We recently connected with Chance Stanley and have shared our conversation below.

Chance , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I’m a touring, independent artist out of a small sawmill town in north Mississippi.

My path has been (and still is at times) filled with trials and roadblocks, but it’s made me all the more appreciative today,

The music industry is tough for independent acts, but I have found my starting place for a happy career and I won’t look back.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Chance Stanley, and I’m a touring, independent singer-songwriter.

I travel 30+ states playing my songs everywhere from dirty, smoky dive bars to theaters and festivals.

I do about 95% of my own show booking, and I spend a great deal of my year on the road.

It’s not an easy business, but the work has been rewarding, and I have witnessed my brand grow in the last year.

I’ve began to get on better bills opening for bigger acts.
I’m looking forward to see where 2023 leads me.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Jumping into the music business was more like a headlong dive for me.

The year was 2019, and I was one semester away from graduating from The University of North Alabama.

I had been lying to myself (and family) by saying I wanted to become a booking agent. I knew deep down I wanted to be an artist. I also knew I wanted to tour. I felt this deep in my core.

I had been playing bars on the weekend while I was in college to make money, but the extent of my musical travels usually never took me more than two hours from home.

After a talk with my wife (then fiancé) I decided to chase this dream I had, even if it meant I would do it one dive at a time.

I thus started booking my first tour.

Somehow the first tour kept extending itself. I remember getting a kind write-up in a local newspaper because I had booked a 13 state tour.

I learned a LOT in my first year on the road. I felt like I was on a continuous pivot.

Whether it was blind ambition or pure luck, I powered through, and I continue to do so today.

I even still play a few of this dives.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Upon entering my field, I was flooded with one thing: Advice.

The only problem was there was a lack of actual good advice.

I remember one of my college advisors telling me that I was trying to bite off more than I could chew by attempting to book myself a tour.

Another told me to call bars and offer to play for free just to get into the door.

At this point in my career, I could not even to begin to truly decipher good advice from bad, which often lead me to tough spots.

In positivity, I did have a few people give me advice then that helped me along. So much so, I still call them today to get their thoughts on forks in the road.

Without the lessons I learned the hard way, I don’t think I’d be in the same position I am today. (I would probably have a few less gray hairs though)

Contact Info:

• Instagram: chance_ontheroad
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/chancestanleymusic

Image Credits
Manny Lopez