She’s the farm girl turned country rocker who, after a 10 year lull, became the highest charting independent female artist on the Music Row Country Breakout chart with the release of her debut single “Get Out.” Country music’s blues and rock goddess is none other than Clare Dunn, and she’s this week’s #WCW.
1. Her roots lie in America’s Heartland: Dunn was born and raised on a southeast Colorado farm, near the Oklahoma panhandle. Riding tractors, hauling water, and driving combines created both her solid work ethic and dreams of making her own music.
2. Working hard for her dreams: Dunn moved to Texas where she attended college briefly, but with the help of her parents, she made her way to Nashville to pursue her dream. Driving the family’s silage truck back to her home during school breaks helped Dunn pay her own way at Belmont University, learning how to play both acoustic and electric guitars along the way. She graduated with honors and signed her first deal as a songwriter soon after.
3. The Songwriter: After signing to her first major songwriting deal, Dunn began writing songs with legends like Hillary Lindsay, Will Hoge, Busbee, and many more. She eventually signed a worldwide publishing deal with BMG/Chrysalis and co-wrote her debut single “Get Out” with producer Ben West. Dunn also co-wrote “Farm Life” which was recorded by Colt Ford for his latest EP and featured Justin Moore.
4. Singing and Touring: During one of her songwriting sessions, Dunn was asked if she’d consider singing background vocals. (Fact: she sang background for Luke Bryan on his smash hit “Country Girl Shake it For Me”) and since then has released several songs herself, such as “Move On” and her most recent “Cowboy Side of Me”. Dunn has also toured with some of today’s biggest country stars, including Keith Urban, Hank Williams Jr, and Miranda Lambert and the legendary Bob Seiger, so she could hone in on what it’s like to tour.
5. She knows how to rock the stage: There are several women who can hold their own when it comes to rocking out on stage, but not everyone can rock like the legends such as Led Zeppelin. Dunn is known to cover LZ in concert, channeling Robert Plant and company as shown in her cover of Zep’s “Rock and Roll.”