Heather Eatman

Heather Eatman was born in Jacksonville, East Texas, a town so small, as Heather describes it, "the phone book is only a quarter-inch thick". She was a quiet, studious kid with an active imagination. Her dad taught drama at the local college and Heather eagerly absorbed the world of magic he brought into the house.

Heather signed to Oh Boy in 1993 and spent the next two years readying her debut album MASCARA FALLS. The album was produced by Roger Moutenot, who also handles producer duties on the new release. Heather toured the US, opening for Oh Boy owner John Prine and appearing at such illustrious venues as the Fillmore and the Ryman Auditorium. She landed a booking on The Conan O'Brien Show. Robert Hilburn, pop critic for the Los Angeles Times, praised her debut: "...there is a sizeable portion of Eatman originality in her music, and it will be interesting to see how she expands on that freshness."

Critics also warmed to her subsequent release, CANDY & DIRT (1999), which Heather released on her own imprint Impossible Records. In 2000 Heather teamed with manager Mike Maska and together they brought her new project, REAL, to Nashville's Eminent Records. Mike encouraged Heather to experiment with co-writing and introduced her to songwriter Bruce Brody. Heather penned two of the album's tracks with Brody and also included her first cover, the Willie Dixon tune "Spoonful."

REAL represents a breakthrough on many levels to Heather. As a songwriter she feels more focused on musiciality and melody; she's balanced her sharply-drawn tales of outsiders with unabashed love songs; and she's reached the point in her career when she can fully trust her own artistic instincts. She's excited by this new departure from second-guessing and self-criticism. "You can't know the future," she says, "but you can have faith -- wonderful things can happen."