Chris Knight’s story begins six miles outside of Slaughters, Kentucky, a remote coal-mining town where Knight was raised and still lives with his family on forty wooded acres. Chris graduated from college in 1984 and began working for the state as a strip-mine reclamation inspector. In 1992, he began writing songs about the people, places and pain that he’s seen, known and continues to live. His carefully honed character sketches and surely paced narratives evoke real rural life more accurately and honestly than anything you’ll hear on pop-country radio —not just the glory and the romance of ordinary Southern existence, but the darkness and the disappointments. His live shows stay with you like a long hot summer. Reaction to his 1998 debut album Chris Knight – which included the hit Americana and AAA tracks ”It Ain’t Easy Being Me,” “Framed” and “Love And A .45” – was immediate, with writers nationwide comparing him to everyone from John Prine and Neil Young to Johnny Cash and Nebraska-era Springsteen. Songs such as Cry Lonely have been covered by artists like Cross Canadian Ragweed and more. Chris Knight is sometimes dark, often intense and always without compromise. He is an artist that unfolds with the power and fury of Cormac McCarthy meets Copperhead Road. His performances are always a special event at The MusicFest.