Steve Moakler

A straightforward rootsy singer/songwriter whose own music blends heartland rock with tuneful country, Steve Moakler first gained some attention as a professional writer. His first significant credit was "Riser," an anthemic number that Dierks Bentley took into Billboard's Country Airplay Top 40 in 2015, a success that led to more attention for his own recordings beginning with 2016's Steve Moakler: The EP and its accompanying single "Suitcase." That sturdy, no-frills composition established the blueprint for Moakler's career, allowing him to follow the straight and narrow path -- as he did on 2017's Steel Town -- or subtly adapt to the times, which he did with the lite R&B undertones on 2022's Make a Little Room.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Moakler moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. After a series of odd jobs and countless local performances, he placed songs with several artists, including Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen, Ben Rector, Matt Wertz, and Kellie Pickler, and released three independent albums, including 2011's Watching Time Run, which Moakler funded through a Kickstarter campaign. He took part in the "Three Amigos" tour with two other up-and-coming Nashville-based songwriters and singers, Ben Rector and Andrew Ripp, and placed performances of his songs in the film October Baby and with various television shows for MTV, Fox, and ABC. His third studio LP, Wide Open, peaked at number four on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and in 2015, he released Steve Moakler: The Mix Tape and co-wrote Dierks Bentley's hit single "Riser." Steve Moakler: The EP, which featured the single "Steel Town," arrived the following year. The full-length Steel Town, an homage to Moakler's blue-collar upbringing in Pennsylvania, followed in 2017. Born Ready followed in 2018, with Blue Jeans appearing in 2020. Moakler returned in 2022 with Make a Little Room. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi