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Born in Alabama into a family of musicians and raised in the famous small town of Fort Payne, Kristopher Sean Rivers’ path to music was paved at an early age. Sean Rivers, however, tends to take the road less traveled.
Like many little boys growing up in the south, Rivers’ spent much of his childhood focusing on sports with dreams of one day becoming a professional athlete. To the naked eye, aside from the church choir and occasional school functions, music did not seem to be a large part of Rivers’ life. However, the naked eye never caught a glimpse of the little black notebook of song lyrics hid under the future singers bed.
Upon graduation of Fort Payne High School in 2001, the sports obsessed Rivers would leave his home and head for The Capstone in Tuscaloosa. Rivers entered into a Physical Education major at The University of Alabama and would eventually get an opportunity to work on staff with Coach Mike Shula and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It is during this time he recalls a group of high school friends returning from a college spring break with songs they had written on vacation. It was this event that inspired Rivers to break out the little black notebook, purchase a guitar, and fully pursue songwriting.
Sean would spend the next year teaching himself guitar through chord books, websites and tips from local musical friends. Around this time Rivers’ meets Jeremiah Jones, a young bar manager and future owner of what used to be Jupiter on The Strip in Tuscaloosa. Jones would go on to give Sean his first paying bar gig and open the door for Rivers to take his music to the entire Tuscaloosa scene. Over the next several years, college becoming an afterthought, he would go on to play every song he’d written and every cover song he’d learned at any place that would let him through the door.
From 2007 to 2011, In the midst of losing three of the four people who raised him( his grandparents and step father), music took a back seat. Rivers spent the next 4 years as a Leasing/Property manager for college rental properties in Tuscaloosa, only occasionally booking local acoustic shows.
On April 27th, 2011, almost a year to the day of his step fathers passing, a series of Tornados swept through the state of Alabama taking the lives of 64 members of the Tuscaloosa community including Sean’s dear friend Loryn Brown. The loss of his friend and the devastation to the city he loved, drove Sean back into the arms of music and inspired him to pen the emotional ‘Mind on Tuscaloosa’, a song dedicated to his late friend Loryn Brown and the city he called home. Almost immediately following its upload on YouTube the song went “viral”, receiving over 13,000 hits in its first day and became a “grass roots” hit with radio air play across the state and television publicity world wide. Television appearances of the song include shows such as Good Morning America and CNN Morning Express with Robin Meade.
In September 2011, with a new inspiration for writing and a rejuvenated passion for music, Sean received a call from long time college friend and songwriting partner CT Prince. Prince would give news that he was re-locating from Tuscaloosa and asked Rivers if he’d like to join him as a Roomate. The destination was Nashville. Rivers immediately agreed and two weeks later the friends made the move.
Once moving to music city and independently releasing his first studio album, Sean would spend the next 4 years playing his original music in countless venues across the southeast. During this time, Sean would share the stage with recording artists such as Blackberry Smoke, Jerrod Niemann, Justin Moore, Randy Houser, Corey Smith, Sam Hunt, Cole Swindell, Chase Rice, and more. Rivers would also find work playing cover songs on the Tin Roof Live Music circuit as well as in several bars located on Nashville’s legendary Broadway.
2016 finds Sean in a new era with new music, a new tour and a new style. The spring brings the first new original music since 2012 with the singles ‘Why Do You Let Me Love You’ from Rock n Roll Basement’s “Dumped” Valentines Day Compilation and ‘That Girl’, scheduled for a summer release. In February, the Alabama bread singer/songwriter will hit the road on The Nashville Masquerade Tour with friends Lewis Brice, Fabrizio & The Fever and more as well as embarking into an “Uncoded Era” with graphic/fashion designer and long time friend Samantha Kyle.