Chillicothe born singer-songwriter publishes new album

CHILLICOTHE — What do Sir Elton John, Reba McEntire, Toby Keith, Loretta Lynn, Brad Paisley, Steven Curtis Chapman and Chris Stapleton all have in common?

They all have performed songs written or produced by a country singer-songwriter who was born in Chillicothe.

Jerry Salley is a multi-award-winning singer-songwriter currently working in Nashville, Tennessee with over 540 recorded songs in country, bluegrass and gospel which have sold over 18 million records across the world. However, growing up, Salley was just a boy with a dream in Chillicothe.

His father playing the banjo is how Salley first got introduced to gospel, bluegrass and country music. He said he was one of the "nerds" growing up who would pour over the back of an album when listening to new music, wanting to know who wrote each song. As he grew he would often play local shows, he cites a local talent show in Massieville where he won first place with a Johnny Cash song as the first time he caught the "bug" for performing.

"I always knew I wanted to come to Nashville," said Salley.

His dream would eventually come true when he moved to Nashville soon after graduating college to start his songwriting career. This is where he worked with several artists co-writing and producing songs as they all worked toward their dreams of becoming stars.

While he has written and produced songs for many big-name artists he also works on his own projects, one of which he recently held a release party for at The Postmark in Chillicothe.

The album titled "The Songwriter" is a work that Salley calls his "most personal album to date." The entire bluegrass-leaning album took him almost six years to write as Salley was determined to write all the songs alone after spending so many years working with co-writers. His goal was to prove to himself that he could still do it.

"Every melody is mine, every thought is mine, every word is mine," said Salley. "It is just a special thing."

Always a hometown boy Salley said he was excited to be able to come back to Chillicothe and visit family, before performing he was also looking forward to getting a slice of Jerry's Pizza. He said he always enjoys playing in special venues like the Postmark because he loves seeing old buildings restored.

Those at the show enjoyed a variety of songs from Salley including his new tunes and older hits, he also took time during the show to tell the story of each song and how it came to be.

Salley's new album and more can be bought on his online store.

Shelby Reeves is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. You can email her at SReeves@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @Shelby_Reeves_

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Award winning songwriter held album release party in hometown