Ashley Monroe

Ashley Monroe is a native of the Knoxville, Tenn., area. At age 11, she won a talent contest singing "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and found steady work at a theater there. Her influences included Patsy Cline and Dolly
Parton, while her father enjoyed the Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd. She also found inspiration in songs from church and her classical piano lessons.

Her father died suddenly in 2000 when Monroe was 13. Still in grief, she persuaded her mother to move with her to Nashville so she could pursue a career in music. She began singing in bars on Lower Broadway and forged connections in the music business. A year after moving to Nashville, she secured a publishing deal, which led to a management deal. She signed to Sony Nashville just prior to its merger with the RCA Label Group. Her debut album is expected to be released in early 2007.