Cheley Tackett returns for an encore at South Main Sounds! An Ohio native and veteran Nashville Country/Americana singer-songwriter, Cheley has amassed an impressive performance and recording resume. Audiences are captivated by her signature songs teeming with authentic emotions. As a sought-after demo singer on Music Row and beyond, Cheley’s voice has bridged relationships with some of the most successful executives and writers in the music industry. Acclaimed as much for her songwriting as for her artistry, Cheley has won MerleFest’s Chris Austin Songwriting contest, the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk competition, Just Plain Folks’ “Song of the Year,” “Country Album of the Year,” and “Country Song of the Year,” as well as being a finalist in the Independent Acoustic Music Awards’ “Country Song” and “Female Vocal Performance” categories. She also scored a semi-finalist position in the International Songwriting Competition’s Rock category. As a performer, Cheley has played all over the globe & shared the stage with Americana powerhouses like Mindy Smith and Mary Gauthier as well as country stars Ashley McBryde, Doug Stone, Kathy Mattea, Chris Young, James Otto, Anthony Smith, and more. “Cheley’s acoustic sets won audiences over from the start, not an easy task for an opener anywhere in the world, her deep powerful vocals and beautiful writing drawing everybody in…. you could have heard a pin drop during her emotional ballads. A really engaging performer, her personality is as big as her voice and her songs were interspersed with amusing and informative stories. The queues to meet her afterwards were testimony to all the new fans she made.” – Think Country (UK) “One of the most powerful, soulful singers in the business, she writes with the deep confidence and total abandon that only a true artist is capable of. She draws her listeners in with comfortable ease and offers each and every one an original and deep personal experience.” – Maverick (UK) “An excellent songwriter, she’s also an excellent singer with a velvety, yet powerful voice. She made the audience laugh, cry and left them a little amazed.” – Saloon – Das Country Home Magazine