Talented teen following in footsteps of uncles

BURGIN, Ky. (AP) — A central Kentucky teen is trying to follow in the footsteps of his famous uncles, Eddie and John Michael Montgomery.
The Advocate-Messenger reports 19-year-old Dillon Carmichael of Burgin has signed a contract with The Song Factory in Nashville, which has helped him hone his talent and allowed him to work with established songwriters. The publishing company has signed several songwriters, some of whom are also musicians.
He says some of the songs he has created will be recorded and the demo will be presented to record labels.
“They could sign me anywhere between six months and never,” Carmichael said, laughing.
Carmichael, the son of Becky Montgomery and Matthew Carmichael, said he keeps a positive disposition despite the uncertainty and won’t give up on his dream. He said his uncles have helped him in the process so far.
“They pretty much told me, you gotta take risks. You gotta work hard. And you gotta be passionate about it,” Carmichael said. “They gave me a lot of inspiration themselves, in their music, because they are good, they are amazing musicians.”
Even though he has been exposed to music his entire life, Carmichael says he didn’t start playing guitar until he was 12, but it didn’t take long to realize music was his passion.
He formed a band at the age of 15, but didn’t sing right away. He said his mom encouraged him and he tried, but “sounded awful.”
“I got discouraged and she told me, ‘just keep doing it.’ Every time I got discouraged she would just tell me to ‘keep doing it,” he said.
His persistence eventually paid off. He entered a talent show where he sung the first song he wrote and won the local, regional and state competition.
“Until the deal, that was my proudest thing,” Carmichael said about his contract with The Song Factory.
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Information from: The (Danville, Ky.) Advocate-Messenger, http://www.centralkynews.com/amnews

Published in The Messenger 12.7.12

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