John PayCheck and Jessie Ritter S03EP05

On this episode of Roger the Wild Child Show, we are joined by Nashville singer/songwriter, Jessie Ritter and country music artists, John PayCheck!

JESSIE RITTER

Based in Nashville, Tennessee and Northwest Florida, singer/songwriter Jessie Ritter plays a heartfelt brand of country with a breezy, romantic feel and plenty of charm. While studying music at Belmont University in Nashville, she released her EP Stories Told. Ritter then cut her teeth on the cruise ship circuit, releasing her debut album, Coffee Every Morning in 2018.

After winning NashFM 105.5’s regional Nash Next competition, she represented the Florida Panhandle in the finals, beating out over 800 contestants to be named the 2018 Nash Next winner. She gained national recognition and a record deal with Big Machine (home to heavy-hitters like Taylor Swift and Florida Georgia Line) making her label debut in May 2019 with the single "Nothing But You.” She then swept the 2019 Northwest Florida Beachcomber awards taking home eight titles including: Musician of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Original Song, Best Country Artist, Best Singer/Songwriter, Best Solo Artist, Best New Artist, and Best Female Vocalist. Opening slots for Eli Young Band, Hunter Hayes, Easton Corbin, and Runaway June followed, as well as featured performances alongside hitmakers at songwriter festivals across the southern United States.

Touring heavily through the Midwest and Gulf Coast regions, Ritter released her soul-stirring single “Home” in November of 2020. The tune received accolades as a semi-finalist in the Unsigned Only music competition. The corresponding music video was featured on CMT in the United States and Australia. “Home” reached #1 on TCN Country’s Top 20 Countdown on The Country Network, logging seventeen weeks on that chart, and many more in their Discovery Artist rotation. Beach vibes from her single “The Sand and The Sea” followed, paying tribute to Jessie’s newfound love of life on the Florida Panhandle. 

Jessie's newest record, "Little Town In America," takes her storytelling to a whole new level, exploring the dichotomy of yearning for adventure and yearning for home. 

A native of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Ritter grew up on her family farm listening to country radio and absorbing the sounds of artists like Lee Ann Womack, Shania Twain, and Miranda Lambert. She continues to tour heavily through the midwest and Gulf Coast regions.

JOHN PAYCHECK

John PayCheck is just a guy trying to enjoy country music and have fun with some other rowdy musicians while continuing to carry on the music traditions his father left behind. He also just happens to be the son of a country music legend, a combat veteran, any Army helicopter and fixed wing pilot, a firefighter, a civil servant, a computer engineer, a musician, a small business owner, comic book collector, board game nerd, rodeo lover, horse lover, a whiskey drinker and a pretty darn good guy....oh and he some how finds time to be a father and husband.

John has been a part of the music business for years and only recently decided to jump back in after some encouragement from friends in the music industry. John started out working for his dad every summer as a kid. Working his way up from roadie to road manager. He played in a few different bands for fun while pursuing his other interests outside music like finishing his Bachelors of Science in Computer Information Systems and his Masters in Military Strategy and Diplomacy. To top it all off he is married to his wife Samantha,a combat veteran, and together they are raising three wonderful girls. Flying planes and helicopters, working with computers at IBM and raising a family just wasn’t enough for him though, he missed the road and music.