Two of Country Music’s Finest Backups Take Center Stage

Years ago, when Brandon Fraley was a senior at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., he prayed to God for a miracle.

He was happy and healthy, preparing to settle into a promising future, and in the middle of hosting a Christmas party for all of his friends. But he really needed a CD.

A freshman girl he had a huge crush on had asked if she could take one of his demos home with her over the holiday break, but he was 100-percent sure he had given them all away. Rummaging around his bedroom in a near full sweat, he finally found one, pressed up against the wall underneath his bed, and ran back to the party to hand it to her.

“I thought, here is this girl, she’s leaving tomorrow for a month, and she wants to take my music with her,” Brandon says. “As a musician, that’s flattering, but as a guy who has a crush on her…”

The freshman girl turned out to be a fellow voice major Jamelle Mallon. They went on a first date when they returned to school in January, and immediately bonded over a shared love of music and childhoods spent singing in school and church choirs. They were married less than three years later.

Next week the two of them, who have spent their entire careers post-college supporting other country music artists’ visions (her, as a backup singer for Carrie Underwood; him, touring with Gretchen Wilson and Danny Gokey), will host a listening party where they will debut their first EP as duo “Two Story Road.” A release date for the record is yet to be set. It marks the end of their days spent on other artists’ time, and the beginning of an all-consuming, honest shot at the American Dream.

“Two Story Road means two stories, finally going down one road, together,” Brandon says.

School of Rock

Despite their big-city chops, Brandon and Jamelle Fraley were born in Sylvania, Ohio and Chester, Va. respectively. Both knew early on that music was their calling. (Jamelle, who idolized power singers like Martina McBride and Celine Dion, remembers being told by her choir teacher that she’d be “big time” at a relatively young age.)

The two chose to attend Belmont—a Christian university ranked by Time and Rolling Stone as one of the nation’s best “music business schools”—for both the music program and the school’s proximity to the famed Music Row.

For his part, Brandon, who sings in addition to playing the guitar and piano, insists he was hyper-focused on musical development and not at all interested in dating—until he met vocalist Jamelle, who he calls “Jamie.”

“We have Nashville to thank for our paths crossing,” he says. “We’ve been blessed to have two seats on what has been a musical roller coaster ever since.”

Though they’d moved to Music City with the hopes of becoming solo artists, their talents initially caught the eyes of executives who had other ideas: One took note of Brandon’s songwriting, and helped him sign a songwriting deal with Sony Music Publishing right out of school. Meanwhile, a Grammy winning writer and producer heard Jamelle sing and began pulling her into the studio for assistance on various records he was working on.

Over time, the Fraleys found themselves working with bigger and bigger names in country music. In 2010, Brandon became the band leader for singer and former church music director Danny Gokey, of American Idol fame, and found himself on stage with acts like Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift. In 2008, Jamelle landed the deal with Underwood and began a five-year stint touring with her.

Combined, they’ve played over 1,000 shows, including more than 100 at the famed Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and have performed at almost every TV and award show there is. Content to stand off to the side while crowds cheered on the headliner, the couple is quick to acknowledge that standing in the shadows isn’t without merit.

“We were touring the globe doing country music. The amazing artists [we’ve worked with] led by example and we paid attention to every detail,” Jamelle says. “To be around someone like a Carrie Underwood and watch all the hard work she put into every day … was simply invaluable. To go on a 100-city radio tour with Danny Gokey and see what it takes to launch a single is something you can’t teach.”

All Roads Lead Home

Their immense success touring ultimately led to a tough decision in early 2011.

“2010 was rough,” Jamelle says. “Brandon did over 120 shows with Danny and I did over 150 with Carrie. We figured out at the end of the year that I had spent only about 12 nights in my own house the whole 12 months.”

They decided it was time to take their talents off the road—and to take a shot at fulfilling a longtime dream—together.

“We both had an ear for harmony and we loved singing together every chance we got,” Brandon says. “Forming a duo just made sense.”

They each finished out their tour commitments and—with the blessing of their former bosses—stepped down to focus on Two Story Road full time.

It’s been a humbling experience for the Fraleys, who recount what it was like to have their iPhones autocorrect “Two Story Road” to “Two Story Toad” for “you wouldn’t believe how long.”

For the past few years, they’ve spent nearly every minute together (“The only thing we do separate from one another is exercise,” Brandon says, adding that they’ll still text throughout if there is something important going on). The focus has been on writing, recording, forming a fan-base of “Roadies,” and honing a sound that’s all their own.

“The biggest thing that we still have to pinch ourselves over is the group of fans that we have somehow acquired,” Brandon says. “You can’t help but smile when you see friendships that have formed through a mutual love of our music. That’s some feels right there.”

They’ve also worked with some of Nashville’s biggest names to complete the six-track EP they’re previewing for fans at a listening party at Nashville’s Country Music Association (CMA) Fest. Mark Bright, the man behind big names like Luke Bryan and Rascal Flatts produced the disc.

Watching the two perform, a string of songs punctuated by adoring banter, it’s obvious they’re pros, and genuinely very in love. When Brandon tells the story of writing a love song called “Better When You’re Home” while Jamelle was away on tour, it’s hard not to eat it up.

The Fraleys also very visibly complement one another. While Brandon assumes the role of leader and charismatic storyteller with the audience, Jamelle shines as a vocal powerhouse. They seem perfectly positioned for success as one of very few modern couples-turned-musical duos in the music world.

“Above all, we want to truly see how far this road can take us,” Brandon says.