The hero’s journey traces a main character who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis, and comes home changed or transformed. Country artist, philanthropist, veteran, and North Carolina native Rockie Lynne’s life story is truly a hero’s journey.
From his humble beginnings of being left at the door of Barium Springs Home for Children, to touring the world, selling hundreds of thousands of records, and writing songs recorded by superstars, you can say Rockie’s narrative is the stuff of American folklore.
Yet, many people don’t know the name Rockie Lynne. That is about to change when he finally shares his story through the film, Where I Belong, out April 26th. This poignant documentary will be released in tandem with Rockie’s new album, Love (Carolina Blue Sky Music).
“Love and forgiveness is the way to get through life. It helps ensure your past won’t affect your future, and that’s a big part of my story,” Rockie says. “Another part, I think, is perseverance—if you have a dream like I did, you have to keep after it and find a way to make it happen.”
Rockie grew up in Statesville, North Carolina, and was adopted by a Southern Baptist family of limited means. He grew up on Statesville’s dirt roads, and they led him to anthemic success in the entertainment world as a triple threat: a world-class songwriter, a captivating performer, and a diversely accomplished instrumentalist.
Where I Belong deftly merges a musician’s quest for authentic self-expression with a touching search for familial lineage. There’s Rockie’s all-consuming love of the guitar which spans picking out licks on a second hand record player to his post-Army dreams of becoming the next Eddie Van Halen. Incidentally, these finely-honed chops remain intact, and they are a staple of Rockie’s music, dazzlingly displayed in his live-show duels with his fiddle player, Dirk Dowell.
Along the way, there are formative moments, including the tale of the song that got away, “More.” The beautiful tribute to his mother was making its way up the charts on the heels of his successful self-titled debut just as the label, Universal South Records, was shutting down due to the recession. “More” reimagined will be released March 1st as the first single off of Love.
A profound chapter in Where I Belong is Rockie meeting his biological father, Clyde Holloway. The pair share a powerful moment when Clyde gifts Rockie with his prized Martin D35, a guitar that he had owned most of his adult life. “When he gave me that guitar, I felt a closeness to him that didn’t exist before,” Rockie says. Clyde’s guitar has since become an integral part of Rockie’s artistry as a player and a composer because of the significance of its lineage. The newly-penned “My Father’s Guitar,” a single from Love, out March 29th, commemorates this moving moment.
Always prolific, Rockie is releasing his latest album, Love, alongside his documentary. The album is bookended by the reimagined, “More,” which exudes the timeless breezy Americana of Jackson Browne, John Prine, and early Bruce Springsteen, and the achingly beautiful ballad, “My Father’s Guitar.” Between this pair is a rockin’ but refined collection of prime modern country.
“Heavy Load” is a gritty, gospel-tinged roots-rocker that poignantly searches for answers in the wake of the Dylann Roof Charleston, South Carolina church shooting. Here, Rockie’s lyrics are both emotionally raw and thought provoking. One choice passage is: The preacher prayed/Lord show us the way/How do we forgive that troubled life/that took that life away. The reflective “Where I Belong” showcases the telepathic interplay between Rockie and fiddle player Dirk Dowell. Their lyrical interlace and the band’s spacious musicality together capture the dreamy instrumental passages of Pink Floyd.
After hundreds and hundreds of watering-hole one-nighters, Rockie got his big break being signed personally by then Universal Music Group CEO Doug Morris. He issued his self-titled solo debut in 2006, and landed three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. After Universal South folded, Rockie, an accomplished engineer, producer, and owner of his own recording studio, Tone Studios in Statesville, pushed ahead releasing nine solo albums to date.
Billboard magazine named him its artist “most likely to succeed,” he was chosen as a “breakout artist” by ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America,” and he earned a rave review in People. In addition to “Good Morning America,” Rockie has made countless media appearances, including performances on Fox News, CMT, GAC and more than a dozen appearances on the Grand Ole Opry. Rockie’s original compositions have been included in regional and national network programs, including an Emmy Award-winning program produced by Wisconsin Public Television, CBS "Criminal Minds" episodes, and "Fox NFL Sunday" broadcast.
Rockie has generously harnessed the expanse of his public platform in service of others. He is a veteran, having served as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, and this legacy is close to Rockie’s heart. He often performs for patriotic and military events, and his original songs are regularly licensed for use in conjunction with veteran and patriotic-themed programming. In 2004, Rockie co-founded the Tribute to the Troops motorcycle ride to raise funds and awareness for America’s fallen soldiers and their families.
Today, Rockie is back in Statesville where he has a stable and loving family and his own recording studio in which he nurtures local talent, and around town he’s mythologized as an Elvis-like figure with his chiseled-face handsomeness, his down-to-earth charms, and his immense artistic gifts. Looking back on his journey, and through the process of making the documentary and connecting with his biological family for the first time, Rockie reflects: “I went from feeling unloved to knowing I’m loved, and that I’ve always been loved. I found my roots—I am somebody from somewhere.”
