Shinedown
Group put together around Knoxville, Tenn., singer Brent Smith by Orlando-based Atlantic A&R rep Steve Robertson and Jacksonville engineer Pete Thornton. Includes Jacksonville musicians guitarist Jasin Todd, bassist Brad Stewart and drummer Barry Kerch. Shinedown’s 2003 Atlantic debut, Leave a Whisper, made few waves until the group, as a lark, performed an “unplugged” version of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” on a live radio show on Boston’s WAAF. Album was re-released in 2004 with a hastily recorded version of the song. Guitarist Todd is married to Melody Van Zant, daughter of original Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant.
[...] contracts garnered by Northeast Florida acts in the past two years. They include mainstream rockers Shinedown (signed with Atlantic), singer-songwriter Laura Minor (Hightone), punkers Yellowcard (Capitol) [...]