We were lucky to catch up with Trace Thompson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Trace, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

Let me first start by answering this stating I probably did a lot of things wrong that I thought were right at the time! As a backdrop, I lost my dad to cancer just before my sixth birthday, and a few years later, my mom remarried. Thankfully, I remember many things, and the most important trait both of them had is an incredible work ethic. My first dad passed away of complications after serving in the army during Vietnam, and he had built an incredible reputation as a salesman. To this day I still hear stories about how funny, honest, and caring he was, and I really treasure those moments when someone approaches me to talk about him. My second dad was successful in his own right, but approached it differently. He was a little more reserved and worked sun up to sun down in a variety of careers as a fireman, utility worker, and as a farmer. When mom married him, my life trajectory changed a bit.

By age ten, I was feeding cows daily before the sun showed up, drove my first tractor at eleven, and it felt like I mended fences long enough to corral the Midwest. As I got older, I earned money by working on neighboring farms because I didn’t earn anything working the family farm. So the biggest lesson I learned from my parents is hard work earns respect and builds character which is more valuable than money.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Music has always been a cornerstone in my life. From listening to my parents’ old records to writing songs in high school. I believe many folks want to be rockstars growing up, but very few really understand the dedication and effort it takes to become one until they read or see a documentary about a musician’s roller coaster of a life. For me, it’s really been more about the journey and not the result. I truly feel like I’m learning & growing every single day, and that suits my creative nature which makes me want to do more. The more I Iearn and try; The more I realize how endless the possibilities are to make music that really reaches people. If I can help one person feel good, feel wanted, or capture an emotion that strikes a chord, then that is success in my book.

How did you build your audience on social media?

As a songwriter and performing artist, one of the most important things is to be authentic. If you’re performing music you like and connect with, you are drawn more to an audience that digs the same. Faking it is going to wear on you, and will ultimately lead to you questioning why you are doing it in the first place. Post real pictures even if they aren’t perfectly posed. Post real performance videos even if you are a little pitchy. Take risks when your audience requests it, and don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. As Brian White once told me, “Dare to suck!” That sits in my mind every time I take the stage. If I hear myself go flat because I didn’t take enough of a breath or if I hit the wrong chord on my guitar, I just smile and know the audience feeds off my vibe. They never asked me to be perfect; Only I put that pressure on myself. So post real content and attract authentic fans.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Without a doubt, the biggest reward is being able to use the gifts God bestowed upon me to help others. I truly enjoy and often look to play charity events every chance I get from local school fundraisers to larger Wounded Warrior events. That being said, I took it up a level a few years ago, and I started hosting my annual Trace Thompson & Another Round Give Back Jam with my band to help the community. Each year I pray for a worthy cause to cross my path, and then I dig into the cause to educate myself. I invite others to participate, and we host a fundraising event for the designated charity. It’s truly the one of my biggest motivators as an artist as I want to grow my fan base as much as possible to expand our reach to help others. Each year we set a stretch goal, and we’ve been fortunate to surpass it every time helping children, foster families, and victims of domestic abuse. I absolutely love it!

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.TraceThompson.com
• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/TraceThompsonMusic
• Facebook: Www.facebook.com/TraceThompsonMusic
• Twitter: @TraceTmusic
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@tracethompson4900

Image Credits
Brandi Caplinger Photography Dana Thompson