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| MySpace Expands Ryan Hamner's Fan Base MySpace Music, the online community's area for showcasing musical artists and groups, is helping to catapult 29-year-old singer/songwriter Ryan Hamner to fame. Hamner, who has been playing his original music and covers of his favorite artists' songs all around the South for twelve years, has just released an eight-song demo CD titled "One Small Giant." Four of the album's tracks are featured on his MySpace page. So far, listeners love what they hear. Hamner's song "Lay Me Down" became one of the top ten songs of the past 30 days - as well as the number-one listener pick - on ListenerStation.com less than two weeks after its debut on the site. Fans flocked to his MySpace page to get "One Small Giant" in Hamner's recent giveaway, snapping up all the free copies of the CD in just a week. And "Lay Me Down" is currently featured on Local MusiCafe at mvyradio.com, one of the top 15 most streamed Internet radio stations in the world. Not bad for a guy who recorded his demo CD at home. But then, Hamner is accustomed to beating the odds: A four-time Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor, he wrote and illustrated "You'll Be All Right, Buddy, " an educational storybook for children with cancer, while recovering from a bone marrow transplant in 2000. Hamner now travels the U.S., promoting "You'll Be All Right, Buddy, " raising money for charities and talking to young cancer patients and their families. Born and raised in Columbus, Ga., Hamner counts Neil Young, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bob Dylan, Oasis, Elton John, John Mayer and numerous others among his musical influences. Along with his own original material, Hamner regularly covers legends from Johnny Cash to Bob Marley at his performances. Audiences can't seem to get enough: "We are overdue for a dose of Hamner medicine, " wrote one MySpace visitor. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |