Rockie Lynne – Where I Belong
illuminates Rockie’s distinguished music career, an unwavering dedication to his national non-profit, Tribute to the Troops, his search for original family, which revealed astonishing connections, and Rockie’s work with aspiring young musicians at his hometown studio in Statesville, NC. There’s never been a better time to appreciate this inspiring, all-American story of dedication, resilience, and redemption – and hear songs from Rockie’s latest album, “Love.”
Adopted at age two from a North Carolina orphanage, Rockie adored his mom and later in life, wrote the touching ballad “More”
to honor her. Although his parents urged him to “get a real job,” Rockie borrowed a guitar and bought a cheap record player at a yard sale. He taught himself to play and appeared with local rock bands.
After high school, Rockie joined the Army, maturing into a confident, principled individual as a paratrooper in Fort Bragg’s 82nd Airborne Division. He then attended the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles, where he learned music theory and techniques, and jammed with “hair bands.”
Rockie played a string of honky tonks as he drifted cross country, finally landing in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where his friend Mike Shane encouraged him to transition to country. He recorded songs in studio with Mike and other notable Nashville artists. Meanwhile, Rockie was feverishly writing his own songs. He hit the road again, selling self-published CDs.
Rockie eventually relocated to Coon Rapids, Minnesota, where he built a solid fan base. Here, he and friend Greg Schmitt created Tribute to the Troops, an organization which honors Gold Star families, and has grown to national status. Rockie’s “big break” came when a record executive, by pure chance, heard him play at a modest suburban bar. Soon after, Universal CEO Doug Morris signed him to the label. Rockie’s 2006 self-titled debut album spun out two top-40 hits, including “Lipstick”
and “Do We Still.”
He performed on national TV shows, and 14 times at the Grand Ole Opry.
Rockie settled in Nashville, where he met and married Susan Levy, a Vice President of Universal South. But the label suddenly went dark, and he found himself without a recording contract. He continued to tour and record, releasing a string of independent albums. In 2011, Rockie’s dad fell ill, and he returned to Statesville to care for him. He built an impressive recording studio, and started helping young artists produce songs, along with his own albums.
DNA testing produced another Rockie “hit”: it showed that the musician’s biological father and four siblings lived nearby. A tentative meeting bloomed into warm relationships. Rockie found out that Clyde’s life shared many astonishing parallels with his own. Later, his biological half-brother, Jacob Stump, invited him to the Virginia mountains to hear precious family stories about his beloved mother.
Rockie’s latest album is titled “Love”. The songs, ranging from raucous rock to poignant ballads, express Rockie’s belief that love is what our country needs right now; love is the one thing which can bring us together as people.
© 2024 JC Summerford
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