Canton resident and family man Scotty Wilbanks credits his wife as the hero of the household, but this humble husband isn’t your typical Cherokee County father of three. He’s a multi Grammy award winning musician, Grammy nominated record producer and artist development pro who has worked full-time in the music business for more than 22 years.

And, he’s loved every minute of it.

“I’m a self-proclaimed musicaholic,” he said. “After all these years of making music and touring the world, I still love it. It’s crazy long hours, but I feel so blessed to be able to do what I love and support my family that way.”

A vastly talented multi instrumentalist, Wilbanks plays keyboards for the Christian rock band Third Day. Together, they’ve won four Grammy awards and racked up an impressive 11 total nominations. The multi Platinum group is set to release its 13th studio album, Lead Us Back, this month with a special live performance at The Beacon Theatre in New York City before heading out on a spring tour.

Impressive? Absolutely! But, Wilbanks also is a highly sought after songwriter and producer in his own right— he’s even had two American Idol winners cut his songs on their albums. He does it all from his Canton-based music studio, The Rockporium, where he also develops up and coming talent.

“My nickname is Daddy,” Wilbanks said. “I spend 50 percent of my time developing people who could be my kids, and I love that. It’s a way to give back as a mentor. A big highlight for me is watching some of these bands I’ve developed grow legs and run.”

It’s not hard to see why the affable Wilbanks has found such success in artist development. In addition to his many years of acclaimed professional experience, he’s filled to the absolute brim with pearls of wisdom to impart to young talent.

“The music business is like being in an ocean and there’s these waves you’re riding that take you to shore where you have to swim back out again,” he said. “This wave has been really good for me, but as a Christian I don’t know if God has designs for every person to play in front of 10,000 people every night. You have to bloom where you’re planted. Just go after it and be happy!”

Amen to that Scotty!

Find him at www.scottywilbanks.com.

*Originally published in the March 2015 issue of Cherokee Life Magazine.