Singer/Songwriter Stephen Hunley, nephew of the renowned country vocalist Con Hunley, was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He grew up in a family that surrounded him with a love and passion for music, which impacted him at a very young age. He began taking piano and violin lessons at the age of five, and for a moment it seemed as if Hunley was destined to follow in the musical footsteps of his family. However, his attention soon turned to another passion... baseball. At the age of twelve he decided to quit taking music lessons all together and devote his time and attention to baseball, which ultimately earned him a scholarship to Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky. After two seasons Hunley felt it was time for a change, moved back to his hometown and enrolled in classes at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. It was during this time, Hunley began to reconnect with his passion for music by playing and writing songs on a guitar his father bought for him. He started playing his songs for family and friends who encouraged him to pursue his rediscovered love for music. After graduating with a degree in Political Science, Hunley began taking his talents as a songwriter seriously, playing small clubs and bars around East Tennessee. In 2009, Stephen released his debut album Wait and See. An eclectic mix of thirteen original compositions, Wait and See covered a wide range of musical styles spanning Acoustic Soul, Pop-Rock, New-Age-Country, and Southern Blues. With the brilliant arranging of producer Burton Akers, each song from Wait and See was graced with a unique and tasteful flair. My first album was really about me trying to find my 'musical self' Stephen says. Growing up I loved listening to so many different artists and so many different styles of music that it made it difficult for me to identify with one particular artist or one particular style of music. I really didn't have a favorite singer or a favorite style or genre of music. I just loved music that moved me. I really believe this was beneficial to me in the sense that I didn't try to sing like this artist or that artist. I just became a blend of all of my musical heroes and this gave me a distinctive vocal style. But at some point you have to decide what you do best, and I think my new album will showcase some of these strengths for sure. Speaking of his latest project, Stephen's six-song album Movable Parts is set for release in June of 2012. Movable Parts is an album that puts love and relationships under the microscope. It examines various phases of the relationship: from the warm and sweet beginning, to the cold and bitter ending, the good, the bad, and all the emotions that lie in between. There are so many unique emotions that come from each phase of a relationship, Hunley says. I have certainly experienced most of them if not all of them. So much of what I have to say on this album comes from my own personal experiences in love and relationships. My hope for this record is that the listener can relate or be moved not only by what I'm singing, but how I'm singing it. Regardless of the current status of your own relationship, there is certainly a song for everyone on Movable Parts. Here is what Knoxville Radio Personality Bruce Patrick from 106.1 The River had to say about Stephen's latest project. Make no mistake, Knoxville's Stephen Hunley sounds like no else vocally. When you hear a Stephen Hunley song, you know his unique voice immediately. His first album, Wait and See, released in 2009, was a cornucopia of audio goodness, with such a vast array of styles and sonically challenging arrangements that held a 'something for everyone to gravitate to' feel to those who listened. Hunley's song arrangements from Wait and See were so diversely produced and heavily layered, lyrically deep, and showed a seasoned maturity rare for someone of Stephen's youth and experience, even though he has musical blood flowing through his veins. It almost seemed as if Hunley's soulful sound and lyrical content outdated him by a few decades on his debu
