Daily Inspiration: Meet Manning Rothrock

Today we’d like to introduce you to Manning Rothrock.

Hi Manning, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in music. I saw my first concert at age 7 and it was The Spice Girls. I don’t think that was by choice, but thinking back, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I generally write Country music, but that wasn’t what I was into at first.

As a kid, I was always trying to get my parents to let me listen to artists like Dr. Dre, DMX, or Kid Rock (back when he wasn’t Country). Growing up in a military family, I moved around a lot but my family is originally from Cape Charles, VA which is a small town 30 minutes or so outside of Virginia Beach. All of my relatives loved Country music so I fell into it naturally and realized that I not only enjoyed it but was best at it from a writing standpoint.

Therefore, after playing many types of music in many different bands for the majority of my youth and early adulthood, I made the move to Nashville in 2015 to pursue a career in writing and performing Country music. Since then, I have written over a thousand songs. A lot of those songs are not so great, but a lot of them came out pretty good thanks to the help of some talented co-writers who I have been fortunate enough to work with.

I’ve been here for quite a while now and I still wake up each day hungry to perfect my craft because I know that in this town, the best song wins and there are quite a few amazing songs floating around Nashville.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not! I wouldn’t change anything about the path that I have taken, but the thing about pursuing a career in music is that there really isn’t a right or wrong way to get things done. A lot of career paths have tried and true ways of getting to where you want to go but with music, I’ve noticed that everybody has their own journey.

Nashville is often called a 10-year town and while it doesn’t necessarily have to be, one similarity I’ve noticed when hearing the stories of famous Country artists is that many of them were at their wit’s end when they finally got a break. With anything though, it’s all about persistence and hard work.

A lot of people I’ve reached out to never got back to me, a lot of songs I thought were great didn’t go over as well with people as I thought they would, and at the end of the day, everything happens in God’s time so it’s all about sticking with it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a singer/songwriter who specializes in Country music.

When I first came to town, I would say I was the best know for creating hooky melodies that had a little bit of Hip-Hop/R&B flare to them. As I continued to develop my craft, I focused heavily on creating interesting and unique lyrics that still fit within the Country format of storytelling.

I think that’s what ultimately sets me apart from others. My lyrics are often witty and can be a little out there sometimes, but that’s who I am so I know I’m always being authentic.

What were you like growing up?
Personality-wise, I would describe myself as an extroverted introvert. Like I said previously, I moved around a lot so I learned to be pretty outgoing just because I had to make new friends every year it felt like. At the same time, I’ve always followed the beat of my own drummer and valued my independence, especially when it came to discovering my passion for music.

I became a pretty passionate music listener pretty early on before most of my peers were. I remember going to music stores early on with my dad every weekend when I was in elementary school and I would spend hours in them. From there, it grew into writing and performing but I remember it stemming from this initial fascination I had that was personal and unique to me.

Other than that, I was always into sports, hanging out with friends, funny movies, and getting into trouble occasionally. I also spent a lot of time thinking about girls and sometimes getting heartbroken. You know, normal kid stuff.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manningrothrock/

Image Credits
James Isaac Jones