Enamored by both gospel music and the works of country artists like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, Everett -- despite taking a stab at collegiate life at Belmont University in Nashville -- seemed destined for the music business. After quitting school, he toured the world in a pop cover band, eventually getting married and fathering a child before moving back to Texas. A series of odd jobs followed (ditchdigger, photographer, truck washer, waiter, etc.), as well as a divorce, eventually leading the frustrated musician back to Nashville. Within a year of his return, and after a few false starts, Everett landed a major-label record deal with Sony Nashville. Produced by Mark Wright and Greg Droman, his eponymous debut record arrived in 2005. The album received a boost in publicity one year later, when "Bad Things" became the theme song of the HBO series True Blood. ~ James Christopher Monger