Eric Pasley Visits with Temple High Students

Eric Paslay, Temple High School graduate and country singer/songwriter, visited his old high school on November 10, 2014, and met with current theatre students and his high-school director, Natasha Tolleson. Eric appeared in many plays and musicals in high school that were directed by Tolleson, including playing the Scarecrow in The Wiz, Gandolf in The Hobbit and the Spirit of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol. He was performing at a sold-out benefit for the Temple Education Foundation that evening. 

Eric definitely knows how to create a hit song. He wrote No. 1 singles for Jake Owen, Rascal Flatts, the Eli Young Band and others before his own single "Friday Night" (from his debut album) hit No. 1.

When Eric visited with the theatre students, he told them about the biggest lesson he learned. "Nobody wants to work with a jerk — or hang-out with one," he said. "Be easy to work with."

After graduating from Temple High, Eric attended Temple College and worked at Holze Music Company. When he moved to Nashville, he worked at Starbucks so that he would have health insurance for his juvenile diabetes. He said he had been writing professionally for eight years, and four years ago got his first No. 1 with "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" recorded by Jake Owen, which was named ASCAP Country Song of the Year.

"Eric used to take his guitar to cast parties," added Tolleson. "We've been listening to him entertain for years."

"I think I wrote a song about theatre during my senior year," said Eric, "and called it something like 'My Final Bow'."

Eric's latest single is "She Don't Love You," which was released after "Song About a Girl." He also had one of his songs featured on The Best of Me movie soundtrack that came out in October.

"It's cool to be a little piece of the soundtrack of people's lives," he added.

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Tolleson and theatre students pose for a "selfie" with Eric Paslay.