Today we’d like to introduce you to Randy Atwood.
Randy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I got my start in music around the age of six. My sister, Penny, passed away, she was 15. I didn’t really understand at that time what was going on I just knew that everyone was sad, so I picked up my dad’s guitar, he showed me a few chords, and I kind of took it from there. it kind of came natural to me. I started singing in church and when I was old enough, I joined a choir group called the living witness singers we traveled around regionally doing concerts and I was one of the featured vocalist. From there I ventured into country music which was always been my first love there’s just something about the stories in the songs that that speak to the heart I got my first taste of Nashville when I was 14, I was signed to swanee records which is Al Jolson’s label where I recorded my first single, back then they still recorded on vinyl LOL, and my single was called country boy. I can remember taking my guitar to school and doing mini-concerts during recess and lunch times out on the playground, and performing in the talent contest at school I was also voted most talented my senior year in high school. When I was 14, I was hired in my first professional capacity in a show called high steppin’ country which started at a theme park called magic harbor. It still runs today at Lakewood camping resort and is the longest-running show on the Grand Strand. I was fortunate enough to be in that show for 5 years and on a side note, Josh Turner was also in that show a few years later. From there I auditioned and was hired as a singer/ dancer at Opryland USA in Nashville Tennessee in the show called for me and my gal I was there for a season. Then I returned home to Myrtle Beach and I enlisted in the US Coast Guard where I proudly served for 4 years and I am a veteran of Desert Storm. After my service in the Coast guard, I came back home and I went into law enforcement where I served the city of Myrtle Beach for 8 years before going to the horry county Police department for 2 years but during all this time I was still playing music and singing. But something was different I felt the calling to go into gospel music I started singing with a local Gospel quartet called The Glory Road quartet after a few years with the Glory Road I was offered a full-time job with a touring quartet called the mystery Men out of Nashville Tennessee during which I had the privilege of singing alongside some of the best in gospel music. then I had the honor of filling in and singing with the anchorman quartet. But as time goes on things and life changed once again in the late 1990s and I reverted back to my first love of country music and started gigging out as a solo artist. In 2020 I started a band called Randy Atwood and the Renegades and we have become, in a short two years, one of the premier country bands on the Grand strand and one of the busiest working bands in the area and region between my solo dates duos and band dates we play well over 200 shows a year.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Oh my too many to mention really, the music business is one of the toughest industries that I’ve ever been in and I’ve been in a lot from the military to law enforcement to running several of my own businesses including website design when the internet first came out to owning and running my own charter Business which I ran for 10 years the music business has to be the hardest that I have encountered from trying to get in front of the right people to book shows negotiating Fair compensation because people think you should play for free LOL to finding the right people to play with and it doesn’t always mean the most talented when you’re in a group or band everything has to click not only musically but personally attitudes personalities they will have to get along and that’s hard to get five or six people of like-mindedness that have the same goals and visions and are willing to put in the work but I am blessed beyond measure to have five of the finest musicians in the area that I get to share the stage with on a weekly basis
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Well where to begin, I’ve had a lot of different careers in my life like I said from performing in different types of shows theaters the military law enforcement only several of my own businesses but I guess if I had to say what do I specialize in now it would be my music and my love for the water I also have a 100-ton masters license from the US Coast guard and if you ask my wife she’ll tell you there’s two things I do and do very well perform and drive a boat lol I don’t know if there’s anything distinctive that you could say would set me apart from others other than my willingness to help people I try to see the good in everybody in like Tim McGraw says I just try to stay humble and kind.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
In two words God and family. I was very fortunate to have been brought up in a Christian home like I said I grew up singing gospel music with my mom and my dad we would travel to a few churches in the local area where my dad and I would play guitar and my mom would do most of the singing she had a beautiful voice and my dad and I would accompany her on guitar and sing harmonies. I am grateful that they taught me and showed me what the true meaning of love is they were married for over 60 years before my mom passed away in February of 2020 but it was through them that I was taught about God and his love for us through his son Jesus Christ and I’m forever grateful that that was the steal to me at a very young age. And I’m also very thankful for my wife of 13 years Phyllis Atwood who has stood by me behind me so she could push me to be a better man better performer a better husband and I could never thank her enough for her encouragement and for her love and for her guidance she is my rock.
Pricing:
- Solo 200 – 250
- Duo. 300 – 400
- Trio. 450-550
- Full band 1200-3500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.randyatwoodmusic.com
- Instagram: Randyatwoodmusic
- Facebook: Randyatwoodmusic
- Youtube: Randyatwoodmusic
