Ashton Shepherd

• Genre: New Traditional
• Hometown: Leroy

About

Ashton Shepherd has been singing and writing songs for as long as she can remember, but it took some prodding from her equally musical brothers before she picked up the guitar at 15. Once she did, her songs started writing themselves, and they haven't stopped since. Shepherd was born in the blink-and-you-miss-it town of Leroy, Ala., and entered her first talent contest when she was eight. Her parents nurtured the Shepherd children's interest in music, and when Ashton was 15 they funded the singer's first CD demo. She then made the rounds at local clubs, pining for that elusive recording contract. Her break came in 2006 when she won a singing contest where the prize was opening up for country star Lorrie Morgan. A producer saw her at that show and invited her to Nashville. In 2008, Shepherd released her debut effort, Sounds So Good.

- Linda Ryan