Summer time = margaritas, long sunny afternoons, and country tunes blaring from your iPod. If that’s your perfect summer vacation, then you’ll want to add Rickie Lee Tanner to your playlist.

We got to interview this young singer-songwriter, who released his first album last year.



1. When did you first realize you’d be drawn to performing music?

I was just a teenager when I started performing in the opry shows in the Kansas City area and quickly fell in love with being on stage and making music.

2. Did you experiment with any other styles of music before you settled on country?

I’ve covered other styles of music before, it’s pretty much a necessity playing the club scene. But country music has always been my primary influence and the most natural fit for me.

3. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

Conway Twitty, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Dan Seals, and Paul Overstreet have all been influences on my music for various reasons.

4. You have a very full performance schedule that takes you all over Missouri. Where do you get the energy for all those shows?

Finding the energy to get out there and play has never been an issue, that’s what drives me. I’m not near as busy as I would like to be. If it were up to me I’d have a stage and crowd to play to nearly every night.

5. You seem to have a fairly solid philosophy about your live shows. How would you sum up what you are trying to do for your fans?

First and foremost, I want them to be entertained. I want people to come to a show and have a good time. I hope that I can make a connection with everyone out there. I love what I do, and I truly hope that the folks out there watching the show can see that and I hope they feel that they are a part of that.

6. What was your experience like as a participant on Nashville Star?

The Nashville Star auditions were great experiences. I met some great people and forged some lasting friendships because of those experiences. I didn’t get as far as I would have liked, but honestly contests have never really been my thing. There is so little you can show someone about who you are or what kind of performer you are when you’re only playing part of one song.

7. How is the environment or atmosphere in Nashville different from what you are used to in the Kansas City area?

It’s like a totally different world. Music is such a small part of life in Missouri, while in Nashville everything is driven by music or is driving music.

8. If faced with the dilemma, would you be open to letting a major star record one of your songs, or would you rather push your version of the song in support of your singing career?

I would be thrilled to have another artist cut one of my songs. Being a songwriter you have to believe you can continue to write songs just as good or better than the ones you have written already. So, if another artist would like to cut one of my songs especially a star it can only do great things for my career both as a writer and an artist.



9. We see you’ll be playing the CMA Fest in Nashville in June. There seems to be a pretty cool atmosphere and a lot of fan interaction there. Have you played the event before?

I have been to CMA Fest a couple of times but only to take in the scene and see some friends perform so far. I have a couple of tentative dates there, so I’m hoping I will have the chance to perform there myself this year.

10. Where can people go for more information about where to see you live?

As always fans can keep up with me on my website, and social networking sites – Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. I love to hear from everybody, and hope to see them all at shows real soon.


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