George Canyon - One Good Friend (2004)

As he celebrates the release of One Good Friend, his Universal South debut, George Canyon is already a proven hit maker. Driven by an unfettered honky-tonk honesty, a deep-country songwriting sensibility, a God-given, beer-soaked baritone, and a solid dose of old fashioned cowboy charisma, the first three singles from Canyon's independently released, self-titled debut soared into the Top 10 on CMT in Canada. That kind of success coming from an indie label might seem surprising, but anybody who's ever heard this long tall Canadian deliver a country song or witnessed one of his throw-down performances already knows that George Canyon is a winner. As the runner up on the most recent edition of the USA Network's Nashville Star, Canyon is currently in the process of parlaying his real-life, homegrown success story into a full-on phenomenon. Simply put, with "I'll Never Do Better Than You," his undeniable leadoff single, and with every song on this distinctive debut, George Canyon takes his place as one of the brightest rising stars on the country horizon.