Jerry Kilgore (born November 12, 1964, in
Tillamook, Oregon
The city of Tillamook is the county seat of Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the southeast end of Tillamook Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The population was 5,231 at the 2020 census.
History
The city is named for the ...
) is an American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
artist. He has recorded three studio albums: 1999's ''Love Trip'' on the
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...
label. 2007's ''Loaded & Empty'' and 2012's ''Telephone, TX'' were released on his personal Nic-Nic-Neer label. The first album produced three chart singles on the ''
Billboard'' country music charts, including a Top 40 in its title track. In addition, Kilgore has written singles for
Tracy Byrd
Tracy Lynn Byrd (born December 17, 1966) is an American country music artist. Signed to MCA Nashville Records in 1992, Byrd broke through on the country music scene that year with his 1993 single " Holdin' Heaven", which reached Number One on ' ...
,
John Michael Montgomery
John Michael Montgomery (born January 20, 1965) is an American country music singer. Montgomery began singing with his brother Eddie, who would later become known as one half of the duo Montgomery Gentry, before beginning his major-label solo c ...
and
Clay Walker
Ernest Clayton Walker Jr. (born August 19, 1969) is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single "What's It to You", which reached Number One on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Song ...
.
Biography
Kilgore got his start playing various bars throughout the
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
area, subsequently moving to
Mesa, Arizona and later to
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
before he moved to
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
. Eventually, he found a deal as a songwriter, and in 1995,
Tracy Byrd
Tracy Lynn Byrd (born December 17, 1966) is an American country music artist. Signed to MCA Nashville Records in 1992, Byrd broke through on the country music scene that year with his 1993 single " Holdin' Heaven", which reached Number One on ' ...
entered Top 10 on the ''Billboard''
Hot Country Singles & Tracks with "
Love Lessons", which Kilgore co-wrote. Kilgore also signed to
Asylum Records
Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/Asylu ...
in 1997 but did not record anything for the label.
Kilgore revealed on Irish Country Music channel, Keep It Country TV, in an interview with Tommy Rosney that he did record an un-released album for Asylum Records that was produced by
Randy Travis producer
Kyle Lehning
Kyle Lehning is an American record producer whose work is mainly in the field of country music. He has produced virtually every album released by Randy Travis, who described their partnership "an interesting relationship." The only exceptions are ...
In 1998,
John Michael Montgomery
John Michael Montgomery (born January 20, 1965) is an American country music singer. Montgomery began singing with his brother Eddie, who would later become known as one half of the duo Montgomery Gentry, before beginning his major-label solo c ...
also had a top 5 country hit with "
Cover You in Kisses", another song co-written by Kilgore.
A year later, Kilgore was signed to
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...
as a recording artist, becoming the first artist signed to the label's Nashville division.
His debut album ''Love Trip'' was released that year,
and its title track was a Top 40 hit on the country charts in late 1999. The album's other two singles failed to make Top 40, and Kilgore was dropped from Virgin Nashville's roster in 2000. He co-wrote
Clay Walker
Ernest Clayton Walker Jr. (born August 19, 1969) is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single "What's It to You", which reached Number One on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Song ...
's 2001 single "
If You Ever Feel Like Lovin' Me Again".
In 2007 (''Loaded & Empty'') and 2012 (''Telephone, TX''), Kilgore released independent CDs on Nic-Nic-Neer Records, .
Discography
Albums
Singles
Music videos
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilgore, Jerry
1964 births
American country singer-songwriters
Living people
Singer-songwriters from Oregon
People from Tillamook, Oregon
Virgin Records artists
Country musicians from Oregon