Casey James

19 Recordings/BNA Records artist Casey James first emerged on the scene with his third-place run on Season 9 of American Idol, but Casey had already been making music for more than a decade when he took his mom's advice to try out for the hit series. A native of Cool, TX, James grew up surrounded by music; both his parents played guitar and sang, as did other family members, and Casey was playing guitar and performing throughout his young adulthood. His wide-ranging influences include artists such as Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, ZZ Top, and Bonnie Raitt, with a mix of '70s rock, blues, and outlaw country all helping to shape his style.   To say that Casey had a hand in creating his debut album would be an understatement. Casey wrote nine of the eleven songs on the album, played both the electric and acoustic guitar throughout, and co-produced the entire album with Chris Lindsey.