Celebrates Successful Annual Kinder’s Kids Toy Drive

NASHVILLE, TN (December 12, 2016) – Following a “buzzy” week, the new single “Close” from Warner Bros. Records/Warner Music Nashville artist Ryan Kinder became one of the most added tracks at country radio last Monday. The track also recently made appearances on Spotify’s U.S. and Global Top 50 lists and topped Slacker Radio’s Weekly Country Countdown. The Shotgun Seat calls it “an absolute jam…and will inspire repeat spins” and Whiskey Riff declares that “Ryan Kinder’s new single ‘Close’ is an instant favorite.”

Kinder is out on the road visiting radio stations across the country, not only in support of the single, but another project that is incredibly “Close” to his heart – his annual Kinder’s Kids toy drive. This year, the “Come ‘Close’ For The Holiday” toy drive kickoff concert was a huge success in Nashville with attendees bringing toys to benefit Kinder’s Kids. With the support of Red Bull the toy drive benefitted North Carolina’s Robeson County, one of the hardest hit communities by Hurricane Matthew, as well as Ft Bragg’s “Bicycle Man” drive and the Marine Corps’ Toys For Tots of New Bern, NC.

Written by Kinder with Jeremey Stover and Lindsey Rimes and produced by Ross Copperman, “Close” is a hookup anthem flipped upside down, all about wanting more but knowing love at first sight is usually reserved for fairytales. Full of urgency and confidence, Kinder convinces his girl that even if they don’t fall head over heels, they can sure get close. It pushes country across its borders and into late-’90s rock territory with a red-hot solo he can only describe as “so freaking cool.”

The Knoxville-born, Birmingham-raised singer-songwriter Ryan Kinder, who Billboard called “a singer-songwriter with an intense, urgent vocal style,” cites Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Keith Urban, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Rob Thomas among his greatest musical influences. Known for his distinctive vocals and mastery of the guitar, Kinder began his musical journey by performing in bars and clubs at the early age of 16, and then honed his craft playing to college crowds across the Southeast while attending the University of Alabama. After two years of weekly commutes from Alabama while still in school, Kinder moved to Nashville to pursue his dream where Storme Warren of SiriusXM’s The Highway told listeners, “You’re witnessing the birth of one of the greatest artists to come from Music Row.”

A gifted songwriter in his own right, Kinder has co-written with some of Nashville’s most successful writers, including Ashley Gorley, Ross Copperman, Chris DeStefano, Josh Osbourne, Tom Douglas, Jeremy Stover and Luke Sheets. He has shared the stage with Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum, Billy Currington, Brett Eldredge and Zac Brown, who personally handpicked Ryan for his fall 2014 tour. Rolling Stone named him “the John Mayer of country music,” and included him as one of “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know November 2015,” but Kinder says, “I just let the music do the talking.” Kinder is currently writing and recording his debut album with multi-award winning songwriter/producer Ross Copperman and multiple Grammy Award-winning producer, Paul Worley.

Media Contact: Mary Catherine Rebrovick / Warner Music Nashville / MaryCatherine@wmg.com / 615-214-1500