Positive Celebrity Exclusive: Temecula Road & their rise to fame!

Catching up with Temecula Road.

What’s better than a singer and songwriter with a unique harmonic voice, a big heart, and the drive to accomplish their dream while inspiring the world? Being a trio, a team all while loving their job and inspiring others with real, raw talent and personality. That’s exactly what Temecula Road has done with their style and love for music.

Singer and songwriters Maddie Salute, 15, Emma Salute, 17 and Dawson Anderson, 16 are young but don’t let their age fool you because they are beyond talented. It all started for Temecula Road when Emma, Maddie and Dawson met during their voice lessons with their first vocal coach Gwyn Sanborn. Their mothers Dawnelle Anderson and Kim Salute saw the passion and of course wanted nothing but the best for their children. And that’s when they decided to go forward with voice lessons.

Gwyn Sanborn first met Maddie when they came out to audition for one of her many fundraiser shows called “Temecula Live! Country Music Review.” And we couldn’t help but wonder she realized they were going to go places with their musical talent and passion. Sanborn opened up about the group, saying:

“I met Maddie and Emma when they came and auditioned for one of my fundraiser shows, Temecula Live! Country Music Review. I remember being ‘wowed,’by Maddie’s voice. I believe she was only 10 years-old. She was, from the start, a “Carrie Underwood in training” there wasn’t a Carrie song she didn’t know. And Emma played a beautiful blue guitar. I wanted them on the show but only had room for one acts so I asked their mom if they could do a duet. Thankfully they did and it led to the beginning of what you know as Temecula Road today. “ And before she knew it they were taking vocal lessons with her for more than 3 years, she continued “Soon after they began taking lessons and were with me for 4 years, I got them out performing at shows and singing the National Anthem.” And the trio formed when Gwyn Sanborn met Dawson Anderson. He stuck out because of his personality and energy. And once she got to know Dawson, it became very prevalent to her that he was driven, had potential and talent, she continued,” Dawson came in a few years later full of personality and energy but not much interested in voice lessons. He had agreed to a month’s worth of lessons. Once I got to know him and heard him sing, I knew he had the drive and potential to be an entertainer. just needed incentive. What better incentive than cute girls?” She jokingly said. That’s when the three of them were introduced and they worked on music together for a “Merc show.,” I introduced the three of them and had them work on a couple of songs together for an upcoming Merc show. They had an awesome sound, very unique and when they did the show I knew they had something special.”

Temecula Road may not have known it right then and there but their first impression on Gwyn Sanborn and ALL those they come into contact with would forever change their lives. Maddie’s biggest influence was Carrie Underwood. She knew every song from every album and she can thank her mom for that because she would always play Carrie Underwood’s hits while they were growing up. Gwyn described her as a “powerhouse,” saying:

“My first impression of Maddie was seriously, mini Carrie. she was such a powerhouse.” And Emma had that unique tone she couldn’t forget, she continued, “With Emma she started off quiet but I could hear potential. She has a beautiful unique tone that she wasn’t using so we did a few bluegrass songs and wow did it start to really shine! that and her ear for harmonies is amazing!”

And when it came to the handsome ladies man Dawson Anderson, he had that natural country sound and she was ready to help show him his true potential, Gwyn is an amazing vocal coach who feels absolutely blessed to help her students reach their dreams and she knew right away that Dawson and the girls should continue to sing saying:

“Dawson’s voice had a natural country sound. I heard that each one had a uniqueness about them and wanted to see what they would be like together. They really have a sound of their own. When they are picking songs it’s important to have that “Temecula Road” sound. And Emma’s ear for harmony really helps achieve that goal.”

Temecula Road is beyond inspiring and proof that regardless of how you started, no matter how good you get, there’s always room to become even better than you were a day ago. And that’s exactly what Temecula Road has strived for from day one. They want to stay true to themselves and continue to inspire all creatives with their music writing and humble attitudes. Everybody starts at the beginning and it’s amazing to watch them flourish. The range in their voices grew with practice because they never gave up, kept practicing, singing and never failed to have a fantastic time because of their passions.

Maddie was young when she started voice lessons but her voice range was always strong. Emma too has always had great range and Dawson’s range has improved the most over the years, she shared saying:

“Maddie was so young but already had great range. Just needed to grow into it. Emma has always had great range as well and the more she got out and performed the stronger her voice became. Dawson’s range has improved the most. He’s the newest to singing and works his tail off doing his exercises and rehearsing. That’s really the key to all of it. Having a good work ethic and treating it as if it’s a job not just for fun. It doesn’t mean they don’t have fun, it just means that your performance is a lot more fun and rewarding when you’ve put the work into it.”

