Check Out Isaac Cole’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaac Cole. 

Hi Isaac, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I was born to do music. There are so many videos my family has of me singing before I have any memory of it, and it never stopped! I already knew by kindergarten that I wanted to be a “singing cowboy”. That’s what I drew when our teacher asked us to draw what we wanted to be, so I started guitar lessons at six years old. I had a knack for playing by ear. I had a grandma who was a gifted pianist and could play by ear, and by written music, so my parents insisted that I learn to read music as well as play by ear. I was homeschooled from first grade to graduation, so besides normal required courses, my education was very much geared toward my love of music! I started performing solos at church at four years old. All along I’ve been provided the opportunity to perform and to develop as an artist through so many great people that we have met along the way. It taught me early that music is a journey that you can’t take alone! 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’m not sure there’s such a thing as a smooth road in life, and especially not in music. The support of family and close friends is key, and I definitely have that. I played in my first band at ten years old with some great guys called “In Transition”. They taught me my first lead guitar, and how to harmonize. Then I played with a great country music church band called “God’s Country”. The band leader, “Von McCommons” is a family friend who had let me sing during his family’s southern gospel concerts since I was about six years old, and playing with them helped me develop dynamics and learn to play banjo, mandolin, and fiddle with a band. I was very involved in Inspirational Country Music, through Tommy Brandt, a traveling country music evangelist we met when I was five. He became my producer on my first CD when I was eleven. It all sounds great, but I had to learn that people expect a lot of you when you put yourself on stage. Offstage I was just like every other kid, so it was hard to always live up to people’s expectations. I had a lot of opportunities that I’m very grateful for, but it also made a lot of local kids dislike me. My biggest hurdle came when I moved to Nashville at eighteen to follow my dreams. It was hard to be nine hours from home. My parents were still paying my expenses and would come down as often as possible, but it was still challenging. Then when I moved to Pigeon Forge at nineteen and played for Dollywood. I ended up having an accident that could’ve ended my ability to play music. I slipped and fell on broken glass and damaged an artery in my left wrist. It was a month’s long process of rehabilitation, and it was uncertain. It was a dark time for me, but I believe God brought me through it and gave me back my ability to play… I learned and grew as a person through that tough time, and it has inspired new songs. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My musical style is often described as a twist of traditional country music that I grew up with, and a modern rocking country that seems to be appreciated by a wide range of people. I am naturally very outgoing, so I enjoy both stage performance and meeting lots of people. I’ve been writing music since I was about twelve, and I play acoustic and lead guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, harmonica, bass, and dobro. I have a lot of stage performance experience since I started singing and playing at such a young age. My sister and I started playing full-hour-long shows when I was ten and she was fourteen, and we progressed from there. When I got to Nashville, I was already able to do a three-hour set on my own. I’m proud of my five CD projects: “Country Boy” at 11, “Just a Kid” at 13, “I’m Your Huckleberry “at 16, “Cole for Your Stocking” at 19, and now “The Fifth” this year at 21. I was on American Idol at 15 on Season XV. I made it to the Top 51 and was cut just before the live shows. It was my biggest accomplishment to that point. I was so honored to be a utility musician in “The Back Porch Band” at Dollywood in 2019, and being chosen to play for Dolly Parton herself! It was an awesome experience! I’m also honored to be the second youngest solo artist ever to be inducted into The Wheeling Jamboree”, the youngest was Brad Paisley… I’ve also been endorsed by Gretsch Guitars since I was 14… My sister and I wrote a duet in honor of my grandmother that we lost to breast cancer, and it was our first #1 song on the Inspirational Country Music. Charts in 2016. My single “Too Nice” made it onto the Music Row charts after my first radio tour in 2019. I’m working on writing music and performing around Nashville at writer’s rounds and music venues to share my original music, and hopefully move my music career forward. I do a lot of odd jobs to keep the bills paid, while I put effort into the music career that I love. I’ve worked all my life to be a well-rounded artist so that I have the ability to make a living doing the one thing I’ve always loved, Music! 

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’m about 5’ 10, and 140 pounds, so I’m not a big guy, but I have a brown belt in Judo that I got as a teenager. I also did tumbling as a kid because my mom was a gymnastics teacher. I would love to get to do some acting in the future because I enjoy that as well. I’m apparently good at decorating Christmas trees and wrapping presents thanks to my mom and my sister. I’m not a bad cook either when I take the time to do it. I grew up on a farm, but we didn’t have horses. I raced four-wheelers instead, but I have always loved animals including horses. In the last couple years, I’ve learned a lot more about them, and I even broke a few horses. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: http://www.isaaccolemusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isaaccolemusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IsaacColeMusic
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCvwzquqpwTZg9A29xeDKbwA
• SoundCloud: Isaac Cole Music