This page contains a brief overview on the album ALI SHUMATE: Heartbreak Train. Learn more about the artist and explore the track lists and website. If you find any information that needs to be corrected, please let us know.

 
“WEST PALM BEACH TRAUMA NURSE HAS RED HOT BLUEGRASS ALBUM OUT IN 2006”

“Ali Shumate, West Palm resident is bluegrass artist extraordinaire in today’s red hot bluegrass market”

Press Release 1/25/06, Mikel Gore - PR Web: Hollywood . Nashville . New York (West Palm Beach, Florida) - Ali Shumate understands critical care operations. After all, in the past she has worked as a critical care nurse in a trauma hospital and recently as a hospice nurse. So, spending the last two years of her life working on one of the hottest bluegrass albums in Nashville was just what the doctor ordered. For Shumate it was a lot of “intensive care” and loving attention to her songwriting that helped complete the two year project.

This West Palm Beach singer has a songwriting hobby that is proving to be one of the most successful parts of her life. Ali Shumate not only writes some of the greatest bluegrass music you’ll ever hear, she also performs it as well. Last year, Ali performed at country music’s biggest party, Fan Fair 2005 in Nashville which drew 145,000 people from all over the world. Mikel Gore, senior editor of Entertainment Headline News in Nashville caught up with Ali Shumate and interviewed her about her current album at music retailers that is out on Platinum Plus Universal Records.

Q: You currently have a brand new album and video out (Heartbreak Train) that is drawing rave reviews around the country. How did you get discovered in the music business?

A: I auditioned in front of some major label executives at a hard rock audition in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida several years ago at American Music Auditions. It was there that I met one of the great bluegrass pioneers, my producer Robert Metzgar (Legends Hall Of Fame, Producer’s Hall Of Fame, Texas Music Hall Of Fame) who was a judge at the audition. I just bravely asked him if I could get up and audition in the middle of all these hard rock bands. He asked me what type of music I performed and I said, “bluegrass.” Once Mr. Metzgar heard me perform, he began helping me get signed to a label, get into development and complete what has been a two year journey of recording, pictures, video, and all the exciting things that go with having an internationally based recording career in Nashville.

Q: And after Mr. Metzgar discovered your talent, how did you go about the recording process over the past two years?

A: I began by submitting material for the album. I write all my own material and Mr. Metzgar got it reviewed and processed. I am an ASCAP songwriter and together my producer and I selected the songs that we recorded in several “sessions” in the city of Nashville using some of the most famous bluegrass players in history. You can still record at an affordable cost in Nashville as opposed to recording in New York or Los Angeles. I worked very hard to create a quality project for the consumer who buys my album. They deserve your best efforts. You need great songs, great musicians, all the right technical equipment and most of all a producer to guide you through the recording process. My album was recorded in authentic bluegrass style using only acoustic instruments and we did everything “live” at Chelsea Studios in Brentwood.

Q: When did you first get interested in a career in the music business?

A: My earliest memory of performing was at a store in Northfork, West Virginia when I was only four years old. My dad would take me downtown and I would sing for people. “I loved singing for people. It was the only time I could be as loud as I wanted to be without getting into trouble.” So, I grew up in West Virginia, went to Bluefield High School, attended Marshall University, Bluefield State College and later completed my nursing degree in West Palm Beach at Palm Beach Community College. I had 11 years of classical piano instruction, 6 years of woodwinds and theory and 2 years of vocal training. I’m still studying the complexities of the guitar, mandolin and violin.

Q: Did your family have a musical background?

A: Yes, I came from a long line of musicians. My great, great grandfather and his sons had a huge musical influence in a town at the turn of the century called Pocahontas, Virginia. Coal miners built an Opera house in the city in the 1800’s and my family got their musical start there. The wonderful mayor of Pocahontas, Anita Brown, is currently a part of the great restoration project that has restored this theater to its original condition. I am playing on that stage this summer. My most monumental and somewhat emotional gig was playing the Gibson Bluegrass Theater show at Fan Fair 2005. This stage next to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville is where some of the most famous bluegrass musicians in history have performed.

Q: Who are your favorite performers in the music business?

A: Dolly Parton is my #1 artist. She is an inspiration to every writer and performer of bluegrass music. Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Wynonna, Rhonda Vincent, Jenny Owen and Jo Dee Messina are also some of my very favorites. I love Alison Krauss and Union Station, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and Miranda Lambert. Ricky Skaggs is my #1 male bluegrass artist. I love to watch him play music. Of course, I love Clint Black, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Toby Keith, John Denver, Jimmy Buffett, John Stepp, Keith Urban, and George Strait. Then there’s Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, the Smokey River Boys, Bill Monroe and Roy Acuff. These artists brought us some of the greatest bluegrass music in history.

Q: What are your goals in the music business in the future?

A: When I was little, I used to play the piano for hours and create what I referred to as “masterpieces.” That is what I want to do in the future. I want to create music for the public to enjoy. I also want to be a role model for young people to emulate. I want to give to others some of what God has given to me through my music.

I want to continue to record with my producer, Robert Metzgar. “I have had the blessing of meeting Robert Metzgar who has made it possible for me to pursue my dream. There is not a more wonderful person walking the earth than Robert. Without his guidance, none of this could have become a reality.”

Want more Ali contact?
Ali Shumate Fan Club
10130 Northlake Boulevard
Suite 214-116
West Palm Beach, FL 33412

A note to you from Ali: Thank you so much for visiting my album at CD Baby - I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it for you - from my heart to yours :)

ASCAP singer songwriter Ali Shumate advanced to the second round of the 2005 International Songwriting Competition with two new songs in two different categories, Folk and Gospel -according to ISC there were over 15,000 entries received from around the world.

Check out the artist's website:
http://www.alishumate.com

Track List:
1. The Winds They Are A Changin'
2. Baby Of MIne
3. A Good Woman's Hard To Find
4. Heartbreak Train
5. Travelin' State Of Mind
6. He's My Lovin' Man
7. (How Will I Make It) God Knows
8. You'll Be Sorrier When I'm Gone
9. Comin' For My Baby Tonight
10. Same Old Me, Different You

Other Genres:

• COUNTRY: Bluegrass
• FOLK: Traditional Folk
• CHRISTIAN