The Fro Zone
It might appear cliché, but the only true constant is change. A real artist never changes their passion, but constantly evolves their craft. Each step in their progression towards success is another path towards perfection. Even still, a real artist understands that perfection is an enigma that can be felt but cannot be touched. It is that drive for success and pliability towards perfection that has taken small-town Ohio's Tommy Renfro from the cornfields to the bright lights of Music City.
An accomplished songwriter, Renfro began putting together his first full-length album in May of 2010. After building relationships with industry pros across the Midwest and Southeast it was time to begin production. Fellow artist and personal friend Jimmy Dooley (Cincinnati, OH) got the call to spearhead the production team for this hip new sound that combines the hooks of country stars like Keith Urban with the likes of contemporary artist such as Mercy Me.
Dooley pulled in his friend Adam Kohout at AK Studios in Richmond, VA to work on keyboard production and hit a homerun with Grammy award winning (Jason Crabb, 2009) musician Jeremy Medkiff (Nashville, TN) on guitars and bass. This star-studded cast built a sound that was tailored around Renfro’s passions: Music, faith, hope, and love.
The industry buzz created by this fresh new sound enticed the music world to start knocking on the door. The knock that changed Renfro’s music career came from Nashville, TN based label Mission House Music. In January of 2011 a partnership was reached with MHM’s radio company Air 9 Promotions; which distributed his debut single “The Light”. After positive feedback from this release, MHM decided to take Renfro in as an off-roster artist to produce a new single centered on the suggestions from radio stations and fans across the country.
MHM Senior Vice-President, Alan Farris directed Tommy to work with a production group in Nashville known as The Zods. This team included former members of Contemporary mega-group Sonic Flood. After a few months of production at Zodlounge Studios in Nashville, TN, the team at Air 9 Promotions distributed Tommy’s sophomore single “Show and Tell”. This new single gave Renfro his first points on the Billboard charts and birthed the signing of Tommy to LifeStage Records in December of 2011.
In June of 2012 another cut, "This Little Light", was released on Air 9 Promotions by MHM and LifeStage Records follwed by the new EP Show and Tell in August of 2012. The final track off the EP, "Carry You On", was later released to radio and continuing to spin on stations across the U.S. and Canada.
The past 12 months have been huge leaps in Tommy's career. He has had the opportunity to perform with a few of his favorite artist, such as, Jamie Grace, The City Harmonic, Adam Cappa, and his musical hero TobyMac. It was during one of these tour dates that TobyMac gave Tommy some of the best advice in his career:
"Understand that this journey is not about your ability, but God's grace. Be willing to take advice and assemble talented, Godly, and driven people around you who believe in the message you are trying to portray."
Those words echo true in Tommy's career. God is continuing to open huge doors in Christian and secular venues alike. 2014 appears to have a bright horizon and the constant of change is pushing in the right direction. Jeremiah 29:11