Bio’s

When singer/songwriters Tommy Townsend and Darryl O'Donnell first met they couldn't have
known how similar their paths to Nashville were. Both were raised in small rural towns. Both began
performing in their family bands at age five, and as teenagers they both set their sights on Nashville.

Once in the Music City, they both paid their dues by playing whatever gigs they could to pay the bills.
"I met Tommy one night when we were both playing at a club called, The Turf," recalls O'Donnell. "We
started playing some shows together and it clicked." The two formed the duo, Townsend O'Donnell,
and quickly became known around Nashville for their distinctive tight harmonies and rocking
performances.

They soon caught the attention of music veterans including, Raul Malo, the lead singer for the
multi-award winning group The Mavericks, and Grammy Award winning songwriter/producer,
Bobby E. Boyd. Working with Malo and Boyd, Townsend O'Donnell began to write and record their
debut album. The first single is the rollicking anthem, “Cowboys Want It.” "The idea for the song came
from co-writer Tom Colwell," Townsend says. "The more we worked on it, the more fun we had, and
it was obvious from the first time we played it on stage that the audience was having a ball, too." And,
not only did the fans love it, but when Lofton Creek Record's, Mike Borchetta, heard the song, he
offered Townsend O'Donnell a recording deal with his label. "Though we had talked with some other
labels, seeing Borchetta's enthusiasm for our project, and knowing his track record in launching the
careers of Tim McGraw and Craig Morgan, along with the fact that the label had just had a number one
record with the group Heartland," explains O'Donnell, "Well, Lofton Creek seemed like the right place
for us."

But, even with all the attention they are receiving with the release of their first project as a duo, both
guys are quick to remember where they came from.

Tommy Townsend was raised in a musical
family in the Blue Ridge Mountain town of Blairsville, Georgia. He started playing drums with his dad
in his cousin's band at age five. When he was thirteen he began to play the guitar, formed his own
band, and started playing every honky tonk and barbecue in Georgia. It was around this time that a
momentous meeting occurred in the young singer's life. "Waylon Jennings played a show at
Lanierland in Cumming, Georgia," Townsend explains. "My dad decided to try and get one of my tapes
to him. Dad walked right up and introduced himself to someone and told them about his 'son the
singer'. And, sure enough, they let him in to see Waylon."
Waylon was impressed with what he heard from the young teen, and the superstar kept in touch with
the family over the next years. When Townsend turned 18, Waylon and his band-member, Jerry
Bridges, produced his first album titled, Southern Man. The album found much success in the Texas
markets and Europe. This gave Townsend the confidence to make the move to Nashville to pursue
his dream in music.

Darryl O'Donnell was also raised in a musical family. "We lived in the small town of Dry Run,
Pennsylvania," he laughs, "where there's not a stop light in town, and you're out of luck if you don't get
your car filled up before five P.M." At age five he sang in his father's band, which performed country
and bluegrass at the local square dance hall. By nine years old he was so enthralled with the banjo
that he begged his parents for one for Christmas. He remembers it as one of the best Christmas presents
he ever received and says he barely laid it down for the next five years. In his early teen years,
he began playing guitar and set his sights on someday professionally performing the country music he
loved. "I've always been a big fan of Merle Haggard and Little Roy Lewis, and as a matter of fact, the
first money I earned in the business was singing Merle Haggard's, 'Harold's Super Service,' in a talent
contest," he recalls, "I won what seemed like a fortune - a hundred and twenty-five dollars!"
When O'Donnell first moved to Nashville he worked several day jobs. Eventually he landed some
singing gigs at the local clubs. It wasn't long before his musicianship and strong vocals were noticed
and he was hired to tour with artists including Tracy Lawrence, Bobbie Cryner, Jerry Kilgore, and
Wesley Dennis. After a few years, he decided to come off the road to work on his solo career and he
started playing the Nashville club circuit again. It was at this time he met Tommy Townsend and they
started playing some shows together. Soon, they were in such demand as a duo that the two
collaborated to become Townsend O'Donnell.

With four years of writing songs together and performing about five nights a week together,
Townsend O'Donnell have developed the harmonies and sound that have captured the Nashville
music community. Now, with the release of "Cowboys Want It, Cowgirls Got It" they are set to
capture the rest of the country.

LOFTON CREEK RECORDS
13751 LEBANON RD.
OLD HICKORY, TN 37138
PH: 615.726.0099
FAX: 615.726.0096
 

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