For TJ Nelson it's always been a country thang. Growing up in a small town in South Dakota (pop.250), he wore the grooves out of 45 rpm records by artists such as Haggard, Jones and Williams. This formed the foundation of his commitment to and love of traditional country music. The seed took root. TJ bought his first guitar at age 11 and after one lesson, had formed a band by the age of twelve. Although he continued to play on through his two year service in the U. S. Army and beyond, life, as it often does, took him in other directions. Newly discharged and starting a family, TJ moved back to South Dakota to focus on raising his son in a country environment. Although he continued to play local gigs around his area, his commitment to his family and his growing frustration with the direction that so-called country music was taking eventually led him to all but abandon his musical aspirations. Yet, the ember remained. After losing his house to a fire in 2004, TJ travelled to Nashville to meet a dog breeder from Knoxville to replace one of his wife's dogs who was lost in the fire. While in Music City, TJ took a tour of the Ryman Auditorium. "When I walked upon that stage my knees buckled and I got a fist-sized lump in my throat." TJ says of the experience. From that moment on, there was no question about what to do. In a moment of personal epiphany, the grief of losing it all to a house fire was quelched by a burning desire to rekindle traditional country music. TJ had felt the calling, and our ears are all the better for it. Shortly after returning to S.D. to sift through the ashes and rebuild his home, TJ happened to contact Robin Knuckles at Junction Entertainment in Nashville about booking acts for a show he was contemplating. From that contact he became aware of The Junction Recording Studio. The result of his collaboration with the crew of Junction Studio is TJ's new CD " It's A Country Thang" The initial mix of the single "My Old Flame" debuted at #1 on three independant charts even before the CD was officially released. The album has recieved extensive airplay in Europe and in the U.S. It's been played on a California R&R station, yet was called "too country" by a C&W station in Arizona. Response like that adds fuel to the fire for the second CD which will be recorded this fall.