A former baseball player, professional golfer, and advertising executive, Daniel Lee Martin left it all behind in 1997 to pursue his dream of becoming a country recording artist. A 1999 showcase in Nashville brought him an offer from Atlantic Records that for one reason or another fell apart. In the next four years, other major labels were interested but nothing panned out. Martin played opening slots for Willie Nelson and Charlie Daniels, plus an annual performance at Fan Fair in Nashville. In November of 2002 Martin became the first artist signed to ChinMusic Records. The label issued his debut, All That I Am, in 2003. ~ David Jeffries