Alabama-born and Tennessee-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Will Owsley first surfaced in 1993 as a member of the power pop band the Semantics, and in 1994 he became a member of Amy Grant's touring band. In the wake of the Semantics' breakup and assisted by proceeds from his stint with Grant, he built a home studio and turned to recording his debut solo LP, crafted over a four-year period. Credited to simply Owsley, the self-titled LP appeared on Giant in 1999. The Hard Way followed on Lakeview Entertainment in February of 2004. Owsley was active as a session guitarist and producer for the remainder of the decade. In April of 2010 he died of an apparent suicide in Franklin, TN at the age of 44.