Rhyne McCormick was born and raised in the mountains of central Pennsylvania, where he was first exposed to music the good old-fashioned way—on vinyl. The likes of Aretha Franklin, James Taylor and Jackson Browne made their way to his turntable growing up, thanks to his music-loving mother, whom he credits for exposing him to music early in his life. He recalls the memory of his mother yelling out to him from her bedroom, “start it again,” referencing her Jackson Browne album that she had already listened to over a dozen times that day. Between the constant visits to his mother’s vast record collection and his frequent church camp trips, McCormick was enveloped by music of many genres.

But if you ask him, he most intimately feels a connection with that old, gospel soul music, as is evidenced by tracks like Deeper and 5104 off of his newest album, Live at the Capitol Theatre. Friends and fellow musicians have described his music as “heartfelt” and having “soul,” a true slice of Americana—it encompasses a little bit of everything, including a throw-back to the original rock-n-roll soul of the 50’s and 60’s, seasoned with a dose of classic rock and topped off with a little bit of classic country and folk. It doesn’t get more apple pie than this. His music is something that is so familiar and so natural that you won’t even realize it was the first time you have ever heard it, because it reminds you of something you grew up on, no matter when you grew up.

His music is written by the moments in life he has experienced. One of those moments includes the experience of losing a dear friend and brother who had been a part of his life for more than 10 years, passing away in 2000. When McCormick met with his dying friend, he knew that it may be the last conversation they ever had and listened as his friend told him that he felt that no matter what he did, the storm—death—just kept chasing him. That conversation later became the song, Storm Runner, undeniably his most moving track on Live at the Capitol Theatre, if not to date.

He had more than 150 inspired performances this past year, and his passion is evident as he puts his heart and soul into each performance as though it were the first and the last. With a career that has spanned over more than 10 years, McCormick is still going strong and leaving his soul dust behind everywhere he goes.