When award-winning Nashville session players such as Kenny Vaughan, Jelly Roll Johnson, Robby Turner, and Andy Leftwich leave a recording session saying things like, “Wow, you’ve got some really great material here!,” you know you’ve hit upon something special.  Singer-songwriter Joe Truman is grabbing the attention of fellow musicians and audiences in and around the Music City, proving why he has gained honors with his writing at 2006 Kerrville Festival’s New Folk Contest, and 2005 River Bluff Music Festival.  His warm, sincere persona combined with his soulful, classic vocals often enables him to easily hush the rooms and venues in which he performs.

What is immediately striking to Truman's audiences, and frequently mentioned by his fans, is the stylistic and emotional range of his songs within an acoustic setting. Tapping into the universal appeal of James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg, Loggins and Messina and Mary Chapin Carpenter, he infuses elements of jazz, blues and country to his acoustic folk-pop songs, and has set out to creat a listenable album that holds to the flow and arc of a concert performance. "From the first song to the last, I identified with so many of them," is the praise most often heard about the new album. Rich with texture, Truman offers a tapestry of memorable melodies with compelling, well-crafted lyrics to match his dynamic, smooth vocal range. He attains the balance between accessible tunes that remain with the listener, and insightful, intelligent lyrics--"tap the toes and thump the head," always his goal. And consistently, it is the variety within his music that keeps different fans finding different songs that they deem their personal favorite.

Joe Truman was born and raised in Richmond, VA in a large, and by necessity, thrifty family. Being next to the youngest of five siblings, he learned early on the art of sharing, compomise, and the occasional "borrow without full consent." After inheriting his older brother's dungarees for many years, it seemed only natural to gain possession of his Columbia House Record Club cassette collection. And so he learned early on to appreciate singer-songwriters such as Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce along with Taylor, Fogelberg and many others. And the smoother vocalists of his parents' music collections such as Glenn Campbell, Nat King Cole and Roberta Flack, also drew his attention. But before he began singing, his dreams continually led him to the piano bench. During high school, he began to enter piano and vocal competitions, focusing for a time on his classical training. His senior year, he won the Virginia state level in vocalist division of the James A. Bland Scholarship competition (sponsored by The Lions Club.) Later, his college years led him to the stage and theatre performances, and eventually to join the Actor's Equity Association (actor's union). It was during a "dark night" at a club performance up in Minneapolis, MN where he performed his first original song within a set of standards to the enthusiastic response of the audience. That proved to reveal an interesting irony: the years of collecting borrowed songs, or "hand-me-downs" from the American songbook, finally gave way to a brand new voice -- a love for writing and performing originals.

"Being able to communicate an emotion through an original song, and having someone say that it conveyed their feelings as well, or made them look at a situation in a different light, is the most powerful way I know to personally connect to another soul. And performing those songs allows me to say it in a way that no one else quite can. It is why the classic songs never die, and what I strive for in my music," says Truman. His love for songwriting is what finally convinced him to relocate to the Music City.

Now a Nashvillian, Joe's roots remain in the scenic state of Virginia. The title The Scenic Byway reflects his appreciation for choosing the unusual perspective in life. His collection of songs opens out like a journal of observations and stories at life's intersections, his characters often finding themselves at points of self-assessment, drawn to a forthcoming new vista. His songs span a palette of themes, sometimes moody and wistful (Never Go Back and Just For Me), sometimes clever and light (Beach Front Out of an Ashtray and Jack of All Trades), sometimes courageous and compelling (Cellophane and Rebecca’s Ride), but always earnest.

Truman’s long awaited debut CD, The Scenic Byway, is now available, release party being planed for Spring of 2008. Teaming up with the brilliant producer/composer/musician John Mock (formerly guitarist and multi-instrumentalist with The Dixie Chicks, Kathy Mattea, Sylvia and others), and enhanced with the talents of acoustic bassist Byron House and percussionist John Gardener, and featuring the previously mentioned side musicians (Vaughan, Johnson, Turner and Leftwich), the album is already proving to be worth the wait.