Temecula Road had some unforgettable moments on and off stage. They are always upbeat, silly and being themselves in the best way possible. Dawson’s personality and charm has the ladies looking (maybe drooling, lol) laughing and craving more. It was at Country’s Live “The Merc show,” where it first became apparent that Dawson knew just how to interact with his family, friends, and fans. Getting the crowd pumped can be hard but he had no issues with it (he did the same thing at Kenny Rogers with the girls). Gywn Sanborn opened up about the most memorable experience she has had with Temecula Road… It was a memory that made her smile and one she would never forget because it even brought tears to her eyes saying:

“They will probably kill me for this but probably the most memorable moment was at a Country Live! At “The Merc show,” they were all doing together and Dawson got up there all full of charm and personality shaking his booty for the crowd and it was hilarious! I thought the girls were going to kill him. She said laughing and continued “As a group though going into the studio with them the first time brought a chill and tears to my eyes. They just have an amazing blend and it’s awesome.”

And for PCG Magazine it was when they opened for “Kenny Rogers,” on his final World Tour in Thousand Oaks, California. I remember taking my seat and staring at my mom who was in the front row (it was her dream to see Kenny Rogers, much like it’s now TR fans dream to meet Temecula Road) but it wasn’t just Kenny who blew us all away, it was the three talented teens that stepped on that stage, confident, energetic and ready to make us dance. And that’s exactly what they did, the show was unbelievable they had every person in the arena dancing and swaying to the songs they sang.

Temecula Road is an inspirational country band that Hollywood needs. And they recently signed with WME. Kenny Rogers requested a younger country group to open for him. I don’t think they could have picked a better group for the Kenny Rogers final World Tour.

Dawson opened up about his recent rise to fame saying:

“A lot of people ask me… They say ‘how did you get so successful?’ ‘How are you so successful?’ ‘What happened, what did you do?’ I always tell them the reason why we are so successful is not because we wrote an amazing song or that we’re signing with whoever or opening for whoever, it’s that we are doing what we love, you know? And being able to share this experience.”

We agree, doing what you love is key in having a successful future and of course never giving up.

Temecula Road has always been devoted in staying true to themselves. Emma opened up about how it’s important to always be yourself and stand out saying:

“I think being yourself too and just showing who you are and not copying anybody else shows a lot. Be yourself because people will love you for it… So you just gotta be true to yourself. When you’re yourself, people want to be themselves. I think… They are inspired by other people being themselves.”

It’s important to be yourself because our culture is always developing and when you make that conscious decision to be you and be happy, you set yourself for a fulfilling and rewarding life. When you don’t know who you are or what you want to become, sometimes you tend to follow the crowd and fall off the original path you intended. But Temecula Road has nothing but dedication in staying true to who they are as individuals and a team. The inspiration they are throwing into the world has already impacted so many family, friends, and fans.

Temecula Road had an exciting year and we wanted to know what three words they would use to describe the last year of their life. They had many answers but we adored that each word they used was inspirational.

“Busy, crazy, fun, magical, humbling and surreal.” (How can you pick just three words, right?) Dawson ended their brainstorming for the perfect three words by saying “It’s been a crazy experience for sure.” Crazy good, huh!? We’re totally proud of you guys because you stand out and the covers they have done are even better than some of original tracks. It’s that “Temecula Road,” sound they have and we LOVE it, don’t you?

We asked about the talent they have been meeting and Temecula Road couldn’t help but express that meeting talent in the industry has been really cool and inspirational. Emma opened up about meeting talent saying:

“We’ve met a lot of really cool people, we never really kept in touch with that many people but when we meet famous people, they are really inspiring.” Dawson continued with more detail sharing how high-profile talent have helped them. “Actually, we’ve kinda… I wouldn’t say we’re best friends yet… hopefully soon but we’ve met Maddie & Tae a lot and they remembered who we were and kinda gave us advice on stuff and it was really cool hearing from them. And seeing how things were going with them and telling them how things are going with us.”

Temecula Road has a humbleness that shines bright. They are literally humbled and excited by all the events happening around them and in their lives. The fact that they are choosing to use their talent to make a difference in the world is indescribable. And a blessing because we need more positivity and singers who don’t do it for the money. You can tell that they do it to make their family, friends, and fans smile. That’s real integrity right there and it’s a blessing to have met and interviewed them here on PCG Magazine. Positive celebrity gossip wouldn’t exist without talent having personalities as strong as Temecula Road.

The next few months they will be very busy prepping for some exciting things that are coming up and while they can’t give away too many details, we saw some recent pictures at WME, Disney Country and they have some upcoming shows. Don’t miss your chance of seeing them live and getting to know them, you’ll be creating an unforgettable memory for life. Don’t forget to let us know what you think of Temecula Road in the comments below and check out their social media, that way you can stay up-to-date on the latest Temecula Road news, appearances and more!

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