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Meet Pam Ross
I was born in Pittsburgh, PA but lived most of my life in Houston, TX. I launched my music career in Houston where I first exposed the world to my original songs through open mic venues.
I moved to Fuquay Varina, NC in June of 2020 during the pandemic. In 2023, I began releasing songs from my album, When Therapy Fails. My music defies any one genre because it’s filled with influences from Rock, Country, Americana, and Pop. Three of my singles have reached the top ten on numerous rock and country indie charts and received airplay on radio stations. The video for my single Fire In the Hole has won three music video awards and is up for best music video in the Carolina Film Festival.
1 In Music e-met Pam Ross for an exclusive tête-à-tête.
The Sound of Pam Ross’s music
[Making music] is the only place where I feel whole… like I belong.
1 In Music: What is unique about you and your music?
Pam Ross [PR]: Although I’m classified as Americana, my music really spreads across different genres. As you listen to my album, you’ll notice one song may lean Country, the next leans Rock, another is bluesy, while some songs blend everything at once. You really don’t know what you’re going to get from one song to the next with me.
1 In Music: What or who shaped your music and who supports you?
PR: The different styles of music I listened to growing up shaped my music a lot. My mom was into classic Country while my older siblings were into Rock and Pop. As I grew older, I got into Heavy Metal and Grunge. My music was shaped by everyone from Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton to Elton John, Van Halen, Springsteen, Pink Floyd, R.E.M, Nirvana, Stevie Ray Vaughn, even the Bee Gees. I listen to everything.
My wife really supports me a lot. She’s a good voice of reason and is behind my music 100%.
1 In Music: When did you realize you were going to make music professionally?
PR: It’s just something that I always knew. Nothing else fit for me. It’s the only place where I feel whole… like I belong. I’ve done other things, but it never felt right. I would always be thinking about music.
Talking inspirations with Pam Ross
1 In Music: What type of music do you listen to?
Pam Ross [PR]: Like I said earlier, I listen to wide range of music. I mainly listen to rock and country music.
Tony Arata is a songwriting genius
1 In Music: Who, to you, is the most undervalued music artist?
PR: Wow, that’s a tough one. Someone who comes to mind is Tony Arata. He’s a songwriter and he’s released some albums. He wrote The Dance performed by Garth Brooks, Here I Am by Patty Loveless and a lot of other hit country songs. I often get asked who he is when I tell people he’s one of my favorite songwriters. Tony is a songwriting genius. He’s got all these hit songs under his belt, but many people don’t know who is.
1 In Music: How do you prepare for your performances?
PR: I look at the venue I’m playing at, the audience, start picking songs for the set list. I rarely stick to my set lists, but I make them. I’m always practicing so I sound the best I can.
Getting some wisdom and inspiration from Pam Ross
Work hard, Work smart
1 In Music: What do you do when you don’t do music (creative or otherwise) and that you are passionate about?
Pam Ross [PR]: I run and lift weights. I love working out and making healthy food. I’m a health nut.
1 In Music: Success to you is…?
[Success is] Being able to make a living playing music.
PR: I don’t have to have 20 million in the bank. Success is being able to say I play music for a living…and yes, I can pay all my bills.
1 In Music: What do you wish you were told when you started out and that you think would help anyone who starts out?
PR: There are two things. First, work hard. I see a lot of bands / artists who don’t work that hard. They learn a bunch of cover songs, practice once or twice a week and think they’re going to take over the music world. They don’t put a lot of energy into writing original music and creating something that sets them apart from everyone else. I put six to eight hours a day into my music. I understand that not everyone has that much time, but you really need to put at least a couple hours a day into writing, working on social media, and creating your brand.
Second, work smart. You can bust your ass playing gigs five days a week but that doesn’t mean you’re going to get people to stream or buy your music. I learned that you need the right people in your corner if you’re truly going to make a successful living playing music. You need to get your music in front of the right people who have connections to get you to that next level. For example, I knew a major label like Sony records wouldn’t look at me. I just released three songs from my album and streams were so-so. However, I knew an indie label would. I began researching indie labels and found Drop Track. I submitted a couple of my songs to indie labels on their site and heard back from MTS two days later. My music immediately began taking off after signing with them. MTS has made a huge difference in my career and helped me get to that next level, but I had to do research and seek them out. I got into a BMI songwriter showcase in Austin. I found out about these events and knew how huge they could be for my career. It took some hard work to get in the show, but I did it. People ask me how I get so lucky and it kind of makes me mad. I’m not lucky. I work hard and think outside the box. I have a vision for where I want to be and look for avenues to get there. I don’t wait for anyone to come looking for me. I go searching for the people who I know can help me accomplish my goals.
What’s next for Pam Ross?
Any upcoming projects?
Pam Ross [PR]: Right now, it looks like I’ll be going back into the studio in October to start work on my next album. Although I’ll be releasing songs from my current album until April 2024, but I don’t want to rush my next project. I also want something ready to release when I’m finished releasing music from this record.
Thank you, Pam! Before we leave you in peave, where can we find you music?
PR: You can find my music anywhere you buy or stream music. You can also find it Pamrossmusic.com.