Maybe it's just a matter of family tradition living the life of the nontraditional. Take the example of Vince Hatfield. While Vince is certainly making a name for himself in country music circles now, his family was making history with the help of the McCoys nearly a century ago. But this Hatfield doesnít call the coal mining country of Appalachia home. Vince comes from the oil rich area of Snyder, Texas near Midland, Texas. Vince was raised before the onslaught of cable television. That means his family had to create its own entertainment most of the time. What better way to do that than through playing great music? Vince's inspiration for music came from country music icons like Bobby Goldsboro, Merle Haggard and Ronnie Milsap. Early in his career, Vince had to work a job to pay the bills like most of the rest of us. This first job included cleaning the inside of old oil tanks. If countryís roots are laid during challenging circumstances, Vince has an entire system of roots from which to draw inspiration. Hard work and doing things right allowed Vince to create his own oil exploration business which still thrives today, Sharp Image Energy. Knowing all that, the question comes, "What's a guy with so much going for him want with country music?"

Vince began his musical career just like his oil business from the bottom up. Using his small studio at his home in Odessa, Texas he began to record 45s. For those of you too young to remember, 45s predate CDs by about 40 years. Vince says, "The only reason Iím somewhat successful in the oil business is that I do it every day. You have to do the same in the music industry."

This dedication got much of what he recorded played on the radio stations in the Midland/Odessa market. This same dedication allowed Vince to attract the attention of A-list session musician Charlie McCoy. Up to now, Vince has had 12 successful singles on the New Music Weekly Chart and two top 50 hits charting as high as #33. Vince also was given the honor of singing an original tune he wrote for the President's pre-inaugural appearance and speech on January 16, 2001. With the challenges of oil career and music career, Vince still makes the time for his family. He also takes the time to give the rest of us some great music. His latest release, "Take It Easy On Yourself", is a good example of his professional musical variety. Songs like "Smokey Mountain Memories" and "Cool Water" have a more traditional country sound while the covers of such songs like the Paul Davis hit "I Go Crazy" and Mac Davis', "Watching Our Kids Grow" give the listener a taste of New Country. The personal touches Vince gives to the song "Watching Our Kids Grow" based on his own family connect well with any country audience.

You can find out more about this upcoming artist through his website at: