'Childhood dream come true': Chatsworth musician makes splash in country music industry

Oct. 24—Tyler Southern had recently graduated from Murray County High School when country artist Justin Moore performed at North Murray High School's Mountaineer Stadium in 2011.

"Me and my cousin were right up front and I had this old beat-up guitar with me," Southern said. "After the show, I talked to his guitar player and told him 'I love what you're doing; I hope to be up there doing what you're doing one day.'"

Moore's producer, who was from Ellijay, "thought that was cool and allowed me to meet Justin that night," he said. "I told him that I really liked his songs and his message, and that I had hoped to one day open up for him."

Twelve years later, those hopes became a reality when Southern, now 33 years old and serving as the guitarist for rising country artist Dalton Dover, performed the opener for Moore at a show in Denver, Colorado, in late September.

"The show had our band Dalton Dover there and I saw that Justin was a headliner," Southern said. "Opening up for him, it's now come full circle. It's pretty insane."

The Denver gig was just one of many venues Southern has been able to play since that fateful night at Mountaineer Stadium. Within the last year, Southern has also played at Nashville's historic Grand Ole Opry not once, but twice.

"Dalton called me up (in December) and just kind of nonchalantly said 'Hey man, what do you think about playing at the Opry in a couple of days?'" Southern recalled. "Of course I was on board."

"He always said one day he was going to play the Grand Ole Opry," Southern's grandfather Tony Southern said. "That got to come true several times; his childhood dream has come true. He's kind of in country boy heaven."

Southern, who grew up in the Fort Mountain area of Chatsworth and is well-versed in several instruments including piano, guitar, bass, drums and banjo, said he could not believe he was standing on the Opry stage.

"I had three days to prepare," he said. "Getting there, I was shaking so much because everybody who is anybody has played there. Being backstage and seeing all of the pictures, it was crazy. The second time we played (in May), I was just as nervous. It's hard to put into words."

'More than a passion'

Southern said music was a constant in his life growing up, crediting his grandparents, Tony and Pat Southern, with introducing him to singing and playing the piano at a young age.

"Everybody in my family pretty much plays music or sings or does something musical," he said. "My grandpa has been a pastor of a church in Chatsworth and has always sang. Whenever I was eight or nine years old, my grandma got me some sheet music for piano and she played a couple chords of 'Amazing Grace' and some of the standard songs. So from eight years old, that's pretty much all I've done."

Southern, however, said he's found it easier to learn music by ear instead of sheet music due to being legally blind from birth.

"I was born four months premature and I guess at the time that was pretty unheard of," Southern said. "I can't see out of my left eye at all and with my right eye, there's no peripheral vision. Reading stuff, it's obviously gotta be up close. Playing by ear has really helped me to be able to really listen and tune stuff in and focus instead of just reading off of a sheet."

Starting out, Southern said piano was his instrument of choice; but in his teenage years, he drifted closer to guitar playing.

"I felt more comfortable on piano, so that is typically what I prefer, but guitar is a close second."

Tony Southern said he's proud to see his grandson's work begin to pay off.

"He works to make his dreams come true," he said. "When he was starting off on the guitar, from the time he got up till he went to sleep at night, he was practicing, practicing, practicing. You never get good if you don't practice. With him, it's more than a passion, it's a kind of obsession because he's past legally blind; he wants recognition for what he can do, not for what people say he can't do."

Joining a band

Southern said his first real experience playing in a band occurred not long before beginning high school at Murray County.

"I think I was 12 or 13," he said. "My cousin played drums in this band (The Tyler Nixon Band) and they needed a keyboard player, so there I was. He got me in there and we just played around in small towns like Oakman and Oostanaula (in Gordon County, Georgia). They had bluegrass there and we would come in as a bunch of 12 year olds playing old country songs. The '50s and '60s stuff."

Southern also plays in Remembering January, a band formed in Chatsworth in 2010 by former students of Murray County High.

"The lead singer, Chris Deal, was always singing in chorus and in plays," Southern said. "He owned this pool hall in downtown Chatsworth (Main Street Pool Hall) and we would always get together there and jam out. We would come up with original songs together."

Remembering January is a "country and southern rock-oriented band," said Southern.

"We had an album put out in 2017 (titled "Chair Above it All")," he said. "We just now got back together again within the past year and we're working on some new songs."

Being an 'asset'

Southern said he met Dalton Dover through Dover's previous drummer. Dover, a musician out of Aragon, Georgia in Polk County, was a contestant on the hit reality singing competition show "The Voice" in 2019, making it to the top 48 before elimination. During his initial televised audition, Dover was selected by coaching panelist and award-winning country artist Blake Shelton after performing Keith Whitley's classic song, "Don't Close Your Eyes."

"Dalton took off on TikTok after that and I had played with him before about five or six years ago at a random gig," said Southern. "They were looking for another guitar player and his old drummer just recommended me. I've been playing with him now since June of 2022."

Southern's first major show as part of the group was at that month's CMA (Country Music Association) Fest in Nashville.

Dover, who performed the National Anthem at the Atlanta Braves' Truist Park during the team's playoff series with the Philadelphia Phillies on Oct. 11, said Southern's contribution the band has been instrumental.

"He's been a big asset to what I do," said Dover. "He's a big part of Dalton Dover and he's so kind to everybody. Not only that, on top of being one of the best musicians that I've ever had the opportunity to play right beside, he's also just as good of a person. He's a great guy."

On Sept. 27, Southern was featured playing guitar in Dover's music video for his latest song "Giving Up On That," which premiered on the Country Music Television channel that morning.

"That was a lot of fun," Southern said. "We recorded (the music video) at this place called Peaches in Rome, Georgia. It actually was kind of easy; we probably played through the takes only two or three times."

Traveling the country

Southern said getting to live out his dream has a few perks attached to it, including being able to meet country music icons such as Keith Urban and Vince Gill as well as travel the country.

"We've been all over everywhere," he said. "We just played a little hometown show in Georgia here, flew to Maryland that next morning and then flew right back. We were also just in Boston, Connecticut and New Hampshire. Out west is the best though; I like that better than anywhere."

Southern said the Dalton Dover band has several dates lined up for Texas, California and New York, the latter of which he's "really excited about."

"Next year, Dalton's going to start doing his own headlining shows as well; we're really looking forward to that," Southern said. "We're also planning to go to Canada next year."

Southern said while this is what he's always dreamed of doing, he still can't believe it's happening most days.

"It's really hard to comprehend that this is real life," he said. "Every day, we're getting to meet people and see all of these different places. I can't believe this is what my life is at this point. I don't take any of it for granted; I'm super blessed."

Southern said there's an abundance of potential in Chatsworth and Dalton for the next breakout musician.

"You don't have to go to Nashville to make it," he said. "There's so much incredible talent around here. My brother said the other day that Dalton and Chatsworth is more than just carpet. That's because there's so much talent and music here, and so many people doing creative things that are finally starting to blow up. It's awesome to see."

Dover said he feels Southern will only get bigger and better.

"(Northwest Georgia) is lucky to have such a great guy," he said. "He's going to be a legend."