Cole Taylor
A Georgia native noted for his conversational writing style, country songwriter and singer Cole Taylor wrote his first song at age 14 and began performing two years later. After self-releasing two albums while attending Valdosta State University, 2009’s That’ll Always Be Home to Me and 2011’s Cab of My Chevy, he moved to Nashville in early 2013. Later that year, he signed a publishing deal with Universal Publishing Group at age 22. While putting in stage time opening for acts including Luke Bryan, .38 Special, and Sammy Kershaw, he fostered songwriting partnerships, including co-writing a song on Chase Rice’s Ready Set Roll EP, which hit the Billboard 200’s Top 20 in 2014. In early 2015, he released a self-titled five-track EP that featured pop- and even hip-hop-influenced rhythms and musical elements while maintaining a distinctly country sound.