Willmon was raised on a ranch near Afton, Texas. By his second year in college, he dropped out to join a bluegrass band. In 1995, he moved to Nashville to start a songwriting career, and by 1998 he had a song-publishing contract with Sea Gayle Music. One of his first cuts as a songwriter was "It Doesn't Mean I Don't Love You". This song was recorded by the short-lived duo McHayes (which comprised 1990s country singer Wade Hayes and fiddler Mark McClurg), and reached #41 on the country charts in 2003. Willmon signed with Columbia Records in 2004. His self-titled debut album was released that year, and it produced four singles. The first of these was "Beer Man", which peaked at #30 on the country charts. Following it were "Dixie Rose Deluxe's" at #36, "Home Sweet Holiday Inn" at #49, and finally "The Good Life" at #38. A second album, A Little More Livin', followed in 2006. Although its lead-off single "On Again Tonight" became his highest chart entry at #27, the follow-up "So Am I" peaked at #59, and Willmon exited Columbia's roster. Willmon signed with Compadre Records in 2007. His third album, Broken In, was released on February 26, 2008.[2] The album produced three singles in "There Is a God", the title track, and "Cold Beer and a Fishing Pole", though none of these entered the charts. In early 2008, he also made his acting debut in the film Palo Pinto Gold, a cowboy film also starring Roy Clark and Mel Tillis[2] He also had another chart success as a songwriter in early 2008, having co-written Montgomery Gentry's Number One hit "Back When I Knew It All". He also co-wrote a song entitled "Better Than This", recorded by Brad Paisley on his 2007 album, 5th Gear. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.