Armed with a pick and a six-string acoustic guitar, Marlinton native Jake Ryder has taken his award winning picking skills to Nashville, Tennessee, a mecca for country music artists.

Ryder joined singer Wyatt Turner in Nashville around five months ago and the duo have been logging hours in the studio and writing music in hopes of getting a record deal.

ﾓI decided to move to Nashville because thatﾒs where I have to be to make music,ﾔ Ryder said. ﾓNashville has so many open doors and opportunities for success, I just canﾒt pass it up. Since Iﾒve moved, Wyatt and I have been working on music, performance ideas and coming up with our own material based on love, heartbreak, good times and living a country life.ﾔ

Going from small stages in Pocahontas County to a professional recording studio was a life changing experience for Ryder.

ﾓWe recorded one song we wrote together and hearing our idea go from an acoustic guitar to a full-blown professional sound was really mind-blowing,ﾔ he said.

When Ryder began playing guitar at age 12, he never anticipated entering a career in music.

ﾓAt that time, I wasnﾒt trying to go anywhere with music, I just wanted to play what I heard on the radio,ﾔ he said. ﾓThen I was introduced to bluegrass music. I played bluegrass for a few years and won several awards. The people I got to play with really inspired me to keep moving forward with my talent.ﾔ

As his picking ability progressed, Ryder met his future ﾓpartner-in-crimeﾔ Turner at Pocahontas County High School.

ﾓI met Wyatt my freshman year,ﾔ he said. ﾓAs soon as we both discovered each others talents, we wanted to play everywhere we could locally. The more we played, the more we were told how proud our county was of us and to keep moving on with our talents. Hearing people say they believe in us really means a lot. It inspired us to become musicians.ﾔ

Along with support from the county, Ryder said he wouldnﾒt be the musician he is today without the love and support of his family; mom and dad Angelena and Thane, brothers Luke and Levi and friends who have been by his side since high school.

As for the future, Ryder is taking one day at a time and continuing to hone his craft in hopes of becoming a professional performer.

ﾓDay in and day out, I have a guitar in my hand,ﾔ he said. ﾓWyatt is singing and we are constantly practicing and trying to come up with new ideas.ﾔ

Check out http://www.reverbnation.com/wyattturner to hear what Jake and Wyatt have be up to or visit www.youtube.com for classic Jake and Wyatt videos.