Andy Childs

Born and raised in the musically rich city of Memphis, singer/guitarist Andy Childs was performing by the time he was in his teens, employed as an entertainer at a local amusement park. Although he studied music business at the University of Memphis, his desire to pursue a career as a performer led to him going out on the road as a keyboard player and musical director for acts including the Shirelles, Del Shannon, and Lou Christie. He was also securing work as a solo artist, performing at state farms and at corporate events and conventions. Some recording Childs did for a small label based in his hometown attracted attention for the young singer when a couple songs became regional hits, leading to a developmental deal with Sony in 1991. The deal went nowhere, but Childs soon caught on with RCA and released a self-titled album for the label in 1993. Despite an impressive cast of musicians who contributed to the recording and production by longtime Alabama mainstay Josh Leo, the record only managed two minor hits on the country charts, "I Wouldn't Know" and "Broken." Even prime slots touring with well-known acts like Clint Black and Collin Raye failed to jump start the album. During the latter portion of the '90s, Childs worked as a staff writer for EMI before joining forces with several other session and road players in Nashville to form the quintet Sixwire. Their debut album was released in summer 2002. ~ Tom Demalon