
Then at a later co-writing session, Cates met agent and songwriter Vincent Bonvissuto, who was impressed with her talent. Bonvissuto’s daughter, Angela, is a junior at Hillsdale.
“The first thing to do when meeting a new ‘singer-songwriter’ is to determine how much is ‘singer’ and how much is ‘songwriter,’” Bonvissuto said in an email. “Those two talents rarely exist in equal parts, but I was impressed that a singer of Jessie Lee’s abilities could write as well as she did.”
Bonvissuto became Cates’ manager. Instead of signing with a major label, they decided to release Cates’ first album independently.
For Cates and Bonvissuto, making music is more than finding a catchy hook.
“We create well-crafted music that enriches listeners instead of degrading them,” Bonvissuto said. “We appreciate and thank the people most responsible for Jessie Lee’s success — her amazing fans.”
Without a major label, Cates must build her fan base personally, talking to fans at shows and connecting through social media. She described the spread of independent music as a spiderweb effect since unique, independent music is shared through performance and word of mouth.
“If Nashville would open their minds a little more, and explore different sounds, then there would be all kinds of different music on the radio, and people would love it,” Cates said.
As an independent artist, Cates said she has freedom to write for and about the hardworking people around her. One of Cates’ inspirations is her stepfather, Danny Carrier, a manufacturing worker.
“When questions come up about her career, I try to put her on the right track,” Carrier told the Collegian. “I encourage her to do what she needs to do.”
As she pursues her music career, Cates continues to draw on the support of people from her hometown.
“I’ve always wanted to write a song about the people I stood beside at that factory,” Cates said. “It’s those type of people who keep the world going. I know I walked away from it to chase a dream, but there’s an appreciation that comes from that.”
As Cates makes plans to tour in Texas, her stepfather remembers what makes Jessie’s music meaningful and keeps her fan base growing.
“Her music is original Jessie,” Carrier said. “Anyone can sound like someone else, but she always had her own sound and her own voice. I love listening to her songs, because it’s her.”
