Singer-Songwriter Lance Carpenter Signs With Show Dog Nashville

Pictured (L-R): Lance Carpenter, Toby Keith

Lance Carpenter has signed with Toby Keith’s Show Dog Nashville label. Carpenter moved to Nashville in 2011, signed a publishing deal in 2012 and had his first No. 1 in 2015 with co-writing Kelsea Ballerini’s “Love Me Like You Mean It.”

Raised on a farm in Ozark, Arkansas, Carpenter grew up hunting, fishing and playing sports. His love of music was purely as a fan until he picked up a guitar while in college. “I learned my first few chords and the idea of telling stories through music,” he says.

Carpenter soon jumped into his intended career in emergency management, working for the state and federal governments (FEMA). He was involved in 42 different disasters including Hurricane Katrina, with music serving as an escape. “I would take a guitar with me and because I was still learning to play, I really had to focus on what I was doing. I couldn’t think about work, so it was my therapy, in a way.”

After his first performance in 2007, Carpenter sought ways to get involved with the music industry. “I googled the word ‘songwriter,’ found NSAI and joined on the spot,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter says signing with Keith’s label is a dream come true.

“The first time I heard ‘Should’ve Been A Cowboy’ I was a fan and I’ve followed his career ever since,” Carpenter says of Show Dog founder Keith. “Getting to work side-by-side with someone I’ve looked up to for so long is an unbelievable opportunity. I respect him as an artist, as a songwriter, as a business man, and as a human being, and I know there’s a lot I’ll be able to learn.”