THAD COCKRELL

North Carolina-native Thad Cockrell, known for his themes of heartbreak (his self-professed goal is to put "the hurt back in country"), released his debut album, Stack of Dreams, in 2001 with backing group the Starlite Country Band. Stack of Dreams was recorded at former dB Chris Stamey's Chapel Hill studio in just one day. It was originally intended as a demo, but Cockrell was so pleased with the results that he started selling the sessions as an EP at his shows. The album, featuring Caitlin Cary and Skillet Gilmore of Whiskeytown and Tift Merritt, was polished up and given another track before its release.