RJ Galloway: The Sound of the South

story by cindy reid

photography by paul nurnberg

Nestled in a peaceful corner of Port Royal, singer songwriter RJ Galloway and his wife Carol have settled down happily in the lowcountry. Having relocated here from Nashville last year, along with their Corgi Nash, they are enjoying the peaceful laid back lifestyle. “Port Royal is very different than Nashville in so many ways.” RJ said as he glanced at Carol and chuckled. “This is the absolute most charming town we have found along this east coast.” In addition to his singing and songwriting career, RJ is also a multi- talented instrumentalist, author and actor – all talents he plans to pursue here in the lowcountry.

RJ recently signed a lifelong publishing deal with Nashville mega publisher Grand Entertainment (Joe Meador, CEO and song catalog administrator). After signing the contract, he says “We realized that we could actually live anywhere in the world we wanted to. Carol was born and raised in Fort Meyers, Florida, and I was born and raised in the upstate of South Carolina, so it seemed a great idea to compromise and settle on the coast here. We really do love this town. We know we made the right choice.”

Musical Success

A lifelong musician who has played most genres, RJ has released three albums to date, and has found success with each one. His first, The Blue Fire, was released in 2009 by Tree Records International. The second, If I Could, was released in 2011 by PMG Universal, Nashville. His third, Midnight Stories, was released after dropping PMG and forming his own publishing company, (Randy Joe Productions & Publications), and signing with Joe Meadors Company to publish it worldwide and collect the royalties.

In June 2011, RJ had a number one single from his album If I Could titled Walk Away, on the Independent Music Network country charts. The album also produced a number three song, Are You Still Lovin Me on the mainstream charts. Three more songs from the same album charted in the top 20 indie charts. This didn’t go unnoticed by the industry. He was nominated for Favorite Male Country Artist and Favorite New Artist Or Group, by the Independent Music Networks.

I’m Over You

RJ’s latest single from the Midnight Stories album; I’m Over You hit the number one spot on the indie networks late last fall, and prompted a road trip back to Nashville in November to headline an eight band concert for The Black Sheep Network. RJ says, “I turned down an offer for a buy out on the song from the ABC series Nashville. I think it was a good call considering the success it’s had with radio.” RJ also worked as an actor on the hit series, he says “I was actually working as a featured extra on the show, I did seven episodes. What a great experience! I loved working with all the crew and cast on the set, including the stars I got to work with there. “

The song  I’m Over You was recorded in Nashville at Mark Lamberts’ studio. RJ says, “Mark has produced many greats. Leon Russell, for instance, one of many who record there. I actually got to play Leon’s  piano on the soundtrack. What an honor. Joe Meador set the session up after hearing a raw version of the song. I felt a tingle in my chest when I wrote the song, and then again when I recorded it. I knew it was different. I think anyone who has ever loved and lost will recognize and relate to the story when they hear it. Like me, the song doesn’t fit into just one genre. When I write, genre just doesn’t exist to me. I could really care less if music critics try to pigeonhole my work. It’s really none of my business. I just write it.”

Always Music

“I’ve always been around music” says RJ. “My parents, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Music has been a staple of entertainment for my entire family. I started early in church with my Aunt Gertrude. She played piano in a full gospel church and let me tell you, those people were  filled with the spirit! They shouted, danced, fell and flopped on the floor. Wow, it scared me! I started writing very early in life. Poetry, songs, short stories, it just seemed to pour out of me. My hound dog Blue was my first audience. I would spend my summer days singing to him until my own face was blue! I would usually remember a tune and just make up words that rhymed.”

Playing Guitar in junior high and high school, RJ soon found out that the girls liked musicians. After high school, he joined several bands to enjoy the road life. This included doing tours with bands that he listened to as a teenager, and later shared stages with. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshal Tucker, 38 Special, Doobie Brothers, Foreigner, the list goes on. Some of his greatest influences were Toy Caldwell of The Marshal Tucker Band and Rickey and Ronnie Godfrey, from Greenville, SC, where he spent a lot of his time growing up, and as an adult.

Greenville

In early 2000, RJ was doing some bounty hunting as his day job and soon he owned his own bail bond company in Greenville. Fox Carolina did a two part news series on him , Bounty Hunter In The Upstate. While the crew was filming, he captured one of the 10 most wanted fugitives in the county. But after seven years as a bondsman/recovery agent, he got out of the business because of health concerns.

While in Greenville, he never left the music world, sitting in as often as he could with friends at The Blind Horse Saloon, one of the biggest nightclubs in South Carolina. RJ says, “That’s when I started my recording career. I had so many songs written that I had been playing for years in clubs and concerts. I felt like I needed to leave this world with a part of me that would remain after I had passed. That was my motivation. It had nothing to do with charts, or publicity. Things just kind of ended up there.”

Lowcountry

Since arriving in Port Royal, RJ has made it a point to get out and hear as many local bands and musicians as he can, often inviting them over to his home for informal jam sessions. It was during one of these sessions that he met drummer Jimmy Sauls, formerly of The Marshland Party Band and many others. Jimmy was invited over by RJ’s friend and bass guitar player for The Mad Hatters Band, Andy Cheyne. RJ said, “I could tell Jimmy was a well disciplined musician from the first session. It seemed we could read each other’s minds, and knew what each other would do next. That kind of connection doesn’t happen that often in this business. But when it does, magic happens on the stage and in the recording studio.”

They have been playing together for six months now, and along with Andy Cheyne, they went to Nashville last November as a headliner for the eight band concert, (The Black Sheep Extravaganza ) when RJ’s single I’m Over You, was the number one indie song on the charts.

Jimmy Sauls says, “RJ is a fantastic musician, talented songwriter, and an overall wonderful guy. It’s great to work with someone of his caliber. I’m enjoying the challenge of finding the right drum parts for his original music. He’s the best at what he does, and an inspiration to everyone who meets him.”

As far as other bands in the area RJ says, “Snazzy Red is my favorite local band here that I’ve heard so far. I love those guys! There are a lot of talented folks here, and I hope I get to hear all of them.”

Continuing his interest in acting, RJ says he is keeping his eyes and options open for roles that appeal to him. He says, “I really enjoyed acting in the Nashville series and hope I can get a chance to explore the profession in depth. I went to the Beaufort International Film Festival and met VW Sheich, and his wife Uyen Le, the film makers who made the movie Interwoven. I also met Ron and Rebecca Tucker and who are the founders of the festival. It was a great experience. “

Writing in the lowcountry has come easy. He says “I have written some of my best blues since I’ve been here. I’m currently writing a ten song album for Michael Allman, Gregg’s oldest son. Michael asked me to write for the album for him when we talked last Christmas Eve. He has been like a brother to me for quite a few years now. We always had a blast when he visited and stayed with us in Nashville. We did a few acoustic shows there together too.”

Reflecting on his many talents, RJ says, “All in all, I have always just used what God gave me to make my way in this world. I’ve been happy at most everything I’ve done so far. To me, success is a constant realization of a worthy goal. It’s not measured in money, status, or time. Would I do it all again? Yes, Yes I would.”