Tommy Webb, a recent recruit to the Rural Rhythm Records‘ roster, will have his first release, called Heartland (RHY-1043), on that label on April 21, 2009.

The album, produced by Ron Stewart, includes 12 songs, several of which were written by Webb. Among those are two songs, re-mixed and re-mastered, from Webb’s previous two albums: the hit If It Weren’t For Bluegrass Music (I’d Go Crazy), which reached No.4 on the Bluegrass Unlimited Top 30 Singles Chart, and A Hard Row to Hoe.

Rural Rhythm has just released two tracks from the album on the Rural Rhythm Fresh Cuts & Key Tracks No.4 radio compilation CD, namely Teardrop Inn and Heartland.

Teardrop Inn, written by Mike Wells, is an emotionally-packed love story tragically gone wrong, while Heartland was written by Tommy Webb and Sam Passamano, Jr.

DJ Gracie Muldoon, of WorldWideBluegrass.com  says of the title song:

"Heartland reaches the heart and soul of the everyday working man and woman and their plight enduring through these hard times, just trying to survive. Thanks Tommy for hittin’ the nail on the head with this tune at this most difficult time in our beloved America, and the rest of the World.”

Webb, from Langley, Floyd County, Kentucky, near to the well-known highway Route 23, in a region from where so many award-winning bluegrass music artists have originated, has a deep voice like no one else in the genre. He writes passionately about life in the heartland, a life that he experiences personally.

With Tommy Webb (lead vocals, guitar, clawhammer banjo) on Heartland are Chris Goble (banjo, harmony vocals), Kenny O’Quinn (mandolin, harmony vocals), Danny Stiltner (bass, harmony vocals), Ron Stewart (fiddle, mandolin, resonator guitar, bass, harmony vocals) and Sherri Stewart (harmony vocals).