Tim Culpepper was born in Jackson, Miss., to Elwyn “Curly” Culpepper. Tim’s father was a truck driver and his mother, Judy Culpepper, was a nurse. At an early age, they moved to Montgomery, Ala., where he grew up and developed his gospel and country music background. Influenced by his dad’s playing and his extensive country-music collection, Tim started playing guitar at age 10. In addition to working a day job, Tim’s dad was also known locally for playing music in honky-tonks and on many local radio stations. Tim’s musical influences were the Western-swing sounds of Bob Wills and the hardcore honky-tonk country of George Jones, Keith Whitley, Merle Haggard, and Gene Watson. Like millions of other musicians, Elvis Presley, too, was a major influence, and in particular, the charisma and stage presence that Elvis demonstrated in his live performances. Along with his passion for music, family and God, Tim has a love and respect for our country. Following graduation from high school, he joined the United States Navy, where he served two years before returning to work with his father in a local truck-driving business while also attending college and earning his bachelor’s degree in finance. Tim formed a band called The Silver Eagle Band in Montgomery and the band began playing for local clubs, at parties and special events, gaining a strong local following. In April 2006, Tim and his wife, Jeanette, moved to Nashville to further their respective careers in country music. Not unlike many country artists who come to Nashville, the couple sought a deeper meaning with their music. In 2005, Tim released his first independent album (Never Look Back). Culpepper was quoted as saying, “At that time, my wife and I had not had much experience in professional songwriting and the album was more of an artist perspective and was an attempt at getting recognized for my vocal ability and performance by having a quality demo of music from seasoned songwriters, It was our first album with the intention of not cutting (playing) our originals. It was mainly to be recognized for a record deal.”