Some may say they are a dime a dozen. But you never know what you just might find in that dozen. Occasionally, there may just be something of value mixed within that lot. And yes, it’s true, there are a plethora of musicians out there who would love to make it to a level they define as success. Cole Tolle is one of those many. And yet, the odds don’t seem to bother him at all.

From Farm to Studio: A Fate-Driven Story

The 25-year-old uprooted and moved to Nashville last year and immediately began recording a six-song album. His first night in town, fate-it seemed-welcomed him to a different future than the farmer and electrician from Oklahoma he had been. That night, he would meet a man who would take him under his wing, someone who knew a little about the business in Music City. Not only would he help with guidance, but he also offered friendship and even a place to stay for three months.

Filled with hopes of a song writing career, Tolle was packing with him five songs he was anticipating would be a start. Maybe his new friend would like at least one of them, he hoped. It turns out he liked all five and was impressed enough to introduce him to a music producer. The producer liked what he heard as well and agreed to work with him. The producer put together a band of studio musicians and booked the studio time.

“It’s real neat how everything has worked out. Anything I have needed here, there has been someone to guide me to getting it,” Tolle said. He explained that he has fallen into the right group of people and is very grateful that all the pieces have seemed to cosmically come together since taking his mother’s advice and making the move. She told him that the best songwriters are in Nashville, and if you are serious, then you need to be around them. 

His uncle turned him onto the music that would influence him the most while riding together to rodeos. His uncle would play Cross Canadian Ragweed, Jason Boland, and the Randy Rogers Band. Their sound resonated with him, adding Gary Stewart and even the Rolling Stones along the way. And the lyrics sparked something inside, something he didn’t realize even existed until the music awakened it.

Cole Tolle’s Nashville Music Journey

“Music was never a career choice for me growing up. I had planned on being a lineman after high school. And then considered the railroad,” he said. But then fate seemed to step in. He found himself at Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Oklahoma. While attending college in a town where there was very little to do, he needed a hobby. So, he bought a guitar even though he didn’t know how to play one.

Inspired by the music he had grown to love and while learning how to play, it seemed natural to write as well. It started as poetry and then evolved into lyrics, which happened as his skills with the guitar improved. Five years later, he would find himself in Nashville with a string of gigs in restaurants and bars that had filled up his time in between. He laughs as he reflects on the fact that this all started because he was bored one day. Fate would probably disagree.

His process includes hearing something, or even saying something, and simply liking the way it sounds. And then he writes around that one line to create a story. One example involved him sitting on a porch with his uncle and feeling low. With his head hanging down, he heard his uncle saying, “Hey man, you don’t have to look at your toes when you’re talking to someone.” That one hook would become the idea for You or Me, a song about being proud of oneself and being happy with who you are.

“The lyrical side of music is what I absolutely love. That’s what makes me excited to do this all the time,” he said, adding that he would be happy to get paid just to write the lyrics. He explains that he writes the chord progressions for his songs, but it’s the musicians who bring the music to life, the sound that awakens people when listening to the music. He wants to be recognized as a songwriter whose lyrics can stir emotions while always passing on the credit to those musicians responsible for making those songs sound incredible.

“My goal is to just pay the bills. I don’t want to have to worry about the bills coming in. That, to me, is success. Doing what you love and not worrying about paying your bills,” he said. Regarding his career at this point, he is continuing to take that chance on himself, playing at festivals and growing venues while ever working toward his success of paying the bills through lyrics and notes. As a man of faith and with fate seemingly clearing the path for a life in music, Tolle seemed poised to accept whatever comes his way.

Life is certainly full of risks. But risks are really just steppingstones leading to fate once we start walking toward them. And fate not only waits for us, but it walks with us. And though we may not know our fate, it already knows us. And for Cole Tolle, it seems to be with him every step of the way and in every song he writes.