C ountry artist Trent Tomlinson will take the stage at the Cabell County Fair grandstand today, July 24, the last day of the fair.

The day will feature a full slate of activities and events including a diaper derby, a demolition derby, carnival rides and a performance by Nathan Hammond. Tomlinson's performance begins at 9 p.m. and will be followed by fireworks at 10 p.m.

The Cabell County Fairgrounds are located at the West Virginia Pumpkin Park in Milton.

General admission tickets are $8, and the gates open at 11a.m. More information can be found at www.cabellcountyfair.org.

Tomlinson's career is a story oft told in Nashville. The music business can be rewarding yet also harsh with many ups and downs. A native of Missouri, Tomlinson first came to Nashville as a teenager when he appeared on the talent show called "You Can Be A Star" that was broadcast on the now-defunct Nashville Network. A songwriter as well as a performer, he went back home but soon returned to Nashville to pursue a career but ended up running through five different publishing deals.

Eventually, some of his songs were picked up and recorded by known country music stars, and years later he found a home at Lyric Street Records. Not long after putting an album out, the record company folded with his contract going down with the ship. But, he has hung in there and has decided, like many artists in this day and age, to put out his own music and do it his way.

"I'm making a new record right now, and I'm getting ready to go into the studio on the 27th of July to cut some new songs," said Tomlinson. "I'll be releasing a single to radio here in the next month or two. We're real excited about it. I'm kind of doing my own thing and starting my own label and doing my own thing at this point. I don't think that in the music business there are any rules anymore. I think that if you have a great song and good relationships with radio you can achieve what major record labels have been achieving all of these years."

In this digital age, starting your own personal music label is easier to do, although the headaches of making a hit record are the same if not worse. But, creating one's own label can give the artist more freedom, allowing him or her to make the music without a record label executive looking over the shoulder at every turn.

"The game has definitely changed," said Tomlinson. "I'm going to try my hand at doing my own thing and have more control over what I'm doing, and I think the music is going to be better. My sound has not changed. Although, the more you do something, the better you get at it. It's kind of like a golf swing or a jump shot, the more you write songs the better you get at your craft."

While the songwriting trade can be a fickle one, Tomlinson feels like his creative abilities have been renewed in recent times.

"I feel like I'm writing the best stuff of my life right now," said Tomlinson. "I've written George Strait cuts, I've had Sara Evans cuts, Emerson Drive and a lot of other outside artists have recorded my material as well. I definitely know how to craft a song. I just need to piece it all together and get the right combination of songs together and release the right song, and I think we've got it this time."

In the meantime, Tomlinson enjoys traveling the country and playing music before everyday folks.

"I've gone back and I'm just treating it like I just moved to Nashville for the first time and trying to make my mark on the world," said Tomlinson. "I'm focusing on my songwriting and what's right for me and what I need to be doing musically. It's an emotional roller coaster in the music business. But, you have to fight through it and rely on your fans, and the true fans are there for you. I have had a lot of great fans over the years who have supported me, and I've had a lot of great fans in West Virginia, and I expect a really good turnout when we're there."

The Herald-Dispatch

Country music singer/songwriter Trent Tomlinson will perform Saturday, July 24, at the Cabell County Fair.