Tyler Perry was born in Rhode Island in 1987. He was into musical theater as a kid, which led to a stint at Berklee School of Music, where he studied songwriting. He struggled in college due in part to depression. After dropping out, he returned home, living in his mom’s basement and working for his father.
Tyler sought counseling for his depression and body image issues, which improved his self-confidence. At 29, on a whim, he moved to LA to pursue music in earnest, working for a real estate company by day and hitting open mics by night. He would play his own songs, and then wrap with Roy Orbison’s Cryin’, which was always an audience favorite.
Tyler developed his alter ego – Tyler Ballgame – inspired by baseball great Ted Williams, who was known as “Teddy Ballgame.” The name was a bit of self-deprecating humor, a persona that described something he was not. He imagined what Tyler Ballgame would sound like, and the kinds of songs he would write. He drew on all of his musical inspirations including classic rock from the ‘60s, show tunes, grunge and even Fleet Foxes.
Eventually, Tyler caught the attention of producer Jonathan Rado whose work includes albums by Miley Cyrus and The Killers. Over the course of a few weeks, the pair wrote and recorded more than an album’s worth of new material.
For The First Time Again, was released in late January. It's a collection of songs about hope, personal growth and universal lessons. Most importantly, the songs seem to be self-reflective and cathartic for Tyler. His honesty gives these tunes authenticity. The familiar, folk-rock style makes it easy to listen to, but avoids sounding derivative. It’s a strong debut and a good introduction to someone with a complex history.
I suspect we'll hear a lot more from Tyler Ballgame.
Tyler Ballgame is performing in Medford at The Holly Theatre on March 31st, opening for St. Paul and the Broken Bones. Hear tunes from For the First Time, Again on Open Air - Weekdays 9am-3pm on JPR's Rhythm and News Service.
