Current CD Release: In A Lifetime
Genre: Pop rock
Home Base: Richmond, VA
Similar Artists: Dave Matthews, Shawn Mullins, John Mayer, The Grateful Dead

WHEN HE IS NOT advising fellow defense lawyers, judges and the Virginia legislature on the latest developments in traffic and DUI law, attorney Bart Chucker goes into Songwriter mode. His band, the Bart Chucker Band, regularly plays popular nightspots in and around Richmond, and has just released its first full length CD, In A Lifetime, a suite of songs Chucker wrote over the past decade. While having achieved a distinctive sound over the last 20 years, Chucker owes a musical debt to Dave Matthews, whom he once helped out with a speeding ticket. In gratitude, Matthews gave Chucker a one-on-one guitar lesson. That story, along with the story of how he came to write the songs on In A Lifetime, is included in a 16-page booklet that comes with the CD.

“My dream was to record these songs and use them to benefit a cause for children, which is close to my heart,” he says. “After years of being sidetracked by professional goals, the loss of two classmates on 9/11 reminded me again of what is really important, and that prompted me to complete this project.” He hopes the CD will help raise funds and awareness for the Association for the Support of Children with Cancer (ASK). One dollar from the sale of every CD is earmarked for ASK (www.Askweb.org), and Chucker hopes to use his talent to raise a significant amount of money for the organization over the next few years.

For the moment, though, he is content with a thriving law practice, a beautiful family, and his music.

“I thank God every day for the opportunities I’ve had,” he says. “In some small way, I hope my music will inspire other people to pursue their own dreams and to help make a difference in the world.”