Tim Dugger, Curb Records recording artist is building on the success of his biggest year to date, with his unique take on a heartbreak anthem, "Buy A Bar".  The lyrically clever original evolves into a full-on singalong when he’s spending so much time down at the local watering hole drowning his sorrows, he might as well just cash in all his chips and buy the place. Perhaps then he’ll finally drink away the memory of the girl he just lost.

 

The Alabama native perfectly captures the agony of a breakup in this quintessential country song tailor made for every small town dive across America. “Buy A Bar” was written by Brandon Kinney and Josh Thompson and produced by Brandon Hood.

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Having laid down the roots of his trademark sound with acclaimed debut EP, "Signs of a Good Time", Dugger release last year of "Heart of a Small Town" found international success including  a world exclusive from Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2,  handpicked by Baylen Leonard as a Spotlight Track on Absolute Radio Country and a broadcast premiere on CMT Australia.

 

Tim Dugger grew up on NASCAR racing, Gospel singing, and classic Country music. He developed a genuine love for songwriting and storytelling during summers spent at his local music store jamming with Bluegrass pickers. After being introduced to former NASCAR driver and team owner Richard Childress, Dugger was off to the races, playing his original songs at nearly every major track in America. Along the way, he cultivated an unapologetic artistic identity rooted in the music of his childhood idols like Merle Haggard, Vern Gosdin, Hank Williams, and Alan Jackson.

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“Real life is what I write about mostly,” Dugger has said. “Randolph County ends up in 99% of my songs - where I’m from, where I was raised, what I’ve seen growing up.”  Dugger, who grew up in Roanoke, said Country music and NASCAR have been with him since he was a child. His dad listened to traditional Country at home, and his family rooted for legendary driver Dale Earnhardt.  “For some reason, I was always into music,” Dugger said. “Nobody in my family was really musically inclined, but it was always around.” 

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Dugger went to church with his grandmother, which inspired him to start singing. As a kid, he formed a Gospel group with his older sister.  “When she got to be a teenager, it wasn’t cool to sing with little brother anymore, and I had always loved Country music,” Dugger has commented. “It was always what I told people I wanted to be when I grew up.”

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When he was around 16, Dugger’s parents helped him put together a band, and he started playing clubs, flea markets and churches.  His parents also brought him to Nashville, where he would record songs.  After attending a NASCAR race in Talladega, Dugger ran into a friend of Richard Childress at a restaurant while eating with a mutual friend. Childress is a former NASCAR driver and owns the Richard Childress Racing team.

“I was always a fan of [NASCAR],” Dugger said. “I loved watching it. But I never thought it would have a key role in my music.”  Childress helped Dugger get booked at a couple of races in Atlanta and Talladega.

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After that Dugger performed at around eight to 10 tracks per year. He said he performs at Talladega once a year, and this fall will mark his 12th infield concert there.  “I think I played every NASCAR track except one,” Dugger has said. “...It’s really cool to have a sport behind you. I feel like I have the whole support of NASCAR behind me.”  Dugger’s song, “Circles,” now appears in “NASCAR 21: Ignition”, a racing video game on Playstation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows released in October 2021.  While performing at the Daytona 500, Dugger met Mike Curb, former California lieutenant governor and founder of Curb Records.

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Dugger has also been honing his song writing skills and his publisher books appointments for him to write his songs and collaborate with other music professionals, which he finds is one of the biggest perks of having a record deal.  Dugger co-wrote his single, “Heart of a Small Town,” with his producer, Brandon Hood and singer-songwriter Tim Nichols who has also wrote songs for Alan Jackson and Tim McGraw, including McGraw’s Grammy Award-winning song “Live Like You Were Dying.”  Dugger’s has had his debut performance at the Grand Ole Opry in 2021 and with several follow up performances as well  he  has referred to the opportunity as  a fulfillment of a dream of his to play at the Opry since he was a kid.

 

Dugger has lived in Nashville for 12 years, though his parents still live in Roanoke, and he visits often. Tim Dugger is satisfied with the way his career is going, and he’s excited about the new music he’s releasing which echoes the sunny sound of mainstream '90s country.   "Buy A Bar" is classic Country music from Tim Dugger which will continue his rise to stardom.