Growing up in the small mill town of South Berwick, Maine, Picott was exposed to a surprising mix of musical influences. His father, a former marine owned a record collection that spanned from the marches of John Philip Sousa to Ray Charles and an older brother, an avid record collector, introduced Rod to the punk poetry of Patti Smith and The Clash, finishing the groundwork of influences that Rod would draw from later in his own music. The seacoast area of southern Maine had an unlikely but thriving local music scene in the 80's and and Picott spent his teenage years in garage cover bands and original bands playing the clubs from Boston, MA to Portland, ME. '94 saw a move to Nashville TN where Rod established himself as one of the better new writers in town and hosted a weekly showcase called Rod Picott's Fireside Whiskey Hour as well as opening shows for Alison Krauss and Union Station and Gillian Welch. His co-write "Broke Down" with Slaid Cleaves was the most played song on Americana radio in 2000.
Picott's debut release, Tiger Tom Dixon's Blues, announced his arrival as an artist of note. The album received airplay from Bob Harris on the BBC, and Music Row magazine’s Robert Oermann called the debut, "the birth of a major, major artist".
2002's Stray Dogs displayed even finer skills as a writer and vocalist and featured guest appearances from Alison Krauss and frequent co-writer Slaid Cleaves. The album was embraced by Americana radio and found it's way onto the chart for 5 weeks. It also found it's way onto many year’s-best lists in both the States and Europe.
With his latest studio release, girl from arkansas, Rod Picott continues to thrive and expand as a storyteller and singer. Released in November 2004 on his own Welding Rod Records label, girl from arkansas brought Picott's eye for lyric detail and whiskey-voiced delivery together with a newfound intimacy.
In 2005 a collection of live performances titled Travel Log was released. Recorded in front of a small crowd in Charlotte N.C., the cd documents a soulful performance with accompaniment from dobro and lapsteel player Matt Mauch.
Rod recently co-produced Slaid Cleaves Rounder Records release Unsung. He is currently touring with shows across the U.S., U.K., and Europe. He is also recording a new collection of songs for his next album.
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