Craig Mecham holds one of his collection of over a dozen or so guitars on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022.
NORTH LOGAN – Cache Valley singer/songwriter Craig Mecham is riding high after having his second number one hit on the HUGS Unsigned Artist Charts in 18 months.
HUGS is a music-related company that promotes unsigned talent in New Oxford, PA. It’s a company with a digital radio presence that plays music of up-and-coming musicians. They also have external entertainment venues that promote the same unsigned musicians.
The weekly lineup of live shows can also be streamed at that website.
Cyrus Gray, the founder of HUGS, was surprised how well the idea was supported by the artists.
“When we started this adventure, we had no idea it would become such a huge movement,” he said. “Our track submissions and our audience has grown massively over the past year. Our Top 10 Countdown show is now averaging over 135,000 listeners per week, our monthly total listeners are topping 800,000, and we’re now doing live events with our artists”
Mecham is one of the strongest story tellers and has not only set the bar in spanning the beauty of the song but the personification of what all performers should have to offer an audience.
“Mecham has clipped the #1 spot of the HUGS TOP 100 Chart with a song that marked just about every listener,” HUGS said about Mecham. “This is one of HUGS’ finest when it comes to being a role model for any artist to follow.”
Mecham has several songs on the HUGS charts.
“HUGS is an excellent collection of all kinds of different styles of musicians who submit their music,” he said. “I had one hit that was in the Rock and Roll category and another in Country.”
The local singer/songwriter started writing music in 1974 as a Brigham Young University student studying marketing and communications. He still operates a successful digital marketing consulting business out of his house.
The song “Don’t Chain Me” debuted in June and has steadily climbed the charts and reached number one.
“Don’t Chain Me is a song I wrote about a difficult break-up when I was in college,” Mecham said. “I have performed this song acoustically for many years but decided to do a rock ‘n roll version—and who better to play lead guitar than my college roommate Michael Mollenhauer. He was with me when I wrote it all those years ago.”
The other hit was “Houston,” a country strong.
Mecham’s music slowed down while he and his wife Tammy raised their six children, but with all the kids out of the nest they just have to entertain their 19 grandchildren now and then. Most everything happened while living in Spokane, WA where they lived for a long time.
“We’ve been in Logan for the past six years,” he said. “My mom is form Clifton and Tammy’s mom is in Wellsville. Our Hyrum roots are deep and there are many family ties to Cache Valley.”
Mecham, who considers his music style akin to Jackson Brown, Crosby Stills Nash and James Taylor, has scheduled 60 something gigs in 2022. He played at Summerfest, the Cache County Fair and anywhere else he can perform.
“I play one-hour concerts at several of the assisted living centers,” he said. “I have a roadie who helps me bring in my equipment and helps set up my microphone, amplifier, and guitars. She has been married to me for 46 years and is highly paid for work.”
During his recent concert at Legacy House he got his audience giggling with his songs about his younger days as a kid. He played songs about one of his elementary school teachers, another about Halloween and a song about himself and what it’s like being short.
“I play songs that are more serious, too,” he said. “I also do sing-a-longs to get the audience involved in the show.”
Mecham has over a dozen different guitars, mostly acoustic, but he does have a couple of electric ones too.
“I just want to put my heart into the songs I write,” he said. “I have no preconceived notions of stardom. If I create something that resonates with someone it is almost a sacred connection.”