Chris Wallin Bio
With his unique gift for finding the extraordinary in ordinary life, Chris Wallin has established himself as one of Nashville’s most sought-after songwriters.
For years, Wallin has topped the charts with classics-in-the-making for the industry’s biggest stars: “Love Me If You Can” by Toby Keith, “Don’t Blink” by Kenny Chesney, ”People Loving People” by Garth Brooks, “I’m Tryin’” for Trace Adkins, “Something To Be Proud Of” and “Speed” by Montgomery Gentry and many more.
Raised in the small town in East Tennessee Wallin was influenced by the likes of Jim Croce, James Taylor and Merle Haggard, as well as his own musical family – especially his mother, a singer herself. She recorded and performed in Nashville for a time. Him and his mother lived on top of a Honky Tonk on Broadway in Downtown Nashville called “The Turf”. Chris’s mother sang there at night .During the day Chris and his mother Joyce would go around the bars and restaurants in Music City with .45 records and jukebox inserts for her songs to try and get them to put her songs in their establishments. The experience made an indelible impression on the seven-year-old Chris.
He began writing songs at age 12 and, perhaps inevitably, moved to Music City several years later, making the dues-paying rounds of writer’s nights and songwriting contests. He caught a break when his songs caught the ear of a small publishing company call King Lizard Music helping to launch him on a professional career that has led to award-winning collaborations with the Who’s who of songwriting royalty.
Wallin has worked hard to achieve his place on the “A List” of Nashville songwriters, and doesn’t take his status for granted: Chris says “Back then I used to buy 50 or so McDonald’s 29 cent hamburgers a week and freeze them solid. I could eat all week on $15 … They weren’t bad, except the last few get a little crusty from freezer burn.”
Artists who have cut Chris’s songs include Lorrie Morgan, Garth Brooks, Montgomery Gentry, Sammy Kershaw, Tommy Shane Steiner, Trace Adkins, Michael Peterson, Anthony Smith, Jeffrey Steele, Confederate Railroad, Neal McCoy, Brian McComas, Brad Paisley, Joe Diffie, Diamond Rio, Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith and many many more.
