A farmer’s boy in Sumter, SC, Matt grew up with four brothers and sisters all passionate about music. Both Mom and Dad had deep roots in music and passed it down to their children, and it was woven into their upbringing. From gospel to bluegrass to classical to rock and roll, they loved it all.

Matt particularly took an interest not only in different genres but in different instruments as well. He picked up drums first, but piano shortly followed, then bass, then guitar, and whatever else he could get his hands on. He moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University, where he explored yet another facet of music – audio engineering.

During this time, not only was he learning about the production side of music, but he was also exposed and influenced by many other types of music, including metal. Just after graduating, Matt joined a hard rock/metal band as the lead singer and front man, and spent several years rocking the country in a beat-up van. As the band started to lose steam, Matt picked up a valet job in downtown Nashville to pay the bills. There, he met Eric Knutson, a fellow valet. After many shifts together, Matt and Eric discovered that they shared similar philosophies about music, and spent hours “nerding out” over guitar gear and music theory. During this time, Eric started playing guitar for start-up artist Brittany Taylor. After he played a few gigs with her, her bass player left to tour with another artist, so Eric asked Matt if he was interested. It wasn’t exactly the gig he was waiting for, but it was better than parking cars, so he decided to give it a shot.

The three hit it off right away, and soon began writing together. They landed a publishing deal, put out an EP, and played the Tennessee/Kentucky region pretty heavily while also putting in weekly shifts on Nashville’s Broadway. Somewhere along the way, Matt picked up a few new instruments to add to the arsenal including dobro and pedal steel. In 2018, the band split ways, which was followed shortly after by the birth of Matt’s daughter, then the birth of his son in 2020. Now and since, he mostly takes on the role of dad while still writing and producing from home, with the occasional studio work and weekend tours.