Max & Heather Stalling on the Bowery Stage

200 Market St.,Winnsboro TX 75494

11 March, 2023

Description

Texas country singer-songwriter Max Stalling pens tunes that connect, songs that form a snapshot of his life, songs that make an album. The son of Hal and Jeanne Stalling, born in Crystal City, Texas, he is the youngest of six children. Stalling attended school in nearby Carrizo Springs. He would eventually venture to Texas A&M University where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in food science. In graduate school at A&M, Stalling had a roommate who owned a guitar. The instrument would prove to be Stalling's future. After spending his adolescent and teenage years consumed with pop and rock hit-makers of the '70s and '80s such as AC/DC, ZZ Top, Journey, Billy Idol, Loverboy, The Cars, Cheap Trick, ELO, Boston and a slew of others, the college student was now writing poetry and observational prose. He picked up the guitar in 1990. "Somewhere about that time it occurred to me that I needed to stop consuming and start creating." But Stalling wasn't quite ready for sound checks and stages. He spent a decade working in the food industry, including five years as a research scientist developing new products for Frito-Lay in Plano. By 1991 Stalling had moved to Dallas. He didn't know a soul and consequently felt disconnected, like an outsider. About two years later he ran across the ubiquitous public radio station KNON-FM, which led him to Adair's Saloon, and the now-defunct Naomi's Lounge and Three Teardrops Tavern. It was there that Stalling found his musical family. He soaked up the influential talents of Texas music legends Guy Clark, Robert Earl Keen, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt. He formed friendships with emerging Texas singer-songwriters Mark David Manders, Ed Burleson, Brian Burns, Tommy Alverson, Larry Joe Taylor and the late Ronny Spears. Heather is an award-winning violinist and fiddle player who picked up her instrument at a very young age and has never stopped playing it since. As a child she traveled with her parents across Texas and the surrounding states competing in fiddle contests. As a teenager she moved to Branson, MO to be a member of the "The Texas Gold Minors". They performed 7 days a week for two straight years. Upon returning home she took side jobs playing for various touring acts to include Johnny Lee, Cory Morrow, Bob Schneider, Ed Burleson, Mark David Manders, and The Old 97s. In 2005 she put together her own project, blacktopGYPSY, and released two full length studio albums. Max and Heather married in 2007 and now perform together with Max's band as well as duo shows.