Jon Wolfe

The best introduction to Jon Wolfe is the basic yet not so simple fact that he's a country singer and songwriter. Country music, as it was, is and always should be, with boots firmly standing on the bedrock of tradition and an eye focused on taking it into the future. And that, as any fan of true country knows, is no simple proposition.

At heart, it's all about being a great singer and storyteller. Hence the other best introduction to Jon Wolfe is to hear him sing and share the stories in the songs he performs and writes. And to learn his life story — from small town Oklahoma to the bustling big city commodities trading floor to the dancehalls and honky-tonks of Texas and Oklahoma to Music Row, to give the highlights — and witness his faith in the power of music and determination to touch the hearts of others with something that means so much to him.

It's world class country music from the American heartland, informed by the great singers that inspired Wolfe — like George Strait, Garth Brooks (a fellow Okie), Clint Black, Merle Haggard, Alan Jackson and Dwight Yoakam, to name a few — yet fired by his own contemporary energy and vision.

It takes a unique conviction to give up a lucrative career as an oil commodities trader for British Petroleum, as Wolfe did, to pursue the dream of becoming a country singer. But music has been a vital force in Wolfe's life from early on, and it's already made him a rising star in the dancehalls and honky-tonks of Texas and Oklahoma.

Wolfe's 2010 album "It All Happened in a Honky Tonk" introduced a modern country singer/songwriter whose music struck a perfect balance between the best country traditions and contemporary energy and vision. His gift for getting to the heart of a song reflects the unique life journey that led him to realizing his dream of a career as a country music artist. While Jon has done over 400 shows during his career in Texas and Oklahoma, he has spent years writing with some of the best songwriter's in the business, while spending countless hours searching the catalogs of country music's most prolific songwriters.

Warner Music Nashville is proud to present the 2013 Deluxe Edition re-release of "It All Happened in a Honky Tonk". This album is born and bred deep in the heart of Texas, and soaked with dancehall sweat and swagger. You'll find Jon Wolfe as a co-writer on half of the album along with country music's finest songwriters, from the modern day hit writing trio known as the "Peach Pickers" to sure to be hall of fame writers like Tim Johnson ("I let her lie" Daryle Singletary, "He must have really hurt you bad" George Strait), James Dean Hicks ("Goodbye Time" Conway Twitty, "National Working Woman's Holiday" Sammy Kershaw) and Jon Robbin ("I Breathe in, I Breathe out" Chris Cagle).

"We've really started zeroing in on my own recipe," Wolfe says. "I've got little hints of my heroes, but this album is me. It definitely feels refreshed and updated, but it's country, and that's the deal.

"For years I prayed to be in country music, but I didn't know how," Wolfe recalls. Now that he's done so, he intends to remain true to all that country music means to him. "I like songs that deal with core emotions. I like people to listen to my music and be able to relate it to what they've experienced in their lives.

"I feel connected with the tradition," Wolfe concludes. "There's something a little bigger than just my dreams going on in country music. That's why I feel so strongly about doing what I do." And to make it all even sweeter, "I'm doing what I love."