Matt Farris

With an unparalleled passion for country music, it comes as no surprise that Laminate Entertainment artist Matt Farris’s career has gotten off to a promising start. A heart for helping those in need paired with an incredible talent and positive energy has allowed for the early and natural growth of a significant fan base. All of these characteristics have given Farris a strong foundation on which to build his career – one that, at the hands of another, was almost instantaneously taken away.

Entertaining family and friends from the moment he spoke his first word, Farris’s passion for entertainment has always been apparent. With an early exchange of lullabies for classic country tunes sung by his mother Sandra, the Lake Havasu City, Arizona­ native has ever since gravitated toward the genre.

After graduating high school, Farris moved to Flagstaff to attend Northern Arizona University and later to Phoenix where he became an emergency medical technician and certified fire fighter through The Glendale Community College Fire Academy – all the while continuing to work on his music. His plight for country music stardom, however, nearly came to a tragic end when an altercation with two strangers trying to steal his father’s truck left both Farris and his father shot. “There were a few men looking to steal my dad’s truck. We tried to stop them… At one point, one of the men pulled out a gun and shot. My dad stepped in front of me and the bullet went through him and into me. We were both extremely fortunate our injuries weren’t more serious.”

The incident put the importance of family and music into perspective for Farris, who formed a band with his father and grandfather – both musicians themselves. Eager to get back to his music, Farris began playing out around Phoenix, continuing to build his career and fan base. In 2010, he surprised the band by entering the Colgate Country Showdown, making it into the Arizona State Finals. Encouraged by his success, Farris made the move to Nashville to further his career in 2010.

 In late 2011, Farris came to the attention of Skytone Entertainment owner and veteran producer Frank Green. His first single, Redneck Radio, saw placement in both the Billboard Indicator (peak #56) and Music Row (peak #38) charts, as well as holding a position at #1 on the Indie World Country chart four weeks in a row in 2012 going into 2013. His 2nd single, Resident Redneck, continued to ascend the charts and was nominated for industry trade New Music Weekly’s New Music Country Single of the Year Award. Radio and industry trades aren’t the only ones that have taken notice – on February 1st, 2014 the cast of Country Music Television’s (CMT) My Big Redneck Family sported Matt Farris shirts on an all ­new episode.

Releasing “She’s Done “ saw huge chart success as well followed by “Me or The Whiskey” which climbed fast and gave Farris serious opportunities opening for major artists

 Farris continues to play live as much as possible reaching close to 300 shows a year , sharing the stage with Trace Adkins, Easton Corbin, Trailer Choir, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lonestar, Dwight Yoakam, Darryl Worley, Trent Tomlinson, Adam Gregory, Keith Anderson, Colt Ford, Jason Aldean, Tyler Farr, Joe Diffie, Gord Bamford, Blake Shelton, Jerrod Neimann, Chris Janson, Brett Eldredge, Chris Young, Cassadee Pope, Jake Owen, and many more. Despite a full schedule, Farris still finds time to give back, supporting both the Make a Wish Foundation, Dreams and Wishes Tennessee and the American Cancer Society focusing on Breast Cancer Awareness. After losing friend Denise to the disease, he started Denise’s Day – an annual benefit in his hometown of Lake Havasu City, AZ in which he and his hometown has now raised well over $100,000 for families fighting the ultimate fight.

“Giving back is extremely important to me. I love everything about what I do. But, more than anything, I love that it allows me a platform to better help those that need it. My music gives others a voice… I love my job.”