Thad Cockrell

Singer and songwriter Thad Cockrell is an artist not afraid to express his emotions. His songs are personal and unguarded, laying bare his feelings about love and his place in the world. And his performances are artful in their openness, passionate without becoming histrionic. Cockrell’s early work found him making music steeped in country and folk, most notably 2003′s Warmth & Beauty and 2005′s Begonias (the latter a collaboration with former Whiskeytown vocalist Caitlin Cary). After stepping away from the music business, Cockrell returned as part of the indie pop duo Leagues, and with his 2020 solo effort If in Case You Feel the Same, he made a bold step into contemporary pop.
One of four sons born to a Baptist minister, Thad Cockrell spent most of his childhood in Tampa, Florida. Secular music was forbidden in the Cockrell household, and it wasn’t until he went off to college — initially studying journalism at Liberty University (founded by Jerry Falwell) and later enrolling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest — that he was able to indulge his interest in music. Cockrell bought a stereo and developed eclectic tastes, citing the Everly Brothers, Willie Nelson, and the Cure as three favorites from this period. Cockrell took up songwriting, and after moving to North Carolina, he started working with a country group called the Starlite Country Band, an ad hoc combo featuring Caitlin Cary and Skillet Gilmore from Whiskeytown. Hoping to record a demo tape, Cockrell and the band booked a day at a recording studio, with dB's founder Chris Stamey at the controls. Stamey believed the material was strong enough for release, and the session became the basis of Cockrell’s first album, 2001′s Stack of Dreams. On the strength of the disc, Cockrell landed a deal with Yep Roc Records, and Stamey produced 2003′s Warmth & Beauty, which included contributions from Tift Merritt, Mitch Easter (Let's Active), and Jen Gunderman (the Jayhawks). 2005′s Begonias was a collaboration with Caitlin Cary, with the two writing the songs together and sharing vocals.
Cockrell’s first three albums had earned positive reviews without generating much in the way of sales, and he relocated to Nashville in hopes of earning a better living as a songwriter. While he landed songs on albums by Mindy Smith, Donavon Frankenreiter, and Courtney Jaye, he grew tired of living in Nashville and moved back to North Carolina. After releasing 2009′s To Be Loved, he felt burned out on the music business and briefly turned his back on his career.
Cockrell found his way back to music by taking a creative left turn, teaming with Jeremy Lutito in a dance-friendly indie pop act called Leagues. His first album with Leagues, You Belong Here, was released in 2012, and a second, Alone Together, arrived in 2016. Cockrell began writing and demoing material that reflected the passion and honesty of his solo work with the modern production and instrumentation of his recordings with Leagues. When Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes heard Cockrell’s demos, she offered to help get his songs a wider audience and introduced him to the staff at the successful independent label ATO Records. Cockrell’s first album for ATO, If in Case You Feel the Same, was released in 2020. ~ Mark Deming