Tommy Shane Steiner Visits the Rabbit Station
WXBQ's Tragler talked with Tommy about his first hit single!
Tommy Shane Steiner stopped by to visit with the WXBQ gang and to talk about his new hit single and his soon to be released album. The new single "What If She's An Angel" is getting great reviews across the nation, but everyone hasn't had a chance to meet Tommy yet.
He's a real cowboy with deep Texas roots, but 28-year-old Tommy Shane Steiner prefers Levis instead of Wrangler and is just as comfortable in Hollywood hanging out on the famed Sunset Strip as he is at home in Austin rustling cattle with the rest of the family.
A fifth generation Texan with rugged good looks with blond hair and blue eyes - coupled with movie star charisma and an undeniable boyish charm - Tommy is certain to turn more than a few heads. Make no mistake about it - for all the attention his image conjures up, his vocal style parallels that of country western maverick Keith Whitley. "After seeing me it always surprises people when they hear me sing," Tommy laughs. "They're always like, 'Wow. That's really country.'" It's country sounding indeed, but with a self-described "dry vocal" and plenty of steel guitars with a little bit of banjo in the mix. Tommy's eclectic influences, however, range from George Jones to Elton John and Alabama to Aerosmith and, oh yeah, Limp Bizkit and Michael Jackson. Nevertheless, his debut release for RCA Records, due in stores spring 2002, is by all accounts a country album not unlike those released by other young country crooners with a wide range of influences.
Tommy's first single, "What If She's An Angel," hit "breaker" status on R&R's country airplay chart on the single's initial impact date - something that hasn't been accomplished by a debut artist in this format in over four years.
In his interview with Tragler on WXBQ, Tommy was very proud to mention that he had some big time help on his new album. Tommy was able to woo some of country's biggest names into taking part in the project. Randy Travis lent his voice to "I Don't Need Another Reason" and crooner Vince Gill sang on "What If She's An Angel"
But back to Tommy's family. It's a tight knit family that looks out for one another. The Steiner's have a long and enriched tradition on the rodeo circuit. In fact, Tommy's great-grandfather, Tommy "Buck" Steiner, who recently passed away at the age of 101, was a member of the Cowboy Hall of Fame and rode with all the old legends, including Poncho Villa, Wild Bill Elliott and Annie Oakley. Even his grandfather, the late-Tommy Steiner, was a member of the Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Rodeo Hall of Fame for having helped to turn the sport into the all-encompassing entertainment-like atmosphere it is today. While it is no surprise Tommy grew up to be an entertainer, especially considering he grew up traveling the country with his 1973 National Champion bull riding father, Bobby, and barrel racing mother, Jolene, it's a wonder he didn't end up on the rodeo circuit like his younger brother Sid. "When you're on the road like that you think everybody's a rodeo cowboy," Tommy says, "and you just assume you're going to be a bull rider, but, to be honest, my dad didn't want me or my brother to join the rodeo. At this point, I'm glad he talked me out of it."
Truthfully speaking, Tommy has found his true calling. But, singing on stage hasn't always gone quite the way he's expected it to. After six years of developing his own stage presence and style Tommy's the first to point out that singing for an audience is a "whole different ballgame" compared to practicing at home in the shower. Even so, after traveling the Texas club circuit covering every country song played on the radio, Tommy began to "inadvertently develop" his own style and delivery. Although he may have been 22-years-old the first time he sang in public, the extroverted Tommy Shane Steiner has always been looking for a crowd of people. "Ever since I was little I knew I wanted to entertain people," Tommy admits.
