By Marty Warburton, Cedar City Music Arts
Way back in 1865, popular newspaper editor Horace Greeley is said to have coined the memorable phrase; “Go West, young man, and grow up with the country”. It turned out to be pretty good advice, as the West was speeding headlong into the Twentieth Century. Now, hold that thought, and fast forward about 160 years up the road, flip a few words, and here we are: “Young Man, grow up, play Country, and call it Due West”. Richfield, Utah native Tim Gates did just that.
Due West is a trio of country musicians who, by pure chance, met at a house party in 2004. Matt Lopez, Brad Hull and Tim Gates are all from the western U.S., but like many aspiring artists, they found themselves in Music City, USA. The three of them were all invited to the same party by Diamond Rio member Dan Truman at his sister’s house in Nashville, Tennessee. As happens in Nashville, when everyone gets together, music breaks out, they begin pickin’ and singin’. When Tim started singing, Brad and Matt chimed in playing and singing harmony. Matt remembers, “It got to the point where the three of us were taking over the whole party. People who showed up later told us, ‘Man your band is awesome. Your band is so tight.’”
Tim later confessed, “We were strangers until that night.”
At that point, it was a no-brainer to form a real band. Since Tim Gates is from Utah, Matt Lopez is from Wyoming and Brad Hull is from Arizona, they called their group, you guessed it, Due West.
Not just a cover band, no Sir, this talented trio writes more than 90% of the music they perform and record, but have also written songs for Lady A, Thompson Square, Black Hawk, Bucky Covington, and the Bellamy Brothers to name a few. When you hear their crystal clear innovative three part harmonies, you will easily understand why Due West quickly found themselves in the fast lane. They did it all, professionally producing music videos, concerts and tours, as well as having been featured on the Grand Ol’ Opry. Word soon got out around southern Utah how Tim Gates from little ol’ Richfield and his new band, Due West, was putting their stamp on modern Country Music.
Matt explains, “Sometimes as songwriters, you become a band to give yourself an outlet for your original music if no one else is recording your song.”
In 2012, Due West hit 4th gear when their paths crossed with songwriter Dean Dillon, who has composed or co-written 55 songs for George Strait, 11 of which went to number one.
Due West met Dean when they were both playing a gig in Colorado. They were thrilled! After a brief backstage meeting, Dean Dillon watched their set and afterwards said, “I’d like to write with you guys.” And luckily for Due West, he followed through with that. As a proven “Hoss” in the music industry, Dean Dillon’s kindness and generosity opened many a door. Inviting the trio into his creative sanctuaries in Nashville, Key West, and Colorado, Dean and Due West began crafting songs that would leave an indelible mark on their musical journey.
More than 12 years later, Dean Dillon has created his own record label, Unwound Records, and Due West is the flagship artist. Their latest release, a 12 song album entitled “Unbroken” was recently released on Dean Dillon’s “Unwound Records” label.
Cedar City Music Arts is extremely proud to present Due West at The Heritage Center Theater on Tuesday, February 10th. Doors open at 6:30, Concert at 7:30. If you are not (yet) a CCMA season ticket holder, it is highly suggested that you call the Box Office at 435-865-2882 or go to Cedarcitymusicarts.org to secure your seats. Demand is high. Some of the best stories are the “local boy makes good” stories. In that regard, Tim Gates, Matt Lopez & Brad Hull are bringin’ home the bacon. Come see for yourselves.