"When people find out I grew up in Canada, they naturally expect that
I played hockey. But I didn't - I was the kid that begged his parents
for piano lessons."

Zac Wrixon's love affair with music started early "There was a really
great mix of music at home" he recalls, "everything from Gordon Lightfoot
and Kenny Rogers, to classical composers. I started playing classical
piano at age six, but at the same time I learned every word to
"Lucille" and played those Lightfoot records until I wore them out. My
parents still have a picture of me, four years old, wearing these giant
headphones, conducting in front of the stereo."

Eventually the pull toward the guitar was too much to resist. "My
brother had this cool old Peavey that I used to sneak into his
room and play when he wasn't home". His earliest guitar memory is
trying in vain to figure out the solo to REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight
This Feeling". "I loved 80's pop music", he says. "Still do. I had a friend two
doors down that introduced me to Chicago, Journey, Steve Miller, Bon Jovi - 
stuff I still listen to." 

But a turning point came in his mid teens after his parents went on a trip
to Arizona. His businessman father came back in cowboy boots and hat,
and suddenly CMT was on in the evenings for hours at a time.
"I remember seeing the video for "The Bluest Eyes In Texas" by
Restless Heart. The sound of that song just hammered me - the
melodies, the harmonies, Greg Jennings' guitar...I started
watching CMT every day to try and see that video again. Well, it
wasn't on very often, but John Anderson, Billy Dean, Sawyer
Brown, Mike Reid, Lionel Cartwright...they all just sucked me in. I became
totally obsessed with guitars - playing them, collecting them, learning about them. My
family was relieved when I finally became obsessed with TUNING them!"

For Zac, the progression to writing country music was natural, but far
from deliberate. "I wanted to be a blues guitarist", he recalls, "but
I couldn't write it. Everything I wrote was country. I couldn't write
anything else. Eventually I embraced it and realized it was what I was
supposed to do."

Frequent trips to Nashville led to a Canadian connection at ASCAP and
an introduction to Dan Hodges. "He liked my songs and offered to set me up
with one of his writers. Through the flood and a really busy schedule, Dan stayed
true to his word and set up a write for me. We got a hold with that first song, and
I'm really excited about what the future may hold for me and my music."

Zac signed with Dan Hodges Music, LLC as a staff writer in
May 2011.