It's rhinestone cowgirl glam topped off with a well-worn baseball cap. It's a sweet South Carolina low country drawl, punctuated with raucous laughter and a few well-placed swears. It's a tender vulnerability exposed by life's hard knocks, and the gritty swagger of a survivor. It's a lot of things, but no words can distill the essence of Bridgette Tatum better than the woman's own: Sex, church, and chicken. That's what it's all about.
The firecracker brunette was raised on the tent revival brand of soul-shaking gospel, swirling with the Holy Spirit and saturated with raw passion. Music coursed through her veins, seeping deep into her bones, and manifesting as the powerful sultry wailing and soulful crooning that brand Bridgette’s sound uniquely as her own. “Music is what I was put on this earth to do,” she explains, “and it comes from something much bigger than me. I’m just a vessel for the music.”
This clarity of purpose was born, amazingly, of a violent and senseless attack. During Bridgette’s shift at a local motel, a disgruntled customer took a razorblade to her face, forcing her into six months of recuperation and some serious soul searching. She recognized her calling in music, and knew that life was too short not to pursue her dream of being a professional singer and songwriter. Promptly thereafter, Bridgette moved to Nashville.
Following her first outing at a Hall of Fame Lounge writer’s night, Bridgette continued to take in the lay of the land as she worked up to the honky-tonks on Broadway and a regular Friday night gig at the Star Café in White’s Creek. It wasn’t until she found a kindred spirit in manager Carolyn Miller, however, that her career began to really take shape.
It was through the encouragement of Carolyn, that Bridgette collaborated musically with the man whom came to be her future producer, Danny Myrick. Their partnership proved as successful in songwriting: they co-wrote “She’s Country,” a #1 hit for Jason Aldean, as well as many of the songs on Bridgette’s forthcoming album.
They laid down 13 tracks at the Studio at the Palms in Las Vegas over an intense five-day period, lending the arrangements a manic creativity that plays off Bridgette’s unique artistry and passion. The album reflects her many personalities, effortlessly transitioning from defiant, amped-up rockers to tender, intimate ballads to straight-shooting social commentaries.
“My roots in gospel have shaped everything I've done as an artist. I want my music to be that real and to make people really feel it. If I don't do that, then I'm not doing my job. If it's a ballad, it’s going to touch you,” she continues. “If it's a rockin’ tune, you are going to rock and roll till your pants fall off.”
