Blaylock grew up singing in choirs, and by her teens she was already in a working band with her family and local songwriter Steve Smith. Smith brought guitarist Berner -- he had actually taught Berner his first chords on the instrument -- into the group. Berner and Green had played together a few times while both were in college, and when a mandolin opening came up in the band, Berner brought Green aboard. Now a trio, and with the name Edens Edge, they began to attract attention with their bright vocal sound. When veteran songwriter Kye Fleming (“I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool,” “Smoky Mountain Rain”) discovered they were based a mere 40 miles down the road from where she grew up in Fort Smith, Arkansas, she urged them to move to Nashville and work with her on honing their sound. Edens Edge officially made the move to Nashville in 2007, mentored with Fleming, and after performing a medley of Fleming's songs when she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (with Taylor Swift, Toby Keith, and other industry heavyweights in attendance), the group was offered a deal by Big Machine Records. Working with producer Mark Bright, they began recording a debut album for the label. A lead single, “Amen,” which paints a portrait of love in a small town, was issued in 2011. ~ Steve Leggett