For Curtis Braly, the axiom “It takes a village. . .” rings true. Growing up in Humble, Texas, a Houston suburb with a small-town feel, he appreciates the influence of a place where people were helpful and community oriented, where you could go to a local restaurant and run into half the people you know—mostly country music lovers.
He says he knew by middle school that he wanted a career in music. His mother, he says, “knew music was a passion that would not easily die” and encouraged him to chase his dream. “My dad was more of the one who said, ‘Go for it but have a backup plan.’ He was always pushing continue education, go to college.” Braly did both.
Participating in choir during high school gave him experience on the stage and allowed him to experiment with different genres. “It got me used to performing with other people and listening to other people sing and learning to blend,” Curtis says. “Our choir put on a big pop show at the end of every year, so students in choir got to sing solos and learn choreography, so it gave me the opportunity to hone that craft of being on stage and entertaining that crowd.”
Braly says he visited Nashville a couple of times during high school, “dabbing my toes in the water. I thought the water was nice, warm, and relaxing when I was just putting my toe in it, so as soon as I got out of high school, I made the decision to go.” He found a couple of mentors and a woman who believed in him who served as his manager.
He admits, “I thought I would come to town and hear the right people say, ‘You can sing! Let’s put you on tour!’ and it was nothing like that. After two years, he moved back to Texas “with my tail between my legs, thinking, I have taken on way more than I could handle.’” He enrolled in school and, following his father’s suggestion, furthered his education.
For a time, he worked in law enforcement, which he called his “second passion.” He doesn’t regret his “backup plan,” which he saw as an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives, something he likes to do with music. He says he learned a lot from his time in law enforcement that he still uses in music. Before returning to Nashville to pursue a performing career, he also worked for a while in country radio.
“It gave me a good insight to the other side of the music business and allowed me an opportunity for one to see what artists go through when they’re coming to stations and vying for that 3 1/2 minutes of time for their song will be played. It also gave me an opportunity to the radio side of the business that make the wheels turn and decides whose music gets put on the air and who doesn’t.” He says he also learned from that experience the importance of networking and building relationships with people in all aspects of the business.
He still felt the pull to perform. “Music has a powerful way of touching and heal people like nothing else. I knew that if I could get into music and do that same thing, I could touch other people, share an important message, and bring people together who would not normally come together through music.
This possibility was made clear when he first attended a Dolly Parton concert a few years ago. He says he looked around the auditorium and saw such a diverse group of people, all enjoying that moment. “There were so many of them that, I guarantee you, would never hang out together. But all their differences were left outside, and they had all come together to enjoy that ninety minutes of music with Dolly. It was just another example of how music can bring people together regardless of their differences,” said Braly.
When the opportunity to share a stage with the country legend, he jumped at the chance. The two of them shared a producer and several crew members. On a flight to a performance, the producer told him that Dolly had a show coming up in Arkansas and was open to having Braly come and perform with her. When he asked, “Are you down for it?” Braly responded, “When and where do I need to be?”
Braly also had the opportunity to tour with Tanya Tucker for two years before COVID as she enjoyed a resurgence of her career. He admits that when the opportunity was pitched to him, he wasn’t sure if their demographic would be compatible. He said, “That’s when I learned that, regardless of demographics, people come to a show and want to be entertained.
He says he knew her career and realized she had a lot of great songs, but sneaking backstage after his set to watch her, he kept thinking,’ “She sings that song too? Hit after hit after hit!” He says he learned a lot from her, seeing hard she works. “Night after night, she walks out there and puts on a heck of a show. It made me realize the work and determination that go into this business. It’s just as much a rollercoaster ride for her as for me.”
While Curtis spent equal times between Texas and Tennessee before the pandemic, he has spent more of the last few months back home in Texas. Now he is happy to be getting back to Nashville. He released his latest single “That Should Be Me,” co-written by Kylie Sackley and Thomas Finchum. Known for his high-energy performance and described as a “must-hear story-teller,” Braly also writes and records his own music, but is still open to songs by other songwriters.
“I get songs pitched to me from other writers that I wish I had written that I can’t turn away and end up recording those,” says Curtis. He adds that when he’s deciding what to record, he considers “what I have gone through in the last year of my own life, what I’ve learned, what kind of message I want to tell, moving forward from the experience I’ve just been through. I usually formulate an album or the next single based on what I feel is the important message that needs to be told at that moment.”
The full band release of “That Should Be Me” was followed by an acoustic version of the song. This playful, summertime song is a departure from other singles by Braly, such as “One Day,” which featured horns.
“I love that about music. You can approach things from so many angles. I don’t’ like to get put into or backed into a corner of a style. I like to be able to flip through the pages, and whatever I land on that day, that’s the one I do. It’s fun to keep it changing and interesting. I enjoy putting out something new out, and people have no idea what’s coming next.”
What is next, according to Braly, is an EP in the works that will include “That Should Be Me,” as well as his upcoming single, “Happy When You’re Sad,” due out September 17. In the works. He has also been selected as creative director for a show he describes as Broadway meets concert variety show. Currently being put together, building toward a tour, he finds he is getting so much new experience. Cast as lead vocalist in addition to creative director, Braly is hiring chorographers, dancers, and set designers. He also had a short cameo appearance with a few speaking lines and wrote a song for the ending credits for a movie opening in 2022.
For a performer who has learned not to be afraid of work, Curtis Braly can anticipate more opportunities to bring audiences together, despite their differences, simply to enjoy music.
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