His boyhood was spent in the fields, on the rivers and deep in the woods of Southern Illinois where he developed a love for nature. Like every good Illinois farm boy, he was a member of the 4-H Club, a club that dubbed itself Muddy Sunshine--Muddy after the name of their town. Little did he know that he would use that same name years later for this company. "Muddy Sunshine reflects my philosophy of life," Rocky said. "It's a name of contradictions--mud and sunshine is the good and the bad. You make the best of life no matter the hand you're dealt."

It was a series of "bad hands" that jump-started Rocky's serious foray into music. His dad died in 1999, followed a few months later by his best friend's death. His wife's best friend died a few months after that. Although he had written songs in the 1970's and 80's, he never pursued songwriting seriously. "After all this happened," Rocky said, " I just knew I didn't want to die with all these songs in my head and things undone."

Coincidentally, Rocky began to meet music industry people through his job at Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory. The Observatory is home to "Bluebird on the Mountain," a series of concerts booked by Amy Kurland, owner of the famous Nashville listening room the Bluebird Cafe. As luck would have it, Steve Durr happened to be at one of the first concerts. While he loved the venue, Steve thought the sound was less than stellar and offered his services. "Steve had the rep of being one of the best sound guys around," said Rocky. "We jumped at the chance to get him."

From this chance meeting a friendship flourished, although Rocky was hesitant to share his songs with Steve. Once he did, however, Steve said, "I've had dozens of songwriters ask me to help pitch their songs, but you're the first songwriter who I'm asking."

The Genesis of Muddy Sunshine

Rocky and Steve's professional relationship is one of kindred spirits. Their goal is make music in a new way--find the talent, make the best album they can and forget about the commercial realities. "If you have the first two criteria," Steve said, "the last one will follow."

By now, everyone knows that the music industry has changed dramatically over the past several years. The internet has leveled the playing field--no longer are the big labels the only avenue to success. Rocky and Steve know how to draw Internet-connected fans to an artist's website. Their team approach gives the artist creative control, and their small size is an advantage in the rapidly-changing music industry where fast response time is critical.

The goal of Muddy Sunshine is to build a family of musicians--people who love music and care about each other. "The business side of music has a bad reputation," said Rocky. "We knew we could create our own company that would honor a musician's spirit and produce a great product."

Muddy Sunshine is more than just a production/publishing house, it's the whole package.

Steve Durr

When the Library of Congress hires someone to design its audio labs, you know they must be good. Steve Durr is that good. As one of the leading acoustical and audio facilities designers in the world, Steve has over 25 years experience with such prestigious clients as Disney Studios, Lenny Kravitz, Willie Nelson and Dreamworks.

"I have a sincere passion for music and sound and for making it the absolute best it can be," said Steve. His passion is recognized by sporting facilities, houses of worship, arenas and recording studios throughout North America--over 1,500 recording studios.

Born in Memphis, TN, the cradle of R&B, Steve moved to Louisiana in 1968. Steve credits necessity as the force behind his stellar rise as a recording engineer. "In those days, you had to be the engineer, the maintenance person, the manager, everything," he said. "When we lost our lease at the lettuce factory we were using as a recording studio, we had to start all over again somewhere else. We had to be able to design a new studio completely from scratch. This was the start of my design career."

Steve's willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done, is a driving force behind the success of Muddy Sunshine. "Rocky and I wear a lot of hats in this company," Steve said, "but that level of detail and personal attention is what sets us apart from the big guys. We're the support group every new artist needs."