Today's Country

DON "HOLLYWOOD" YATES 
(aka. Wolf) Industry Showcase
Monday, November 16, 2009
@ 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville, TN 

When American Gladiators was brought back to television a whole new cast of gladiators became household names for a variety of reasons, however one that stood out amongst the pack was Don "Hollywood" Yates, simply known on the show as Wolf. The six foot four inch former bullfighter, rodeo clown, professional WWE wrestler, and Hollywood stuntman, won over America with his trademark howl as he knocked around contestants on the show. But it what was going on underneath it all that has attracted him to a country music magazine like this one.

When he made an appearance at this past summer's CMA Fest we found out from Yates himself that he had been working on recording some country music and was going to be ready to let everyone hear it sometime within' the year. That time is now! He brought his outlaw branded, honky-tonkin', rebel styled, country music to a crowd of industry and media professionals as well as friends and fellow songwriters like Randy Houser, Trailer Choir, Shy Blakeman, and more, on Monday night at 3rd and Lindsley and seemingly won them over the same way he did America.

With his six-piece band ready to rock behind him, Yates wasted no time in getting to it as he quickly stated, "we have got a lot of friends out here tonight and it's good to see all of you so let's do this," as they dove into the rocking opener "Up Yours." Yates instantly showcased his big, deep voice and ability to deliver an upbeat southern rock tinged tune with catchy, fun lyrics quickly winning over the crowd.

As the cheers rang out Yates smiled as he stood at the microphone center stage and showed his appreciation by saying, "Thank you so much for that. Thank you all for coming out tonight and supporting us too. I appreciate that," as he continued with "That last song we played was written by my producer and Jeffrey Steele and Randy Houser wrote this next one," he finished as they played "Face The Music," which gave Yates a chance to do a little headbanging along with the shredding guitar solos midway through the song.

"This is my first time in Nashville doing something like this so I am glad to see so many people came out here tonight for it," explained a very appreciative Yates, "You know when I decided that I wanted to do music again I was staying with Big Vinny (Trailer Choir) and he asked me what style I was looking to do and I told him an edgy Southern rock type thing and he said that he had just the song for me and gave me this next one that I think Butter (Trailer Choir) wrote," Yates told the crowd as they blasted into the rocker, "Put Me In The Ground."

"This last song that we are going to do here tonight for you is one that Shy Blakeman and I wrote at CMA Fan Fest this summer. It's about my wife, his ex-wife, and Gretchen Wilson," laughed Yates as they rounded out their quick set with "Makes Me Pop."

Showcases in this town are always a tough sell simply on the fact that they happen all the time, so what makes an artist stand out at one? A fair question, and my response is simple, a quick, solid performance like this one that offers a familiarity with a bit of a twist to it. Don "Hollywood" Yates isn't necessarily doing anything that much different than the likes of guys like Jamey Johnson or Randy Houser, but he does have a uniqueness to his sound that he combines with a presence alone that is enough to attract attention and when you mix in the fact that the guy can sing an upbeat, rocking, tune with a voice that booms over the crowd you can definitely see that this is someone that is about to peak a tremendous interest amongst the industry.

FULL SET LIST

1. Up Yours
2. Face The Music
3. Put Me In The Ground
4. Makes Me Pop