The country vocal group Gloriana began taking shape in 2007, when Tom Gossin and Mike Gossin -- two guitar-playing brothers who had been working as a duo in North Carolina -- moved to Nashville and met Rachel Reinert. The trio's vocal chemistry was obvious from the start, and they completed their lineup with the addition of singer/mandolinist
Cheyenne Kimball, a former child prodigy who had starred in several TV shows (including her own
MTV reality series) and briefly pursued a solo career with
Epic Records. Together, the Gossin brothers, Reinert, and
Kimball honed a commercial sound inspired by the likes of
Fleetwood Mac,
Alabama, and the California country-rock movement of the 1970s, with their four-part harmonies playing a central role.
Gloriana eventually sent a demo to
Emblem Music Group, a label that had been recently founded by producer Matt Serletic. Serletic liked what he heard, signed the quartet, and offered to produce its first record. Gloriana, the resulting self-titled debut, appeared in 2009. Country audiences flocked to the album, sending it to number two on the country charts and earning the quartet several awards, including Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the annual American Music Awards and Top New Vocal Group at the 2010 Academy of Country Music Awards. Gloriana recorded their follow-up album, 2012's A Thousand Miles Left Behind, without
Kimball, who left the band in 2011, and the remaining three members wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the new release. ~ Steve Leggett & Andrew Leahey, Rovi