Heath McNease, recording artist finishes tour. Miller County's Heath Mc- Nease just returned home from a 10 month tour of more than half of the states in the USA. He has been touring full-time since January, playing wherever the invitation is extended. His tour has taken him all the way from Georgia to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and eventually out to Los Angeles, California.

"Since signing to 7Spin Music (a Christian record label in Valparaiso, Indiana), things have been so incredibly busy," Heath says. "God has been so faithful with his promise to fulfill the desires of my heart and use me to bring people closer to the knowledge of a loving savior... even when I'm not so faithful with my promise to follow him to the best of my ability. It's such a humbling experience to be given the chance to entertain and hopefully even minister to thousands of people from so many different walks of life. I play at churches, colleges, festivals, clubs, bars, coffee shops, and any other venue that provides the opportunity for creative music to be heard."

Heath McNease performs on tour. push the gospel of of obligation...only McNease, a 2001 graduate of MCHS and 2006 graduate of Valdosta State University, is quickly building a reputation for himself as one of the most entertaining live music acts on the road today. With his debut album (The Heath McNease Fan Club Meets Tonight), he has already amassed a large following of enthusiastic fans all over the United States. Heath recalls one event, "It was so weird...I was playing a show in a suburb near Detroit, Michigan, and there were 200 kids there that knew every word to every song I played. I had no idea people even knew who I was up there!" His popularity is spreading because of a very avid grassroots following cultivated carefully by his record label president, Peter Khosla, and his booking agency (www. quickartistagency.com). When asked for a comment, Peter Khosla said, "He makes you laugh, possibly cry, and if you are open he even makes you think about some things that actually matter. Heath McNease is an all-round entertainer, not just a musician. That's what I tell industry people ranging from record company executives to festival buyers and the local youth pastor, too. He is undeniably talented and has honed in with laser-like precision on making his vocation fit his skills. Having identified his market and business model, he goes after it with the intensity of a tornado, just look at his calendar, and you'll see how busy he stays on the road perfecting his craft."

Fans of all ages are discovering him through large cultural sharing sites like Myspace and Youtube. "Its so funny to see some of the things that end up on youtube," Heath jokes. "People will send me a video link of something ridiculous like me diving into a crowd of people from the stage. My mom is the only person that isn't actually surprised by it!"

This year Heath has shared festival stages with huge bands like Hawk Nelson, Stellar Kart, Red, and Fireflight as well as recently landing in the Christian Top 20 in Canada for his song "Where I'm Not Wanted." His unique blend of acoustic hip hop, folk, blues, and reggae is something that many people are hearing for the first time. He also leads worship at many events in addition to playing his own original songs. So what does he think about living on the road? "I've been given the chance to do some really cool things this year. I've learned so much from this very taxing and extremely unorthodox lifestyle of living out of a suitcase. It's hard being away from everyone I know and love. It's hard being away from home. I miss it so much when I'm gone. Before people introduce me to go on stage, they ask me what I would like for them to tell the audience about me. I just tell them to say, 'This guy is from a little town in Georgia called Colquitt...' Then I get on stage and go nuts. I love Colquitt. It's where I grew up. It's where my amazing family lives. It's where Mother's Home Church still holds services. It's where everyone that helped raise me, shape me, and defineme as a young man still calls home. I just want to make everyone proud. I want them all to know that I keep this wonderful town close to my heart while I'm away. My responsibility is to God first, family second, and community third. I try to remember that. I love music. I would do it for free. I never try to push the gospel of Jesus Christ on anyone. It's my hope that they would enjoy the music I make and ultimately make the correct deductions as to why I try to live the way I do. My hope is that whether they are atheist, agnostic, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or from any other walk of life...that they would know that love is the reason I do what I do. I've been able to play and work in horribly impoverished inner cities and help kids and adults get through hard times by helping them smile again. After playing worship at a youth retreat…a teenager sent me an email and told me that he accepted Christ that week, and that it was because he saw God working through me. It was humbling. I've seen hundreds come to know a better life this year…and it's all because of unfailing love. We should never do anything out of obligation...only out of love. My desire is to show the love of Christ, regardless of the consequence. Loving our neighbor is a universal mandate. And there is no greater feeling than helping someone in need."

He closed by saying, "If anyone ever thinks about it while praying... please say a prayer for me as I travel and try to spread the good news. It gets very tiring being out there sometimes. But I know the power of prayer, and I would greatly appreciate it."

His album, The Heath Mc- Nease Fan Club Meets Tonight, is on sale at all Christian music stores and is available on Itunes as well as hundreds of other internet stores. If anyone wishes to contact Heath to offer a word of encouragement or simply to say hello...his email address is heath. mcnease@gmail.com.

Heath is the son of Jerry and Brenda McNease of Colquitt.