Chris Wallin

Chris says…  “God writes the songs…..I just hold the pen.”

Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival, Chris Wallin, Songwriter, SMSWF, Gatlinburg, TNWith his unique gift for finding the extraordinary in ordinary life, Chris Wallin has established himself as one of Music Row’s most sought-after songwriters.

For the past several years, Wallin has topped the charts with classics-in-the-making for the industry’s biggest stars: “Love Me If You Can” #1 by Toby Keith, “Don’t Blink” A 6 week #1 by Kenny Chesney, “Soldiers And Jesus” Top 40 by James Otto, “I’m Tryin’” Top 5 for Trace Adkins, “Something To Be Proud Of” (2 week #1) and “Speed” (Top 5) by Montgomery Gentry.

His poignant lyrical portrayals of everyday people as they deal with living and loving have also been embraced by artists such as Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Diamond Rio, Lorrie Morgan, Keith Anderson, Sammy Kershaw, Confederate Railroad and Neal McCoy, among many others.

Raised in the small town of White Pine, Tennessee, Wallin was influenced by the likes of Jim Croce, James Taylor and Merle Haggard, as well as his own musical family – especially his mother, a singer herself.  She recorded and performed in Nashville for a time, and the experience made an indelible impression on the seven-year-old Chris.

He began writing songs at age 12 and, perhaps inevitably, moved to MusicCity several years later, making the dues-paying rounds of writers nights and songwriting contests.  He caught a break when his songs caught the ear of a small publishing company (co-owned by eventual Taylor Swift collaborator Liz Rose), helping to launch him on a professional career that has led to award-winning collaborations with fellow hit-makers like Jim Collins, Anthony Smith, Bob Dipiero ,Craig Wiseman, Tim Nichols and Jeffrey Steele.

Dedication and talent – not to mention a wry sense of humor – have taken him to the heights of the music world and primed him for international acclaim, but his advice on how to achieve such success is typically straightforward and down-to-earth:  “Find out what you do the best and do that till you drop.”  So Chris Wallin will continue to set the truth of real life to words and music because that’s what he does best!

Chris Wallin is our hometown singer/songwriter from East Tennessee having been raised in White Pine, TN.  Chris has enjoyed active chart success and numerous cuts, most recently with his 1 hit singles Toby Keith’s “Love Me If You Can”, Kenney Chesney’s “Don’t Blink” spent 6 weeks at number 1 on the Charts and Montgomery Gentry’s multi-week smash “Something To Be Proud Of”.  He’s also had top 5 hits with “I’m Tryin” by Trace Adkins, and “Speed” by Montgomery Gentry.  Other chart singles include “You’re In My Head” by Brian McComas, “What Brothers Do” by Confederate Railroad and “John J. Blanchard” by Anthony Smith which were all top 40 hits.  Chris also has cuts by Lorrie Morgan, Sammy Kershaw, Michael Peterson, Jeffrey Steele, Neal McCoy, Brad Paisley and Diamond Rio.

www.ChrisWallin.com