Derik Schumacher

Nashville, TN - Always the entertainer at home, Derik's family and friends encouraged him to perform at parties and weddings, which by the time he was fifteen years

old, included taverns and biker bars in and around Washburn, Illinois. Further encouraged by the other musicians and singers he performed alongside, Derik began making

an almost annual trek to Nashville to "learn what the music business was all about." Subsequent trips to Nashville led to performances at dozens of popular singer and

songwriter havens, including the Broken Spoke where Derik met and shared his songs with a famous recording artist who was encouraged by the number of other singers and

writers who shook his hand and wanted to hear more. Derik recorded some original songs and handed cassettes out to anyone who wanted a copy. This provided more

welcomed feedback from professionals in Nashville which Derik not only embraced but absorbed.