Jeffery David Stevens (born June 15, 1959) is an American country music singer, songwriter and record producer. He recorded two albums on Atlantic America Records with his brother Warren Stevens and Terry Dotson as Jeff Stevens and the Bullets, and later as a solo artist on the Atlantic label. Since the early 1990s, Stevens has largely worked as a songwriter and producer for other artists.
Jeff Stevens | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jeffery David Stevens[1] |
| Born | June 15, 1959[2] Alum Creek, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 1975–present |
| Labels | Atlantic |
| Formerly of | Jeff Stevens and the Bullets |
Biography edit
Stevens was born in Alum Creek, West Virginia.[2] At age nine, he and his brother Warren entered a talent contest and won first place.[3] Eventually, they and cousin Terry Dotson formed a band called Jeff Stevens and the Bullets, with Jeff on lead vocals and guitar, Warren on bass guitar, Dotson on drums, and Jim Mayo on rhythm guitar and harmonica.[4] The band recorded Bolt out of the Blue for Atlantic America Records in 1986, which accounted for the singles "Darlington County" (a cover of the Bruce Springsteen song[3]), "You're in Love Alone" and "Geronimo's Cadillac." A fourth chart single, "Johnny Lucky and Suzi 66,"[2] led off a second self-titled album. In the mid-1980s, Jeff Stevens and Dotson co-wrote Atlanta's singles "Atlanta Burned Again Last Night" and "Sweet Country Music."[3]
The Bullets broke up in 1990 and Stevens remained on Atlantic as a solo artist, working with record producer Keith Stegall for a solo debut album which was never released.[3] From there, Stevens found work as a songwriter, writing a string of hits including the singles "I Fell in the Water" by John Anderson, "Down in Flames" by Blackhawk, the number one hit "Reckless" for Alabama,[3] and "Big Love" and "I Wanna Feel That Way Again" for Tracy Byrd.[5] George Strait also recorded Stevens' "Carried Away," "Carrying Your Love with Me" and "True,"[5] the first two of which went to number one as well. Stevens had another number one in 2004 with Tim McGraw's "Back When."[5]
In 1999, Stevens began work as a record producer, co-producing Jerry Kilgore's debut album Love Trip. Among other acts Stevens produces Luke Bryan, and co-wrote Bryan's singles "All My Friends Say", "Someone Else Calling You Baby" (which went to number one in early 2011), and "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye", also a number one hit for Bryan in late 2012.
Jeff Stevens and the Bullets discography edit
Albums edit
| Year | Album information |
|---|---|
| 1986 | Bolt out of the Blue |
| 1990 | Jeff Stevens and the Bullets[6]
|
Singles edit
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | |||
| 1987 | "Darlington County" | 69 | Bolt out of the Blue |
| 1988 | "You're in Love Alone" | 61 | |
| "Geronimo's Cadillac" | 53 | ||
| 1989 | "Johnny Lucky and Suzi 66" | 70 | Jeff Stevens and the Bullets |
| 1990 | "Boomtown"[4][7] | —A | |
| "Roseanne"[8] | —A | ||
| "You Done Me Wrong (And That Ain't Right)"[9] | — |
Notes:
- A "Boomtown" and "Roseanne" did not chart on Hot Country Songs, but both peaked at No. 6 on Hot Country Radio Breakouts.[10][11]
Music videos edit
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Boomtown" | Deaton Flanigen |
References edit
- ^ "Search results for Stevens, Jeffery David". Broadcast Music Incorporated. Retrieved 22 February 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 402. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ a b c d e Sandra Brennan. "Jeff Stevens biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ a b Goldsmith, Thomas (July 14, 1990). "Jeff Stevens: He's singing loud and clear". The Tennessean. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ a b c "Jeff Stevens (click on "biography")". Jeff Stevens.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box: 31. March 10, 1990.
- ^ "Country feature picks" (PDF). Cashbox. January 27, 1990. p. 22. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ Wix, Kimmy (April 28, 1990). "Country feature picks" (PDF). Cashbox. p. 19. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ "Up & Coming" (PDF). Gavin Report: 24. August 31, 1990.
- ^ "Hot Country Radio Breakouts" (PDF). Billboard. March 24, 1990.
- ^ "Hot Country Radio Breakouts" (PDF). Billboard. June 2, 1990.