Musical Career
He moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1993 in search of a record deal. Shortly afterward, he changed his stage name to Dusty Drake, because he was told by a manger that "there were Deans coming out the wazoo" (such as Billy Dean, Dean Miller, Stacy Dean Campbell, and Dean Dillon). Drake then found work as a demo singer and songwriter. His first cut as a songwriter was "C-O-U-N-T-R-Y", a single for Joe Diffie in 1996 from the album Life's So Funny. Other artists who recorded Drake's songs included Janie Fricke, Ricochet, The Oak Ridge Boys and Mark Chesnutt.
In 2002, Drake was signed to Warner Bros. Records as a recording artist. His first single, "And Then", peaked at No. 57 on the Billboard country music charts. Following this song was "One Last Time". Inspired by the crash of United Airlines Flight 93, the song became his first Top 40 country hit, peaking at 26. Both songs were included on his debut album (also titled Dusty Drake), which was released in mid-2003.
After the release of his album, Drake went on to become an opening act for Kenny Chesney and Brooks & Dunn, as well as performing on the Grand Ole Opry. His album's third single, "Smaller Pieces", reached a peak of 50. By 2004, a fourth single entitled "I Am the Working Man" was released, which went on to peak at 43. This song was not included on an album, and Drake was dropped from Warner Bros.' roster after its release.
Drake signed to Big Machine Records in 2007. His first single for the label, "Say Yes" (co-written by MCA Nashville artist Josh Turner along with Brett James and Don Schlitz), became his second Top 40 country hit, peaking at 36. Drake's first album for Big Machine, tentatively titled Dusty Drake at a Honky-Tonk Near You, was originally slated for release in June 2007. The album was not released. Drake exited the label shortly after. In January 2009, Drake released another single independently called "The 12th Man", which charted at 58.
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