The origins of Wes Cunningham’s sound started with his introduction to Beatles and Beach Boys records as a young kid. Wes began crafting his own songs as a way to get out of memorizing Czerny for piano recitals, and as his musical acumen expanded so did the role that songwriting would play in his life.
It did not take long for a major label to recognize the uniqueness of his sound. Warner Brothers released his debut 12 Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking in 1998. Nashville Scene raved: "Wes Cunningham's debut record on Warner Brothers Records is a convincing artistic statement that sounds strikingly confident and developed for someone who's emerging with little advance hype - and from Texas, no less. He combines solid songwriting with modern studio advances and his own particular lyrical slant...He's a pop classicist who embraces new technology." The album’s single, “So It Goes,” went on to become a top ten hit on the Adult Alternative chart, with Billboard describing it as "... an Elvis Costello-esque sense of melody and verse meets with a crooner's talent for vocal dynamics...served on a delectable pop platter."
Cunningham toured America with much success as shows linked him with Wilco, Jason Mraz, Aimee Mann, Lyle Lovett, Chris Isaak, Los Lobos, Joe Cocker, Lisa Loeb, Fastball, Shawn Mullins, and blues legend Buddy Guy. 12 Ways was acclaimed in Europe, where Cunningham landed on the MTV Chart and played a subsequent tour.
After a change in record labels, Wes delivered a new romantic sound on 2001’s Pollyanna, released by Pentavarit Records. CMJ New Music Monthly described it as “more introspective … and still just as crafty.” Entertainment Weekly picked its track “I Love Eleanor” for the magazine’s weekly Gimme Five. Cunningham appeared as a featured artist on Nic Harcourt’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” on KCRW. Another American tour took him to both coasts and everywhere in between.
To date, Cunningham’s songs have been featured on television shows such as One Tree Hill, My Name Is Earl, Party of Five, and Days of Our Lives. Feature film credits include Walking Tall, Man of the House, Saved, The Big Tease, Nascar in 3D, and Wonderland. Recent compositions have won as finalists in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and Song of the Year.
Always evolving, Cunningham’s latest album, When We Were Young, speaks honestly with rich vocals while remaining true to the craftsmanship of a song in which the melody is always king. It is a reflection of his current Central Texas lifestyle, which he enjoys with his wife and three sons. Sironia marks Cunningham's first foray into scoring for film, revealing exciting new possibilities for his musical expression.