Jeff Swope

Infobox musical artist

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Name = Jeff Swope
Img_size =
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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Jeffrey Brian Dagenhart
Born = birth date|1984|11|15|mf=y
Hagerstown, Maryland, U.S.
Origin = United States
Instrument = Guitar, Mandolin, Piano, Vocals
Genre = Indie, Acoustic, Country
Occupation = Singer / Songwriter / Producer
Years_active = 1998 - Present
Label = Sweet Symphony Records, Turnpike Records, Indie
Associated_acts = Brad Paisley
Jeff Bates
Keith Whitley

Jeffrey Brian Swope (b. Jeffrey Brian Dagenhart November 15, 1984 in Hagerstown, Maryland is an American singer-songwriter and record producer.

Swope is an eclectic artist with multiple and varied stylistic influences, including Pop, Rock, Jazz, Country, Blues, and Soul. Though he has played in venues all over the primary United States, his music has slowly gained popularity in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

What perhaps is most interesting, however, is that Swope has never made any recorded music available to the public, and has gained what he calls "buzz popularity" by word-of-mouth and his often un-advertised shows.

Background

Raised by his mother and his mother's father until the age of 5, Swope (then Dagenhart) was introduced to music very early on. His biological father was "Odie" Palmer, Jr., a local music legend and son of "Odie" Palmer Sr., who was also a noteworthy guitar virtuoso. The last name Dagenhart comes from Jeff's mother's first husband, and was later changed when Swope was adopted by his stepfather Larry Swope in 1990. One of Swope's earliest memories (*, cite) is said to be hearing his greatest influence Keith Whitley on the radio and then deciding he wanted to sing music professionally. At a concert in October, 2006, Jeff was playing a mandolin, and it was asked of him what other instruments he could play. He started playing piano at age 4, seriously playing guitar at age 13, and mandolin at age 17. He also plays drums and bass. After meeting producer Kenny Beard in August of 2005, Swope moved to Nashville to pursue a career as a professional songwriter and opened his publishing company JSProductions (BMI - Jeff Swope Productions). In March of 2006, he produced a single demo recording for rising Alabama artist Kevin Moon which won acclaim by popular recording artists and critics alike. Swope made frequent appearances with Moon throughout the Spring of '06 as a harmony vocalist and lead guitar player, to which Kevin Moon called him 'the Don Rich to my Buck Owens'. In 2004, Swope married his longtime girlfriend, however they parted in June 2006.

Swope's clear, strong tenor voice and easygoing, tongue-in-cheek approach gained popularity at his shows beginning with the songs "Jamaica, Pennsylvania", and "I Couldn't Do It Again If I Tried", two songs which are still among his most requested. His humorous songs could have been mostly inspired by country singer Brad Paisley, whom Swope describes as a major musical influence.

Nashville Video Blogs

On Memorial Day, 2006, Swope began releasing 5-minute video journals on YouTube called "Nashville Video Blogs", intended to document his family life and career highlights, but they were cut short due to his marital separation. So far there are 10; he has said that he plans to release more in the near future.

"Mirrors: The Keith Whitley Story"

In Early 2005, Swope announced, with permission of the surviving Keith Whitley family of Sandy Hook, KY, that he would be writing, directing, and producing an independent motion picture depicting the highlights of Whitley's life. Originally titled "Mirrors: The Keith Whitley Story", the script focused on Keith's personal battle with alcohol, with a pronounced emphasis on the amazing person Keith was while sober. Production was well under way when his divorce and conflicting interests with Keith's management and namesake halted it in late 2006.

Discography

*2006 "Kevin Moon - I Can Bring Her Back (Demo Producer)"
*2007 "Work Tapes - Demo Sessions"

Facts

Swope was once the member of the bands Soaking Reign and Something Else, but did not appear on Soaking Reign's album, because he had joined after the sessions.

References

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/mdgtrpckr Nashville Video Blogs, and more videos by Jeff Swope]
* [http://www.myspace.com/mdgtrpckr2 Jeff Swope's myspace music page.]