Tebey

Tebey is a Canadian country music singer and songwriter from Burlington, Canada. He is also credited as a multi-genre writer and performs under the name Tebey, with his full name given as Tebey Solomon Ottoh.

Early life and first performances

He starts singing in church at the age of five and later performs at local events. He wins the 14-and-under male division of the Canadian Open Country Singing Contest in 1990 and again in 1994, then wins the 18-and-under male division in 1996 and 1998.

At 15, he signs a development deal with a major Nashville record label and moves to Nashville with his father, while his mother and siblings remain in Burlington. His father is a Nigerian-born electronics engineer. After two years with limited progress, he returns to Burlington.

Nashville work and recording career

His high school football success in Burlington draws interest from American college recruiters, but his Nashville career later gains momentum after a friend promotes him in the industry. He is signed to BNA Records as a singer and to Warner Chappell Music as a staff songwriter. He also signs with Canadian manager Bruce Allen, who connects him with producer Bob Rock.

While working on his first album, he writes his own material and collaborates with Annie Roboff, Bob DiPiero, Jim Collins, Naoise Sheridan and Rory Bourke. In 2002 and 2003, his performance of “We Shook Hands (Man to Man)” charts on country radio in both the United States and Canada.

Songwriting and later work

He is the subject of a CBC Radio segment on Sounds Like Canada and receives a nomination for Best New Group or Solo Artist (Country) at the 2004 Canadian Radio Music Awards. After parting ways with his label, no Tebey album or single appears to be released through retail channels in Canada or the United States. He then works as a professional songwriter in popular music outside country.

His writing credits include songs for Rex Goudie, Shawn Desman, Melissa O'Neil and Cory Lee. Among these are co-writes on Rex Goudie’s “Run” and Shawn Desman’s “Let’s Go”. He also has a co-written song on a Big & Rich record for Warner Bros. Nashville. He later shoots a video for his first pop single, “Damned If I”.