Guitars, gigs and Blue Wings

Tanner Burch enters a room with presence. Right away, the “country” vibe envelopes him from the top of his cowboy hat to the tip of his boots. But he is so much more …

In high school, he was a three-sport athlete, with the emphasis on football. Hailing from South Georgia, he was an All-American at Gardner-Webb University and tried out for the Canadian Football League and for 28 NFL scouts. But a serious knee injury closed that door.

Thus started Burch’s personal odyssey. He became almost a drifter who lacked permanence as he tried out different places and tried on various jobs that included coaching, gym management, and medical sales … to name a few.

What he took with him though on all of his travels was his love of music, especially the country genre. Three formal lessons set him on the path to mastering the guitar. Having been a song writer of sorts as expressed through his prize winning poetry, Tanner found telling a story an interesting basis for a song. More often than not, the story he would set to music was his own.

As with most 20-year-old seekers, life gave Tanner many twists and turns … bad girlfriend break-ups, bad decsion-making, and most devastatingly, the death of his older brother. Grief surrounded him like a shroud. He drank too much and didn’t have enough money to continue his wanderlust. A lucky spin at a roulette table netted him $400 … enough to get him and his truck back home. But his grief remained.

Tanner found the loss both an intensely dark experience and yet inspiring. As his brother lay dying, facing his own mortality with acceptance, he made Tanner a promise … He promised Tanner that he would return as a dragonfly with iridescent blue wings. Tanner never forgot that promise as he now embraced his music with more than a part-time fervor. He took on a new seriousness as his brother’s death became emotionly more manageable.

As he put in the work, his artistry grew and his musicianship improved. An open mike success came in Nashville in 2021. And that night, as promised, a rare dragonfly landed on the microphone, it’s blue wings glistening. For Tanner it was a fulfillment of his brother’s promise, and a reality check that he was finally on the right path.

He joined AA and got sober. Tanner’s course correction would be the key to what happened next. He embraced music … music that touched the listener with authentic experiences and life lessons found in one form or another, in everyone’s journey.

But first … one last detour.

Still reeling from his brother’s death, he moved off the grid in Alabama. He spent a lot of time alone, picking up dead-end carpentry jobs. It was then that he recorded an EP album, titled “Rugged Soul.” It contained original music that was deeply personal that not only examined his life but also gave him musical credibility. When invited to return to Nashville and to music full time, he didn’t hesitate. He opened for Jesse Daniel and Dirty Roses, two local stars, and started to earn a living from his music.

Then one afternoon fate would intervene. Jesse Howard and his National Guard team were attending a workshop in Nashville. They walked into a bar/restaurant looking for lunch. It was then that Jesse spotted Tanner at the bar drinking water and reading a book … two rather “out of the norm” barroom pursuits. They struck up a conversation that would eventually bring Tanner to Iowa.

Drawn to his life story and after a “military concert” for the Guardsmen, Jesse was so impressed that he invited him to play at the family party at the end-of-the-year National Guard celebration in Iowa. During this last July weekend, he also played at the West Side and Roederer’s in Burlington and was interviewed by KILJ.

Who knows if this is Tanner’s big break … but he is quick to point out that the “kindness of these particular strangers” has been a humbling experience. But this up-and-comer is ready, and an Iowa connection just might be what he’s been waiting for … Ladies and gentleman … introducing Tanner Burch!