Born in Louisiana and raised in West Virginia, "play hard or go home," was a mantra embraced by recording artist, Rick Huckaby, from an early age. From his love for the story-telling characteristic of country music and his passion for the dynamic groove of southern rock, Huckaby's style developed as naturally and unfettered as the undergrowth of a bayou swamp and as deeply embedded as an Appalachian coal mine.


Being the namesake son of the legendary former NCAA basketball coach, Richard David "Rick" Huckabay, who led Marshall University to four titles in the Southern Conference from 1983-89, you would think Rick Huckaby (note: the change in spelling to distinguish himself from his father and to alleviate any confusion on the pronunciation) would have learned to play by the rules. Perhaps he doesn't realize it is avant-garde to mix cerebral lyrics with rebel rousing rhythms or that debut artists generally play it safe and rarely think outside of the box. It is more likely that Huckaby understands he has more to offer than the standard "cookie cutter" artist and that maintaining the status quo seldom makes history.


After years of entertaining enthusiastic students in the college clubs of West Virginia, Huckaby moved to Nashville in 1996. An amazing and talented free-spirit hidden behind piercing blue eyes and a great haircut, he made an almost immediate impact in the business (by industry standards), landing a gig playing acoustic guitar and providing vocal harmony for Country Star, Tracy Lawrence, just two years later. Over the next five years, he honed his songwriting skills and co-wrote several hit-songs for Tracy's albums, including "Steps," "Breaking from the Inside Out," and the current title track to Tracy's newest album, "For the Love."


Stripped down and completely original, Huckaby's first release, "I Got You Covered," broke Top-50 on the Billboard Music Charts and hit #43 on Music Row's Country Breakout Chart without the benefit of big-record politics. RJ Curtis of R&R magazine said of Rick, "everyone at R&R was blown away by what we saw last week. There's a tendency for PDs to pay attention only to major-label releases that cross the desk. Rick Huckaby is an example of why those responsible for choosing the music should try and sample everything."


His upcoming single, the song he fought so hard to retain, "Ain't Enough Blacktop," was the winner of the 2008 World Billboard Song Contest in the country category, placing second overall. "There's a star written all over Rick Huckaby," enthusiastically states Mark Furnas, Director of the World Billboard Song Contest.