Fans began truly getting to know their way around Stoney Creek Records’ Thompson Square with the release of their GRAMMY nominated #1 Platinum+ radio smash, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not,” a fitting introduction to the Thompsons’ natural chemistry and spirit of buoyant romance. iTunes’ Country Song of the Year (2011) grew meteorically to become the Most Played Song at Country Radio in 2011 (Mediabase) as well as reach the top of the Billboard Heat Seekers Chart. Additionally, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” spent five consecutive weeks at #1 on the Country Digital Soundscan chart and 12 consecutive weeks as the #1 Country Ringtone. Thompson Square earned three fan-voted American Country Awards for Single of the Year by a Group, Single of the Year by a New Artist and Music Video of the Year by a New Artist. “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” also earned two GRAMMY nominations for Best Country Song and Best Country Duo/ Group Performance of the Year as well as an American Music Award Nomination for “New Artist of the Year.” One month later, Thompson Square dethroned Sugarland to become the 2012 Academy of Country Music’s “Vocal Duo of the Year,” making Thompson Square the first new duo to win the award in 20 years. Two after that, Thompson Square’s follow-up smash, “I Got You,” earned the duo a fan-voted 2012 CMT Music Award for “Duo Video of the Year.” In November 2012, Thompson Square’s peers crowned them with the CMA’s Vocal Duo of the Year award. Now, with the much-anticipated release of, “If I Didn’t Have You,” the duo’s lead single from its upcoming sophomore album, Thompson Square moves up the ranks to support Luke Bryan on his first-ever headlining tour in 2013.
Randy Houser is a man refreshed. “I don’t know how it happened, but everything in my life has started lining up,” says the Lake, Mississippi native. “I must have done somebody right in the past.” Houser’s own past contains no shortage of achievement, including multiple nominations for ACM and CMA Awards, a #2 single in the form of “Boots On,” and songwriting credits for major names such as Trace Adkins, Justin Moore and Chris Young. In 2008-mere months after the release of his debut single, “Anything Goes”-Houser was even asked by David Letterman himself to appear on the Late Show. The singer’s first full-length, Anything Goes, came out later that year, followed in 2010 by They Call Me Cadillac. And yet despite this early success, Houser now admits that he wasn’t truly happy. “It seemed like professionally things weren’t as great as they could be, and that was part of it,” he says. “But the biggest thing was not having a homebase. I needed an anchor.” He found one last year when he married his wife, Jessa. “All of a sudden it was like I had this piece that had been missing,” he says with audible gratitude. Another piece-son West Yantz Houser-arrived this past spring, as did a crisp new look and a pact with Stoney Creek Records. Those positive vibes ripple through “How Country Feels,” the sparkling first single from Houser’s upcoming Stoney Creek debut, which he’s currently cutting with producer Derek George.
