Progress and Promise
Despite the obstacles Thompson encountered at the start of his journey, he never abandoned the ambition that fueled his country music dreams. About 3½ years after arriving in Nashville, Thompson started to take significant strides toward his career goals as he no longer faced the music industry alone. He signed a management deal with Julianne Drenon, owner and president of CreekHouse Entertainment, who was drawn to the native Wisconsinite’s raw skill and authenticity.
“His talent is so powerful, and yet he’s still humble and thankful, it just makes you love him,” she says. “I see him aspiring in everything that he does to stay true to how his mother and father raised him and maintain those values.” Drenon adds she admires the fact that “he’s not trying to be anybody else. He’s not trying to emulate this person or that person. He’s Josh Thompson.”
Photo by: Barb Bagles
Thompson launched his music career via his gift for songwriting, with titles that include “Church, Pew or Barstool,” recorded by Jason Aldean, as well as Jason Michael Carroll’s “Growing Up Is Getting Old.” Both songs reflect Thompson’s poetic talent while highlighting his ability to translate human emotions into powerful verses.
The artistry and sincerity that convinced Drenon of the small-town boy’s potential also appealed to executives at Sony Records. They found his talent so striking that they offered Thompson a record deal only an hour after hearing him play four songs acoustically.
“I don’t know that there’s many other stories like this,” says Drenon, who added that artists generally are signed after being heard both acoustically and in a live performance.
Thompson signed a contract with Sony in 2009 and recorded his first single, “Beer on the Table,” that same year. While his music and lyrics can be deeply sentimental, Thompson also has the ability to channel a more rowdy country spirit in songs like this honky-tonk tune, which celebrates a cold beer at the end of a hard work week. “Beer on the Table” conveys Thompson’s Midwestern working-class values in verses that resonate with his audience, and he generates a foot-thumping beat that invites fans up out of their seats and onto the dance floor.
In 2010, Thompson released his debut album “Way Out Here” with Sony Record’s Columbia imprint. The album features 10 songs solely written or co-written by Thompson, and it produced three Top 30 singles, one of which was the title track, peaking at No. 15 on the charts.
As a result of internal changes at Sony Records, Thompson has since transitioned to Show Dog—Universal Music, a joint venture between Toby Keith’s label and Universal Records South. Thompson plans to release a new single through the agency in January, which he hopes will turn into a sophomore album.
Stage Presence
In addition to building his career as a singer-songwriter, Thompson is expanding his resume as a live performer, having played on major tours with names like Eric Church, Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley.
As one of only a few country musicians who hail from the state identified with beer, cheese and the Green and Gold, Thompson says he feels a special commitment to represent his home when he tours across the U.S.
“I love it there [in Wisconsin]…It’s a chief part of me, and I always make sure that wherever I go, I always speak volumes about Wisconsin and hopefully do it justice,” Thompson says. And he enjoyed having the chance to return home this summer to perform in Milwaukee at Summerfest with Gary Allan, Rodney Atkins and Sunny Sweeney as part of the Country Throwdown Tour.
Thompson has a special affection for the introspective art of songwriting, but when the lyrical poet takes the stage, he feeds off the crowd’s energy and lets his more raucous spirit shine through. Sporting long hair always pulled back into a ponytail, Thompson completes his signature look with a flannel shirt and blue jeans. He’ll travel the length of the stage, playing each note with greater vigor as fans sing along and raise their beers in solidarity.
Photo by: Julianne Drenon
Uniquely Wisconsin
The singer-songwriter is unique in the country music scene not only for his Wisconsin upbringing, but also for the fact that he incorporates his own experiences into the songs his audiences so enthusiastically embrace.
“He writes and sings about things that he’s truly lived and done, and I don’t know that that happens with every artist,” Drenon says. “The average person hears his music, and they relate to it because they have something like that in their own lives, and I think that was one of the things that made me know that he was a star.”
The tendency for his Midwestern roots to reach into his music comes through in the chorus of Thompson’s song “Way Out Here.”
“We won’t take a dime if we ain’t earned it / When it comes to weight, brother we pull our own / If it’s our backwoods way of livin’ you’re concerned with / You can leave us alone / We’re about John Wayne, Johnny Cash and John Deere / Way out here.”
Listening to her son play, Thompson’s mom can hear the essence of his small-town nature surface. “I think being from the Midwest, you have all those values. You’ve got to work hard to make it. You’ve got to work to have something.”
And working hard is exactly what Thompson plans to do as he chases after his career goals, like releasing hit singles and records, or headlining a major tour one day. “I’d love to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry…I’d like to say the sky’s the limit, and I’ll definitely keep my head down and keep working.”
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