Austin Young

Electronic Press Kit

Austin Young was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on February 5, 1965. He grew up in the suburbs and never really cared for the big city, though it would always be called home. Austin knew early on that music was his first love and at the age of 10, took the stage at his 5th grade graduation ceremony and performed the legendary theme from “Love Story” with a standing ovation. As a teen, Austin was somewhat different than his friends who shared in his love for the 70s bands of Kiss, Journey, Kansas, and Bad Company to mention just a few. Austin, when away from his peers, would submerge himself heart and soul in the romantic, easy listening sounds of artists like Neil Diamond, Dan Fogelberg, Air Supply, The Commodores, and his all time favorite to this day...Barry Manilow. Austin wrote a lot of poetry and short stories in his spare time growing up when he wasn’t winning singing contests around the city, so it was no wonder he started liking Country music in his 20s, after serving in the "Elite" United States Marine Corps. He started to perform at weddings and found himself torn between the genres of Christian Contemporary and Country, a battle that would never subside. “Country music seemed to offer me the best chance to use my storylines as far as writing and I bonded with it”, Austin explained in an interview. As monuments like Garth Brooks and Randy Travis changed the face of Country music in the early 90s, the Karaoke scene hit Pittsburgh and Austin was well on his way to becoming one of the cities most popular faces in the clubs. When asked about his ideas on Karaoke he said, "I'm thankful that there was an outlet for me like Karaoke since I wasn't much into sports or other hobbies. It gave me a way to develop my stage presence and fine tune my vocal ability." Through Military, Law Enforcement, and Corrections, Austin kept his "Poet's Heart" and in 2000 he recorded a 3 song demo CD titled "Makin My Mark" that was gladly accepted and played on the airwaves of country stations across the nation including his own local Pittsburgh Country stations Y108 and Froggy. In 2001, after local fame and a lot of airplay across the country, Austin finally made the move that many who knew him thought he wouldn't. He moved to Nashville without a job or even a place to live. In September of that year his first self-written, self-produced recording hit the airwaves WORLDWIDE and made all who heard it proud to be an American. That song, inspired by the tragedy of the September 11th attack, was titled "These Colors Don't Run", and it remains one of the most aired songs about the 2001 tragedy. After National recognition by TV Show hosts Jay Leno, David Letterman, and G Gordon Liddy and after having received more airplay than he ever expected from stations across the U.S., Austin was asked to perform it live on September 11th of 2002 in an acoustic version at "The Stage" in Nashville by a visiting Netherlands news crew who filmed the performance and later aired it on stations back in Holland, marking the 1 year anniversary of the tragic attack that affected the entire free world. Needless to say, 2001 and 2002 were very big years for Austin Young. In 2003, Austin worked on his first full length CD titled "My Kinda Country", releasing it in 2004. The summer of 2004 was a milestone for Austin as two of the 13 songs went out on compilation CDs across the nation with artists Kenny Chesney and Joe Nichols. Austin had this to say about the success of his CD thus far, "It’s awesome to see more of my songs on the radio and getting a lot of airplay when I worked so hard to get to this point. I'm proud to share CDs with some of the big names who I’ve had the chance to meet since moving to Nashville, and it feels good knowing so many people like my music”. With the success of those two songs on the radio, Austin toured the country for the rest of 2004 signing autographs and making appearances when he wasn’t performing live. The CD “My Kinda Country” sold more than 50,000 copies worldwide. In early 2005, Austin came off the road to take a break and surprisingly fell in love with a woman who would change his life forever. He put his entire career on hold, married the love of his life, and they had a son on January 13th, 2006. Getting married and having a family allowed Austin time to regroup and take a break from the music scene. Austin did more in a few short years than he ever expected, all without a recording contract, financial backing, or connections. He networked and made a lot of friends, very powerful friends. He met and associated with some of the biggest names in the industry like Tracy Lawrence, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Vern Gosdin, Porter Wagoner, Blake Shelton, Charlie Daniels, and the late Johnny Paycheck. Austin became good friends with Johnny Paycheck who sadly passed away in February of 2003 after a long illness. He met and even worked with some of the biggest songwriters such as Lonnie Wilson, Bobby Braddock, and the late Jim Hurt who wrote “Love In The First Degree” by Alabama. Austin said this about the people he met in the industry, “I met more famous people in a few years than most will in their lifetimes, and I’m thankful for it. Heck, I even dated Alan Jackson’s nanny”. Austin Young had several exciting years in the industry and he is not done by any means! He has decided to return in 2011 with a bang! New songs, new band, new website, new look. You will be able to hear Austin’s music on the radio, see his videos on TV and YouTube, and see him perform at concerts, rodeos, fairs, and festivals as he tours the nation. Country music lovers, radio station DJs, record label execs, and Austin Young fans.... get ready to watch as Austin takes on the Country Music scene head on. This time he’s back for good and he is somebody to follow for sure. Austin Young, remember the name.